#what are they gonna do slap some ray tracing on it and call it a day probably

[zoya-nazyalenskys]

so apparently a remaster of horizon zero dawn is coming out, a game that came out in 2017 lmao

[greenandsorrow]

Could you write an Xreader- Pedro Pascal smut with age gap and daddy kink

Also riding and praise kink

warnings-> fem!reader, age gap, daddy k1nk, praise and degradation k1nk, unprotected sex

disclaimer-> this was requested by an irl friend, so I just had to write it! (about requesting; click here)

This is just porn, no plot at all. Pure filth. I drew my inspo from this photoshoot! It hasn't been proof read, so some errors are to be expected.

You are new to this...

You are new to being a photographer in Hollywood. So the excitement of meeting your celebrity crushes is still very much alive in you.

Today you have a scheduled photoshoot with the José Pedro Balmaceda Pascal. Obviously, there's a team accompanying you, but everything seems to disappear when you lay eyes on the masterpiece of a man that Pedro is.

Pedro's eyes widen slightly when you approach him to introduce yourself. He chuckles awkwardly, shaking your hand heartily.

Before you have time to wipe away the idiotic smile that has formed on your face, you are holding your camera and guiding his poses.

It quickly becomes clear that Pedro is fun to work with. He cracks the best of dad jokes and the way he looks at the lens has you soaking your panties.

The shoot is taking place in a motel somewhere outside of LA. During lunchbreak everyone parts ways, leaving you alone with your camera and naughty thoughts. Pedro is inside one of the motel rooms, getting changed into the next outfit the team has picked for him.

Now that the ice has been broken after working with him for hours, you feel confident enough to knock on the door of the room he currently occupies.

The sun outside is bright and when he lets you in, its rays make his frame glisten slightly. He's still shirtless. The air is heavy with desire, mixed with soft notes of lavender from the room's fragrance.

Inside his mind there's a dilemma. He's twice your age, but all he can think about is your perfect curves, your cleavage, your sweet smile.

Pedro bites his lip as he imagines you against him.

"Um... could I help you with anything kid?"

"Don't call me that."

"Fuck~"

The grown man in front of you has become tomato red, hands instinctually covering his crotch.

"You don't have to hide that..."

Your eyes are seductive and your tone makes Pedro swallow audibly.

"Y- you don't understand sweetie. I haven't.... haven't... in a while."

"All the more reason to do it now~"

That would be fucking incredible. His hardened cock twitches in anticipation at the thought of being buried deep inside you...

A moment of staring at each other with intent passes.

Pedro locks the door and you close the curtains.

The room starts to feel even hotter now that your shared desire has been revealed. Pedro's hands start roaming across his body, tracing patterns over his abdomen before cupping his balls through the fabric of his underwear. He groans softly, a thick bead of precum forms at the tip of his throbbing cock, yearning for your wet heat.

You grin. The sweet and shy man is gone. Pedro is pure dominance and power now.

"Be a good girl and take off your clothes for your da- for me."

"What did you say?" you teasingly ask while playing with your breasts.

He mumbles something under his breath.

"You're gonna take your clothes off now, for your daddy."

"Now we're talking."

And so you give him a little strip show. You begin by taking off your shirt, tantalisingly slow...

Pedro cannot wait any longer when your breasts bounce after taking off your bra.

The actor leans in, capturing your lips with his own, shoving his tongue deep into your mouth as he moans against you. Your taste sends shivers of pleasure through him, tongues dance and tangle while his hands roam further down your body, cupping your plump ass cheeks roughly before delivering a sharp slap that leaves a hot sting followed by pleasure.

He is quick to undress himself while you do the same with your remaining clothing.

As the intensity builds between you, Pedro whispers filthy things in your ear... promises of what he'll do to you once you're fully impaled on his thick shaft, describing in graphic detail how good it will feel.

You can't help but giggle playfully... In a swift motion, you put a hand on his wide chest, pushing him back until his calves hit the couch.

Pedro sits with his legs spread. His fat cock (slightly bent) is rigid against his lower stomach.

He's a sight to behold, that's for sure.

"...agh~ it's been a long day mi vida..."

Pedro can't help but groan when his cock twitches impatiently.

He pulls you close and helps you straddle him. His heart melts as you do so, his erection pressing against your wetness.

"Oh that's it darling. Take care of daddy... C'mon ride me baby, don't be shy~"

You are too turned on, too lost in the delicious haze of lust and desire.

You slowly sink down on Pedro's surprisingly girthy member.

To your delight he lets out a strangled moan, his hands gripping your hips tightly. He feels every inch of you surrounding him.

"Fuck yeah, that's it princess. Ride your daddy hard and fast."

He's breathless, hungry... but still patient enough to let you adjust to his size... before thrusting up to fill you completely with his cock.

You moan loudly against his chest.

(On top of everything, why does he have to smell so frickin' good?!)

You haven't even started moving on top of him and Pedro reaches between your legs, rubbing your clit with his thumb.

"Such a pretty baby girl. Let daddy feel that sweet pussy of yours squeeze him tight."

Pedro's eyes roll back in ecstasy as he feels the warmth of your tight pussy enveloping his cock, as you finally begin to move up and down. Each inch you take feels like heaven, making him bite his lip to stifle moans and profanities.

His hips jerk upward involuntarily, trying to drive deeper into your welcoming heat.

"Ah... oh... it's too good... your pussy~"

"You play with my clit so nicely handsome..."

Your voice doesn't sound like your own in your ears. But the shocked and flustered expression on Pedro's features boosts your confidence.

You pick up the pace, slamming down on him harder and faster, chasing maximum pleasure.

He growls, his cock throbbing inside of you. Your shared moans and gasps fill the room as you both give in to passion.

"Fuck yes, babydoll... you're so damn tight!"

The actor's hands find their way to your hips, holding on tightly as he begins to move in unison with you.

Heavy breathing and the slapping sounds of your flesh meeting as you lose yourselves in the ecstasy is what could be heard if someone was to go knock on the door.

Pedro hasn't had sex in a while so he soon gets overwhelmed. He can feel himself being consumed by the pleasure your tight walls provide him with. As he nears his peak, he slows you down by grabbing your hips, prolonging his time with you.

He tries not to panic by the fact he almost came. Pedro starts nibbling on your neck and earlobe... regaining some sense of control.

"Shhh... baby doll," he whispers breathily into your ear. "You feel so fucking amazing around me... J- just slow down for a moment~"

You feel Pedro's grip on you tighten slightly as he fights against the impending orgasm that threatens to consume him. You indeed make your pace lighter, more shallow and slightly slower.

Even in this new pace, Pedro's orgasm is building rapidly within him despite his attempts to hold back. He knows that he needs to make this last. He wants you to remember him, to leave a long lasting impression on you.

Your moans and whines don't help, making him all too excited. He doesn't continue pounding into you, determined that if he does so, he'll cum immediately.

"C'mon princess... You gotta cum for daddy~"

The way you move your body, riding him slowly and sensually, has you seeing stars. You have never experienced anything like that.

You giggle playfully... the laboured expression on his face is both sexy and adorable.

"P- Pedro... I~"

Feeling your body tensing up, Pedro knows you're close. He leans in and kisses you deeply as he starts to meet your movements with his own, hips thrusting eagerly against your own.

You moan when you feel his cock hit that spongy spot deep inside you. You shiver and grasp at his arms for support, fingernails pressing into his skin.

So, with a final growl of effort, he pushes through the waves of ecstasy, filling you up completely as he cries out his release. His cock throbs violently inside you, spurting load after load of hot cum deep into your hungry pussy. The feeling is indescribable... It's raw and primal.

You're trembling more now, your skin is covered in a thin layer of sweat but you still haven't cummed. A little more stimulation is all you need. He did come but doesn't plan on giving up until you do too.

"Oh, baby doll!"

Pedro feels a pang of emotion in his chest. The man's heart races, concern etching lines onto his handsome face. What if he can't make you orgasm?

Noticing his apprehension you cease riding him for a moment.

"Need to catch your breath?"

He simply nods.

His cock is already starting to harden again as he looks at your flushed face.

"Oh yes, baby girl. Daddy just wanted to recover real quick."

Running his fingers through your hair, he smirks mischievously.

"I'm going to fuck you until you can't walk straight tomorrow, my little whore. Do you understand?"

This sudden burst of dominance has you reeling. His goal is simple. He cummed. Now it's your turn.

Pedro starts thrusting into you hard and fast, his cock hitting all the right spots. He leans down to bite your neck, leaving a mark as he claims you as his own.

"You're mine, baby girl. All mine."

Your moans echo in the space you two occupy.

Feeling your body respond to his roughness, Pedro picks up the pace even more. His hips slam against yours time and time again.

"Tell daddy how much you love it when he fucks his little slut!"

You start writhing, tremblingly, as your own climax consumes you. You stutter his name. Only his name.

"Pedro... I- I love... I love it!!!"

Feeling your tight pussy squeezing him as you cum, Pedro knows you lost control as well. He slams into you, this time erupting without shame or guilt.

"Fuck yes baby! That's it! Take all of daddy's cum!"

"Oh... Oh God~"

"Did my little slut enjoy that? Did she cum hard for her daddy?"

Pedro kisses you passionately, his hands roaming your body. He holds you close as he slowly pulls out of you, his thick cock still pulsing with each jet of cum that shoots out and lands on your stomach and legs.

"Shhh... baby doll," he soothes softly, kissing your temple before nuzzling into your neck with newfound gentleness.

"I didn't mean to be so rough you. It's just that you're so fucking perfect... It overwhelmed me for a moment."

As a struggling young adult, tips are highly appreciated (through PayPal). 🩷

my masterlist

[bangtangalicious]

death valley (m) | part 8

summary: welcome to death valley. once you’re in, there’s no telling whether you’ll make it out alive. a summer internship turns wild with blurry nights of dangerous men, dirty money, and extremely hot sex. you soon get caught in a savage game of greed, power and obsession, only to find out that you are the grand prize

pairing: ot7 x f.reader smut ft: jin x reader, jungkook x reader, taehyung x reader

genre: smut. yandere. mystery. thriller. gang!au rockstar!au fightclub!au

wordcount: 9.0k

warnings: reader discretion advised. rough sex, physical roughness, sadism kink, pain kink, breast play, fingering, elevator sex (semipublic), praise kink, dirty talk, unrealistic endurance (this is one day LMAO), attempted fire play, bondage, guns, attempted shootings, knife play if you squint, spanking, degradation (name calling, slut shaming, being really mean lolol thanks jin), crying kink? lot of crying, toxic and manipulative behaviors, jin steps on you so there’s that, character death, heavy drug use, paranoia/fear, voyeurism, sex while intoxicated, me trying to put some humor where i can, sweet dom!jungkook, wild dom!jin, and a sprinkle of dom!taehyung ;) ALSO eyebrowpiercing!jungkook. very important. 

a/n: s/o soowoozoo!bts for being my inspo. 

part 0 | part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5 | part 6 | part 7 | part 8 | part 9 | part 10 | part 11 | series navi | masterlist |

F L A S H F O R W A R D--

Goosebumps spread across your skin as the silence set in. The room was chilly, air conditioner buzzing in contrast to the slick humidity of the summer night waiting for you outside. The white light made your eyes ache, the walls were plain, dry, empty.

You stared blankly at the table in front of you. The sound of the pen scratching paper made you ache, remembering kinder days when you and Hobi would be goofing around and writing songs. How did you get here? How did you let this happen?

The previous night, you had dreamt of being at a concert, somewhere far from Death Valley. Losing yourself to music and molly, a soft pair of hands on your hips as you danced the night away, singing at the top of your lungs. Those same hands wrapping around your waist, nose tracing behind your ear to whisper to you how pretty you were. How hot you looked and how badly he wanted to tear your clothes off with his teeth. 

You allowing him to pick you up so easily, take you back to his car where you scrambled into the back seat. Like children. The first kiss was magic, you were glued to him and could barely move on. He wouldn’t leave you for a second, he wouldn’t let you breathe. Your lips were hot on each other, soft moans and giggles. Swallowed smiles as you drank one another in, bodies like waves crashing against each other.

Hands wandering until he had you where he wanted. Where you wanted. He loved you down so incredibly good. How he was able to tear you apart while still being so sweet, you could barely even fathom. His teeth dug into the flesh of your breasts, fingers hooking around your panties. 

His tongue ravished your figure. There was no part of you left untouched, no part of you that wasn’t completely ablaze with arousal. You would arch your neck back as he lapped away at the sweetness dripping between your legs, your hands combing through his wavy black hair.

His tongue knew where to go, he knew how you liked it, and your fist clenched as he fucked you with his mouth through and through. He always made sure you came first. Always. Every single time.

Whether you had mere minutes or long hours, he loved the way you tasted, making sure you knew that at every chance he got. Sloppy wet kisses traveled up your stomach to your chest, up your neck, hands caressing your ass, scratching your back, holding you close for a moment. 

You were whisked away into heaven, just briefly, as his thick cock would push into you. Your pussy pulling him in, wanting to feel the familiar but oh so incredible stretch that only he gave you. 

Taehyung. You sobbed as he fucked you, allowing him to kiss the glossy tears off of your cheeks as he rolled his hips, angling so perfectly to nudge deep within you. His sinister grin, his giggles, his chaos. You were in the hands of disaster but you never felt more safe. 

Why are you crying dumbass? He would find your state amusing, continuing to fuck you, thrusts long and smooth. Quick, but slow enough for you to savor each second. Your whining lost behind the wet sound of your bodies colliding.

Where are you? Are you watching this right now? You’re not really dead are you?

Stroking your cheek, he leaned down to whisper against your mouth. The words he would keep on saying, echoing back to you. Play along. I won’t hurt you.

What exactly you were playing, you were unsure. 

“Look at me” Your eyes darted up to meet Jin’s deceivingly innocent eyes. “I’m gonna ask you again, did you kill Kim Taehyung?” 

You gulped, sweat collecting onto the cold handcuffs around your wrists. Jin glanced at the mirrored wall, before letting out a heavy sigh. 

“It appears that Kim Taehyung was murdered about two hours before the party. We found your gun near the body.” Jin holds up the custom weapon Yoongi had given that was unmistakably yours. “Where were you at that time?” You felt your eyes getting heavy.

“I was” You lips were chapped, mouth clammy with a bitter taste. You looked him dead in the eye, stomach sickened by the amusement glistening within them as you struggled with your response. You knew he was getting a kick out of it. You wanted to spit on his face. You wanted to slap him, to scream, to flip the table and break out of the windowless room that caged you.

“I was with...y..” Jin smirked, leaning back. You cleared your throat, mind running a mile a minute.

“With who Y/n?”

You glared at him. He was treating this as some sort of role play. You felt queasy at the thought. Someone was dead. Dead. 

“You. I was with you”

F L A S H B A C K--

The morning rays slid through the expansive glass wall of the hotel room, causing Yoongi’s eyes to flinch, squinting as they opened and took in the day that presented itself. He sighed heavily, the weight of the previous night still on his mind. You were still asleep, but he could see through the chaffing beneath your wrists that you were not comfortable. He took the leash and fastened it to the headboard, ensuring you had no escape. 

Grabbing his keys, Yoongi quickly got dressed in a white hoodie and left the room. He needed to find out the truth for himself. He couldn’t afford to have you lying to him already. 

It was so frustrating to him that you couldn’t just be honest with him. He had been immensely open with you even if he was not proud of what he had to share. Why would you hide things? Hadn’t he proven himself to you? Hadn’t he done everything to win your heart?

Yoongi sighed. His anger issues were core to his being. It was part of his true self, but he had spent years trying to become someone you would fall in love with. All he wanted to do was make home in your heart, but no matter how many of your suitors he ended up threatening, beating to a pulp, and forcing them to bail on you, there was nothing in his power that could tear down that goddamn Park Jimin poster on your bedroom wall.

There was nothing he could do to stop you from writing small fantasies in your journal that you kept stashed in your bedside drawer. 

Yoongi would be lying if he said he didn’t come close to killing Jimin multiple times before. But he realized that would not have delivered him a solution. If Jimin died, you would mourn. You would still harbor that love for him and never have an opportunity to see what he really was. It was because of this Yoongi, with Taehyung’s helpful insight, had orchestrated a way to destroy Jimin in your eyes. 

Jimin was then introduced to Yoongi’s two weapons of destruction, Taehyung and cocaine. Yoongi worked hard to build himself up as a successful music producer. He had to be better than Jimin, had to make sure he could offer you everything Jimin could and more. 

To his surprise, you did move on from Jimin, at least the reality of him. But this fantasy of who he used to be remained pinned to your heart. After Jimin quit music, the mention of his name would still cause you to blush and smile. It made Yoongi want to throw up.

You had to see for yourself. Yoongi learned what it was that attracted you to Jimin and embodied just that. You liked that you had to chase him, you liked that he didn’t give a shit about you. You liked that he never noticed you and you had to pine for his attention. You liked that he was dedicated to his music, you liked the lifestyle he was associated with. You liked his lack of emotion and fantasized of him showing his true colors to you and only you, a sensitive, sweet, charming guy. Anger was not a part of this persona at all. 

When he felt like he had driven Jimin crazy enough with the drugs, he decided to plant rumors on stan twitter that Jimin would be signing with his label. Using his personal relationship with the singer, he was able to sign him on. He conveniently then offered you a summer internship, knowing full well you would be coming for one reason alone. Park Jimin.

Yoongi wanted you to fall straight into his arms. He rented out every available apartment for the months you were searching for a place to live, forcing you to reside in his building. He wanted to win you over naturally. He wanted you to work with Jimin, hook up with Jimin, and end up loathing him. Loving Yoongi instead. 

Jimin’s gang activity was getting on Yoongi’s nerves. Taehyung told him Jimin was in Death Valley, that you saw Jimin at Death Valley. When Yoongi heard from you, not Taehyung, that you had been kidnapped, along with Namjoon nonetheless, Yoongi had enough. He was used to giving Taehyung plenty of unsupervised jurisdiction, so Jimin’s accident was not a surprise to him. 

But you sympathized with Jimin, which was not what he wanted. He then decided to take things into his own hands, threatening Seokjin into throwing the fight to leech Jimin of every cent he had. He broke into your apartment, fucking everything up so that you had no choice but to come to him. To need him. 

And when Jin didn’t lose, he had no choice but to reveal to you who he was. Even after all his honestly, all his trust, you still lied to him. 

Yoongi was furious. He arrived at Death Valley, using the front entrance. Pulling a mask over his face, he barged in, surveying the silence as a sign that the bar was empty. Through the kitchen he arrive at the back storage room, accessible only by key, where all of the surveillance had been set up years ago. 

Monitors were spread across the wall, but Yoongi’s eyes narrowed in at one that was coming up with no feed. Your apartment. Someone had fucked with the cameras. Yoongi types away at the main monitor, enlarging your apartment footage and reeling back to find the moment the device was destroyed.

He sees Taehyung, whispering something to you. Next thing he knows the stream is blank. He grits his teeth, as all the pieces fall into place. He was a fool. How could he have been so blind? Taehyung must be in love with you. He must have, after watching you for so many years. Yoongi scowled at the thought of the ways Taehyung may have seen you, naked, vulnerable, ways that only he should. 

He had trusted Taehyung. Taehyung had only ever shown interest in money and Yoongi thought that was enough. Taehyung must have fucked you over and over again once the cameras were dead. What a whore. It made sense then that he had cut the line through his branding on you. He was the only one who could have. He had access to you and he was psychotic! He must have forced you to lie. You wouldn’t ever hide anything from Yoongi, no, Yoongi was the man of your dreams. You felt grateful that you had him, didn’t you?

He tilted his head, cracking his knuckles before he punched the glass screen, causing the feed to go haywire and sparks to erupt. Kim Taehyung. You are dead to me.

Yoongi growled lowly before picking up his phone. “It’s me. I need to see you. Now” 

-

Hobi kept his hand on the small of your back as he led you down to the hotel bar. The two of you nodded politely at the staff members who were busily preparing for the big event. The bar was empty aside for a few guests enjoying their brunch-time mimosas.

Hobi couldn’t really revel in the fact that the two of you were getting drinks together, almost like a date. His mind was too caught up in the initial shock he felt when he saw you tied up in his boss’ bedroom. He felt upset, but moreso he felt violated. He wondered if you were getting taken advantage of. Did he promise you a promotion? Was he manipulating you?

Punishing someone like that, Hobi was never one to kink shame, but it seemed a bit much. The name burned into your skin did nothing to ease his concern. Someone who was possessive, violent, impulsive. It reminded him of...

Hobi didn’t know. He didn’t know who gave him orders. He really didn’t care once the cash rolled in, but it began hitting too close to home. He wasn’t thrilled about hurting Namjoon, but two duffel bags of cash were enough for him to momentarily set aside his morals. 

“What should I get?” You surveyed the small menu of cocktails. “What’s gonna fuck me up the fastest?”

Hobi snorted, “Tequila” He twirled your hair as your gaze remained glued to the menu. The thought of you being in danger upset him greatly “Y/n...when did Yoongi brand you?" You called the bartender ordering a line of shots to which the they glanced at the clock before giving you a weird look.

“The night of the rematch” You told him, reacting before you realized what you had said. Your lip tucked between your teeth as you tried to conjure an excuse. A row of shot glasses was placed in front of you. You took one, gulping it down before letting out a heavy sigh. The bitterness burned down your throat. You basked as the liquid hit your mind, easing you slightly.

“Yoongi was at the fight?” Hobi recalled the wild night that the three of you had been at Death Valley. It was the first time he ever saw the man giving him orders. The man was tall, broad, had dark hair and wore dark clothes, face covered in a mask. Could it have been...Yoongi?

“Y/n!” The two of you turned to see Jungkook approaching the bar. He had changed his hair, the blue swapped for a short black cut, and you couldn’t help but double take at his new eyebrow piercing. 

You downed another shot, glancing at Hobi who had raised his eyebrows seeing the drug dealer. Jungkook gave you a light hug, waving timidly to Hobi. You smirked, another shot down the hatch. “Easyyyy Y/n” He placed a hand on your back as he slid into the seat next to you.

“The fuck are you doing here?” Hobi sneered. Jungkook rolled his eyes, used to the condescending treatment of gang members. "Didn’t you get stabbed or something?”

“I did!” Jungkook grinned, “In fact, that’s exactly why I’m here. I think I figured out who Mr. Bossman is, and I wanna fucking kill him”

Hobi rolled his eyes, “Oh really”

“Kim Seok-motherfucking-Jin baby. He stabbed me. He’s the one who showed up and threatened me to move out of Y/n’s apartment, so he’s probably also the one who called for the kidnapping. And he might have called for Jimin’s accident. It makes so much fucking sense”

Jin did what? There was not enough alcohol in your veins to act like you didn’t fully understand what he had just said. Jin had Jungkook move out? It wasn’t impossible. And that’s what scared you. You blinked at Jungkook incredulously, “But he’s literally a police officer”

Jungkook’s grin widened, “Exactly! It’s fucking brilliant. He’s a cop, he fights for the other side. He wins no matter what and can never get caught. No one would ever suspect him. Winning despite being threatened? Who threatened him huh? It’s a fucking ploy. You’re not dead and neither is he I bet. Kingpin. Boom”

You felt sick, knowing that Yoongi was not the only person you needed to be worried about. It was almost funny how blatantly misinformed Jungkook was. “Wow you guys are idiots.” You muttered under your breath, taking another shot before coughing roughly. Should I tell them? Why did Jin lie? Is this even the truth? Jin always tried to pin things on Jungkook, but you defended him. Hearing his words now made your head spin. He’s lying. Jungkook is lying. You wanted to scream, frustration flooding through your veins as you clenched your fists.

“I’m gonna tell Jimin and Taehyung what I know. They will give me so much money dude.” Jungkook chuckled, “And then they’d kill him, oh God finally”

Hobi pursed his lips, mouth feeling dry as he reflected on Jin’s eerie words before he shot him in the leg. He didn’t know where Jin was anymore, handing him off to be taken somewhere. It didn’t make sense. His orders were to seize Jin if Jin won the fight. Why place an order like that all? Why do any of this?

“Y/n, come with me.” Jungkook tugged at the sleeve of the oversized Nirvana shirt you had thrown on after your shower session with Hobi. You giggled, the thought of Taehyung coming into your slowed thoughts like a hurricane, tearing up any understanding you thought you had of the situation. There was only one thing you believed. Only one thing you knew with full certainty and it was all you could hold onto.

“Oh my goodness it’s Yoongi. It’s Yoongi. It’s always been Yoongi” The words spilled from your lips like the tequila that dripped down the side of your lips as you took yet another shot, giggling like a ditz. Jungkook and Hobi exchanged confused looks with each other, only making you laugh more. “I would fucking know okay!” Your laughs grew loud, “I was locked up in his fucking apartment and where the hell were all of you huh? Dumb fucking idiots!” You buckled over, laughing into Jungkook’s chest.

“Jungkook” Hobi sighed, “I gotta get back to work. Can you get her sober please?” Jungkook nodded. He held your waist tightly helping you stand, walking with you carefully to the hotel elevator.

The laughter wouldn’t stop. Passerbys shot the two of you dirty looks as Jungkook pulled you into the elevator easily. Through it’s glass walls you could see the midday skyline, where outside people hustled through life as if everything were normal. Must be fucking nice. “Y/n” Your laughs began to choke in your throat, turning instead to the sobs you tried to suppress with whatever will you had left. 

Jungkook placed his soft lips on your shoulder. Hands sliding onto your waist as he peered at you curiously, “Y/n, is everything okay?”

You shook your head, the elevator door closed as tears began forming in your eyes. Your voice croaked, “I’m dead. He’s gonna kill me. T..taehyung is gonna kill me. I...I know he will. He’s everywhere. Everywhere.” You looked around frantically, suddenly feeling hyperaware of the security cameras littered throughout the public space. “I wasn’t supposed to tell anyone...I” You hiccuped. Jungkook pulled you into a tight hug.

“It’s okay ssh” He stroked his thumbs them across your cheeks, cupping your face affectionately. “I’m here aren’t I?” You sniffled, nodding lightly. “I got you okay. No one is gonna hurt you”

You stared into his kind brown eyes. You did not trust him, your entire body was screaming at you not to trust him. His fingers danced down your figure, freely gliding over your heaving chest, desperately trying to breathe with the fear that choked you from within.

You blinked at him, eyes glancing down at his pouty lips before finding his eyes again. “Y/n” Jungkook whispered, barely inches from your lips. “I won’t let anyone hurt you okay. I promise”

Fat tears rolled down your face at his words. Jungkook clicked his tongue, cooing at you as he continued to wipe away your hears. “Oh you poor thing” He held you to his chest, kissing the top of your head, before tilting your face up to his. 

He leaned in, eyes fluttering shut as his lips landed on yours, swallowing you into him. The taste of tequila was evident on your lips as he kissed you softly, and you allowed yourself to surrender to his warm touch.

You felt heat pooling in your chest as his fingers trailed up your legs. He traced circles into the inside of your thighs, letting his fingers tease the edge of your shorts. 

“Jungkook” You inhaled sharply, his hot breath tickling your neck as you tilted your head back. He licked his lips before sloppily latching onto your collarbone, sucking down to litter your skin with wet kisses as his fingers slid down your shorts, just barely so that he could roll his hips into you.

He pushed you back against the glass, fingers trailing across your bare thighs before sliding beneath your panties. Jungkook ran a finger over your clothed folds, making you clench down. 

“Y/n” His voice sounded equally as desperate as yours, barely audible over the sound of his heavy breathing. “Fuck I missed you” You gasped as his fingers slid under the fabric. He pushed a finger in, allowing your tight cunt to accustom to it before adding another finger not long after. 

His other hand slid beneath your shirt, pushing your bra up so he could run his thumb over your nipples, his touch featherlight, leaving you breathless. You rolled your eyes back in pleasure, bucking your hips up as he slowly pumped you with his fingers.

“That’s it baby, just like that” He whispered, lips pressing into your neck. You let out a shaky moan as his fingers quickened, pumping in and out of you as you latched onto his shoulders. “Look at me. Look right at me baby”

He brought his lips over yours, just brushing them across your skin so he could gaze deep into your eyes as you fucked yourself onto his fingers. You cried out his name as the friction began to overwhelm you. His fingers easing you right where you needed them, pleasure searing through you as he watched your every move.

"So good for me” He pulled his fingers out, doused in your sticky arousal before he placed them into his own mouth. Your eyes widen as he licked of every last bit of you and smiles. “You taste so fucking good baby”

He kisses you again, harsher this time as his hips roll against you. Your fingers grip his hair as he pulls down his sweats, allowing his cock to spring out. 

“You want my cock?” He ran his tongue over your lips, tugging at them slightly as he stroked his cock. You could feel his hand moving between your legs. “You want my big cock in your little pussy?”

You gulped, nodding as Jungkook looked down, lining his tip against your folds, pushing in only slightly before meeting your eyes again. “So warm and wet for me, fuck” He pushed in further, groaning as you spread your thighs wider, allowing him to thrust as deep as he could. He stilled briefly, kissing you again “You take me so well baby fuck. So fucking tight for me. My pretty baby” He stroked your face, thumb pushing into your mouth slightly.

“Does it feel good?” He mumbled, pulling out just slightly before rolling his hips back into you. He picked up a rhythm, fucking you deep and slow, hands clawing at your breasts.

“Yeah...feels really good” Your eyes fell shut, enjoying the fulfilling pleasure of his movements. He pulled your shirt up, burying his face between your breasts as he continued to fuck up into you. 

“Mmm yeah I bet” He pushed your bra up, allowing his fingers to pinch you nipples. He took one into his mouth, wrapping his tongue around the small bud as he began to suckle you, looking up to your face and enjoying your reactions. “You’re so fucking pretty you know that right?” He sucked on your breast harshly before leaving it with a soft kiss and moving onto the other. “So perfect for me”

His thrusts quickened, driving you up the wall as his hands fell to your hips. You burying your face in the crook of his neck as you felt your high approaching. “Jungkook...I’m...”

“Yeah?” Jungkook’s voice was raspy with lust, “You wanna cum baby? Cum for me baby, cum all over my cock, wanna hear you make those pretty little moans when you cum”

You cried out with every thrust as he pushed you over the edge, and you felt your pussy burst with pleasure as you came, the sloppy sounds of your arousal echoing through the small space. Jungkook groaned as the hot liquid covered his cock, allowing him to slide in and out of you with ease. 

“There you go. Good girl. Good fucking girl, just like that” He gasped, feeling his cock twitch slightly, buried deep in your cunt, “Want me to cum inside you baby?” You nodded, whining slightly, “Yeah? You want it baby? Huh?” Jungkook’s hips thrust furiously at you, and he cupped your face, bringing his forehead against yours so he could look into your eyes as he came. “Want my cum? Want me to fill you up baby?”

“Yeah. I want it. Jungkook please,” Your whiny voice was enough to have him spurting through you.

“Holy fuck” Jungkook buckled over, holding you tight as cum shot out of him, filling you up and leaking out onto the floor.

He pulled out of you quickly, pulling up his sweats while you fixed your own clothes. Sweat painted his forehead as he looked at you, panting with a big smile on his cute face.

“I missed that” He confessed, pulling you back into him by the waist. He knelt down and pressed his lips on yours, letting his hands slide to your ass and squeeze them softly. 

You heard a familiar ring as the elevator door reached it’s destination. You jumped away from Jungkook, unable to get far as the strong boy’s hold on you remained steady. 

"I see stabbing you once didn’t really drive home the message huh Mr. Jeon Jungkook” 

You felt goosebumps spread as you heard the sinister tone of Jin’s voice. He stood leaning against the elevator as if he had been waiting for you, twirling his knife around aimlessly between his fingers. “Too bad, I unfortunately can’t kill you yet” He turned to you and winked, “Both of you come with me”

-

Sweat trickled down from Namjoon’s neck, his eyes glued to the tattered punching bag in front of him. His muscles were still sore, bruises still spattered across his bare chest. He didn’t care. He was sick of feeling helpless. Under the dim lights of the boxing gym, he pushed himself, another hit, more force, ignoring the pain shooting through his limbs with every strike.

“Don’t overdo it” Namjoon rolled his eyes at the sound of the familiar voice. “Last thing you want is to get injured again” He turned to the sound of loafers echoing across the concrete floor.

“What do you want Yoongi?” Namjoon sneered. The producer smirked slightly, patting the punching bag playfully before pacing around Namjoon.

“I’m gonna kill Taehyung, and I know Jimin is gonna break hell. I need you to protect Y/n for me. Can I trust you, Namjoon?” His voice was stern.

“Man, fuck you Yoongi” Namjoon groaned, “I put my life on the line for you constantly and you still have to fucking ask? Promise me. I want out after this. Promise me a record deal”

Yoongi shrugged, “Okay fine. I’ll sign you. Don’t let her out of your sight.” Yoongi inhaled sharply, “And I swear to God Namjoon if you even think about touching her, you’re dead to me. And I will know if you do.”

Namjoon rolled his eyes, lips parted, desperately trying to catch his breath. “Yeah okay. Just get me my fucking record deal”

Yoongi pursed his lips, pulling out his phone and handing it to Namjoon. “Paperwork is ready. You have one job. Don’t fuck up again” Namjoon clenched his fist as Yoongi chuckled in amusement. “I have some business I need to deal with personally. Keep her safe Namjoon, please”

-

You gagged, a puke-ish feeling clogging your throat as you coughed out. Your head was throbbing with pain as you squinted against the gleaming lights from the chandelier above your head. Glancing around, you realized you were back at Jungkook’s place, large dark wooden floors adding to the ambiance that just screamed rich in your face. The plushness of his large bed evident beneath you. 

You get up slightly, peering across the room where you see Jin handing a large duffel bag to Jungkook, whispering something into his ear. Jungkook nods eagerly, shaking Jin’s hand before exiting. He turns back to you, smiling as he realizes you are awake.

“Hey party girl. Recovered from our little day drinking session have we?” Jin chuckled. You scowl, searching around you as your throat desperately demanded water. Jin handed you a glass. “I just got Jungkook caught up, but you and I need to have a little talk” 

You exhaled before emptying the entire glass down your throat. “I know everything” You scoffed in spite, “I know everything you did, you fucking maniac”

Jin smiled wide at the term, “I know. Jungkook told me you think I was behind all of the stuff that’s been going on, stabbing him and kidnapping you. I mean,” Jin laughed, a tinge of condescendence in his voice, “You don’t actually believe that do you? Like, seriously how dumb are these guys. At least you’re smart”

You frowned at his tone, unsure of how to respond. Jin raised his eyebrows at your silence before continuing, “Oh come on Y/n. Use that little brain of yours hm? What the hell would I be gaining from all this? It was Taehyung.”

He extended you a hand, helping you out of the bed and pulling you up to stand before him, “What did he tell you huh? That he’s Yoongi’s friend or some shit? Taehyung doesn’t give a fuck about Yoongi. And I know you know about him screwing over Jimin. He’s trying to take over both gangs, not just Jimin’s, and he’s been lying to you this whole time.”

The bargaining chip. “What do you mean?” You followed the flat echoes of his footsteps down the hallway into the same office that you had Jimin tied up only a few days ago. You suppressed a smile as you noticed the curtains were still torn.

“He’s distracting Jimin and Yoongi with you. He wants them to get up against each other so that he can sway the gang loyalties towards him by showing that their leaders priorities are off. Look here” Jin motioned towards a laptop on the large desk, playing security footage of what appeared to be Death Valley’s parking lot, where people were loading bags of cash into what could have been Taehyung’s car. “He’s robbing them. And you know what else Y/n? When he’s done with all of this, he’s gonna kill them both.” 

No. No way. Betrayal stung you as you process Jin’s words, “You’re just a pawn in his game. You were bait. He just needed to you get Jimin and Yoongi to fight amongst each other. And you let him, didn’t you?” Jin chuckled, patting your cheek. “I know he kept telling you that you could trust him. That he wouldn’t hurt you. It was bullshit Y/n. This man only cares about one thing. Himself”

You thought back to the first night you laid your eyes on him, back when his hair was a faded green, his sweaty tan skin contrasting his dark leather jacket. The look of familiarity in his eyes and the gleam from his diamond studded watch. You were a fool. He strung you along.

“Where is he?” You growled, “I wanna hear it from him. I wanna ask him myself”

“Absolutely. In fact, if you’re up for it, I was wondering if you would be down to do another little mission for me” Jin winked at you. You scowled, folding your arms over your chest, “If we don’t kill him first, he’s planning on killing Yoongi tonight before the party. I know because I got him to let me in on his little coup” Your heart dropped, “You don’t want that do you?”

"No” You blurted. 

“So let’s kill him first. Come on, let’s go get you dolled up for this party”

As you left the office, you couldn’t help but notice a familiar figure standing at the other end of the hallway.

Namjoon? Your eyes locked with his. He pressed a finger to his lips before pointing at Jin and shaking his head. What is he trying to say. Namjoon seemed to have a warning look in his eyes. You simply shrugged at him, before running down the hall to catch up with Jin.

Namjoon exhaled, watching from a window as Jin and you drove off, likely heading to the hotel. Looking at his palm he saw the way his nails left imprints in his skin from how hard he was clenching his fists. Namjoon wasn’t necessarily a fan of Taehyung, but he knew a thing or two about him from Yoongi. Taehyung would never kill people. He was averse to it for some reason, Namjoon always thought it was ironic for him to be a gangster given that quality. Taehyung could torture anyone, threaten anyone, but he didn’t have it in him to take a life. 

Which meant that Jin was lying to you. Namjoon never liked Jin. Even aside from all the hits he had taken from the strong man, he always felt something was off about the guy. He feels uneasy about what he had just seen transpire, and decided to go find Yoongi. 

-

“Do you want some coke?” You were in the middle of washing your face when Jin walked in with a bag of powder. “I could use a hit, I don’t know about you”

“Oh hell yes. Thank you” He poured out a line on the bathroom counter using a quarter, watching with a small chuckle as you inhaled the drug, nose pressed against the cool marble. You sighed, wiping your nose and flashing a big grin in the mirror “Damn. I needed that. I didn’t know that you use”

Jin bit back a smirk, “I do.” He poured another line on the same place, this time taking a hit himself. “A lot”

“Oh. Officer Jin is a druggie like the rest of us huh” You teased. Jin poured himself a gin martini, taking a sip, eyes alight with amusement. “Does that turn you on ever? Do you ever have a hottie cuffed up and they’re like please Officer does that..you know..turn you on?”

Jin’s eyes widened at you “Not any hottie, no. Now if I had you cuffed up saying that” He chuckled, pulling you to him by the waist “That’s a whole other story” You pushed him away playfully.

“What?” Jin said mockingly, “Don’t remember that night where I gave you the best orgasm of your life?” His traced his lips up your jaw, and you could feel his smile against you.

“Wow. Cocky are we?” You raised your eyebrows. “I’ve had some pretty good sex in my life. Hard to say if that was the best”

Suddenly, Jin pulled his knife from his back pocket, glancing in the mirror as he traced the blade across your neck just enough for you to feel the sharp cold metal glide on your skin, pinching without actually making you bleed. “Don’t even lie. You loved fucking me. Don’t you remember? How fucking wet you were?” His breath was hot against your lips, but it was the look in his eyes that had you weak in the knees. 

Taking his knife, he slit clean down your shirt, tearing it off of you to reveal your bare chest. “On the floor slut” His whispered, flirty demeanor now shifted into something dark. Something feral.

You gulped, taking care to slide your bottoms off, not wanting him to slice them up before lowering yourself down onto the tiled bathroom floor. 

Jin set the knife aside, pulling out his lighter and setting in on the counter before shedding his own clothes, even he kicking off his shoes. He lifted his foot, and you watched with a curious gaze as he placed his foot on your chest. He kept the weight off of you, much to your relief, and you couldn’t help but feel absolutely filthy as he rolled your breasts under the sole of his foot. You had never done anything like this. It seemed so dirty, but felt so good. 

“Oh my god Jin” You gasped as he switched onto his other leg, taking his foot and shoving it into your mouth, watching in amusement as you gagged over his toes.

“Look at you. On the fucking floor. Naked little whore. Letting me do whatever I fucking want.” He removed his foot from your mouth, letting you catch your breath before you looked up at him with quivering eyes.

He felt blood rush to his cock at your expression. Licking his lips, knelt down, climbing over you to gently trail his fingers where his foot had been moments ago.

“And you love it” He sneered, letting his nails dig into your breast, “You love the pain don’t you you fucking slut?” When you didn’t answer he grabbed your jaw, pushing his fingers into the edge of your mouth. “I asked you a fucking question”

“Y...yes” You exhaled. You felt his fingers tease your clit, teeth tugging on your lobe as he laughed darkly.

Jin reached for the martini glass “Turn over” He growled. You found yourself with your breasts pressed flat against the floor, Jin’s cock pressing into your ass. You gasped as he poured the drink onto your back. “This is gonna burn. And you’re gonna take it like a good girl. I know you are, you let Yoongi do it so I can too”

“Wait what” Jin pressed your face down with one hand while the other grabbed his lighter, “Jin. Hold on.” Your voice rose in fear, which only turned Jin on more. He watched as you writhed under him, trying desperately to get away. “Jin seriously. That’s not funny”

“Shhh. You can take it” He cooed, flicking the flame on he slowly lowered it to your skin, bringing it nearer and nearer to the doused skin. You yelped as you began to feel the concentrated heat. Your entire body was petrified. “Enjoy it baby. You like it. You love it. You let Yoongi do it so why can’t I?”

“Jin. It’s not you, I'm just not ready for something like this please” Jin cocked his head aside in irritation, stopping the lighter before it actually touched you and tossing it aside. “I didn’t let Yoongi brand me he just did.”

Jin stilled momentarily. “And you still love him? Even though he did that?”

You didn’t answer. That alone was enough for Jin to rage. He slammed your face back down, the blow giving you a dizzying sensation that hat you getting wetter by the second. 

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” He growled, “How can you love someone like that?” He pulled your face up, bending you back until you were flush against his chest. “I don’t want any of them touching you again. You understand me?” He let go, giving you whiplash as you fell back to the floor. “Ass up. Now” He spanked your ass hard, causing you to yelp. The stinging pain vibrated to your core. You couldn’t help but love every second of it. 

Jin knew that you were scared of him, he could feel it. He could also see the way your thighs would clench whenever he did anything to you. You were his favorite drug. He was going to ruin you.

He grabbed his belt from the pile of clothes on the side, “Hands under” He demanded, rolling his lip through his teeth as you obeyed him right away. He took the belt tying your wrists to your knees under you.

He took a moment to admire his work, your shivering body all his for the taking. You had no where to run. He had you now. “Who gives it to you the best him?” Pulling you towards him by your thighs, he didn’t care that your knees would burn against the smooth tile as he lined his cock up with your folds. He spat down, a glob of saliva landing on your ass before he used his cock head to rub it all over you. He could hear your shaky breath, your whiny moans that made him want to fuck you even more. 

He slapped his palm  onto the curve of your ass, bending over your to growl into your ear “Filthy whore. You disgust me. You let them all just do whatever they want to you, don’t you have any fucking self respect?” He could see his words were hitting close to home. You pursed your trembling lips as Jin smacked you again in the same place. 

“When will you fucking learn huh? This pussy” He reached his hand to harshly cup your cunt, shoving two fingers inside you without warning. “This pussy belongs to me. You’re mine. My cockslut whore” Taking his fingers out, he shoved them into your mouth “You taste that? That how desperate your needy little cunt is for me”

Your legs were strung together, making it all the more painful when he finally began to push his cock inside you, using his fingers to scissor you open so that he could get deep inside you. His length pushed against your tight walls, your cries and curses only motivating Jin to push further. 

“Who owns this cunt huh?” Jin pulled your hips back, burning your knees each time as he pulled you on and off his cock. Your ass slammed into him with each blow. 

“You do. Holy fuck, you do” You gasped, practically screaming as your whole body ached with pain and pleasure. 

“That’s right baby” He pinched your clit, making you yelp as he flicked at it, pounding into your relentlessly. 

“J..Jin” You mumbled, lips still half pressed on the floor, “Jin please. Feels good” Jin scoffed, “Gonna cum...gonna cum” You inhaled loudly as you felt your high approaching. Your eyes clenched shut as he edged you closer and closer, fingers furiously attacking your clit until he stopped.

You let out a loud sob as Jin yanked you up by your neck “You really thought I would let you cum whore?” His grip tightened, cock twitching at the way your voice sounded choking, the water streaming from your eyes and the drool at the edge of your lips. He kissed you, licking it all up in the process.  

“Look in the mirror. Look at how pathetic you are. I want you to remember the only person who’s ever gonna let you feel this good” You looked at your reflection, seeing only your faces and the way Jin’s nails dug into your neck. He pushed you forward so that your chin was on the countertop. You coughed out, watching as he resumed his thrusts, punishing your clit with the jarring movements of his fingers. 

You screamed, pleasure crashing over you in a wave of tantalizing heat. You gushed onto his cock, tears falling from your eyes due to how overwhelming the sensation was. Jin continued to whisper filth right into your ears but you could no longer hear anything. Your vision became hazy, not minding the blow when Jin shoved you back onto the floor and pounded you to his own release.

On the other side of the wall, Namjoon leaned his head back and sighed, glancing down to see his cock in his hands, now completely covered in cum.

-

Taehyung chewed on his gum nonchalantly as he paced around the luxurious hotel, checking out all the fun features. The pool deck was nice, the lobby exquisite, and his favorite part, the cafe, smelt delicious. 

Yoongi had asked to meet him in his suite. On his way there he ran into you, and you knocked his breath away. He always thought you were beautiful, but tonight you looked elegant. It was such a surprising contrast to your usual getup, but you looked amazing. He was about to tell you just that when he finally registered the hurt look in your eyes.

“You liar” You slapped him with everything you had. Taehyung backed away in surprise. “How could you use me like that? Over and over again. I trusted you. You were really the only one I thought had my back. Without a fucking doubt” You lunged towards him for another hit but Taehyung held your wrist firmly.

“What are you talking about? When did I use you?” Taehyung looked around frantically, “Calm down okay, let’s go somewhere and talk this through.” Your eyes flared in anger. 

“Don’t fucking tell me to calm down! You’re gonna kill them!” You screamed. Taehyung squinted, noticing the slight redness in your eyes. He sighed in understanding, pulling you by the wrist into a corridor. 

“Y/n. Breathe. Tell me what’s going on” Taehyung attempted to calm you down but you were enraged. “And what the fuck are you on?”

Admittedly, you and Jin had ended up doing many more lines of coke, perhaps even molly, you were no longer sure, but you washed it down with the bottle of gin, finding it unprecedentedly hilarious that Jin liked to drink gin martinis. 

“You used me! To fuck with Jimin! And Yoongi! You lied to me! Everything you said was a fucking lie, everything you did, every stupid word that came out of your stupid mouth was a lie! You just want power. You’re selfish, and...and...you’re gonna KILL them” A dramatic gasp left your lips, Taehyung almost laughed, “You’re gonna kill Yoongi. I...I can’t let you do that”

You pulled out your gun, cocking it and pressing it against Taehyung’s chest. He instantly put his hands up. “Y/n. Y/n stop. That’s not true okay you’re not thinking straight. Don’t do something you’ll regret”

Your hands trembled around the gun “You’ll kill them. You’ll kill them both...I can’t let you do that”

“Hold on!”

Too late. You pulled the trigger.

-

Hobi wandered through the parking lot looking for his car. His eyes narrowed on a familiar vehicle, thinking back to when he had loaded the drug money from the last fight. 

So. Is that guy Yoongi then? The one I kept seeing? Hobi wandered over to the car. Peering inside the passenger window, his eyes locked on a small item on the floor of the car. He squinted to read it, it appeared to be some sort of credit card.

He stepped back, realizing what the name on the card was. He glanced around before taking the end of his gun and ramming it into the door handle. The door creaked open, allowing Hobi to swipe the card up. He slid it into his pocket, before hurriedly returning to the hotel. 

-

Namjoon’s eyes widened as he watched you pull a gun out on Taehyung. He had been thoroughly entertained as you yelled and slapped him, knowing full well that you were high out of your mind. 

Namjoon couldn’t understand Jin’s plan at all. He had eavesdropped on everything so far, as per Yoongi’s orders. Why would Jin ask you to kill Taehyung, why wouldn’t he just do it himself? He knew you would hate yourself if you actually killed him. 

He had also been thoroughly disappointed at how easily Jungkook had bought into Jin’s agenda as well. The things people do for money. Namjoon sighed, realizing that he was pretty much acting on similar motivations. 

You were ready to pull the trigger, and Namjoon was almost certain you wouldn’t do it, until he saw your finger begin to curl. He ran towards the corridor as fast as he could.

“Hold on!” He yelled, but it was too late. Taehyung’s eyes flew shut.

Namjoon blinked, not hearing the familiar gunshot sound. You looked equally confused, glancing down the barrel of your gun. Taehyung let out a shaky sigh of relief, sliding down the wall.

“It...was a blank” You mumbled. Namjoon rushed to your side, pulling you away from Taehyung. “What the...what was I just about to do?” His heart clenched as your lips parted in shock.

“Taehyung are you okay?” Namjoon asked. Taehyung nodded, clearly shaken up but managing to get a hold of himself. 

“What the fuck is going on?” He growled, “Who gave her a gun? And who gave her drugs while she had a gun? Fucking hell”

Namjoon stroked your back as you let the gun drop to the floor, the weight of your actions finally hitting you. 

“I’m so sorry. Taehyung I...” You looked into his eyes. Those eyes that always left you questioning what was really going on in that pretty head of his. 

“Yeah. Jin fucking fed her some interesting stories about how you’re using her. At least I hope they’re just stories” Namjoon peered at him. “I’m Namjoon by the way, we haven’t officially met”

Taehyung shook his hand “Hi Namjoon. I heard you make pretty decent music” He chuckled ironically, “Y/n, I need you to tell me everything Jin said. There’s been some sort of misunderstanding, I promise you I wasn’t taking advantage of you.”

Namjoon made a face, exchanging a glance with you as you nodded slowly. Namjoon was not entirely sure he should believe Taehyung. He supposed it wouldn’t matter, when he knew that Yoongi was planning to kill Taehyung anyways. The more information he had, the better he could at least keep you out of trouble. 

P R E S E N T  D A Y--

Security escorted you and Jimin out immediately as the media broke into a frenzy trying to figure out what had happened. You had hoped your acting skills had convinced him. 

After Taehyung sobered you up slightly, the three of you had sat and schemed. Using everything the three of you knew, you were able to figure out that it really was Jin behind Jimin’s accident, your and Namjoon’s kidnapping, as well as Jungkook’s attempted murder. He was able to do all of this using Hobi’s help, but Hobi seemed not to know that he was receiving orders from Jin.

The question remained how and why. 

“I know you’re not going to believe me. So I have proof” Taehyung pulled his phone out, pulling up a recording of Jin tied up somewhere.

All I ask, is that when the dust settles, Y/n is mine. And I get to kill them. My way

You felt queasy seeing his earnest expression through the film. Namjoon’s jaw clenched, recognizing crazy when he saw it, wishing he could have knocked the guy’s brains out beforehand.

“Listen to me. This guy is dangerous. I don’t really understand why he’s doing all of this. He said he wanted to help me, but clearly there’s some other motive here. Otherwise he wouldn’t go behind my back.” Taehyung muttered.

“The only way to know what he wants is to see what he does next” Namjoon pitched in. 

You glanced between the two men, feeling weirdly relieved that you finally had some solid answers. Having Namjoon by your side after so long was the best thing you could ask for at the moment, and you clung to him, hands wrapped around his arm tightly. He thought it was cute.

“Let me fake my death. Let’s see what he does.”

The drivers took you and Jimin to the precinct. You looked around for Namjoon but he was nowhere to be seen. Your eyes met Jin’s briefly as he signed some paperwork. He winked at you.

“Can I have the body taken to get an autopsy report please?” You weren’t phased by this. Taehyung had said he had enough contacts to make it truly believable that he had died. Jimin’s face was void of emotion as he watched the stretcher go past with the body on it.

You left the hold on his hand, your blood running cold as the body nears you. It was loosely covered with a white sheet, but the arm hung out limply from the sight.

That watch. That’s his watch.

Jimin pressed his lips to the top of your head, sliding his arm around your shoulders to pull you closer to him “You okay babe?” 

“I...no yeah, I’m just shocked” You stammered. You looked up at him, allowing him to place a loving kiss on your lips.

Jimin felt for you, he really did. He himself was generally an emotional person, it was not something he ever tried to hide. But he always felt like his emotional energy was valuable. He didn’t feel the need to cry. Not for Taehyung.

Jimin stroked your back softly, “It’s scary, I know. I know baby, but don’t worry” He licked his lips, eyes briefly meeting Hobi’s from across the room. Hobi gave him a knowing look.

“Don’t worry. It’ll all be over soon”

ᐊ——[ previous ] series navi | masterlist | [ next ]——ᐅ

a/n: WOOHOOO. the fun is really gonna start now. did you miss yoongi? don’t worry, he’ll be back. drop your theories in my asks! who killed taehyung? what’s jin’s deal? 

smut pairs are up for next week! poor oc, she really needs to eat some food. yikes.

see you then & thanks for reading <3 happy juneteenth! 

taglist: @imluckybitches @gee-nee @missseoulite @hcneybees @kooookie​ @queenmasterxx @crustycaitlin @virgo-and-libra @un2-verse @winter-melontea @equivocacies​ @infernal-alpaca @shrimpmsg @meowmeowyoongles @rjsmochii @liltangerined @littlrmills14-blog @issysor @arandomblackgirl @adoringinsanity @giadalin @jeontier @kaithezaftig @jinssexytoe @nonnis97@minyoongiboongi @happygirl62304 @just-me-and-myselfs @purplepebbles @channiespup @lilacdreams-00 @kianam @thmrdrs @kpoppin-mel @namjooningelsewhere @lolzerss @planetsope @ohmykim @xyahrinx @bangtan-army @you-are-my-wind

[ayylovley]

Bloody

Charles Lee Ray x shy male!reader who praises him...

Warnings: SMUT oral, (male receiving) smoking, swearing, praising, degradation, anal sex, mentions of murder, blood play,

Laying on the bed lonely and cold, wanting the sweet feeling of your amazing lover’s around arms around you to keep you warm, waiting for Charles to come home from a long night of murder once again. Clinging to your blanket and nuzzling, the sound of the front door unlocking made your ears perk up.

Your boyfriend walked right in casually, and by the sounds of normal footsteps and not stomping like an angry giant, he seemed to be in a good mood. Sighing of relief you had the courage to sit up fully dressed and waltz right into the kitchen where Chucky was grabbing a beer. You hadn’t notice the man was completely covered in blood until he turned to face you with a evil smirk snapping his beer right open. Your heart pounded gripping the bottom of your night shirt tightly.

“Hey baby, somethin wrong?”

His tone of voice was playful and teasing like.

“Um... no... nothing at all. H-how was your night?”

Charles sighed, grabbing his cigarette packs. You took his lighter holding it up to his stick as you lit it for him and he blew a puff of smoke at your face smugly. Slightly coughing and clearing your throat before listening to how his night went.

As Charles was explaining who he has killed, how many, and how, you rested your head with the palm of your hand holding it up with your elbow on the counter absolutely adoring him. Oh how he was so perfect to you. Everything about him you loved, and he knew that only feeding into his ego more and more of course. You sigh with your eyes hazy at him loving how he spoke.

“Wow, darling you’re an angel, your kills are perfect just like you...” You say standing up straight fiddling with your fingers shyly. He let out a sudden cackle, you knew that was coming.

“Ha! A fucking angel huh? Heh... been called a lot of things... but an angel isn’t one of em...” He sucked his cigrette once more with a cocky grin and shot a flirty wink at you. “I love you, Chucky.” You blushed hard while looking down with a shy smile. Chucky smirked letting his arm down and threw his cigarette on the floor, crushing it with the bottom of his dress shoe.

No longer interested with it and having the urge to suck something else...

“Enough talk, how bout we take this in the bedroom babe.” He grabbed your hand with the blood still soaked all over his own dragging you into the room and shutting the door as you felt your legs shake like a leaf playing with your shirt. “Wh-what about the blood...?”

He chuckled, “Fucking with blood, is delicious. Now lay the fuck down.” Shoving you on your back as you gasped softly and moved back where your head was resting on the soft pillows he climbed on top with lustful eyes. Taking his long coat off keeping his eyes on yours exposing how much blood he actually had all over him. Charles’s suit was painted red with barley any white and black showing through it. You couldn’t keep your eyes off of the sight. He noticed and chuckled smugly rubbing your thighs. Slowly, pulling down your sweats along with your boxers showing below your torso little by little.

He groaned softly at the sight of your hard cock springing up so suddenly, to help it become even harder he rubbed some blood off of his suit and stroked and smeared it all over your shaft and tip making it covered in blood.

Gasping slightly staring down at him knowing he hates it when you look away, even for a second. He gave you a wink as he stroked your length and you bucked your hips into his hand. Clicking his tongue Charles said, “Always so impatient. Cant blame ya though...” Smugly chuckling he gripped your balls roughly having you moan lwedly as you felt your face burn from embarrassment.

This is one of the only times you’re the one receiving head, usually it’s him when he comes home in a horrible mood and fucks you right after but you’re stuck on your own not letting you cum either... so you savored this moment.

You already felt your head in his mouth as he slowly stuck your cock down his throat as you twitched and shook. Staring up straight at you as you returned the eye contact whimpering softly. He grinned and winked flirtatiously sucking softly and swirling his tongue on and around your tip tasting the delicious precum. Letting out soft moans twitching your eyebrows together at the gentle movements of his mouth, he sucked harder while your tip hit the back of his throat and your pubic hair was against his pointy nose.

Growling possessively gripping your bare hips digging his nails in your skin as he bobbed his head back and forth. Moaning louder and shaking a little more trying to keep eye contact with him, he chuckled knowing you’re trying your best but he knows it’s hard to stare into his eyes and he loves it! Rubbing on your balls lightly until groping them with no warning had you cry out lewdly as you felt your face burn by the minute.

Tracing his tongue against your shaft where the veins are while groaning and manhandling your balls in the process, you’re arching and cry out, “Daddy! Please let me cum, please!” You whine and pleade having him chuckle around your length sending vibrations as you’re twitching. Charles slowly pulled his mouth off with drool stringing from his lips in the process with a stuck smug grin.

“Of course baby. Daddy will let you cum in his mouth...”

Wrapping it right back down his throat bobbing his head a little more, digging his nails in your thighs as your moans and pants became short and had a hard orgasm inside of his mouth. Charles didn’t hesitate to swallow it all as soon as you came and slowly pulled his mouth out of your member completely clean.

Smiling warmly at him and whispering, “You’re amazing...” He pinned you on the bed, “I know.” Ripping the rest of your clothes off grunting like an animal staring down at you the whole time before yanking his own dress pants off. Your heart pounded as you legs shook as it got closer and closer to the moment where his long cock is inside of you.

His pointy nose against yours his eyes filled with lust and hunger for you. Rubbing the sticky tip with precum on your hole below you, making you mewl and whimper like a needy dog in heat. Charles loved this reaction out of you, he chuckled lifting your thighs to sink his long cock inside of you slowly. As you felt his tip throb, it made you whine and yelp having a rock hard erection once more.

Charles felt your shaft curve against his stomach, inhaling through his nose because of how tight you felt around him, he fucked into you good and hard with his hand wrapped your neck cackling. Gripping his legs around yours trapping you as the bed moved back and forth, Chucky has been oddly quiet until he you stared at him back with hazy eyes and drool dribbling down your red cheek to his flexed hand.

“Suuch a fffucking dirty slut! My slut!” Feeling him going deeper inside of you when you went harder as you screamed on the top of your lungs he seemed to really enjoy that reaction he got from you. “Yeeeah scream for daddy you little bitch!” In return you felt your nails in between in his back as blood seeped through. Screaming out, “Y-yes! Da-daddy! Yeees!!”

Cackling louder as the bed creaked and moved with the rhythm Charles was making as their juices filled the air along with their sweat.

“Ssuuch a needy whore!” Smearing more of the left over blood all over your chest and stomach drove him crazy. Leaning on your skin licking and nipping at it roughly like a savage animal.

It didn’t take much longer for him to feel closer to his orgasm, feeling his tight grip around your shaft and stroked working his rough hand fast made you also feel closer. “Is my sweet bitch gonna cum?” He gave a sadistic, evil smile like a predator. All you can do was nod as a response.

He clicked his tongue dissatisfied, “I can’t hear you (Y/N)... speak up!” With a hard slap on your ass you choked the words out, “Yes! Da-daddy I’m gonna cum! Yes! Yes!” Giggling, he leaned on your neck to bite down hard to leave a dark mark. Making you have an orgasm faster thus you adore how he’s so possessive over you and protects you no matter what.

Feeling your own semen drip down your stomach and torso gasping for air as he had his turn all inside of you. Growling and gripping tightly on your thigh until it died down. Feeling his nails scratch down your chest sending goosebumps with small shaking breath, he seemed pleased with your reaction.

“So ya really think I’m an angel huh?” His lips were pressed against your ear.

It had you swallowing hard, this man is a fucking tease, even after you had a good smash fest...

“Of course.”

“Heh. Such a kiss ass...” Though Charles really enjoys your praises he still loves you dearly and sometimes praises you just as much in his sick head...

[what-is-your-plan-today]

Real Life Tasks With Ransom Drysdale

An Advent Calendar of 24 Normal Human Tasks As Performed By A Huge Man Baby. 

Day 7: Screw This.

Warnings: Bad Language words

Pairing: Ransom Drysdale x Reader

A/N:  Day 7 of the threeway collab between myself @sweater-daddiesdumbdork​ and @jennmurawski13​…and Ransom is getting no better11

Series Masterlist.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” You asked, leaning against the door frame.

“Yes.”

“Ok, let me rephrase that…”you shifted your weight a little “Are you sure you can do this?”

Ransom let out an annoyed snort through his nose and turned his eyes to look up at you. “Doll, how hard can it be?”

You really didn’t want to answer that question, as to anyone else with half a logical brain, following simple instructions on how to piece together a crib wouldn’t be so hard at all. But to Ransom, the mere fact that there were instructions to follow was kinda making you a little uneasy, as he had a problem with doing anything he was told to do at the best of times. Ransom’s brow furrowed as he clocked the look on your face and he rolled his eyes.

“You have so little faith in me.”

“Can you blame me?” you spluttered “You turned all the washing pink a few weeks back, then you almost poisoned everyone, not to mention the incident with the tire jack!”

“This is different.” He said confidently as he began to remove the outer packaging of the crib.

“Is it?”

“Yes, Y/N!” he groaned with an air of exasperation “Look, I know you have zero faith in me whatsoever, but what else is new?”

“Ran…” you started to protest, and he shrugged you away very matter-of-factly.

“Don’t you have somewhere to be?” he deftly changed the subject and you sighed recognising your dismissal. In all fairness he was right, you were due to meet your friend for lunch in half an hour so…

“Okay, I’m going.” You padded into the room, over to where he was now knelt on the floor surrounded by various tools and pieces of the crib, and dropped a kiss to his forehead “I’ll see you later. Love you.”

Ransom turned his head towards you, his lips brushing yours softly, the annoyance he had displayed seconds ago completely forgotten. “Love you too. Both of you.”

With a smile you headed out of the room and bustled about grabbing your coat, scarf and purse. You stepped outside your home and as you made your way down the gravel drive to your new car, Ransom having finally put his foot down and purchased the Mercedes he’d been eying up for you, you glanced back up at the window of the room that was to be your baby boy’s nursery and pulled out your phone.

“Hey Daddy, it’s me. I was wondering if you would do me a favour…”

*****

Ransom would never have thought in a million years that he’d be doing this. Putting together a crib for his unborn son in the nursery that the pair of you had almost completed. Kids had most certainly not been on the agenda. Mind you, neither had marriage. But Y/N…well, she’d not only done the unthinkable and tamed him away from his play-boy days, she’d completely and utterly hooked him. And he wasn’t ever going to let her get away. So he’d bought a ring, they’d bought a house together…and then one drunken night and forgotten pill later wham, he’d knocked her up.

As such here he was, in one of the spare rooms that was no longer spare as it now belonged to his unborn child. The colour was picked, paint was purchased…but he drew the line at decorating. That was something that happily you had both agreed was to be done by a professional. In an hour he’d managed to get three sides of the crib together. And they were even and matched the photograph perfectly. But this fourth side…the side that was supposed to go up and down along a set of runners was not playing ball.

“Son of a bitch…” he cursed after what felt like the one hundredth attempt at getting the little wheels to line up “You’re gonna fucking work you fucking piece of…”

“Ransom?”

He paused as the familiar voice drifted up the large stairs and he gave an exasperated sigh. Of course she’d called her dad to check in on him.

“In the nursery.” He called back, a little gruffly. Ransom would never admit this, but the fact that his father-in-law actually cared enough to make the 30 minute drive over to check on him was kind of nice. His own father would have simply sniggered and put the phone down.

But then, Richard Drysdale was an asshole. Y/N’s father was not. And he most certainly was not going to allow his boy to become one either. Well, not a complete one anyway…he had to have some attitude after all, he was a Drysdale.

“Hey Son.” Ransom looked up as Y/N’s dad walked into the room. “Y/N called me before, said you were fixing up the furniture. I thought you might need a hand.”

“She really doesn’t trust me does she?” Ransom snorted and her dad laughed.

“If it’s any consolation, her mother is exactly the same.” He soothed as Ransom straightened up “And I don’t think it’s a case of not trusting you. When me and her brother put the crib together for his kid, it was a pain in the ass to get right.”

Ransom inhaled sharply, his hands falling to his hips “Done ok so far.” He replied a little sullenly.

“Yeah, I can see.” His father-in-law nodded “I just thought I’d check. If you don’t need me, then I can go.” He held his hands up, palms facing Ransom in a conciliatory manner “I got stuff to do so.”

Ransom watched him turn to leave and followed him out of the room with his eyes. He looked at the final piece of the crib before he gave a soft groan and quickly strode after his wife’s father.

“Actually…” he spoke, watching as he paused at the top of the stairs “I can’t get the last piece to line up right.”

He stopped short of actually asking for help, but he didn’t need to. Y/Father’s/Name turned and smiled, patting him gently on the shoulder as he strode back towards the nursery. He stooped to examine the sides and then stood up, pointing.

“This screw,” he said, and Ransom looked at it,“just needs tightening. The head is jutting out a little too far. Once it’s flush to the side then the runners should line up.”

Ransom blinked and then sighed, his head hanging dejectedly “Seriously? That’s it.”

“Hey!” His father-in-law chuckled, “easy thing to miss. Come on, get it screwed in and I’ll help you lift it. Then I think we can safely say a beer is in order.” He then checked his watch “Huh, might even catch the Red-Sox if we’re lucky.”

At that Ransom perked up a little. Another thing he would never admit was that he enjoyed the way her father would simply do stuff like that with him, things his own dad had never wanted to do. Sit, drink beer, watch a game…talk.

Fuck, he was going soft.

He picked up the screw driver and knelt down, angling it slightly so he could reach and lined the head up. He gave three sharp screws to the right but on the fourth the screwdriver slipped and he felt a sharp pain in his left hand.

“Fuck!” he yelled, drawing back instantly as he glanced down and saw the blood oozing from his palm tracing a path down his wrist.

“Here, let me see…” Y/Father’s/Name stepped forward quickly, reaching for Ransom’s arm. He frowned and then looked at Ransom who had gone pale. “Looks pretty deep.”

Ransom swallowed, taking a deep breath as his head began to spin. Fuck, he hated blood.

“Ransom? Son? You okay?”

“I err, I don’t feel…” he took another deep breath and then with a thud he hit the floor.

*****

Don’t Panic.

If there was ever a phrase do make you do just that, it was those simple two words. Which your dad had uttered when he had called you to tell you there had been an accident and he was on his way to the ER with Ransom. You and your friend abandoned the basket full of baby items you’d indulgently been about to purchase after a cheeky trip to the baby boutique one down from the restaurant you’d eaten in, and you’d rushed out of the store, making your way straight to the hospital. By the time you had located Ransom’s room, your dad was stood outside chatting to a nurse.

“What happened?” you demanded and your dad turned to look at you.

“His hand slipped when he was screwing a part of the crib together.” Your dad offered an explanation. “Gave me a scare though, completely out of it he was for a good 2 minutes or so.”

With a soft sigh, you rolled your eyes and pushed the door open. Ransom looked up at you from where he was sat on the bed, his hand heavily bandaged, face pale.

“Hey!” you said, making your way to his side. “You okay?”

“Yeah.” He nodded, “Just stabbed myself.”

“My dad said. What did you do that for?” you frowned.

“It wasn’t like I did it on purpose, sweetheart.” He drawled, narrowing his eyes. “It’s not a big deal. Just waiting for someone to take me down to X-Ray to make sure I’ve not damaged anything major”

You arched an eyebrow, a grin playing across your face. “Big enough of a deal to make you pass out from the pain.”

“It was nothing to do with the pain.” He mumbled sullenly. “You know I don’t like blood.”

You chuckled as you sat on the bed next to him, your hand gently pressing against his forehead. He felt a little clammy. “Yeah, you’re gonna be no use what-so-ever when I have the baby.”

“I don’t intend on being at that end.” He looked up at you, shrugging.

“No? You wanna be up there holding my hand, telling me how amazing I am?” you asked, your hand gently running up his neck.

“Maybe.” he replied, his head laying on your shoulder, seeking out comfort like the huge baby he was, his nose nuzzling into your neck.

“Gee thanks.” You replied with a scoff

“I just don’t wanna see you squeeze a baby out of your….you know.” he waved his non bandaged hand, as he moved his head to look at you, a cheeky smirk flickering across his face “I imagine it would be like watching my favourite bar burn down. Knowing that it’s completely wrecked and going to take a while before I can head back in for a drink.”

You blinked as his words registered and then slapped him harshly round the back of the head, causing him to yelp.

“Maybe instead of a fucking x-ray they can scan you for a brain.”  You glared at him. “Not that they’d find one.”

[wiypt-writes]

Real Life Tasks With Ransom Drysdale

An Advent Calendar of 24 Normal Human Tasks As Performed By A Huge Man Baby. Day 7: Screw This.

 Warnings: Bad Language words

Pairing: Ransom Drysdale x Reader

A/N:  Day 7 of the threeway collab between myself @sweater-daddiesdumbdork​ and @jennmurawski13 …and Ransom is getting no better11

Series Masterlist. 

 “Are you sure you want to do this?” You asked, leaning against the door frame.

“Yes.”

“Ok, let me rephrase that…”you shifted your weight a little “Are you sure you can do this?”

Ransom let out an annoyed snort through his nose and turned his eyes to look up at you. “Doll, how hard can it be?”

You really didn’t want to answer that question, as to anyone else with half a logical brain, following simple instructions on how to piece together a crib wouldn’t be so hard at all. But to Ransom, the mere fact that there were instructions to follow was kinda making you a little uneasy, as he had a problem with doing anything he was told to do at the best of times. Ransom’s brow furrowed as he clocked the look on your face and he rolled his eyes.

“You have so little faith in me.”

“Can you blame me?” you spluttered “You turned all the washing pink a few weeks back, then you almost poisoned everyone, not to mention the incident with the tire jack!”

“This is different.” He said confidently as he began to remove the outer packaging of the crib.

“Is it?”

“Yes, Y/N!” he groaned with an air of exasperation “Look, I know you have zero faith in me whatsoever, but what else is new?”

“Ran…” you started to protest, and he shrugged you away very matter-of-factly.

“Don’t you have somewhere to be?” he deftly changed the subject and you sighed recognising your dismissal. In all fairness he was right, you were due to meet your friend for lunch in half an hour so…

“Okay, I’m going.” You padded into the room, over to where he was now knelt on the floor surrounded by various tools and pieces of the crib, and dropped a kiss to his forehead “I’ll see you later. Love you.” Ransom turned his head towards you, his lips brushing yours softly, the annoyance he had displayed seconds ago completely forgotten. “Love you too. Both of you.”

With a smile you headed out of the room and bustled about grabbing your coat, scarf and purse. You stepped outside your home and as you made your way down the gravel drive to your new car, Ransom having finally put his foot down and purchased the Mercedes he’d been eying of for you, you glanced back up at the window of the room that was to be your baby boy’s nursery and pulled out your phone.

“Hey Daddy, it’s me. I was wondering if you would do me a favour…”

***** Ransom would never have thought in a million years that he’d be doing this. Putting together a crib for his unborn son in the nursery that the pair of you had almost completed. Kids had most certainly not been on the agenda. Mind you, neither had marriage. But Y/N…well, she’d not only done the unthinkable and tamed him away from his play-boy days, she’d completely and utterly hooked him. And he wasn’t ever going to let her3 get away. So he’d bought a ring, they’d bought a house together…and then one drunken night and forgotten pill later wham, he’d knocked her up.

As such here he was, in one of the spare rooms that was no longer spare as it now belonged to his unborn child. The colour was picked, paint was purchased…but he drew the line at decorating. That was something that happily you had both agreed was to be done by a professional. In an hour he’d managed to get three sides of the crib together. And they were even and matched the photograph perfectly. But this fourth side…the side that was supposed to go up and down along a set of runners was not playing ball.

“Son of a bitch…” he cursed after what felt like the one hundredth attempt at getting the little wheels to line up “You’re gonna fucking work you fucking piece of…”

“Ransom?”

He paused as the familiar voice drifted up the large stairs and he gave an exasperated sigh. Of course she’d called her dad to check in on him.

“In the nursery.” He called back, a little gruffly. Ransom would never admit this, but the fact that his father-in-law actually cared enough to make the 30 minute drive over to check on him was kind of nice. His own father would have simply sniggered and put the phone down.

But then, Richard Drysdale was an asshole. Y/N’s father was not. And he most certainly was not going to allow his boy to become one either. Well, not a complete one anyway…he had to have some attitude after all, he was a Drysdale.

“Hey Son.” Ransom looked up as Y/N’s dad walked into the room. “Y/N called me before, said you were fixing up the furniture. I thought you might need a hand.”

“She really doesn’t trust me does she?” Ransom snorted and her dad laughed.

“If it’s any consolation, her mother is exactly the same.” He soothed as Ransom straightened up “And I don’t think it’s a case of not trusting you. When me and her brother put the crib together for his kid, it was a pain in the ass to get right.”

Ransom inhaled sharply, his hands falling to his hips “Done ok so far.” He replied a little sullenly.

“Yeah, I can see.” His father-in-law nodded “I just thought I’d check. If you don’t need me, then I can go.” He held his hands up, palms facing Ransom in a conciliatory manner “I got stuff to do so.”

Ransom watched him turn to leave and followed him out of the room with his eyes. He looked at the final piece of the crib before he gave a soft groan and quickly strode after his wife’s father.

“Actually…” he spoke, watching as he paused at the top of the stairs “I can’t get the last piece to line up right.”

He stopped short of actually asking for help, but he didn’t need to. Y/Father’s/Name turned and smiled, patting him gently on the shoulder as he strode back towards the nursery. He stooped to examine the sides and then stood up, pointing.

“This screw,” he said, and Ransom looked at it,“just needs tightening. The head is jutting out a little too far. Once it’s flush to the side then the runners should line up.”

Ransom blinked and then sighed, his head hanging dejectedly “Seriously? That’s it.”

“Hey!” His father-in-law chuckled, “easy thing to miss. Come on, get it screwed in and I’ll help you lift it. Then I think we can safely say a beer is in order.” He then checked his watch “Huh, might even catch the Red-Sox if we’re lucky.”

At that Ransom perked up a little. Another thing he would never admit was that he enjoyed the way her father would simply do stuff like that with him, things his own dad had never wanted to do. Sit, drink beer, watch a game…talk.

Fuck, he was going soft.

He picked up the screw driver and knelt down, angling it slightly so he could reach and lined the head up. He gave three sharp screws to the right but on the fourth the screwdriver slipped and he felt a sharp pain in his left hand.

“Fuck!” he yelled, drawing back instantly as he glanced down and saw the blood oozing from his palm tracing a path down his wrist.

“Here, let me see…” Y/Father’s/Name stepped forward quickly, reaching for Ransom’s arm. He frowned and then looked at Ransom who had gone pale. “Looks pretty deep.”

Ransom swallowed, taking a deep breath as his head began to spin. Fuck, he hated blood.

“Ransom? Son? You okay?”

“I err, I don’t feel…” he took another deep breath and then with a thud he hit the floor.

*****

Don’t Panic.

If there was ever a phrase do make you do just that, it was those simple two words. Which your dad had uttered when he had called you to tell you there had been an accident and he was on his way to the ER with Ransom. You and your friend abandoned the basket full of baby items you’d indulgently been about to purchase after a cheeky trip to the baby boutique one down from the restaurant you’d eaten in, and you’d rushed out of the store, making your way straight to the hospital. By the time you had located Ransom’s room, your dad was stood outside chatting to a nurse.

“What happened?” you demanded and your dad turned to look at you.

“His hand slipped when he was screwing a part of the crib together.” Your dad offered an explanation. “Gave me a scare though, completely out of it he was for a good 2 minutes or so.”

With a soft sigh, you rolled your eyes and pushed the door open. Ransom looked up at you from where he was sat on the bed, his hand heavily bandaged, face pale.

“Hey!” you said, making your way to his side. “You okay?”

“Yeah.” He nodded, “Just stabbed myself.”

“My dad said. What did you do that for?” you frowned.

“It wasn’t like I did it on purpose, sweetheart.” He drawled, narrowing his eyes. “It’s not a big deal. Just waiting for someone to take me down to X-Ray to make sure I’ve not damaged anything major”

You arched an eyebrow, a grin playing across your face. “Big enough of a deal to make you pass out from the pain.”

“It was nothing to do with the pain.” He mumbled sullenly. “You know I don’t like blood.”

You chuckled as you sat on the bed next to him, your hand gently pressing against his forehead. He felt a little clammy. “Yeah, you’re gonna be no use what-so-ever when I have the baby.”

“I don’t intend on being at that end.” He looked up at you, shrugging.

“No? You wanna be up there holding my hand, telling me how amazing I am?” you asked, your hand gently running up his neck.

“Maybe.” he replied, his head laying on your shoulder, seeking out comfort like the huge baby he was, his nose nuzzling into your neck.

“Gee thanks.” You replied with a scoff

“I just don’t wanna see you squeeze a baby out of your….you know.” he waved his non bandaged hand, as he moved his head to look at you, a cheeky smirk flickering across his face “I imagine it would be like watching my favourite bar burn down. Knowing that it’s completely wrecked and going to take a while before I can head back in for a drink.”

You blinked as his words registered and then slapped him harshly round the back of the head, causing him to yelp.

“Maybe instead of a fucking x-ray they can scan you for a brain.”  You glared at him. “Not that they’d find one.”

[svnflowervol666]

I Want Your Belly (Harry Styles x fem!Reader)

Word Count: 2.2k

Author’s Note: Oddly specific, kinda weird, sappy sweet. Got a good handful of asks for this one so here you go! Harry asks Y/N to join him in the Watermelon Sugar music video. It was a bit hard to write due to the nature of the scenario, but I hope you find it just as cute as I did. Take care and TPWK.

Even in January, the California heat is brutal and unforgiving. Sure, being by the ocean where the momentum of the cool waves cast a light breeze does something to midigate the miserable feeling of feeling like the sun’s rays are going to burn you alive, but it’s only a crumb of salvation really. We’re talking sweat running down the backs of your kneecaps, legs painfully sticking to the seat of whatever chair you’re sitting in, not enough water in the world to keep you from being dehydrated hot. But she wanted to be there.

She’d been oggling him from her sand chair for the past forty-five minutes. I mean, who isn’t oggling him when they see him tracing his fingers coyly over the flesh of a sweet, ripe watermelon. He’d been glancing in her direction in between nearly every take, smirking at her through his aqua-tinted sunnies and wondering if what she was seeing made her reconsider the offer he’d been begging her to take him up on for weeks. All she would give him back was her iconic side-eye before she’d go back to reading the novel in her lap and occasionally picking at the bowl of freshly-cut fruit she’d swiped from the prop table.

“And that’s a wrap on scene one!” one of the directors called out over the crashing waves.

Harry did what was proper - shaking hands and bowing heads and saying his ‘thank you’s before all but jogging over to where she was sat underneath the oversized pale-blue gingham printed umbrella.

“Change yeh mind yet?”

He had his hands on his hips, fingers resting on hem of the crochet-knit tank top he’d chosen himself for the occasion. She waited until she finished the page she was on before even daring to peer up at him through her sunglasses.

“How are you not dying in those pants?” was all that Y/N gave in response before going back to her book.

“‘M absolutely wretched down there if that’s what you’re askin. But yeh didn’t answer my question, lovie.”

She sighed heavily, dog-earring her place in her novel and casting it aside it in the sand before leaning up to rest her elbows on her knees.

“I just don’t know why you want me to be in it so badly. This is your video. If I’m in it, everyone’s gonna go crazy and it’ll be an even bigger shit show in the press than it’s already going to be.”

This made Harry crouch down to her level, his white loafers digging even deeper into the sand as he leaned on his haunches.

“That’s exactly why I want yeh t’ be in it. ‘S my video and that’s what I want. Want this t’ be fun and it would be even more fun if I had m’ girl with me.”

She stared at him, silently giving him her please drop it look, but it only spurred him on further.

“If it’ll make yeh feel any better, I’ll make sure you’re not in it a bunch when it comes ‘round t’ editing. Barely put yeh up close too.”

That was enticing,Y/N could admit. He’d surely let her have the final say in how much she was involved, but there was still a lot of stress that came with being on camera. Especially in her state. She knew she wasn’t exactly hiding anything, as they’d been spotted countless times in public and their friends had posted photos to their stories with her body clearly visible in them, but some things she’d rather not shine a direct spotlight on. Doing something like this would most definitely be putting her business on display for the world to see, and she wasn’t sure if she was ready for that. 

“Please, baby? I won’t ask yeh again, but I’d really love it if you were beside me.”

She wet her lips with her tongue, eyes darting up to the underside of the umbrella as she really, truly contemplating giving in to Harry’s pleads. On her life, she can barely recall a time when she hadn’t given Harry anything that he wanted. He just had a way with people that wasn’t manipulative or conniving in any way - he was magnetic. Everything about him was so charismatic and mesmerizing and anyone that met him found themselves gravitating towards him and going along with whatever he was saying or suggesting. I mean, she let him put a baby in her for christ’s sake.

“Help me up out of this thing and find me something to wear,” she huffed, to which Harry dramatically punched the air with his fist in celebration.

“One condition,” she interjected his boast and Harry tilted his ear in her direction and tapped his earlobe with his finger to show her that he was listening.

“You have to go down on me when we get home. It was torture watching you finger that watermelon, but I’m pretty sure you already knew that.”

“Yeh talkin’ like yeh think I wasn’t gonna try t’ squeeze in a quickie during lunch anyway.”

He pulled her up to her feet, making sure to keep a steady hand on her back as he led her away from the ocean and towards the beach entrance where the trailers were parked.

//

“Wha’ about this one?” Harry asked as he pulled a strapless swimsuit with a palm tree print littered about the fabric and presented it to her.

“One wrong step and my tits will fall right outta that thing,” she quipped.

Harry held it at arm’s reach so he get a better look at the garment himself.

“Yeah. You’re right. They are gettin’ pretty big, aren’t they?”

There was no malice laced within his comment, but when he felt a harsh backhand graze his shoulder, he realized what he’d just said.

“Jesus, Y/N. I’m sorry. Didn’t mean it like tha’. Yeh know I love your boobs. Especially now.”

He tried to make up for it by reaching his hand out to playfully grab at Y/N’s chest, but she slapped his fingers away and continued thumbing through the racks filled with dozens if not hundreds of swimsuits for something she could manage to squeeze herself into.

“Ohh, wait! This one’s nice.”

Harry’s fingers got tangled in the lacy straps of the neighboring article of clothing beside the one he was trying to pull out, making a few hangers crash to the ground with a harsh sound against the linoleum. When she saw what he had found, she didn’t hate it. It was a sherbet-orange colored bikini that seemed as if it would cover everything she was concerned about showing, and the bottoms looked like they’d be somewhat decent at keeping her ass contained and wouldn’t ride up and make her constantly have to readjust it every five minutes. 

“Alright, Styles,” she squinted her eyes and nodded in approval.

“I’ll bite.”

He watched her as she peeled her romper that perfectly cradled her small yet still mighty bump, lingering for just a bit too long when she unhooked the back of her bra and dropped it to the floor.

“You gonna give me the swimsuit or are you gonna keep staring at me? It’s fucking hot in here, Harry.”

She was stark naked and had her hands on her hips, a sticky veil of sweat still shining on her skin from the mugginess of the wardrobe trailer. Harry couldn’t help but chuckle at her state, his heart full of nothing but admiration for the girl standing in front of him.

“Here, I’ll help yeh into it.”

Harry kneeled down to the floor and guided her legs through the bikini bottoms. Just as he pulled them up around her thighs and onto her hips, he gave her bump a quick kiss. 

“We’re kinda matchin’ yeh know,” Harry babbled as he fastened the straps on her top.

“‘S the same color as m’ nails,” he stuck a leg out in front of her to wiggle his toes and show off the bright orange pedicure he’d gotten that morning.

“That’s disgustingly cute actually. Maybe I should change,” she joked.

“No way,” he dismissed her.

“Yeh ass looks too good in this one.”

Harry clapped both hands against her bum with gentle force, the two of them erupting into a fit of giggles. He spun her around by the shoulders to get a good look at her body, protruding belly and all, in the clementine orange swimsuit.

“M’ pretty, pretty girl,” he whispered as his lips met hers in a kiss.

“You’re lucky I love you enough to do this.”

“I know I am,” Harry muttered against her mouth.

“Alright,” he continued.

“Just gotta change into m’ shorts and then I’ll be good t’ go. Meet yeh at the umbrella?”

“Oh hell no,” she jested.

“If you got to see me naked, I get to see you naked. Now get to stripping.”

//

The day went by in a blur.

What was supposed to be a brief cameo turned into Harry dragging Y/N into every scene he possibly could. When the directors instructed the models to gather in a pile around the pop star, he found his head perched in her lap, nestled perfectly atop her thighs with his temples pressed against her belly. When they’d wanted clips of everyone romping about the shoreline, he’d ended up carrying her around the beach after she’d gotten winded from doing one-too-many takes.

“Harry, I cannot fucking do this anymore,” she panted.

“I can practically feel my cankles growing.”

“Fine then,” he replied, hooking his forearm around the underside of her knees and scooping her up so that she was cradled against his burly chest.

“I’ll just carry yeh.”

He’d made her feed him raspberries as he sang the lyrics into the camera, even going so far as to suck on her fingers seductively when she went to drop one into his mouth. It wasn’t intended to be a serious attempt at filming the video, only him messing around and trying to get a rise out of her as he always did, but everyone ultimately decided that that the take they were going to use. She’d cursed him out under his breath, but they both knew it was for making her practically soak her knickers rather than getting dragged into more than she bargained for during the shoot.

Constantly, his hands always found themselves gravitating towards her belly. Whether it was rubbing her taught skin like a crystal ball as he sang the chorus instead of gesturing to the large watermelon that he was supposed to be holding, he couldn’t keep his hands off of her.

She’d known it was bound to happen at one point, but sometime throughout the afternoon he’d called for her and when she turned around, he was had shoved a watermelon up under his sheer, yellow blouse.

“Y/N!” Harry shouted at her from a few yards away, interrupting a lovely conversation she was having with one of the models.

“I’m you!”

He gestured to the fruit stuffed inside of his shirt, toyfully stroking the exterior in the manner that she always found herself doing even she wasn’t realizing. 

It made everyone, and I mean everyone, explode in laughter. It only made her hide her face in her hands after promptly shoving her middle finger in his direction.

But she’d gotten him back. When the director wanted shots of each of the girls taking bites out of a slice of watermelon, she’d made sure to take the messiest bite she could manage so that the juice ran down her chin and down the valley of her breasts. Y/N threw her head back as if were the greatest thing she’d ever tasted, exposing the column of her neck that Harry loved to mark up and bruise with his skillful tongue and lips.

“Yeh tryin’ t’ make me hard right now?” he all but growled in her ear when she’d joined him behind the camera so the next model could have their turn.

She simply cocked her head to one side and smirked up at him.

“Payback’s a bitch, isn’t it? I’m going to the bathroom. All of this watermelon’s making me have to pee.”

When it came time for the portrait and everyone was being distributed their designated slice of fruit, Y/N found herself confused when Harry pulled her out of line.

“What are you doing, H?”

Harry held up a hand to signal that he’d be right back, to which he returned with an uncut watermelon. Quite possibly the biggest watermelon that she’d ever seen at that.

“Yeh don’t get a slice, yeh get the whole damn watermelon.”

They’d all piled up on the bench and stared stoically into the camera, only instead of raising the wedge to their lips to take a bite, Y/N sat on the grass at Harry’s knees, a whole watermelon resting in between her legs in front of her bump.

//

Y/N’s day ended up being far more fun than she’d ever imagined it could have been despite her constant nagging and jabs at Harry’s expense. While she’d initially only agreed to be a part of Harry’s music video under the condition that her role would be minimum, she was secretly hoping that all of their side conversations and what would be considered “outtakes” would actually make in into the final cut. 

In fact, she’d had so much fun that at the end of the day when filming had wrapped and her and Harry were on the way home, the gentle hum of his convertible and the cool breeze that followed a blistering day on Malibu beach had slowly began willing her eyes shut. 

“Baby,” Harry beckoned her from the driver’s seat.

“Hmm?” Y/N picked her head up from where it was leaning against the window to look over at him.

“Don’t go t’ sleep on me now.”

He reached over to grab her left hand that had settled itself on top of her round stomach. Before lacing his fingers with hers, he kissed her knuckles tenderly.

“Still got t’ go down on yeh when we get home. Bet yeh gonna taste like strawberries.”

[rvmmm21]

[ V V S her diamonds ] – ch 04.

[5:45 p.m.] Washed-out rays of sunshine flood the arcade cafe, and Seungwan can’t contain her flourishing smile at the thought of Bae Joohyun visiting her at work. 

. . . . .

Sometimes I wish I could go and live in the clouds of your fantasies.

Being a part-time barista is a safe-haven for all of hers.

The junior buzzes around behind the counter, systematically preparing orders of cakes and coffees on the tiny overhead order slips. A satisfied hum sounds as she finishes prettying the dessert display and slides the glass window closed.

Cake display, check. 

Watermelon lychee-mint crush, coming up.

She dries her hands after spooning the frozen watermelon chunks into the blender, and the crinkle of her leather apron sounds brand new for some reason. Perhaps it’s because she feels brand new. Either way, her customers seem to pick up on her good mood too, and it blows her usually gruelling shift by like a light summer breeze. The hustle of work-pressed university students scrambling for their sugar rushes and extra shots of caffeine dulls in her ears, the memory of the past three weeks sitting at the very forefront of her thoughts. 

The past three weeks of back and forth texting, weekly study dates and a volantly climbing heart rate– wait no, a steadily building friendship.

About halfway through the afternoon, the regular tempo of her shift suddenly interrupts with a swish of silky hair and an award winning smile. 

“Wow, a barista. Cute and talented, I see. Where do I sign up?”

Seungwan adjusts the straps on her apron, blinking. “Taeyeon sunbaenim?”

“Kidding, kidding,” the girl laughs, holding her hand out as if that would somehow quell the bout of unease that had begun to well in the pit of Seungwan’s stomach. 

Remaining professional, she answers with a nervous laugh of her own. “What can I get for you today, sunbaenim?”

Taeyeon hums, tapping a delicate finger to her chin while she stares down at the fancy little menu. A vague smirk graces pink lips as her fingertip traces the bold laminated print. “Hm, what do your pancakes come with?”

Seungwan leans over the cash register to glaze over the small description underneath and then snaps back up, knowing the ingredients by heart already. “Oh! They’re plain buttermilk, but you can choose your topping! Uh… strawberries and ice cream is– it’s a customer favourite, if you’d like.” 

A hum of deliberation. “I see. And do I get special service?”

“S-Sorry?” The suggestion in her tone chokes the girl, unsure of what that means. 

Taeyeon gracefully giggles and leans over the counter to playfully tap Seungwan on the shoulder. “Yah, you’re too funny. I meant an extra scoop of ice cream. Since we know each other, obviously. Why, what were you thinking?”

“Ah! Of course I can do that for you,” she chuckles awkwardly, keying in the order. Seungwan’s fingers flinch around the Amex Black Card when it doesn’t slip out of Taeyeon’s as easily. Chestnut eyes peek up at her, and from the casual smirk on her face, the older girl seems to know what she’s doing.

“Oh yeah,” her expression contorts as though she’s trying to recall why she’s now holding up a small queue of foot-tapping, huffing customers. “How’s your project going?” 

She answers hastily, eyeing the holdup. “It’s great! Joohyun unnie is really helping me with this class.”

Taeyeon raises a brow. “Unnie?”

“Y-Yeah, Joohyun unnie’s great, can– can I take your card, please?” she reiterates.

“Ah,” the other girl finally nods in realisation, “you two are close friends now. That’s great! I’m glad to hear it’s going well.” The grip on the credit card slackens. “Thank you, Seungwan.”

Seungwan purses her lips, stiffly rocking on her heels as they both wait for the card reader to go ‘beep’. Once Taeyeon walks away, her tension dispels with a heavy sigh and she signals for the next customer.

Softy’s Autumn Morning comes on the set playlist shuffle. Pleasant lo-fi beats ripple through the cafe and Seungwan gently bops along as she works, carefully eyeing the bubbling pancake mix to make sure it doesn’t burn. 

Time seems to slow to a glacial pace. That is, until the little bronze bell chimes and a certain someone walks in. Seungwan recognises that vintage Balenciaga Defile Sport hoodie in a heartbeat. Her legs kick into gear and she rushes over to meet her. Joohyun approaches the counter with her signature gaze of boredom, but hides a laugh behind her sweater paw when she sees the barista almost trip over her own sneakers. 

Five minutes later, said barista is hunched over a small cup of latte, hands steadily crafting two pointy milk ears with the help of a toothpick.

As she pops a little bonus on the saucer in replacement of their standard Lotus Biscoff biscuit, Seungwan wonders where Sooyoung and Jennie are, melting a little at how Joohyun looks so small and harmless without the final duo to complete her killer posse. God, when they're all three together, it gets really hard to not believe she'sthe precious daughter of South Korea's most elusive mafia boss. The rumours have to come from somewhere, right? She takes a deep breath to steel her nerves before serving the mafia daughter sitting by the window.

“Enjoy your coffee, unnie!” she chirps, setting the steaming drink down. Service with a complimentary home baked cookie is her way of saying ‘I think you’re super cool’. 

Totally embarrassed at her dumb little gift, the girl slinks back to her station with sizzling ears before her senior can even thank her.

How cute.

Joohyun’s lips curl into a secret smile at the milk foam cat happily greeting her from her latte.

. . . . .

[7:45 p.m.] Seulgi whines when she goes to get a Cola from the fridge and finds the door wide open with Yerim chugging milk straight from the carton. Her roommate calmly caps the lid, dutifully ignoring her.

. . . . .

Polystyrene containers of spicy tteokbokki, salmon sashimi, crispy pork mandu as well as skewers of various glazed meats glisten deliciously under warm living room lights. It’s the perfect go-to cheat day feast. 

“Unnie, you’re like those tragic lovers in my dramas,” the youngest blurts, chewing on her Yakult straw. “Literally every one of them. Too dumb to confess and then drowns in their tears at night. You gonna break the cycle or what?”

Shock seizes Seungwan’s expression before she shakes her head at the way this heartless dongsaeng just takes her feelings and tosses them around like a salad. Still, she thinks, there’s no harm in being honest.

“What’s there to confess? We’re just friends."

Seulgi and Yerim exchange a silent look at the neat pile of tteokbokki on Seungwan’s plate. They remembered only a month ago, their friend seemed to have eyes for nothing else. The dish was so tasty she could marry it, apparently. But its charms seem to have worn off; now overshadowed by Joohyun’s endearingly obnoxious laughter and just about everything about her.

"Plus, you know, I doubt Joohyun unnie sees me that way either."

An epiphany strikes Yerim and she slaps her hand on the table, jabbing a restless finger at her shocked dorm mates. “Zenitsu, Zenitsu! Unnie, you’re Zenitsu, I’ve freaking figured it out.”

Confusion colours Seungwan’s face. “Zenits… who?”

“Zenitsu from Demon Slayer.”

“What?”

“That mopey kid.”

“Yerim-ah…” 

“Demon Slayer. Yerimie’s bingeing it right now. Anime on Netflix or something,” Seulgi explains through a mouthful of dumpling, “she won’t shut up about it. God help us there’s a movie out already.”

Curiosity soon has the confused girl peering at her screen, determined to find out what she’s being called. Thank god for YouTube. 

The youngest feels the heat as she watches her unnie’s expression become more and more deadpan with every passing video.

“Yerim. What, exactly, do you see of me in this?” Seungwan threateningly questions, holding up a paused clip of a cartoon boy grovelling at the feet of a pretty girl. She wonders if it’s wrong to want Joohyun to actually have mafia connections now… and if she’d be willing to share them with her for… purposes.

She shrugs defensively. “What? Don’t you think he’s cute?”

"Don't worry Wan, I don't see it either," Seulgi jumps in.

‘Cute’ isn’t quite the term. The blonde nonchalantly brings the chopsticks to her mouth and bites down… onto thin air. Much to the amusement of the two across her. “Hey how’s it going with Sooyoung?” she turns her attention to the girl sitting cross-legged opposite.

Seulgi tuts in reply, dangling a salmon slice in front of her unimpressed roomie. “Stop trying to change the subject, Wan. It’s sooo obvious.” After a pregnant pause, she grins like a kid on Christmas morning, spilling her own adventures with her third of the black velvet trio in one breath. “But thank you for asking because we’re going to the cinema this weekend.”

Yerim chopsticks another tteokbokki onto her plate. “Ooh, what movie?”

“Oh, uh…” Seulgi shrugs, “dunno… I think Sooyoung knows more about what’s good, so I’ll–”

“You’re gonna let her decide, is what I’m hearing,” the maknae scoffs with an eye roll.

Seungwan smiles.

“Simps�� simps! Help, someone save me, you guys are everywhere!” Yerim pretends to drown on land and her friends resist the urge to jump her on the spot. 

. . . . .

[11:09 a.m.] The raven-haired senior catches her unsuspecting junior on her way through campus gardens the next morning and pries her for answers. 

. . . . . 

“Why a cat?”

Seungwan’s eyes form joyous crescent moons. “Unnie!”

Suddenly, she has to keep her focus from dwindling into how good they’d both look sitting under the shade of that big old oak tree. 

Somewhere through the cottoned clouds of her daydreams, they’re on one of their many picnics. Doughnuts, corn-dogs, toasted sandwiches and bottled juice litter the peach gingham mat they’re sitting on, and Joohyun offers her a corner of her Gilgeori toast. Of course, she cheekily tries her luck, leaving her with just the corner instead. She yelps when Joohyun gives her a shoulder thwack well deserved. 

Clumsy knees knock together as they laugh themselves silly, the powdered sugar on their lips melting into a sweet river every time she connects them with a kiss. 

Seungwan bites her lip, wringing her mind of those thoughts, trying to play down the elation at hearing her senior’s curiosity. “A cat? I-I don’t know, I just think they’re funny and– kinda cute.” Her voice goes squeaky with excitement. “You liked it? Unnie! You should order more coffees with milk in them. I’ll draw you a bunny next time!” 

Joohyun nods, willing to buy the cafe’s entire stock if it meant she got to see Seungwan beam like a praised puppy, all too eager to learn its next trick.

And she might’ve just marched down there right now to do as she’d said… if they weren’t ten minutes late for their class. Suddenly they’re both panickedly clutching at each other, torn between sprinting like they’re being chased by hyenas, turning up fashionably late, or hopping around and freaking out about the fact that they’re already eleven minutes late, now.

Joohyun’s wrist is grabbed just as she’s about to suggest the fashionably late option. Then she’s hurtling forward, struggling to keep her books from falling whilst poorly protesting the early-morning PE session. But Seungwan is too busy shouting nonsense into the skies about how this is the final chance the lightning gods get to strike her down and charge her up.

Which would’ve been convincing had her voice not cracked on every other word.

As the pair clumsily sprint down the path of pastel flower bushes, the older girl can’t remember the last time she’s laughed this freely. She can barely get the words out but she feels like she’d explode if she didn’t. 

“Seungwan-ah! You’re giving me a six pack!”

And when Seungwan turns back to laugh with her, something in Joohyun’s static heart ignites.

. . . . .

In the diamond, star-dappled sky, Cherub wakes from his silken cloud. Lily-white wings unfurl at the latest calling.

[offtopicoverload]

Whispers

Grateful whispers muttered in the dead of night, hushed and vulnerable.

replaying blades and i would die for Nia, so have a little ficlet

T Rating (i mean, theres the usual blades stuff of violence, but not any extra warnings)

Nia x MC (Cleo)

~5.6k words (i didnt edit most of this but at this point i dont care im sick of this)

-

“Alright, Priestess? Enjoying yourself?” Cleo asks with a grin, settling down beside the slowly dying fire while fiddling with her bowstring, gaze flickering between light eyes and the weapon in her hands.

Nia returns her smile, eyes briefly meeting amber and the orange light playing within them, “Yes, this pilgrimage has proved quite eventful so far.”

Cleo barks a laugh, eyes lifting to flicker amusedly at Nia, “That’s one way to put it.”

“It’s true,” Nia leans closer, her face lighting up in excitement, “I never expected to be face to face with an owlbear! It was so…” she trails off, lips contorted as she searches for a proper description.

“Big? Smelly? Stupid? Loud?” Cleo supplies, a small bemused smile on her lips.

“I suppose, though I was thinking more along the lines of ‘one of a kind.’”

“Owlbears aren’t one of a kind, Priestess.”

Red hair flies around Nia’s shoulders as she shakes her head, “The experience was one of a kind. This journey to the Temple is one of a kind.”

“That depends on if you plan to get attacked again, then it’s definitely not one of a kind,” Cleo leans backwards, her elbows propping her up as her gaze scans the eager Priestess before her.

“I assure you that I have no such plans.”

“Good, wouldn’t want you getting hurt.”

“No? Would that not give you another opportunity to showcase your abilities?”

“Yeah, but that’s - that’d be awful,” Cleo averts her eyes, fumbling upright once more and turning back to her bow, staring at the wood intently as heat rises in her cheeks.

“I believe the same could be said for you, putting yourself in danger for us.”

“I mean, I guess, but I’m getting paid for it, while you’re, you know,” slender fingers rise to tug at white dreads anxiously, words tumbling out of Cleo’s mouth without care, “You.”

“That’s -” Nia chuckles nervously, a neon blushing painting her skin, “You’re too kind,” she mumbles beneath her breath.

“Just, um…” Cleo jumps to her feet, dusting herself off before grabbing her bow, “I’m gonna head to bed, Priestess. Uh, good night,” and turns on her heel, hurrying away from the campfire.  

Nia’s eyes follow her retreating form, skating along her figure, “Hey, Cleo?”

Cleo spins back around at the last second, only a step away from her tent, but with a smile on her face, “Yeah?”

“Thank you.”

“Anytime.” Another grin, firelight illuminating exposed teeth before that bright smile slips into the shadow of the tent.

---

“Hey, Priestess,” Cleo stops beside Nia, leaning against the tree behind her, hands fisted together before her. The forest’s sounds are in the distance, echoes of an argument between Mal and Threep even nearer as Cleo’s honey eyes trace the shape of the trees. “Are you doing okay?” she asks softly after a long pause.

Nia gives a stiff nod, her gaze never straying from her hands as they lay knotted together in her lap, fingers fidgeting restlessly. Her shoulders are tense,  her brow is furrowed, and her jaw’s clenched as a million emotions flit through her mind.

“You sure?” Cleo prods, standing straight as her gaze inspects Nia carefully, “I’m, you know, here if you need anything. Promise.”

“It doesn’t really seem real,” the words come fast from Nia, hurried and tumbling over one another, like she’s worried if she doesn’t rush them, they’ll never make it out of her mouth. “That he’s gone, I mean. Just like that.”

Cleo nods in understanding, settling beside Nia on the grass, her legs folded before her as she picks at the foliage, “I know what you mean.”

“I’m sorry,” Nia blurts out, eyes wide and panicked as she takes in the sorrow on Cleo’s face, the waves of grief in her bright eyes and the mountains of loss weighing down her shoulders.

“Don’t be,” Cleo shrugs, shaking her head a beat later, “I should be saying that, I was meant to protect you.” She scowls down at her hands, tearing apart a piece of grass in frustration.

Nia’s palm rests on her forearm, squeezing comfortingly, “You couldn’t have possibly done more than you did. That was - We stumbled upon the Shadow Court.”

“Still,” Cleo shrugs her off, ripping a dead leaf into tiny remains, “They’re gone, and I’m the one with the weapon.”

“Only Scholar Vash is gone, Cleo, and there was no way to help him. We did all we could,” Nia reassures, finding Cleo’s forearm and squeezing again. “But we can get Kade back, and we will. Promise,” she squeezes again, pouring as much sincerity into the gesture as she can muster.

“Alright, Priestess,” Cleo manages a wavering smile, and this time she doesn’t pull away, doesn’t steal her arm back, just lets Nia’s hand rest there.

Nia nods, her thumb brushing along Cleo’s skin, “And - and thank you. For protecting me already, and everything else,” she whispers.

“Anytime.” Cleo’s hand finds hers, squeezing.

---

The ship tilts violently to one side, the interior of the hull sliding with it as a yelp sounds from above Cleo, quickly muffled a second later. She extracts herself from the bottom bunk, glancing around and finding the boys asleep throughout the space, and pokes her head up.

Nia’s back is to her as she grips the railing surrounding the bunk, the Priestess curled in on herself as Threep lays at the foot of the bunk, his tail tucked under his chin. “Nia?” she calls quietly.

The woman in question turns to face Cleo, Threep shifting slightly at the movement. Her hands are tucked beneath her head, eyes bright in the low visibility of night, shining and gleaming in the few stray rays of light, and blinking innocently.

“Are you okay?” Cleo asks as soft as she can, gaze even softer.

“Yes…”

“You sure? You seemed, uh, kinda startled.”

“The waves are startling,” she frowns, her features pinched as she props herself up on one elbow.

“Right, sorry,” Cleo fights a smile at the indignant glower staring back at her. “So you’re okay?”

“Yes.”

Cleo shrugs, muttering, “Okay,” as she sinks back to her bunk, laying back and staring blankly upwards. Her fingers tap against the back of her palm as her hands rest on her abdomen, knit together with fiddling thumbs.

“Hey, Cleo?” Nia’s voice hesitantly asks, curls falling past the edge of the upper bunk.

“Yeah?”

“I, um, I can’t sleep.”

Cleo smiles privately before flying upright again, pausing just before Nia’s face hanging over the edge of her bunk, “How can I help, Priestess?”

Nia darts backwards, cool air filling the space between them, so much cooler than it was for just a fraction of a moment, “Um, maybe with a distraction?”

Cleo beams, her teeth glinting bright, “On it.” She jumps, hopping the barrier surrounding the top bunk and landing beside Nia, hovering over the Priestess with a wicked smirk, hair creating a curtain to separate them from the rest of the world.

Nia squeaks, jolting backwards as a blush alights along her cheeks and ears, “Oh, Gods,” she murmurs under her breath. She covers her flushed face with her hands, fumbling to sit upright as Threep hisses at the disturbance of his sleep.

“We’ll be quiet,” Cleo whispers to him, sitting back on her heels with arms crossed over her chest as she glares at the nesper.

He glares right back from over his paws, hissing one last time in warning. Cleo hisses back.

“Alright, Priestess,” her frown drops away as she turns back to Nia, leaning forward with her palms spread on the bunk, “Let’s talk.”

“About - About what?” Nia’s hands lower, revealing still-stained, but moderately-less-so, cheeks.

“Hmm…” Cleo hums, low in the back of her throat, a deep, intoxicating sound like dark liquor. “Ooh,” her face lights up, eyes flying up to catch Nia staring at her, “What about the boys? What do you make of them?”

Nia clears her throat, sitting upright and attempting to ignore the blush on the back of her neck, “I think they’re quite all right.”

Another mischievous grin curves Cleo’s mouth, “That’s it? C’mon, Priestess, you’ve got to have more to say than that.”

“I assure you, I don’t,” Nia huffs, crossing her arms over her chest in protest.

“Not even about Tyril? And all his haughtiness? Or Mal and his ridiculous stories?”

“Well…”

Cleo crawls closer, turning until her back is resting beside Nia’s, “Ooh, the Priestess has something bad to say,” she elbows Nia in the ribs and wiggles her shoulders for effect.

“Not bad, per say…” Nia drawls, avoiding eye contact as the tips of her ears turn bright red and her hands fidget restlessly with the tips of her hair, legs crossing and uncrossing nervously.

“You don’t have to say anything, I’m just kidding,” Cleo’s teasing tone falls away as she puts some distance between them, gaze turning earnest in the dim cabin.

“I know, but -” Nia exhales with a tiny frown, “Tyril is so stiff, he’s like a statue!” she whispers loudly. “And Mal! He’s a thief and proud of it!” her eyes are wide, scandalized as she gapes at Cleo.

“Wait ‘til I tell you about mercenaries.”

Nia playfully slaps at her thigh with a scowl, until Cleo’s laughing and covering her mouth to avoid waking the others, her chuckles barely subdued as she leans against Nia for support.

“Do you mind?” Threep hisses once more, glaring up at the pair from his spot at the foot of the bed.

“I’m so sorry, Threep, my sincerest apologies,” Cleo turns mockingly serious in an instant, her hands clasped before her in a plea.

“Good,” Threep huffs, crawling into Nia’s lap and curling into a ball, his purrs resuming as Cleo scratches behind his ears.

“Such a simple kitty.”

His teeth gnash at her hand, “Never call me something so cruel again.”

“Got it, boss,” Cleo salutes him, her expression serious again as Threep sighs, dropping his head to his paws and burying his face in his fur. “You two are getting along, I see,” Nia hums, her palm skating along Threep’s back, a purr sounding in response.

“We’re the best of friends, right Threep?”

“Yes, indeed. Now can we go to sleep?”

Cleo nudges Nia in the side, her head cocked curiously, “Well? Think you can sleep now?”

There’s no expectation in her irises as she blinks, but Nia still dips her head to avoid Cleo’s gaze. She shakes her head, scratching Threep to give herself a distraction from the irritation she expects from Cleo.

“Alright, but we need something else to do, since you’re no good at gossip,” she slumps against the hull, thinking deeply as Nia blinks at her in surprise.

“Um, okay…” She mimics Cleo’s posture, sinking into the bunk and pulling Threep closer in her arms.

“Oh, I know! I could tell you a story! One of my favourites that Kade always told. Well, he’s probably better at it, but I can try?” Cleo offers, eyes glowing as she sits bolt upright, eager at the opportunity.

Nia smiles, whispering quietly, “I’d love to hear it, Cleo.”

Cleo sits beaming for a moment before coming to her senses and beginning her story. She speaks in hushed whispers, gesturing wildly as her smile grows wider at every giggle from Nia, “And then the troll just whacked the adventurer with his club! Just whack!” she mimics swinging a club in a wide, uneven arc. “And down the mountain the adventurer went, hitting his head a lot, too, I imagine,” she nods sagely, Nia stifling another giggle at her earnest expression.

“So the adventurer gave up?”

“Of course not, that’d be an awful story!” Cleo chastises. “He climbed the mountain again, but this time, he had a plan,” she carries on, detailing every step of the adventure and subsequent defeat of the troll.

“Thank you,” Nia whispers, the words barely there as she settles against the bunk, idly dragging her nails through Threep’s thick fur as she watches the tale further unfold before her.

Cleo pauses mid-sentence, her cheeks flushed from her vigorous storytelling, and turns to meet Nia’s eyes, “Anytime,” before falling back into the ridiculous tale with ease.

---

Cleo’s curled up in her bedroll, face pressing into it with eyes shut tight to block out the dying embers of the fire resting before her. Stars and swirling colours play behind her eyelids, a rainbow to watch as sleep evades her.

“Hey, Cleo?” Nia’s voice is gentle in the night, barely audible over the snores ripping through their camp.

“Yeah?”

“Are you awake?”

“Yeah.”

“... I can’t sleep,” Nia confesses, her cheeks heating as she stares at the stars glowing in the night sky.

Cleo rolls over to face her, bedroll pulled up to her chin as bright eyes peek out from it, “Me neither. Wanna… talk?” she proposes, eyebrows jutting upwards.

“Yes, please,” Nia sighs in relief, scooting closer and snuggling into her own bedroll.

“So… How about -”

“Do you think we have a chance?” Nia blurts out, cutting Cleo off abruptly, eyes piercing into amber.

“Like…” Cleo’s brows furrow as she runs through the question in her mind, before she shakes her head, clearing it of the fog, “What?”

“Do you think we have a chance to defeat the Shadow Court? Do you think we can do this? Or are we just making things worse? Has any of this been worth it since Scholar Vash died?” Nia’s words explode from her mouth, rushed and panicked and worried and mixed together.

Cleo rises onto her elbow, one hand escaping from her bedroll to gesture calmingly, “All right, I think you need to slow down and take a breath, okay?” she nods encouraginly.

“Okay.” Nia clamps her jaw shut to do as told, inhaling deeply and exhaling quickly a few times.

Cleo squirms closer, stopping directly beside the Priestess’ curled up form, “Nia, are you scared?” she whispers cautiously into the tiny space between them.

“Terrified.”

“Good, me too,” Cleo grins, relaxed and reassured as opposed to the mischief and excitement usually contained within it.

Nia gapes, mouth hanging open as she stutters for a response, “Really? You?!”

Cleo flaps her hand with a tiny frown, “Shh, shh, don’t wake up the snorers.”

“Right,” Nia nods, regaining herself, “Sorry. But… you’re scared?” she asks incredulously, her voice pitching high.

“Oh, yeah,” Cleo nods, her expression surprisingly serious, “Can I tell you a secret?”

Nia nods vehemently, hair stirring around her, “Yes, of course.”

Cleo sucks in a deep breath, “I have no idea what I’m doing. I’m a kid from a tiny village that met a pretty - That got caught up in all this Shadow Court stuff and is just trying to stay alive and get my brother back. I have no idea what I’m doing. Ever.”

“I don’t either, Cleo. I know I’m supposed to be good at this, being a Priestess and all, but this is very out of my depth,” Nia squeaks.

“I know, Priestess,” Cleo grins at the panicked expression on Nia’s face, “But do you feel better now? Talking about it?”

Nia pauses, eyes flitting around at nothing in particular, “Yes,” she nods resolutely, “Yes, I do.”

“Good. Now try to get more sleep before dawn.” Cleo rolls back over, her back to Nia as she wraps her bedroll tight around herself. She tunes back into the snores from across camp and the hoots and calls of birds, the purring of Threep a few feet away.

“Hey, Cleo?”

“Yeah?” she mumbles into her bedroll.

“Are you awake?”

“Yeah.”

“...I’m cold.”

“Uh,” Cleo’s eyes blink open before she glances over her shoulder, Nia’s gaze already trained on her, “Do you want me to restart the fire?”

“No, you’ll wake the others,” Nia whispers in concern.

Wiggling in her bedroll, Cleo faces the Priestess once more, “Do you want the extra blanket?”

Nia shakes her head with a small frown on her lips, “Imtura took it since her bedroll is too small.”

Cleo’s lips twist into a frown as she stares at the stars, searching for a solution. Her cheeks heat as soon as she finds it, and she stumbles over her words, “Do you, uh, want to, er -”

She sighs as her tongue betrays her, scooting over and tugging her bedroll open in invitation, “Just,” she waves her hands awkwardly, avoiding looking at the Priestess as her face remains flushed dark.

And Nia’s blushing just as hard as she squirms into Cleo’s bedroll, attempting to keep some distance between them and ultimately failing in the small space.

Cleo lays still, arms set at her sides as she faces upwards, refusing to meet Nia’s imploring gaze beside her, “They’re going to make fun of us in the morning,” she mumbles.

“They always do,” Nia shrugs, light eyes wandering over the rise and fall of Cleo’s profile curiously.

“Yeah, but we don’t have to give them a reason,” Cleo huffs, crossing her arms and subsequently stirring the bedroll.

Nia cocks her head, frowning deeply as her eyes swim, “Are you kicking me out?”

“What -” Cleo’s eyes fly to hers, “No! No, I’m -” she bites her tongue at the sight of a smile spreading over Nia’s lips, mischievous and self-satisfied all at the same time. “Gods, you’re just as bad,” Cleo whines, dragging a hand over her face.

“It’s funny when you’re flustered. You aren’t often,” Nia hums.

“Yeah, ‘cause - Look, just go to sleep,” Cleo cuts herself off, turning her back to the Priestess and her amused grin and burying her face in the warmth of the bedroll to the warmth of her cheeks.

Nia slides closer, arms folded against her chest as her forehead presses between Cleo’s shoulderblades. Her head shifts with Cleo’s inhales and exhales, a gentle, hypnotic rhythm to lull her to sleep as the breaths slow, weighed down by the startings of dozing off.

“Hey, Cleo?” she whispers, the words hot where they soak through Cleo’s shirt.

Cleo grumbles out a response, “Yeah?”

“Are you awake?”

“Yeah.”

“...Thank you.”

“Anytime,” Cleo sighs out, sinking further into the bedroll as Nia’s own breathing slows gradually, a drawn out tempo to match.

---

The woods are relatively still, sounds of life echoing in the distance, bouncing off the trees and playing in the breeze in a faint melody for Cleo’s entertainment. She’s on first watch tonight, carefully sharpening her blade just to keep her hands busy and humming quietly to herself, a song from the Riverbend tavern.

“Hey, Cleo?” Nia pads over to the tree Cleo’s sitting at with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders, taking careful, quiet steps, wary of the sticks and leaves beneath her feet and glancing between her path and Cleo.

“Yeah?” Cleo moves her bow from one side of her, leaving space for the approaching Priestess.

She stops at the trunk of the tree, peering down at Cleo with a smile, “Mind if I join you?”

“‘Course not, the more the merrier. Er - Sometimes.”

Nia drops to the forest floor, legs curled beneath her and blanket held tight around her body, “Why only sometimes?” she murmurs, shivering slightly from the chill of night.

“Don’t want the Prince getting any ideas,” she sneers in the direction of Baldur’s tent, quickening the pace at which she sharpens her sword momentarily.

“Mmm,” Nia hums, shifting closer.

Cleo’s eyes land on her, taking in the shaking of her body, “Cold?”

“A little.”

“C’mere,” Cleo wraps an arm around her back, pulling her into her side and her body heat. Nia sighs, her head falling to Cleo’s shoulder and eyelashes fluttering shut in contentment.

“I still can’t believe we saw a unicorn,” Cleo says after a long moment.

“I know!” Nia perks up, her head flying up to meet Cleo’s eyes, excitement overflowing from them. “It was magical! This whole clearing is magical,” her gaze rakes over the clearing, landing on the shimmering water a ways away.

“Know what else I can’t believe?” Cleo nudges Nia with her hip to earn back her gaze.

“What?”

“That Baldur hasn’t been punched back.”

“Cleo!” Nia lightly slaps her side in a scolding, but only succeeding in sending Cleo into a laughing fit, “He’s - He’s a prince!” she chastises, whispering heatedly under her breath.

Cleo’s chuckles begin to subside as she forces out a retort, “Exactly, no one else is gonna do it, it’s gotta be one of us!”

“Shh,” Nia waves her hand to quiet Cleo, “What if he hears?” she hisses.

“I can take him,” Cleo nods resolutely, raising her free arm and flexing to the amusement of a now-giggling Nia. “Prince Jerkface’s got nothing on me. I killed a drakna queen!” she announces proudly, chest puffed out.

“I’d rather you not fight the crown prince,” Nia’s head falls back to Cleo’s shoulder when her giggles subside, snuggling further into Cleo’s side.

“Hmph. Fine,” Cleo grumbles, her palm skating up the length of Nia’s back absentmindedly.

“Cleo?”

“Hmm?”

Nia’s cheek presses further into Cleo, “Thank you.”

“Anytime,” Cleo’s head drops to Nia’s, a single red curl twisting around her finger.

---

The bedroom door open, slowly and loudly, the hinges’ creaks filling the room as red curls peer cautiously around the frame, “Hey, Cleo?” a hesitant voice calls into the room.

The woman in question shifts upright, glancing over her shoulder at the curious eyes staring at the back of her head, “Yeah?”

“You’re awake.”

Cleo smiles, “Yeah.”

Nia shuffles inside, closing the door behind her and cringing at the loud creaking. She stands awkwardly, shifting on her feet nervously before Cleo, “...I can’t sleep.”

“Do you want to hang out here?”

“Yeah.”

“Come here, then,” Cleo grins, scooting to make room on the edge of the bed beside her.

Nia crosses to her, dropping beside Cleo and folding her legs before her, picking at her gown as Cleo lays back, gazing up at the Priestess. “Well… she drawls after a long moment.

Light eyes flick up to meet her gaze, “Well what?”

“Well why are you up?”

“I can’t sleep.”

“Why can’t you sleep?” Cleo prods, circling a spot on Nia’s thigh with her index finger idly.

Nia only shrugs, turning back to pick at her gown to distract herself. Cleo sighs, sitting upright in front of Nia, cupping her jaw to draw her gaze, “What’s going on and how can I help?”

Red spreads across Nia’s skin, hot to the touch as she blushes furiously, but she refuses to look away from Cleo’s vibrant eyes. “I, um. The masquerade,” is all she manages, but it’s enough for Cleo’s palms to fall from her cheeks.

“Yeah,” she nods, “Going to a fancy party just to fight evil isn’t exactly the most calming thing to think about.”

“What if we fail? Or someone gets hurt? What happens if Kaya wins?” Nia rambles, her breath coming quicker as panic builds inside her chest, “What if - What if something happens and - and -”

“Hey,” Cleo stops her in her tracks, tone stern and eyes ablaze, “We’ve got this, okay?”

“But what if -”

Cleo gives her an exasperated look, silencing Nia for the second time. With a sigh, she offers her hand, palm upturned and fingers wiggling teasingly. A small smile illuminates Nia’s features as she slips her hand into Cleo’s, their fingers tangling together as Cleo’s thumb traces delicate knuckles. “We’ve got this,” she whispers, almost too quiet to hear.

“We’ve got this,” Nia repeats, squeezing the hand in hers for reassurance. “We’ve got this,” one last whisper as she pulls her knees to her chest, her head lolling against Cleo as she slows her ragged breathing.

“We’ve got anything they can throw at us. Promise.”

“Yeah. Yeah,” Nia murmurs reassurances to herself as Cleo’s thumb continues circling her skin, the presence grounding. “Cleo?”

“Hmm?” she hums, attention on their interlocked fingers as the plays with Nia’s.

“Thank you.”

“Anytime,” she whispers against Nia’s hair, pressing a kiss to her head while her eyes stay trained on their fidgeting hands.

---

The sheets are cold against Cleo’s skin, the warmth from earlier gone as she stirs, eyelashes gently fluttering open. It’s dark in the dead of night, moonlight noticeably absent as she shifts into a sitting position, rubbing the sleep from her eyes when she reaches it.

A groan spills from her lips as she slumps forward, every muscle protesting to just go back to sleep, but she fights the urge, slipping out from the bed and crossing the room to the massive windows and the cracked door, star and city light mixing to guide her.

She steps onto the terrace, carefully closing the door shut behind her, just to find Nia standing beside the railing, her arms folded atop it. A breeze lifts her hair from her shoulders, sending it flying behind her, curls swirling in a sharp contrast to the harsh dark sprawled before them.

Whitetower stretches out against the horizon, vibrant rooftops and candlelit windows providing a splash of colour against the black above them, only the peppering of stars shining in the sky tonight.

Cleo joins Nia at the railing, taking in the sombre expression on her face as she stares out at the city, warm lights reflected in her bright eyes. Only their dimmer tonight, blank as the sky without its moon, “Hey.”

“Hey.”

“What are you doing out here?”

She sighs, fingers fidgeting with a strand of hair, “I couldn’t sleep again.”

Cleo nods, letting silence fill the space as she carefully curls her arm through Nia’s, their bodies drawing closer together as they lean against one another. “It’s nice out,” she hums, eyes trained on the lights of the night market in the distance.

“It’s beautiful,” Nia echoes, breathless at the sight before, a gorgeous painting come to life, “I missed this,” she exhales slowly, some tension dropping from her shoulders. Her eyes flick up to Cleo’s, “Not - not that I regret anything, or wish I never went and met you, or -”

Cleo silences her with a soft kiss, only lasting a second before her forehead is falling against Nia’s, “I know. I know,” she murmurs with a smile, eyes drinking in the blush painted on Nia’s cheeks.

“Okay,” Nia nods, ears still red as another spell of quiet fills the balcony, the pair simply leaning against one another as a rainbow of brilliance shines in their irises, swirling and coalescing into perfect little slivers of the beauty before them.

Nia rubs her arms, attempting to force heat into them to counteract the cold winds blowing through the sky.

“Are you cold?” Cleo instinctively starts repeating Nia’s motions, running her palms over the lengths of slender arms.

Nia smiles sheepishly, “Freezing.”

“Let me fix that, then,” Cleo chuckles under her breath as she steps behind Nia, slipping her arms around her cool body, palms on the back of Nia’s freezing ones. “Your hands are like ice,” she groans, pulling them towards Nia’s core in search of further heat.

“And yours are like fire,” Nia giggles, even more when Cleo ghosts feather-light kisses over her jaw, her neck, her shoulder, just to watch her squirm. “That tickles!” Nia protests, writhing in Cleo’s arms.

Cleo grins against her skin, “Yep,” before planting one final kiss to Nia’s cheek, her chin dropping to her shoulder to stare out into the dark horizon.

Nia sighs, sinking into the warmth of the body behind her, wrapped around her, supporting her like always. Like in the woods or on pirate ships or in crowded ballrooms, against Shadow Court members and terrifying creatures and their own team members, like always. “Thank you.”

A soft smile illuminates Cleo’s features even more than the city’s lights as she squeezes the woman in her arms, “Anytime. I kinda like keeping you warm.”

“I meant for everything, Cleo.”

“Oh,” she pauses at the intensity in Nia’s voice, the sincerity and earnesty overflowing from the sentence. “Well, it still stands. I’m always here. Promise,” and drops another kiss to Nia’s exposed shoulder and squeezing her tight again.

---

Darkness swirls, shadows engulf the space in rolling, trembling vengeful waves as shouts and clashes of steel echo through the vast atrium. Bodies lay littered in heaps, blood is thick in the air, and anger and hatred crowd the hall. So, so much hatred, enough to drown in it, to let it rip you apart from the inside out, to become buried in an avalanche of pure, unending hatred.

Cleo’s legs tremble beneath her, the weight of the world resting heavy on her shoulders as tears cascade down the length of her face, blurring her vision until nothing coherent remains. Her blood pounds in her ears, drowning out the sounds of a vicious battle around her as she grasps desperately at the hands held in hers, fingers interlocked in a silent, desperate plea. A plea for everything to be okay, for none of this to be real, for the black in Nia’s veins to be nothing but a bad dream.

Through tears, she watches, helpless as Nia retracts her hands, clutching at her head and bending at the waist, pain painted across her features in a grimace. Her entire being quivers, shaking in her skin, trembling as everything she is tries to rip her apart from the inside out. Cleo tightens her hold on the hilt of the blade resting in her hand as sobs tear through her vocal chords, ripping apart her throat as she pours every ounce of her being into the only words she can summon, the only words that feel at all close to enough: “Forgive me.”

The bright, glowing blade buries itself in Nia’s sternum, her features contorting as shadow and light battle within her, as her eyes and skin and veins and everything burn with the force of the Light as it attempts to vanquish the darkness within her. And all Cleo can do is watch, can let the lump in her throat sit and grow as a body collapses before her, limp and empty and lifeless, all because of her, because she has to be here, she just has to.

She has to be the one, she has to do this. She has to be, she has to, she always, always has to, to be the one. She has to, to see her fall, has to, to see the pain, has to, to hold her, has to, to lose herself, has to, has to, has to. She has to suffer for letting her go, has to face her broken promise, has to accept her failures, has to, has to, has to, has to, has to.

Cleo bolts upright, her chest heaving as sweat drenches her clothes, hair sticking to her damp brow. Her eyes take a moment to adjust to the dark, to the familiar bedroom surrounding her, to the moonlight glinting through the open window, to the presence beside her.

Her knees press to her chest as her shoulders tremble, hands slipping into her hair to grip dreads tight in an attempt to steady herself. She squeezes her eyes shut, blocking out the moonlight in favour of the pulsing flashes of darkness and shadow as she counts each breath, weighing each inhale and exhale carefully, methodically.

Her pulse gradually slows from the thundering beat it once was, now a dull throb in the back of her skull, a thrum in her veins, an ache in her chest. The echo of her terror is gone, but likely not for long - it always finds its way back, snakes its way inside of her heart and eats away at her, devouring her with her own guilt until she’s bursting at the seams. It may have been years ago, but the memories of that day, of that scene, of that overwhelming, all-consuming loss that had gripped her feel far too real in the dead of night.

Cleo slowly unfurls from her hunched position, stretching back out with a steadying exhale, the tension previously held within her muscles disappearing as she stares at the ceiling, at the shadows and figures formed by stray moonlight. The branches of the fruit trees outside shift in the gentle breeze and along the ceiling, that same breeze billowing the curtains and sending a constant, calming scent of sweet fruit floating through the air.

The body next to Cleo stirs ever-so-slightly, heat slipping closer to her and soaking through her skin, settling within her bones in a manner more comforting than any campfire, than any hot meal, than any blanket imaginable. Cleo rolls onto her side, carefully slinging an arm over the rise and fall of ribs, fingers tangling in the very tips of long, soft hair and playing with them, relishing the well-known sensation on her fingertips.

Her forehead presses against the one before her, soft exhales slowed by sleep ghosting along her lips as eyes flutter beneath closed lids, the gentlest of movements. Stray strands of red tickle high cheekbones, inhales raise exposed chests, dim light plays off sharp contours and soft curves.

“Hey, Nia?” Quiet permeates the room, settles along the furniture like a layer of dust, reaches the farthest corners like a familiar companion. A companion that’s become far more common in the time since that awful day, a day followed by ones with less and less nightmares, less and less haunting memories, less and less sleepless nights.

She sinks further into the sheets, relishing the softness of the fabric and the warmth of the body beside her, her senses drinking in all of Nia. From shadowed features to delicate breaths to floral scents emanating from messy red curls, it’s all so perfect, all so carefully crafted as moonlight dances along her skin, “Thank you.”

[silence-burns]

Don’t Trust The Chicken //part 4 (the end)

Fandom: The Witcher

Summary: Luck is an irreplaceable part of every good adventure. Geralt wishes he had some more often—right until some is brought straight to him.

Geralt believed in few things. Belief was, in general, not something overly encouraged during the training of young not-yet-witchers. The ways of steel and blood were much more favored among the teachers, and Geralt had spent enough years living by their word not to question things openly. There was no room for belief in a witcher's life. Things either were or were not.

Still, Geralt couldn't help but believe himself to be a man of simple pleasures, one of which, and by far the greatest, was the power of sleep, silence, and an average amount of comfort only a bed could offer, applied over the course of a few hours. It did wonders not only to one's mood, but to their general well-being. 

Geralt needed it. But Geralt was not to be granted rest. 

Geralt's life, as always, got overly complicated the moment Jaskier and you arrived, almost knocking the door to his room off its hinges, and leaving mud all over the floor. 

"Alberto’s lost!" Jaskier screamed into the witcher's ear with all the might of his trained voice. 

"He was hunting some mice and ran off to the woods and we can't find him!" Your elbows dug into Geralt's chest, but he still refused to leave the comfort of his bed. 

"Good riddance," he said instead. He meant it. 

The old bed squeaked when two bodies fell on it and knocked Geralt's breath away. He was forced to finally open his eyes, if only to stare from very up close at his companion's faces. 

"Geralt, please," you pouted. "You're the only one who can find him." 

"He's just a little chicken, lost in the woods, completely vulnerable to wild animals," Jaskier added, playing with Geralt's hair. 

Geralt sighed. 

"I was able to lay down on an actual bed for the first time in a week, and it lasted for only 15 minutes. Why are you always doing this to me?" 

"Oh, no, no. Don't you forget that you were only granted this bed because of the luck Alberto gave  you." 

Geralt sighed again. He didn't want to have that discussion again. He still stood firm that there was no luck to be found in whatever creature Alberto actually was. 

His arguments did not change even when they had arrived at the village a few hours ago, and when Alberto wandered off to a seemingly random building before they managed to stop him. And there was no luck in finding the last spare room for renting in that same building. 

There was no such thing as a lucky chicken. And now that there was no longer a chicken, things should get easier. 

Geralt, as often lately, was wrong. 

He heaved his tense body off the bed with a moan of struggling muscles. Rest was a blessing that no one wanted to grant him.

"It's getting dark. If we don't find that thing before night, I'm calling this off," Geralt warned, and was thanked by two pairs of arms wrapped around his midriff. 

"You're the best," you kissed his right cheek. 

"I knew you didn't hate Alberto that much," Jaskier kissed his left one. 

Geralt wasn't so sure about that, but he stayed silent. 

He was still silent when he strapped his sword on his back, and his silence continued as he followed the road leading to the forest. Geralt was silent when he dropped to a knee to check the fresh marks in the mud. 

But that didn't mean his companions followed his example. 

"Could you please shut up?" he finally snapped. 

The forest was dense, and the canopy stretched far over your heads in a thick blanket hiding most of the sun. The evening colored the trees orange, with deep reds shimmering here and there. 

Only when his companions finally ceased their chatter did Geralt realise how silent it actually was. 

His hand reached for his blade. 

Your eyes darted behind his back. "There's his feather!" 

There was nothing silent in your rush, or Jaskier's that followed half a second later. Geralt watched with a sense of detachment as two pairs of knees dropped to the ground, effectively smudging any and all tracks that might've been there. 

Lovely. 

Geralt looked around, trying to judge the passage of time by the light that was slowly getting weaker. They had to venture quite deep into the forest, following the meandering tracks of the pet. The witcher wouldn't be sad if they lost it, but unfortunately, another feather was soon found not far away. 

Geralt followed Jaskier and you to a small ravine, hidden in the bushes. The leaves were thick and plumpy, and packed so close together that they almost completely hid the treacherous ground and small rocks on the edge of a drop. 

Carefully, Geralt pushed the springy branches to the side and-

"Alberto!" 

Before he managed to stop Jaskier, the bard squeezed himself into the hole. On the very edge of the ravine, sitting on the dry roots sticking out of where the ground used to be, was Alberto. Lucky for him, the ground didn't drop when the bard stumbled there and gathered the chicken in his arms. He brought him back to safety with the biggest grin on his face. 

The chicken didn't look happy having Jaskier rub his face into the feathers. If anything, the chicken's attention seemed focused entirely on the ravine. 

Geralt frowned. 

And slowly turned back to the ravine. 

There it was, almost hidden among the stones and roots of the bushes that had long since fallen into the drop several feet deep. The ground there was dark and covered in shadows and moss in places where the light couldn't reach even during the day. 

And there, among the shadows, shined a pair of eyes. Big eyes. 

"Leave. The chicken. There." The witcher growled between clenched teeth, not moving his eyes from the target. 

You froze hearing the tension in his voice. Your smile faltered as you saw what Geralt already noticed. 

"Jaskier," you whispered. "I think that's actually a good idea." 

Jaskier, who for a few minutes was the happiest man alive, thought you must've lost your mind, or maybe were playing some trick on him with Geralt. It wouldn't be the first time when your jokes were almost indistinguishable from the truth, so Jaskier wasn't alarmed at first. Neither was he at second. 

Then he followed Alberto's gaze. And swallowed. 

The shadows of the ravine were deep and hard to discern. A lot of things had fallen in there over the years, and as the bushes covered the edge, some animals must've missed it and fell to their unexpected deaths. Their bones were yellowed among the stones and branches and leaves the wind had left there, piling them up over the thick mud. 

The eyes that shone among them were the first thing Jaskier noticed. What he thought were leaves moved a little, forming a large, feathered body that blended in with the shadows and mud almost perfectly. The clawed legs were perfectly capable of leaving the traces they'd seen around the camp for the past week. 

"What the hell is that? A basilisk?" Jaskier squealed, holding onto Alberto for dear life. 

"It's not a basilisk," Geralt whispered, angling his sword. "And not something that I've ever encountered before, but one thing is certain - that is not a chicken and neither is Alberto." 

"I think this is Alberto's mom," you elbowed Jaskier. "Give her back her child." 

"Over my dead body! You've got no idea if it's actually true!" 

The beast prowled a little closer, hiding in the thick shadows obscuring the edges of its huge, bulky body. The closer it drew, the bigger it looked. The huge, hooked beak was a rusty, dark shade of old blood. 

Geralt was breathing very slowly. He did not turn from the pair of unblinking eyes of the beast. "Jaskier, once we're back in the tavern, I'm gonna break your lute into sharp, tiny pieces and fit them all, one by one, into your stupid, stubborn arse if you don't-" 

"Okay, okay, alright … " 

The bard sighed. Even though his pulse was rapid, and his hands shook, he was still reluctant to put the chicken down into the mossy ground. The weeks spent in its presence flashed before his eyes, making them suspiciously wet. 

"Goodbye, Alberto," he sobbed into the thick, brownish feathers. "Thank you so much for the shoes." 

"Bye, chicken," you waved the beast goodbye as it, at long last, left Jaskier's arms and walked over to the edge of the ravine. 

The look it gave Geralt was anything but warm, but you could've sworn that when it turned back to look at the bard one last time, there was no malice in its eyes. And then it was gone, reunited with the bulky shadow of its friend, or mother, or whatever the other creature was. It didn't matter, because they looked happy together as they crawled back into the depths of the forest without making a sound. 

"That was sweet," you brushed the tear away from your eye. 

Jaskier was weeping openly. Geralt finally sheathed his sword. The slap on the back of the bard's head was loud in the forest's silence. 

"That was the last time you get a pet. From now on, you're not even getting close to any chicken, cow, cat, or a horse. If I see you feeding even a tiny little mouse, I'm gonna tie you up to Roach and lead her behind me until you get your brain back."

The bard snorted through his tears. "Who cares about the brain, if my heart has been shattered to a million pieces? You can't even grasp the depth of my grief! To be parted with such a mighty companion is a despair you won't ever-" 

"Don't you even think of making a ballad out of that!" 

"YOU CAN'T STOP ART!" 

You smiled, watching the two of them banter on their way back to the village. The sun was almost gone by then, and only the thinnest rays of light illuminated the trees. You looked at the stray, brownish feather in your hand and put it into your pocket. 

[vannahfanfics]

Before you read, here’s the previous chapter. New? Start from the beginning!

Skyward

Ao3

Chapter 2: Orphans Gotta Stick Together

Something soft and feathery embraced Ochako as she slowly rose into consciousness. As she groaned and rolled her head to the side, her sleep-addled mind wondered if she’d plummeted into a cloud and become buoyed by its fluffy, pillowy surface. Was she miles up in the sky, dozing on the white cloud with the endless blue stretching all around her? She could feel sunlight dancing on her skin and warming her arms. She reached out to chase rays of light as her eyes fluttered halfway open, feeling for a moment that perhaps the terrifying ordeal in the airship had all been a long, grueling nightmare… 

She was not greeted with the familiar sound of the mountain birds tweeting, nor the gentle brays of her yaks drifting from the nearby barn. Instead, wind whistled in through an open window to flutter the thick blue-black curtains framing the sill, carrying with it the excited yips and howls of distant dogs and the cawing of buzzards. She knitted her eyebrows in confusion; there were no dogs on her farm, nor buzzards in the mountain valley in which it was nestled. As her mind swirled in confusion, she realized that this was not her bed, not her bedroom, and not her house. 

Her arm flopped down against the side of the bed, bouncing off the soft mattress before falling still. Had she truly fallen from the airship? She must have, for how else could she have ended up in a stranger's bed? Had Tomura somehow rescued her from the terrifying plummet, or the pirates, perhaps? She groaned, reaching up to rub at her aching eyes with the heels of her palms. After a minute or so of falling headfirst through the open air, she’d lost consciousness out of a combination of fright and difficulty breathing in her freefall. 

Frightened tears sprung to the corners of her eyes as she lay there in the bed. The last twenty-four hours were a scary whirlwind of emotions; plucked from her farm and spirited away to somewhere unknown while evil government men and pirates lusted after her family heirloom for unknown reasons. As much as she wanted to sit there and bawl her eyes out,, she forced herself to dry her tears and get out of the bed. For better or for worse, she had to discover who rescued her after she fell from the sky. 

She walked to the window and peered out, curious as to where she was. She was greeted with the yellow-brown expanse of a canyon cliff, sharp bluffs carved into the surface of rock with a village clustered alongside the large train track system running the sandy bottom. The buildings even clung to the canyon walls, linked by small stone pathways. The house she was in was nestled on a grassy hill on the top of the canyon, with a winding well-worn path tracing down to the distant city. Skinny, short-haired dogs pranced in the yard chasing around buzzards who were picking at some unknown carcass by the shed. 

“A canyon mining town…” she realized in wonder. She knew of the mining settlements on the other side of the mountains, but it amazed her that the airship had traveled so far in just one night. 

As Ochako pulled away from the window, the mouthwatering aroma of eggs and bacon wafted into her nose. She salivated immediately; she hadn’t eaten until the previous night, and peckishly because anxiety had nearly torn her stomach apart. Though she was nervous to discover who had saved her, hunger guided her; she eased out of the bedroom and tip-toed down the stairs, peering around the landing into the kitchen. 

A blush immediately bloomed on her cheeks. A tall, muscular boy about her age stood at a small stove, a hand on his hip as he used a spatula to flip some fried eggs and sizzling bacon in a skillet. He was incredibly handsome, with poofy ash-blond hair and strictly vermilion eyes just visible underneath his bangs. He was dressed in some black work pants, a white cotton shirt, and a brown vest. So handsome, she thought with a shy smile. Had this cute boy saved her? 

“You gonna just stand there, Cheeks?” he said suddenly, glancing at her with a frown. Ochako squeaked and straightened like a rod; his expression and voice were fierce, sending an electrical impulse through every nerve in her body because oh my , it was so strangely attractive! Obediently, she skittered off the stairs and into the kitchen with a face as red as the apples resting on his kitchen counter. He gave her a once-over, then snorted and went back to his cooking. 

“You’re not hurt, are ya?” 

“N-no!” She had a small headache that she attributed to falling from the airship, but otherwise, she was remarkably unharmed. She fisted the skirt of her dress nervously, trying not to watch his arm muscles flex as he scraped at the grease simmering on the bottom of the skillet. “Did you… Did you save me?” 

“If yer askin’ if I caught you when you fell, yeah,” he responded simply, “though I wouldn’t call it savin’ . You came floating down from the sky.” 

“Floating?” Last she recalled, she had been in a freefall. How did she end up floating ? 

The boy snorted as he switched off the stove, leaving the eggs and bacon to sizzle in the pan. She squeaked when he suddenly marched over to her, leaning down to squint suspiciously at her necklace. It glittered around her neck, the pink opaline surface gleaming in the moonlight. 

“Yeah. This necklace o’ yours was glowing and making you all floaty-like.” He frowned. His eyes flickered up to meet hers, making the heat rekindle in her cheeks just as it had begun to fade. “Lemme see it.” 

“Wh-what? This is a family heirloom; I don’t think I should—” 

“Relax, Cheeks, I ain’t gonna steal it. I just wanna test somethin’ real quick. I’ll give it back,” he asserted, holding out his hand demandingly. Ochako was uncertain, but it didn’t seem this boy was related to either Tomura or the pirates. Besides, she was curious about the strange magical power the necklace supposedly possessed. Reluctantly, she unclasped the necklace and dropped it into his hand. His fingers immediately closed around it, the silver chain swinging as he clutched it in his hand and pushed past her to begin walking up the stairs. She scurried after him, dress swishing around her legs. 

“W-wait, what are you doing?” He ignored her as he marched up the two flights of stairs to the small peak of the house, exiting out an open square window onto the flat roof. Ochako shimmied out after him, on her hands and knees on the shingles while watching him stomp over to the edge of the roof. He secured the necklace around his neck, swung his arms a little in preparation, and then jumped off the edge of the roof. 

“Oh my gosh!” Ochako screamed in alarm as the crown of his head disappeared from sight. She then cringed as a loud crash immediately followed. She scrambled across the roof on all fours, the rapid pitter-patter of her hands and knees joining the sound of crumbling bricks and loud curses. 

“Are you okay?” she called when she peered over the edge of the roof. Far below, there was a hole through the roof of a small room. Dust rained down and a few bricks dislodged from the loose structure to clunk down into the already large pile in which her savior was sprawled. The boy just cursed loudly in response. 

“Damn it! That fucking hurt !” 

“Just wait! I’ll come down to help you!” she shouted and turned around so she could slip down. She carefully picked her way across, but when she approached the edge of the hole, the loose brick gave way under her feet. She screamed as she fell into the open air. Shouting, the boy lunged forward, attempting to catch her in his large arms, using his body to shield her fall. He grunted as her behind collided right with his face. 

“I’m so sorry!” she wailed in embarrassment and hurriedly crawled off of him. He groaned, rolling his head in the brick while rubbing his nose. 

“Damn, Cheeks… The fuck you so heavy for?” 

“Excuse me?” she gasped in affront. “And my name isn’t ‘Cheeks’! It’s Ochako!” As soon as he sat up and unclasped the necklace, she snatched it and went to put it back on. However, her fingers shook with the anger and embarrassment thrumming through her body. After watching her struggle for a few seconds, the boy snorted and slapped her fingers away so he could secure it for her. Scandalized as she was, she couldn’t help but flush at the feeling of his calloused fingers skimming over the skin of her neck. 

“Yeah, well, I didn’t exactly get a chance to ask your unconscious ass your name,” he huffed. Such a pottymouth… Why did that make her heart flutter? He smoothed down her hair once he finished clasping the necklace, then stood up, balancing himself on the destroyed brick. “Damn it… The necklace didn’t work and now I gotta a fuckin’ hole in my roof!” he groused. He ran his fingers through his hair, shaking out the dust, before offering her a hand. “You all right, Cheeks?” 

“Yes,” she said, simmering down after all the excitement. It looks like he’s going to keep calling me that nickname. She took his hand, allowing him to pull her to her feet. She clutched it as he guided her down the precarious, continuously shifting pile of brick. Once her feet were flat on the ground, she brushed the brick dust off the skirt of her dress and smiled. “Thank you. This is the second time you’ve caught me.” 

“Don’t know why you’re makin’ a habit of it. My name’s Katsuki, by the way.” He dusted himself off as well, scowling as the particles rained out of his ash-blond hair. “Ugh… Well, that’s enough excitement for the day. You hungry?” 

“Oh, yes!” With all the commotion, she’d forgotten about the savory breakfast that the boy had been preparing. Her stomach gnawed at her belly, determined to begin tearing her apart if it wasn’t granted nourishment soon. Katsuki guided her back into the kitchen and prepared a plate, slapping a sunny-side-up egg and two thick slices of bacon onto the tin plate. While Ochako sat at the small table, he turned to make his own; by the time he sat down across from her, Ochako had wolfed down everything and was licking the yolk off the metal plate. 

“Damn. You were hungry,” he chuckled, making her stop mid-lick and blush. Trying to regain some sense of dignity, she set the plate down and cleared her throat.

“Yes… I haven’t eaten much since…” Nervously, she fingered her necklace, unsure of how much to reveal to him. Katsuki eyed her suspiciously, crunching on the bacon. He did save me, so he at least deserves to know how dangerous it is to have me here. Maybe he’ll send me away… She found herself scared at that, being abandoned in a foreign town, but she wouldn’t blame Katsuki if he acted in the interest of self-preservation. “... Since the men came and took me away.” 

“Wait, wait, wait—you were kidnapped ?” 

“Yes. A man named Tomura came with the military and took me away from my farm, though they wouldn’t tell me why. I live alone, and so I was frightened… We were traveling in an airship and last night, pirates attacked us!” she revealed, drawing up her body as if to defend herself from the thoughts alone. “When I was trying to escape, I fell...” 

“And I found you floating down from the sky.” Katsuki frowned deeply. She could see him trying to put the strange riddle together. Ochako knew that the military and pirates were both after her necklace for some strange reason. Her mother had always insisted that she never show it to anyone, and for most of her life, it had been kept a secret, locked away in a hidden compartment in their fireplace. It had only been worn for special ceremonies. After her parents’ death, she’d taken to wearing it as a reminder of them. 

I don’t want to trouble Katsuki. Both the pirates and Tomura will be searching for me… I should get away from here as soon as possible so I don’t drag him into my mess. 

“Oi, Cheeks. You goin’ spacey on me?” 

Katsuki’s inquiry made her eyes flutter, and she looked at him with slightly pink cheeks. He pointed his fork at her, frowning. “It sounds to me like you’re wrapped up in something big.” Before she could apologize for involving him, his face suddenly split in a wide grin. “It’s about damn time something exciting happened around here.” He scarfed down his food and then grabbed both their plates, tossing them in the sink to wash later. “That Tomura guy and the pirates have probably been looking for you all night and will eventually come to town lookin’ for ya. We should probably make ourselves scarce. Let me take care of some things around here, and then I’ll take you into town.” 

“Are you sure? You’ve already done a lot for me… I don’t want to cause you any trouble.” 

“It’s better than you fumblin’ around here by yourself. If you don’t know where you’re goin’, you’ll stick out like a sore thumb. You’ll blend in much better with me,” he pointed out, and the sternness in his expression told her that she wouldn’t be able to argue the matter. Plus, his explanation did make sense, though she still felt guilty— especially because she was really relieved Katsuki was willing to stay with her despite the danger. 

They took some uncooked bacon outside and were immediately swarmed by the dogs Ochako had seen moseying around the lawn that morning. There were about a dozen of them, slim and wiry-haired. At first she was frightened, ducking behind Katsuki nervously; the boy just laughed when they bolted up to him, excitedly jumping up to snap at the half-empty package of bacon he held above his yet. 

“Oi, you mongrels, behave in front of the lady, or ya ain’t gettin’ none!” 

Obediently, they settled down, though they still whimpered longingly at the bacon. Katsuki removed a piece of the raw meat and held it out to one of them, and despite its initial excitement, the dog was careful and tender as it took it from Katsuki’s fingers. It chomped on the food, jaw smacking and tail thumping the sandy ground happily. 

“A lot of these dogs belonged to guys who died in the mines,” Katsuki explained as he fed the strays one by one. “There ain’t no one to take care of ‘em. They used to wander town but were chased off ‘cuz they were nuisances, rummaging through the trash and stealing food from the vendors and shops— so they ran up here. I know what it’s like to be alone with no one to take care of ya. I felt sorry for ‘em, so now I feed ‘em when I can and let ‘em stay up here.” 

“Katsuki… You’re an orphan, too?” 

“Yup,” he said, strangely unemotional about the matter. He wiped his greasy hands on his pants once he fed the dogs the last piece of bacon, then looked at her. “Us orphans gotta stick together, because the only ones who can look out for us are each other.” 

One of the dogs, a long-haired white female, nosed at Ochako’s thigh, thinking she may be hiding more bacon. Ochako looked down at her, at her pretty blue eyes and pleasant face, and wondered how no one would want her. One would expect her hair to be dusty and kinky, but it was neatly groomed and fluffy. I bet he bathes them, too, she thought warmly. She could imagine Katsuki sitting in a big metal basin trying to wrangle a dozen dogs into the bath. She scratched the dog behind the ears, chuckling when her tongue lolled out in happiness. 

“Yeah.” She smiled sadly. “There is no one to take of us but each other…” 

Yet, she couldn’t help but wonder how much trouble she was worth, and when Katsuki would decide that she just wasn’t worth taking care of anymore. Would she end up a lonely orphan sooner than she thought, a meek little lamb with lions closing in on all sides and no ram to protect her?

Enjoy this story? Here’s the next chapter! Please consider perusing my Table of Contents.

[oikoik]

—study buddy (t.kuroo)

warnings: fem!reader, suggestive content, dom!kuroo (🥵 ammi right ladies), teasing, pretty tame, poorly written, read at your own discretion

word count: 1.6k

a/n: this is lit the very first drabble/thing in general that I have ever written for kuroo and the first suggestive piece I’ve ever done, so please don’t be too harsh in feedback (however I do greatly appreciate constructive criticism)

You rubbed at your eyes for what seemed like the hundredth time in the past hour. The glare of the computer screen plagued the back of your eyes with a strain you knew would ache long after you completed the wretched assignment before you. Despite having a textbook and your notes at your disposal, the onslaught of questions were still laborious to say the least.

Taking a bit of a break, you stood from where you sat on the floor, after having found the chairs in the dining room too uncomfortable, and brought your arms high above your head. You relished in the stretch, the taut muscles of your back seeming to relax ever so slightly. University was no easy task, and with exam season quickly approaching, tension was sure to manifest in both physical and mental forms.

With a sidelong glance, you peer out the set of large windows. A thick strip of the evening sun beamed into the living room. You hummed in appreciation as you stepped into the warm patch, the comfort of such a simple action brought with it contentment.

A faint rustle came from across the room and you turned in time to see the familiarly styled mess of black hair duck in the entryway. The figure glances up after removing a shoe, a bright smiling reaching its way towards you.

"Hey, baby, how was your day?"

Kuroo stands with you in the rays of the slowly dimming sunlight, his arms wrapped loosely around your waist. You lean your forehead against his chest, the urge to hug all of life's frustrations out with him was nearly suffocating, but you were stopped in your tracks.

Pulling away from his grasp, you laugh gently at his slightly dejected reaction of you evading him. "As much as I love you, you smell awful, Kuroo."

A sheepish smiles crosses his features and he rubs the back of his neck with a chuckle, "oh, yeah, sorry. Coach ran us extra hard today." He leans down quickly to peck your cheek before grabbing his bag from the floor and retreating towards the hallway, "I'm gonna hop in the shower."

After he had disappeared, your attention returned to the study materials still sprawled across the coffee table. You inaudibly groaned, the incessant reminder that the assignment was due later that night was no motivator to get it done. Nonetheless, you persisted.

Twenty minutes passed and you were feeling a bit discouraged after seeing that of the sixty assigned questions, you had only made it through eight. An unwanted throb began to form in your temples and you found yourself once again pressing the palms of your hands against your eyes to at least attempt and relieve the dull ache.

"What are you working on?"

"Hm?" You craned your neck up to see Kuroo, freshly clean, standing directly behind your seated figure as he peered at the screen of your laptop. "Psychology. My professor gave the class a ridiculous assignment last minute."

You weren't sure what you were expecting, but it definitely wasn't Kuroo moving to sit with his chest pressed against your back, his arms hung across your midsection. Just as you were about to ask him what he was doing, his chin was resting on your shoulder. You could feel the coolness of his skin against yours, a few droplets of now cold water dripping onto your neck and t-shirt.

"Is it hard?"

"More time consuming than difficult, I suppose. It's just a giant pain in the ass." Another annoyed sigh came from you as you grumbled, "I've been putting it off all day and it's due tonight, so I guess I have no other choice, do I?"

The boy hummed in response, and you assumed he was just extra clingy today considering practice seemed intense. However, your mind nearly blank screened as you felt the ghosting touch of his lips against the skin of your neck, his warm breath fanning over the area. Goosebumps formed along your arms at the sensation and suddenly his close proximity felt overwhelming.

'There's no way I'm this needy after such a simple action, no damn way.' Your thoughts were interrupted when Kuroo's deep voice broke you out of your trance.

"Let me help you."

"Help me?"

You could hear the mischief in his voice as he explained, "I can offer some.. motivation that may encourage you to finish."

"And what would that be?..." In the back of your mind, you knew what he was hinting at, and the disbelief was still present until you felt his face nestle gently into the side of your neck.

Instead of verbally answering you, you felt the hand on your side loosen its grip before dropping to hover just above the apex of your thighs. Blood rushed to your face as you fully realized the antics he had planned. You could tell your cheeks and ears were tinged red with embarrassment. He knew you were easy to rile up, but never did you ever suspect that he would use knowledge in such manner.

"Kuroo… don't tease me." You knew begging would get you nowhere. Once his mind was made up, it took more than a few halfhearted words to get him to give into your pleas.

He ignored you completely, instead opting to read off a question on the screen. "What is the resting potential of a neuron?"

A shaky breath left your partially parted lips when you felt a delicate kiss against your shoulder. You shuddered at his tone as he spoke next to your ear, "Answer the question, baby girl."

You try to focus on keeping your hands steady as you types the answer into the blank space. Once you had finished, you shakily moved onto the next question, the presence of Kuroo pressed tightly against your back slowly driving you insane.

"Good job, baby, you're one question closer to your reward."

"Reward?"

"Mhmm… if you're a good girl and answer all of these questions correctly, I'll reward you for all your hard work. How does that sound?" His lips brushed against the shell of your ear. You swear you could feel your soul leave your body at what he was insinuating. Perhaps it was the promise, or maybe the nicknames and tone he was using to talk to you, but something in his words sent a jolt through your body that made your palms clammy.

You swallowed a moan as he left an attentive kiss to the skin below your ear, eyes closing involuntarily as the warm sensation in your abdomen grew stronger. He smelled so good, his hair and skin were so soft against your skin, and every trace of his fingers and graze of his lips left you breathless. Since when were you so needy after barley even being touched?

You managed to answer several more questions using this method, Kuroo's touches gradually becoming more straightforward after you started a new set of problems. To both your surprise and relief, you noticed there were only five more questions to be answered.

"What is the inability to recall faces called?"

A shudder left your body at the feeling of the tip of his tongue poking out to meet your neck as he placed a kiss there. Subconsciously, you leaned into his body even more, a silent plea for more. Just when you thought he was going to finally give you more than a lingering touch, he brought his lips to your ear, teeth nipping at the lobe. "F-fuck, Kuroo, please."

"What is the answer baby?"

It was a miracle you could even process a remotely stable thought with how Kuroo was occupying every one of your senses. Your arms felt weak trying to type out the answer into the keyboard, but a soft whimper followed as you were bombarded with another series of fleeting presses of his lips to the exposed skin of your neck and jaw, "That's my smart girl."

He granted you no time for repose before calmly moving onto the next one. "What are the six functional networks determined by resting-state fMRI?"

When you failed to make any sign of answering the question, Kuroo tsked from behind you, a stern slap to your thigh disrupting your daze. "Don't tell me my student is starting to slack off."

"Kuroo…" you weakly moaned.

"Keep going, you're not done yet."

You whimper, but begin to slowly type out the answers, biting your bottom lip as you tried your hardest to focus on the task before you and not the undeniable hardness you could feel pressing into your low back.

The last three questions are completed in record time, your restlessness meeting unbearable levels. After swiftly clicking the small blue 'submit' button, you turn in Kuroo's grasp. Now sitting in his lap, you're able to see the effects having to wait were also evident in the blush across his chest and ears.

"Please touch me, Kuroo. Give me my reward."

You sounded pathetic begging for him, but you couldn't find it in yourself to care anymore. Having gone nearly an hour with only fleeting touches, your mind felt hazy and your body craved the attention Kuroo promised you.

Sure enough, Kuroo was set on keeping his word and two large hands gripped at your hips, bringing them down to rub against the evident bulge in his sweatpants. It was pitiful how absolutely needy you had grown.

Kuroo leaned in close so his face was merely centimeters from your own, your lips threatening to touch as he spoke in a hushed groan, "You did so well, baby. I wouldn't expect anything less from my star pupil."

You could see the spark in his eyes as he stared up at you and you knew you were going to be in for a long night.

[sugarbutterbroadway]

When Davey Smiles

Golden rays of sunlight trickled in through the blinds pouring over Jack’s face. He scrunched his nose up and pulled the blankets over his face. He had already started shifting an hour prior but he had hope that he could slip back into the clutches of sleep. Now it was just pathetic how he was clinging onto the traces of drowsiness. He spent five more minutes with his eyes screwed shut before opening them. The sky was awake so he was awake or whatever the hell it was Anna said. He groaned and sat up a little, rubbing his eyes. If it was anyone else he would have left to not disturb them, but when Davey finally fell asleep, he slept like a rock. Jack chuckled, he could probably do an entire cirque du soleil act and Davey would only groan and roll over.

Man did he love his husband. He was so happy he got to say that, his husband. They had tied the knot a few months ago and he still got all giddy every time he said it. Davey was his husband, his sweet and handsome husband who was currently drooling on his pillow.

“Ew”Jack whispered, pulling a face. He was more disgusted that he thought Davey was still darling with spit pooling out of his mouth. He wasn’t exactly a quiet sleeper, he pulled faces and groaned and snored and sometimes even talked if Jack was lucky. It was mostly lesson plans and history facts so that got old fast. It wasn’t any better this morning, every so often he would groan and every single time it gave Jack a mini heart attack. You’d think he’d be used to it at this point but the kids he grew up with all slept like the dead, unless something was wrong. He worried his lip between his teeth and peeked over at Davey. He promised himself he would stop doing this years ago because it was creepy but he couldn’t help it. He watched his face and looked for any tells that he was having a nightmare. Davey didn’t have them often, but when he did they were always horrible. Furrowed brows,squirming and more often than not he cried. Jack had only seen them a few times but they always broke his heart, the way Davey shot up not knowing where he was, it was like watching a frightened child. So he watched and waited, looking for even the slightest tell. A few minutes had passed and he could finally stop holding his breath, Davey was fine. Of course he was, but Jack could never be too sure. He wanted to slap himself, it was too early to be freaking out over something that hasn’t even happened.

He needed to get out of bed. He was growing restless and it was only a matter of time before he kicked Davey from all his fidgeting and ended up with a 7am scolding. He shuddered, a tired Davey’s scoldings were not to be taken lightly. He slid out from underneath the blankets and nearly jumped back into bed the second his feet hit the floor. 

“Jesus christ!”he exhaled, it was freezing. He waddled over to the closet and pulled out a pair of sweats and a hoodie, and if they just so happened to be Davey’s, that was his business. The first order of business was to get some coffee in his system—decafe of course. The last time he had caffeinated coffee he was an anxious wreck the whole day. He shook his head, that was not a good day for anyone. He slid his feet into his bedroom slippers and padded out of the room. The minute he walked into the living room he heard the jingling of a collar.

“There’s my baby”he cooed, dropping to his haunches. Luna happily trotted over and placed her head on his knees. He of course took this as the cue to pick her up baby style and walk into the kitchen.

“You’re getting so big, Lu”He sighed, maneuvering her to one arm. “You’re not our little baby anymore. You think you have the right to turn one and get so big, huh?”he picked up a peppermint k cup and placed it in the keurig, god did he love wedding presents. “What’s next? You gonna move out and go to college? Gonna leave me and daddy?” he paused. Then quickly muffled a cackle with his elbow. “You’re literally our first baby, how does it feel?”

Luna squirmed in his arms and whined. 

“Fine”He huffed, lowering her to the floor. She quickly jumped from his arms and padded back into the living room. 

“I get no love from this girl”He grumbled, once his coffee was done brewing he put in an unnecessary amount of creamer that would send Davey reeling and sat in the living room. If Jack was going to drink coffee he wanted it sweet or not at all, it annoyed Davey to high heaven. He smirked, but it quickly fell into a pout. It was early,he was bored and it was a sin to call anyone before 10am. He pulled his knees up to his chest and tried to enjoy the silence, it wasn’t something he got much of these days. But he didn’t really care for silence, he liked their house loud and chaotic. Not the ethereal hallmark masterpiece it currently was. Their house. That was insane, they owned a house. Well—they owned the mortgage and the bonus was getting to live there.

It was a project to begin with, it was practically begging to be taken off the market and both of them fresh out of college jumped at the opportunity. With help from Medda with the cost and many many breakdowns, it’s finally a place they can call home. He loved their house, their home. He loved it when Davey made breakfast in the morning, it was always without a doubt in his underwear no matter the weather. He loved when Davey sang while folding laundry or showering or even putting his shoes on. He was just a sucker for Davey singing, he rarely did it and when he does it’s always cut far too short because he’s embarrassed. Davey may not like his voice but Jack could listen to it all day long.

He was just a sucker for Davey, especially his smile. The way his eyes shone and his grin reached his ears, man it could make an angel weep. Maybe Jack had spent too much time with him but he knew each one of Davey’s smiles and he loved most of them. The way his lips quirked up into a lopsided grin when he was explaining a lesson planned out for his students. The way he smiled first thing in the morning when his eyes had lost their haziness and focused on Jack. The way he managed to smile even in the worst of times with tears streaming down his face because I’ll be okay Jack, I promise there’s nothing to worry about. And Jack’s favorite, the way he smiled at babies. His eyes would soften and he would grin and coo at any newborn in the vicinity, it gave Jack a deadly case of baby fever. They had spent time with Davey’s family this past holiday season and Jack could hardly bear it with all the new babies around, let alone them and Davey.

“Oh my god a baby.” Jack barely had time to question before Davey was pulling him in the direction of a cousin he definitely hadn’t met. The two embraced briefly before Davey had focused on the baby in her arms.

“Her name is Anika”

He let out a little gasp“Anika”he repeated, his eyes sparkling. 

Before Jack knew it Davey was coaxing his cousin to go have fun and enjoy the gathering which left them both on baby duty. Jack was excited himself but he couldn’t help but get a kick out of Davey acting like a complete idiot. He had basically taken over as a stand-in parent with a burp cloth over his shoulder,her diaper bag and a pacifier as they lounged on the couch.

“Ani ani ani ani!”He cooed, tickling her chin, the grin never leaving his face. 

Jack grinned himself, that was the happiest he had ever seen Davey, wedding and other milestones aside. He had taken a million pictures and didn’t stop smiling even after they left. He may have gotten a little eggnog drunk but he just remembers Davey repeating the name Anika over and over to himself in the car. It was a beautiful name but it left Jack thinking. Was Davey trying to drop hints? Did Davey want a baby? His eyes widened.

Did Davey want a baby with him?

He shook his head and set his unfinished cup on the coffee table. It was too early to think about babies, it was only 7:30am and he was only 24, there was plenty of time to think about babies later. Besides, he already had one child to look after, three if you count Charlie and Race. he sighed happily, where was Luna anyways?

He heard a scream from the bedroom and a loud thud. He winced, found her. He sprung off the couch, and jogged into the bedroom. Well Davey was awake. Luna was laid comfortably on his side of the bed while he sprawled on the floor staring at the ceiling with vacant eyes. Jack could barely stifle his laughter as he put on a stern face.

“Luna Anne Kelly-Jacobs”He scolded, “Did you push your poor father off the bed?”

“It’s too early for this,”Davey said in disbelief. “The chaos usually doesn’t start until noon”

“Look at what you did”He continued, “You sent the poor man into shock!”

Luna didn’t even bother to pick her head up, he clicked his tongue and shook his head.

“Kids these days man”

“Jack”Davey said, shifting his eyes towards the green eyed man. “Please...shut up”

“Good morning to you too, handsome”He said, he extended his arm and Davey reached up to grab it. With one pull Davey was in his arms, swaying gently.

“Morning”Davey yawned, and leaned in to place a kiss on Jack’s forehead. He missed by a long shot and got the top of his ear, but it was the thought that counted.

“You’re a zombie this mornin”He teased. Davey sighed and wrapped his arms around Jack, burying his face in the crook of his neck.

“My students are idiots,”Davey whimpered. Jack faltered for a second.

“Isn’t that kinda mean?”He chuckled.

“No no, they’re incredibly smart”Davey mumbled, “But oh my god they’re idiots”

“Ah, gotcha”He said, “What’d they say this time?”

“One of-”Davey cut himself off with a groan. “One of them looked me in my eye and told me that Amelia Earhart had big dick energy”

Jack quickly turned his head to the side and howled. If any of their neighbors were sleeping they weren’t now because he was dying.

“It’s not funny!”Davey whined burying his face in Jack’s shoulder.

“You’re right, it’s not funny”He said, attempting to compose himself “it’s fucking hilarious!”

“Jack-”

“But did they lie?”He asked, wiping his eyes. 

“No-”

“Raise their grade”He said, “I fucking love that kid”

Davey picked his head up and looked Jack square in the eye, “I couldn’t raise his grade if I wanted to, he’s top of the class”

And Jack was back in hysterics. “That makes it even better!”

That made Davey laugh a bit and he finally pulled away from the embrace shaking his head.

“You are a terrible influence”

“Tell this kid i’m his biggest fan”He pleaded, “Please, I’ll get on my knees and beg”

“I sure would like to see that”Davey laughed, then his face immediately dropped when Jack smirked. “No I didn’t mean it like-”

“Oh really?”He teased, “You wanna see me on my knees beggi-”

“I can’t hear you over the sound of me not hearing you”Davey said, walking out of the room. And he was smiling. Jack followed behind him with a laugh. He loved mornings like this,he loved the days those mornings turned into. For once Jack Kelly finally loved his life.

Bonus

“Will you make us breakfast?”Jack said.

Davey rolled his eyes. “You just want to look at my butt”

“So?”

“At least buy me dinner first”

“We’re married!”Jack exclaimed, “What more do you want from me!”

“I want you to love me for more than my juicy dumptruck!”

“And you wonder where your students pick this shit up from!”

[wiypt-writes]

Too Loose And You’ll Lose It

Ch3: Man, You Really Are As Dumb As You Look. Part 1 Co-written with @icanfeelastormbrewing​

Summary: Evan asks Stella on a date, Jake’s not impressed and the entire thing takes him on a little trip down memory lane…

Warnings: Bad Language words. SMUT via flashback in Part 2 (NSFW 18+)

Pairing: Jake Jensen x OFC Stella Stevenson.

A/N:  So the smut in this chapter is way back when the pair of them were kids. Both 18 before anyone says anything, and is designed to be a truthful reflection of a fist time! We hope you enjoy it because it certainly made us giggle a lot.

TLAYLI Masterlist // Main Masterlist

Chapter 2

It was a sunny fall morning, and for a Monday Jensen actually felt pretty good. He walked down the corridor, his heavy boots slapping lightly on the lino floor, whistling to himself. He stepped aside to let a pretty red head out of one of the rooms, turning to watch her walk away, grinning to himself as his eyes dropped to her combat trouser clad ass before he shook his head and continued his route to the office.

He walked in with a loud “S’up losers” and looked around “Where’s Stel?” he asked, nodding to her vacant desk.

“She got a call about 10 minutes ago and said she was heading for a coffee.” Pooch said, as Cougar gave a chuckle. “And no prizes for who was on the phone given the way she was grinning and telling us not to be nosey bastards as she left.” “Who?” Jake plopped down onto his chair, turning in it so he could see Cougar and Pooch, his legs extending in front of him.

“Man you really are as dumb as you look.” Pooch shook his head as Cougar continued to grin.

As he suddenly realised what Pooch was alluding to, Jensen’s eyes flew open wide “Don’t tell me it’s that guy from the bar the other night?”

“Yup” Cougar nodded “Clearly they traded numbers...”

Jake suddenly felt hot and there was an annoying buzzing in his ears. Swallowing he took a deep breath and shook his head “Nah, that’s not Stel.”

“What do you mean it’s not Stel?” Pooch frowned.

“She only met him like last Friday.” Jensen shrugged

“She’s not 10 anymore Jensen.” Pooch looked at Cougar “What, you expect her to wait for 7 years for this one as well?”

Jensen narrowed his eyes “That’s…that was different, we were kids.”

“Well she’s not a kid anymore.” Cougar smirked, picking up his phone “And she’s hot and free.”

“Yeah, what exactly did you think would happen?” Pooch asked.

“I-“ Jensen looked at him, then to Cougar, both of them watching him as he floundered for a response “-guess I don’t...”

“Nothing.” Cougar cut him off, looking at Pooch “The answer is nothing, because he acts like a dumbass and never thinks about what he’s doing.” “I was doing your momma last night.” Jake shot at him and Pooch snorted whilst Cougar shook his head with a groan which morphed into a grudging chuckle. Momma jokes were a well-worn jest between the group and it was an unwritten rule that when someone dropped one, no offense was meant or taken.

“Oh really?” Pooch turned to look at Jake, arching an eyebrow “Since when has Coug’s momma been called Stella, coz that’s all I heard you groaning from my apartment, and I live a floor down…” Cougar let out a howl of laughter as Jake glared at Pooch “You still get yourself off thinking about her. You’re screwed up, man!”

“No, that’s…I wasn’t jacking off last night!” Jake shook his head, “Pooch is talking shit.”

“Yeah but, made you blush!” Pooch winked and Jake took a deep breath, his cheeks flushed with heat. “Oh my God you actually do!” Cougar snorted.

“Fuck you both.” Jake groaned as he stood up and stormed from the office, bumping into Roque on his way.

“Hey Jensen where’s the fire?” Roque watched him go, before he turned and walked into the room “Where’s that ray of sunshine going?”

Pooch scoffed “He’s craving coffee all of a sudden.”

Roque frowned as Cougar let out another deep chuckle.

***** “So, not suit today?” Stella asked, taking in Evan’s casual appearance. He was dressed in a white Henley and black jeans which was a stark contrast to the crisp suit she’d first seen him wearing in this very place a week ago.

“No, I only wear that when I have some hot-shot boss to impress.” He smiled as he placed Stella’s coffee down on the table, gracefully sitting down in the seat opposite her.

“Suppose that’s the beauty of being in uniform.” Stella grinned, thanking him for the coffee. “Don’t have to worry about office wear!”

“Yeah, probably one thing I miss about being in active service.” Evan agreed. “Actually, come to think about it, it’s the only thing I miss about being in active service.”

Stella chuckled and picked up the large mug in her hands, inhaling deeply. “Man, I love Pumpkin Spiced Lattes” she grinned.

“I can tell.” Evan smiled “You’re practically purring over it.”

Stella shrugged “I wait all year for these things and besides, the last one I had ended up all over some guy’s shirt.”

“Poor guy.” Evan quipped, his eyes on hers as he took a sip of his own drink.

“Yeah, I basically scalded him.” Stella shrugged, “And he didn’t deserve it either, turns out he was a pretty nice guy.” “A nice guy that spent all day smelling of cinnamon and whatever else they put in a pumpkin spiced latte.” “Win-win as far as I’m concerned” Stella grinned, setting her cup down. “I like that smell.” “Maybe you should contact Starbucks’ head office.” Evan set his own cup down gently, his large hand still curled round it “Suggest they release a cologne.”

“Uh-uh, bad idea.” Stella swallowed another sip of her coffee. “I wouldn’t be able to resist. I’d be following every guy wearing it round like some kind of animal tracking pheromones.” Evan let out a loud laugh and Stella grinned watching him for a second before his laughter died into quieter chuckles and she cocked her head to the side a little “You know, I was surprised you called me.”

“Why’s that?” he frowned slightly

She shrugged “I dunno, I just thought you were fooling around at the bar and that you’d end up in some other girls’ bed that night.” As soon as the words were out of her mouth she inwardly groaned “Shit. I didn’t mean that how it sounded…”

“Well, if you must know I didn’t.” Evan said, his voice harbouring a trace of humour “I ended up cradling my friend’s head whilst he puked his drunk ass up all over his bathroom.”

“Sounds a lot more boring.” Stella laughed.

“To be honest, by the time we left the bar I was almost as drunk as he was so it was actually quite funny. We may or may not have trashed his apartment whilst we were on a collision course to the bathroom so…”

“Well as long as you weren’t drunk ass driving and on a collision course to his apartment.”

“No, I don’t drink and bike.” He grinned.

“You have a bike?” Stella looked at him, her interest even more piqued. The guy was hot, looked good in a suit, looked equally hot in casuals and now she was imagining him a leather jacket, boots…she glanced around a little as if she half expected someone with a hidden camera to pop out at her and tell her this was a set up.

“Yup, nice little Ducatti.” Evan spoke and she looked back at him. “I had to go back for it the next day. I wasn’t intending on drinking but, well, we’d had a busy week so it was nice to kick back.” “I know that feeling.” Stella smiled, taking another sip of her drink. As she did so she noticed Evan looking over her shoulder, a slight frown on his face “Is something wrong?”

“Yeah, sorry, just trying to figure out why that guy over there is looking at me like he wants to kill me.” Stella frowned and turned round, letting out a groan as she spotted Jake. He hastily turned to the barista, handing over his money, when he saw her looking and she shook her head, turning back to Evan.

“Will you excuse me for a moment?” she asked, before she stood up and made her way over.

“What are you playing at?” she demanded and Jake looked at her.

“Me? Nothing, I just wanted a coffee.” He shrugged.

“You can’t like to me JJ.” She arched an eyebrow. “Pooch and Coug tell you I was here?”

“Might have mentioned it.”

“Right, well you can take your coffee and go and stop giving my date dirty looks.”

“Date?” Jensen scoffed

Stella groaned, she hadn’t meant to use that…as this wasn’t a date, it was just coffee. “No, it’s not...”but as she looked at Jensen she stopped, frowning “Why did you say it like that?”

“Like what?”

“Like it was utterly ridiculous?”

“I didn’t…”

“Is it so hard to believe that someone might want to date me?”

“Well yeah, I mean no…I mean…”

“You know what? I’m actually not interested in your opinion so…”

“Stell, don’t…”  Jake sighed, “I didn’t mean it like that. I’m sorry.”

“What for?” Stella narrowed her eyes “Because I’ve got a pretty long list of things you’ve been a jerk about.”

“I don’t doubt it.” Jake mumbled, taking the coffee from the barista “Look, I gotta go do some…stuff.”

Stella watched him leave with narrowed eyes before she made her way back to the table where Evan was watching with interest.

“Friend of yours?” he asked as she sat down.

“No, well yeah…sorta.” She rubbed at her temple “It’s a long story.”

“I got time.” He shrugged.

Stella took a deep breath “Ok, short version is we met when we were 11, started dating when we were 17, he ended it 4 years later, only he didn’t…”

“Wait, he finished with you?” Evan cut her off and Stella nodded. “There’s definitely something wrong with him.”

Stella blinked before she let out a little huff of laughter “And now we ended up in the same team under Clay. So yeah, it’s kinda messy but it’s definitely over this time. Thing is I still want to be friends, we’ve known each other for so long but…” she groaned and shook her head “Sorry, I’m rambling and I don’t wanna scare you off before we’ve even starts…” she swallowed and shook her head as Evan’s eyes widened a little “Shit, that was presumptuous of me, I mean if you wanna start something…”

She trailed off, shaking her head, cursing herself for rambling as Evan leaned forward, his eyes twinkling.

“Well I’m kinda hoping you’re gonna let me start by taking you to dinner.”

She blinked “What? I mean, yeah, of course…dinner. Great.”

Evan let out a soft laugh “What are you doing tonight?”

“Um, tonight?” Stella looked at him” Nothing, I guess.”

“So how about it?” he asked “I know a great place in DC. I can pick you up?”

“Sure.” Stella swallowed, feeling the heat in her cheeks “I’d like that.” “Ok, settled.” Evan nodded, picking up his coffee “You know, considering Monday’s normally suck, I think I lucked out on this one. I got a second date on the same day as the first.”

“Oh so this is the first?” Stella teased.

“It absolutely is. At least it was in my head when I asked you to join me.” Evan winked.

“Hmmm, not convinced it counts.” Stella quipped.

“We can agree to disagree.” Evan shrugged “I mean, I’d hate to argue on our first date.”

Stella looked at him, before she shook her head snorting before she glanced at her watch “Shit, I really do have to go. I’m due on the range in 20.”

“I should be getting back to.” Evan nodded “You wanna text me your address and I’ll pick you up say 7:30?”

“Sure, that is a date.” She winked standing up and he laughed.

“Glad we agree on that one.”

***** Stella tossed her kit bag down on the floor and made her way to the bedroom, flopping down on her bed with a loud groan. The day had been hectic and now she wanted nothing more than to have a hot back and crawl into bed, but that wasn’t gonna happen as she had a date.

A date which she wasn’t particularly looking forward to anymore. Jensen had behaved like a petulant brat all afternoon, undermining her every instruction with the team they’d been leading through an exercise and she knew he was doing it deliberately. He was always the same, when something happened that he couldn’t process he went one of two ways. Either completely over the top childish humour or sullen spiteful brattishness, and today he had chosen the latter. The problem was, that whilst Stella knew she shouldn’t be bothered that he was clearly upset she was dating someone else, she was bothered. She felt guilty. And she knew it was pathetic. But she just couldn’t help it.

With a groan she reached into her pocket, ready to ring her so called best friend to attempt to talk things over when it lit up in her hand and she let out another loud growl of frustration as she realised it was her sister facetiming her. She debated whether or not she should answer but decided she better had or Rey would simply keep calling her all night.

“Hi.” She answered, a little unenthusiastically and Rey raised her eyebrows.

“Nice to talk to you too.” Rey said sarcastically.

“Sorry, it’s just been a really long day.” Stell sighed, before she fixed a smile on her face “You ok?”

“Yeah, just thought I’d check in. We haven’t talked in a while.” Rey smiled, brushing her long hair out of her face “Are you coming home any time soon?”

“Not until Thanksgiving.” Stella shrugged “Got a lot on. But I’ll be back for a week.”

“Ok, well I was gonna book me, you, mom, Jane and Janet into a spa for a day, my treat…well, Richard’s, but whatever. You fancy it?”

“Sure.” Stella nodded “That sounds great, thanks.”

“You could be a little more enthusiastic.” Rey rolled her eyes “Are you sure you’re ok?”

Stella scratched at her head and took a deep breath “No. I’m not. I mean, I should be but…”

“Hey, Stel…” Rey’s expression softened as she saw the tears forming in Stel’s eyes “What’s wrong?” “I have a date tonight.” Stella said and Rey frowned.

“So? You and Jake go out all the time. What’s the-“

“It’s not with Jake.” Stella swallowed “Jake and I…look, that’s over. And I mean it this time, he called quits.”

“Wait, wait…let me get this straight.” Rey frowned “You’re going on a date with someone that isn’t Gi-Joe?”

“Yeah.” “And you’re…upset about this?”

“Not upset so much. I feel guilty Rey.” Stella shook her head “Guilty about Jake and I know that’s stupid and-“ “You’re damned right it’s stupid!” Rey exploded “Fuck Stella, I love Jake to bits, despite the fact we fight all the time, you know I do but…well he dumped you like 5 years ago and I saw how broken you were…and then you got into that whole fucked up arrangement, which, for the record the pair of you may as well have still been dating, but that’s by the by. You’re not together, you have nothing to feel guilty about. And if he’s making you feel like that then he’s being a fucking prick but more to the point if you’re letting him make you feel like that, then you’re being a fucking prick too.”

“Wow, tough love much?” Stella mumbled, wiping at her eye.

“Yeah well you need it.” Rey frowned. “Fuck Stelly, it’s about time you got out there. You’re not thinking of cancelling are you?”

“No.” Stella shook her head. “Evan’s a really nice guy, I couldn’t do that even if I wanted to.”

“Evan huh?” Rey raised her eyebrows “What’s he like? Ooh, send me a picture.”

“What? I don’t have a picture of him!” Stella scoffed “I’ve met the guy like 3 times now. The first time I tipped coffee all down him.”

“Ooh, how very Notting Hill!” Rey said and Stella laughed.

“I hate that film.”

“I know.” Rey grinned, “So, come on, tell me about him, and I want ALL the details!” Stella took a deep breath and began to explain to Rey about how she’d met Evan and then bumped into him in a bar, how they’d met for coffee that morning, what he looked like, what she knew about him so far and by the time she finished the smile was back on her face and she knew instantly what her sister had done. She’d made her focus on why she’d liked Evan in the first place. Classic distraction technique, and it had worked. For all their bitching and arguing, Stella wouldn’t change her big sister for the world, and this was one of the reasons why. She was a brilliant confident and made Rey see things that half the time she was blind to.

“Damned, he sounds great.” Rey’s face split into a grin “I’m almost jealous.”

“Well, don’t get ahead of yourself.” Stella shrugged “It might go to shit after this date.”

“That’s the spirit, positive thinking…” Rey rolled her eyes, “Fuck Stella, don’t go into it thinking like that.”

“I’m not, I mean I won’t…” Stella took a deep breath as she checked her watch “Ah fuck, it’s half 6…I need to get ready. I only have an hour.”

“Ok, where is he taking you?”

“No idea.” Stella shrugged “Some place in DC. All he said in his message was to be ready for 7:30 and the dress code was smart casual…”

“Right, so this I can help with.” Rey grinned. “Stand up…go to your closet…” Stella did as she was told, heaving herself off her bed. “Turn the phone around so I can examine your wardrobe…” Rey made a twirling motion with her finger and Stella obliged. “Hmmm” she heard her sister mumbled. “I forgot what your dress sense is like. How long did you say we have?”

“Fuck you.” Stella laughed as Rey chuckled.

*****

Under Rey’s sharp eye they settled on a long sleeved, navy blue sweater dress that finished just below her knees, teamed with a pair of knee high, tan suede, slouch boots with a small heel. With a hum of approval, Rey told her she’d “knock him dead” before hanging up and allowing her to finish getting ready not after offering Stella one final piece of advice.

“Leave the jacket at home.” Rey grinned “Then, you can test his chivalry level when or if he offers you’re his jacket.”

Stella rolled her eyes and hung up before she headed for a quick shower, taking care not to wet her hair as it would never dry in time. Luckily, thanks to the fact it had been in a French braid all day, when she took it down it fell round her face in loose waves and actually looked like she’d meant it to look that way. She did her make-up, keeping it simple with a light brown smoky effect and grabbing her purse,  took a last look in the mirror and headed out of her room.

Evan arrived at 7:30 on the dot, just as promised and as she made her way outside she smiled as he was stood, leaning against a sleek black Mercedes. He was dressed in a pair of dark blue jeans, a cream button down and a tweed jacket with brown boots. Stella smiled as he stood up straight and opened the door to the car for her.

“You look lovely.” He complimented and she smiled.

“Thanks, you look pretty good yourself”.

“Glad you approve, hate to think I was showing you up.” He winked as she settled into the passenger seat.

Evan drove them the 20 minutes or so into DC. The restaurant he had picked was lovely. Not too fancy, but nice enough to be a little bit more special than a run-of-the-mill evening out the Losers often shared. Evan was an absolute gentleman, opening the car door for her, the restaurant door to allow her in first, taking her coat to hand to the Maître-D, pulling her chair out for her.  The food and drink was amazing, Stella ordering a gorgeous grilled steak and prawn salad, Evan opting for a burger which Stella commented looked big enough to feed her entire team. They split a bottle of rich and earthy red wine, Evan having driven didn’t want any more and neither of them wanted a hangover at work, not to mention Stella was conscious about getting drunk on their first date. The conversation was easy, that wasn’t a shock given how it had been between them in the bar the other night and over coffee, but this time they got to know each other a little better. Stella found out that Evan married at 22, divorced at 26 after his wife decided she couldn’t cope any more with him being away for long periods of time. He had no kids, parents both dead, and he’d been working for the CIA now for 2 years after deciding he’d had enough of life in the Navy.

None of it was forced, there was no awkwardness, and the 3 hours they spent together flew by and Stella wasn’t surprised therefore to find that when he pulled his black Mercedes C-class into the parking lot outside her condo building, she was really disappointed the evening had come to an end.

Evan cut the engine and Stella smiled to herself, her fingers running over the seatbelt. “So, the car is nice and all but I kinda wished I’d got to see your bike.”

“Well, I’m not sure that dress you’re wearing would have been very practical for riding pillion, Doll but-“ he turned to face her, his blue eyes locking onto hers as he smiled, and she didn’t miss the little nervous twitch of his lips “-maybe there’ll be another date so I can take you out on it?”

The fact it was a question didn’t pass Stella by and she felt the heat in her neck as she smiled gently “Yeah, I’d like that.”

Evan beamed “Great, that’s great.” He paused before he gestured over his shoulder “Let me walk you to the door.”

Stella didn’t bother to point out she was a lethal trained killing machine. Instead she nodded and tucked her hair behind her ear as Evan climbed out of his car and made his way round to the passenger side, opening her door. He held out his hand to help her out and once she was clear he shut the door and they walked side by side to the entrance, Stella still had his jacket draped over her shoulders from when they’d stepped out of the restaurant. He’d passed Rey’s test with flying colours after he’d dropped it over her shoulders without so much as a word when he saw her shiver slightly in the brisk, October air. Once they reached the door Stella stopped, removed it from her shoulders it off and he took it with a thanks as she reached into her bag for her key. She looked up at Evan who finished shrugging his jacket back on and she smiled.

“I had a really good time tonight, thank you.”

Evan took a deep breath, a cheeky expression lighting up his handsome face.

“Yeah, you know, considering you had so little faith in the fact I’d even call you, I think I did pretty well.” He quipped as she laughed “Two dates on the same day and a promise of a third…”

“Yeah, I’m still not sure that coffee this morning counts as a date.” Stella arched her eyebrow and Evan made a clicking noise with his tongue.

“Pity, because I had it on good authority that the second date was an acceptable moment to have a first kiss.” He looked at her and Stella swallowed, her eyes flicking to his lips before she hastily moved her gaze back to his, but the amusement in his eyes told her he’d seen.

“Ok, well, maybe I can be persuaded that coffee this morning counts.” She bit her lip.

Evan grinned, and reached out with one hand, curling it lightly against her hip as he dipped his head to hers, catching her mouth in a soft, sweet kiss. It wasn’t long, it wasn’t especially passionate but it was perfect for the moment. When they pulled away Evan smiled and stepped back, allowing her to open the door which he leaned over and pushed for her, his palm holding it in place so she could step inside.

“See you later” he smiled.

“Yeah, yeah you will.”

With a final glance over her shoulder, Stella headed for the elevator and selected her floor, sliding the key card into the slot. As the doors shut she leaned against the wall, a smile flickering on her face. She’d had a lovely evening, the kiss being the icing on the cake. She let out a little sigh as she realised that Evan was the first person she’d kissed since she’d started dating Jake (well, not counting Roque if you could even count that) and it had felt completely different. Her first kiss with Jake had sent tingles through her entire body, like someone had set off fireworks in her stomach, whereas that with Evan had been a softer flutter, like butterflies.

But, she supposed that was the difference between being a hormonal 17 year old kissing her first boyfriend and the now more mature and world-wise 26 year old she was.

At that point the doors to the elevator opened and she pushed herself off the wall and stepped through them.  

****

Jake opened the door to his apartment, pulling it shut behind him and glanced up as he heard the elevator doors open. Stella stepped onto the landing, looking in her bag before she glanced up and paused as she saw him. Jake took in her appearance. The long-sleeved woollen dress she was wearing finished just below the knees of boot clad legs and damned it, it hugged her curves in all the right way.  She looked fucking amazing.

“You look nice.” He offered and she smiled.

“Thanks. I would say the same about you but…” she gestured to his sweats, scruffy red hoody and dirty sneakers and he scoffed shrugging.

“Yeah, well last time I checked you didn’t need to get dressed up to go to McDonalds so…”

“Seriously?” she looked at him “Your eating habits are ridiculous. It’s 10:45!”

“Yeah well, I wasn’t hungry before but now I am.” He shrugged

“Fair enough.” she chuckled and turned to head to her apartment.”

“Where you getting in from?” he asked, not sure he wanted to hear the answer. He watched as she stopped and hesitated a little, before she drew her shoulders back and stood tall as she turned to face him.

“I’ve been on a date.” She said.

Yup, there it was.

“With that prick that bought you coffee this morning?” Jake blurted out and Stella narrowed her eyes dangerously.

“Don’t know who you’re referring to.” Stella looked at him “The only prick I know gets the munchies at almost 11 at night.”

Jake took a deep breath and rolled his eyes. “Piss off, Stel”  

“No need to be rude Jacob.” She glowered and he raised his eyebrows.

“You just called me a prick and I’m the one who’s being rude?”

“Whatever Jake” it was her turn to roll her eyes.

“Whatever Stel…” he mimicked in a stupid voice and she shook her head.

“Grow up” and with that final barb she turned, opened her door and shut it loudly behind her leaving him staring at the solid wooden door that sported a large, brass 4a in the middle.

Jake simply stood there for a moment, before his hands dropped to his hips and he let out a heavy sigh, looking at the floor. Funnily enough he’d lost his appetite. With a final glance at her door he turned and let himself back into his own apartment, pulling out his phone.

When he found the number he wanted he pressed dial, and waited for them to answer…

****

Chapter 3 Part 2

[caroline18mars]

A Man On Fire - Chapter 79

“Harper, babe, come on..let’s talk about this” Jared had to run to catch up with her outside, when he grabbed her arm she stopped and the look in her eyes was pure bewilderment “talk about what?” she looked at him like she had absolutely no clue what he was talking about. “Harper, are you serious? We need to talk about you, and everything that is troubling you right now, you’ve got so much to deal with and you’re walking around like a zombie” he bit his lip, the worry scribbled all over his face was undeniable, “I’m fine..I just need some time alone..would you mind if I just went back to my apartment..alone?” the look of detachment she gave him squeezed his throat together, of course I don’t want you to go anywhere by yourself, and especially not now, but what can I do? I need to respect your boundaries “no..you go and do you..I understand..if you need me, you know where I am, ok?”. There was no kiss to calm his racing mind, no touch, all she did was nod in appreciation, turned on her heels and half ran-half walked away from him without even looking back, who was it that once said ‘if you love someone, set them free, if they don’t come back to you, they were never yours to keep’? don’t care, all I care and wish for is that you find your way back to me real soon. With a heavy heart and lead in his shoes he started walking in the other direction, get some air, distract yourself, thinking about her walking away from you is unbearable, central park, a little bit of nature and away from this racing city will do you good. Evening was throwing its’ last rays of light around as he walked back to the hotel, so weird that every corner of every street in this crazy city seemed to hold so many memories even if they had been together for a relative short time, he saw her dance and twirl and giggle in front of his eyes everytime he turned a corner, just come home to me babe, please. “Good evening, Sir, will you be dining out? Do you need reservations?” the clerk at the hotel reception asked him as he handed him his keycard, “Uhh, no..not tonight, I’ll order in I guess..” with a friendly nod he took the key and headed on up to his room. Flicking through the channels on TV, checking his phone for the umpteenth time, checking his iPad, checking his hair for split ends, nothing could calm him down, he brushed every device from his lap and got up to stare through the window, should I call her? Send an app? Start an e-mail? Tempting but no..leave her be for a bit, if she hasn’t come back by tomorrow morning, you can go over to her apartment, give her some space.

After hours of tossing and turning his mind finally welcomed the sweet darkness of sleep, somewhere in the distance he heard a door open and close again, he was dreaming,..five minutes later he could’ve sworn he felt the mattress dip, still not waking up, I’m still sleeping. It was the arm digging under him and an arm folding over him and a warm body glueing itself against him that had him resurfacing, his eyes slowly fluttered open only to find himself wishing he wasn’t dreaming, and he wasn’t because there she was “I’m ready, Jay..I’m coming back to LA with you” her breath was warm and sweet against his cheek. Wide awake now, he rolled on his side and kissed her full lips “are you really sure? I mean..I don’t want to pressure you”, even in the darkness she could see the worried cloud veiling his eyes. “I’m not sure of most things anymore, but the one thing I’m sure of is that I love you and I want to be with you”. Jay gently pushed a strand of hair away from her face “I love you too..we’ll take it step by step, ok? We can evaluate after a month or so..”, his words made her tap his nose “now you make it sound like school, with all those evaluations..let’s just agree that whenever there’s an issue we’re open about it” she clarified, he nodded. “Thanks for giving me some alone-time” she added, “yeah..are you ok? So, did you go back to your apartment?” he tried to get to the bottom of her Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde act, but it obviously was a bridge too far because she instantly shut down again “I’d imagined you being a lot happier about me moving in with you”. He stole another kiss from her lips “Honey, I've just been woken up after hours of tossing and turning, so I'm really sorry that at my age it gets more and more difficult to do all excited cartwheels in the middle of the night” he gave her a fat, exhausted grin “but trust me, I'm deliriously happy” his finger tracing the perfection of her nose. “I knew I had to give you some space but tonight was hell..being here all by myself, I barely managed to not drive myself insane” another kiss and she put her head back down against his chest “I'm trouble, Jay, plain and simple trouble” her warm breath tickled against his naked skin. “Oh no, you're not, you're exquisite trouble, but more importantly you're all the trouble I love so much..I'm not exactly your typical choir boy either, now am I?” his arm caressed her back which made her cuddle up even closer. “Shame..I could do with a choir boy in my life..” she giggled as he slapped her butt in response, “oh really? Well I may look like Jesus but what do you think I let Satan out to play?” he rolled her over and pinned her down on the mattress.

The doorbell rang, oh god, she was nowhere near ready and Jay was already there, she had left the hotel early this morning to start on getting most of her stuff ready, and even though there wasn't much to pack apart from some clothes, she didn't know where to start on all her brushes, paints, pencils. “You ready?” Jared pushed open the door, “no..I'm so sorry, I don't know where to start..it's gonna take forever to get all my stuff packed up” she nervously puffed a strand of hair out of her eyes, while he looked at the warzone in front of him. “Oh honey, you only need some clothes..I was gonna keep it as a surprise but everything you need to paint and more is being delivered to my house right now, so you can keep everything here..so next time we're in New York you can come and paint here without having to move everything”. Huh? She looked at him in shock, “but..it took me years to collect all this stuff, do you know how much even one of these brushes cost?” but his reaction was just a shrug “I haven't got a clue, does it matter? You'll have two sets now”. Was she being ungrateful? Uhg, yeah she was “thank you, Jay..just promise you'll let me pay for it?” it was the least she could do now she finally had some money in the bank, “I will do no such thing, consider it a 'welcome to your new home' present” he gave her a fast wink before he folded his arms around her waist and kissed her. “You are amazing..I couldn't have done all this, gotten through all this without your help..I don't think you know how grateful I am” she wrapped her arms around his neck, “Oh trust me, I do know..I felt your gratitude last night” he grinned, stealing kisses “there's nothing I wouldn't do for you, except keep our plane waiting, so come on, let's get your stuff and let's get out of here, the sun is waiting for us”.

Was it having to say goodbye to New York? Was it all the drama with her family? Whatever it was, she was zoning out again, during the flight down here, she had seemed so absent, she had been staring out of the plane window completely lost in her own thoughts. The car drove up his driveway and he squeezed her hand “home at last”, Harper sat up and grabbed her bag, it was like she saw his house for the first time..she didn't remember much from a couple of days ago, the size of his house still shocked her. “How can anyone ever afford such a house?..I don't remember it being this big” she jumped out of the car “and I thought my parents' house was ridiculous but this one is just next level”. Jared, clearly embarrassed, shrugged, was it really that over the top? Looking at it..actually yeah..it was much bigger than the previous house “it's just a house, darling..a roof over my..our head, and aren't you glad to be out of that frikkin' cold of New York?..that's why I love LA so much, the climate is real constant all year round, good for my old bones”. A smile on the verge of a giggle curled around those delicious lips, “come on, golden oldie, take me inside” she hooked her arm in his, all the doom and gloom of the plane and car ride suddenly completely forgotten about, or was that just a fine example of excellent acting?. “Did I already tell you that your bedroom is actually the size of my entire apartment?” she dropped her bag, taking in the beautiful room full of light with an enormous, plush looking, bed against the only wall, all the rest was windows all around, guitars neatly lined up in one corner of the room..guitars? “do you keep those around to serenade all your conquests for the night?” she looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “This room has got the best acoustics..that and the inspiration usually comes in the middle of the night, so I like to have a guitar at hand” he couldn't help but be a little annoyed, why was there always a sense of mistrust? “and it's no longer my bedroom..it's OUR bedroom”. Did she even listen to anything he had just said? She just sat down on the side of the bed, clearly absorbed with whatever was dancing round in her head, “what is it?” he sat down next to her, twirling a strand of hair around his finger, “huh?” to his surprise she got up and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, staring at the city of Angels underneath her “now that is an iconic view” she tried to change the subject, the last thing she wanted to talk about was the mess in her head. “Yeah it is” he came standing behind her, folding his arms around her waist as he kissed the side of her neck, you don't want to talk about it, fine, just know that you're gonna have to talk about it sooner or later.

This house was a maze, you needed a sat nav to find your way round here, down another set of stairs, what would be behind this door? Was that another living room? Oh, a recording studio..this house was packed with two things: music and there was some damn fine art hanging on the walls, but did it feel homely?..nope, it actually felt like a well designed roof over your head, nothing more, this house didn't feel lived in, it just had no soul..and a soul was what the owner of this house had in abundance. When she finally found her way to the kitchen, he just put his phone down “there you are”, why did she have the constant feeling that he was 'scanning' her? Like she would walk into a room and the first thing he seemed to be doing was checking her mood or her behavior. “You know I used to have a turtle as a kid and when the grass in the backyard would get long, I used to stick a little flag on his shield with gum, so I could spot him instantly at all times, I think I need someone to stick the same flag on my head because this place is a frikkin maze, I get lost every single time”. Jared started giggling behind her, “great idea! I bet you look amazing with a little flag on your head, we can make it a feature every time I throw a party”, she opened the fridge looking for something to drink, ok, water, juices in every single flavour, beers, bottles of wine..this fridge was nearly as big as his house. “Looking at your fridge, I think you probably do throw a party twice a week” she picked something fizzy and sat down next to him “do they know?”, he gave her a puzzled look “who needs to know what?”, a sip of her drink “all your friends, do they know I live here now?” oh, was that what was bothering her, nervous about meeting his friends and family, , understandable, those wackos were pretty possessive at the best of times. “No, they don't, not yet at least, it all happened so sudden, but I'll keep them up to date this week and maybe I can even plan a lovely dinner soon with them and us, they'll love you” she couldn't see that he was crossing his fingers behind his back.

[loserholland]

𝐅𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐛𝐨𝐲 𝟏𝟎𝟏

𝟎𝟎𝟒 ➺ 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐬

𝟎𝟎𝟏 ➺ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠

𝟎𝟎𝟐 ➺ 𝐂𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐞

𝟎𝟎𝟑 ➺ 𝐋𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐧 𝐓𝐨𝐰𝐧

Pairing ➺ Fuckboy!Tom Holland x Reader

Warning ➺ kinda angsty, none really

Word Count ➺  3,591

Summary ➺  A bet that was too hard to refuse.

A/N ➺  Sorry I’ve been so MIA! I was studying to get my permit and had a bad writers block ): also I’ll be working on one sided love and little cupid tomorrow!

✿ 𝓟𝓮𝓻𝓶𝓪𝓷𝓮𝓷𝓽 𝓣𝓪𝓰𝓵𝓲𝓼𝓽 ✿ - @loveyathreethousand @taronxfiction @killerqueen-gunpowdergelatine @spideyyypeter @lou-la-lou @babebenhardy @rivervixenbaby @acklesholland @zabdisamor @keepingupwiththehollands @sweet666pea @sspider-parker @jackiehollanderr  @caro0512 @thewinchesterchronicles @cporter003 @kisses-holland @spideysnugget @cryszus @sunflowerharrystyles @peterunderoos 

@iloveyou3000morgan  @random-things-i-love 

*The strike through your name just means I couldn’t tag you, please message me if anything*

→ 𝐅𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐛𝐨𝐲 𝟏𝟎𝟏 𝐓𝐚𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 ←  @writingstoriesaboutcharacters​ @rockinmarcel @luvborhap @kisses-holland @jessybellsworld @v-valz-n @laprvphette 

☞  Masterlist  ☜

-

“My love for you, wasn’t real”

All Tom could think about was the pain in her eyes, the moment he had said it wasn’t real. Those beautiful (Y/E/C) eyes that was once filled with so much love was now filled with hate and sadness. It’s funny how someone can go from loving you to hating you.

"You’re a div, you know that?” Harrison commented moving around Tom’s room to open the curtain’s he drew shut. Tom pulled his comforter over his face to hide from the sun’s rays, Harrison rolled his eyes in annoyance pulling the soft material off of Tom.

“You broke it off? Why? All because you’re worried about your position as President? How shallow have you gotten Tom? Vivian is now questioning if our relationship is a bet. You really fucked up Tom.” 

Tom stared blankly at the ceiling, he knew he fucked up. Harry and Sam had been texting him all night, asking him why he did it without a second thought. Why he continued to go on with the bet when he knew he loved her, all because he wanted to be the one to run ZZB?

“Haz, leave please.” Tom mumbled weakly tugging the comforter over his head, he already knew how much he fucked up. He didn’t need to be reminded of it,

“Fine, but you really chose your pride and ego over a (Y/N). She really did love you div, and now you’ve lost it.”

“I fucking hate you and never wanna see you again!”

He didn’t need to be reminded. (Y/N) said it loud and clear.

Vivian had bought chocolates and ice cream, placing her laptop on (Y/N) bed so they could binge on sad rom-com’s. (Y/N) was gonna miss seeing Tom everday, usually Tom would wait outside her class then walk her to her next class. Or he’d bring her coffee in the morning, send her a good morning text and hope’s she has a wonderful day.

There was no more of that. 

No more coffee, no more morning text. No more Tom.

It makes you think, did he really truly love her? I mean, he’d get her coffee and wait and walk her to her classes. He’d also send cute morning and night text. There was a part of her that missed that, I mean that’s what you do when you’re going through a break up. 

Reminiscing all the memories.

“Do you think Harrison and I’s relationship is based of a bet?”

(Y/N) could hear the worry in her best friend’s voice. A few days after she had told Vivian her and Tom broke up because their relationship was just a bet, Vivian began to worry that Haz and her’s relationship was a bet as well.

Through (Y/N) eye’s, she could see how much Harrison loved and cared for her. He’s too sweet and kind to do bet’s, let alone try to break Vivian’s heart. If anything, it was more of Tom and Jake’s thing to do these stupid bets.

“Viv, god no. Honestly, Harrison loves you. He wouldn’t do that to you, I think he liked you too much to make you a bet. Also, he worked his ass off to get your attention, he wouldn’t hurt you like-”

Vivian placed her hand atop of (Y/N) giving it a small squeeze of reassurance, she didn’t need to say the name of the person who broke her heart. 

“Let’s forget about this conversation and continue watching 13 going on 30.”

She hated to see her best friend this way, crying over a stupid boy who broke her heart. Just wait till she gave him a piece of her mind.

“Hold on!”

Haz shouted descending down the staircase to open the door, whoever was standing out there had been banging on the door for the past three minutes and no one decided to answer it?

“Alright settle do-Vivian?”

Vivian brushed pass her boyfriend and headed up the stairs, “Hey babe, let’s go get lunch. Let me talk to your bff really quick.” Haz shut the door watching as his girlfriend turned the corner, his eyes widened realizing what she was about to do.

“Oh-Viv! Wait!”

Vivian swung Tom’s door open, everything was a mess. Beer bottles along with a variety of chips were spread out on the floor, the blinds were drawn shut and Tom was hiding beneath his comforter.

Haz stopped in Tom’s doorway, watching Tom sit upright against his headboard. His girlfriend stood beside his bed with her arms crossed across her chest, was it a bad time to admit she looked hot when she was anger? Yeah, bad timing very bad.

“Viv-lovely-”

She turned around pointing her index finger at her boyfriend of one year, “Harrison, go get ready. In the mean time leave Thomas and I alone, I just want to chat.” Tom waved off Harrison who slowly backed away from the door and heading towards his room.

“You’ve got some nerve Holland-”

Vivian started off, she felt absolutely livid. 

“-was there any part of you that actually loved (Y/N)? If you really did have any feelings for (Y/N) if you really did love her. You would have chosen her, even if that meant losing your position..”

Tom stared blankly at his lap, allowing what Vivian had to say to slowly sink in. 

“but that’s the thing with men, no boys like you. Boys like you don’t grow up, all they care about is themselves and how many girls they can get in bed with them. First you find your victim, second you give her this ‘reassurance’ that she’s the only one. And then, when she develops feelings and is in too deep, that’s when you take their hearts and crush it. That’s what’s wrong with boys like you, they only care for themselves. If you did love (Y/N), you would’ve stepped down from your position and choose her. You wouldn’t have continued the bet, because you knew what would’ve happened. From my guess, it’s everything you thought would happen.”

Vivian began to walk away when she caught a glimpse of Harrison from the corner of her eye.

“I hope you find it in yourself to change for the better Thomas. Grow up and out of this little act of your’s, it’s not good for you.”

(Y/N) was offered an amazing life time opportunity to spend a semester in Paris, she had a three weeks to decide if she wanted to go or not. The letter had came in before she had gone to London with Tom, and this week was the last week to summit an answer.

Her professeur had encouraged her to do it, she said “It’s a great once and a life-time opportunity, you’ll learn so much.” I mean, she wasn’t wrong. It’ll just be one semester and she’ll be back for the second half after winter break. 

So she took it, and now she was packed and ready to explore the beautiful city of Paris. Vivian had dropped her off and promised to visit during thanksgiving break. She had also requested to send lot’s of pictures and wished (Y/N) the best of luck to find a french guy.

That’s what best friends are for.

Something she wished happened was, Tom came running into the airport and confessed his love for her. But her life wasn’t a rom-com and that would totally not happen. It was good to wish though.

2 months later

School was back in session, now day’s Tom hung his head low trying not to draw any attention to himself. He would take the route to class where he’d usually pass (Y/N), he began to notice how she wasn’t walking the same route. Of course she walked a different route, she didn’t want to see him.

There were nights when he’d lay awake and wonder how (Y/N) was doing. Nights where he’d stare at his phone and ponder if he should text her or call her. Nights when he’d scroll through his camera-roll of pictures he and (Y/N) took, or picture’s he’d take when (Y/N) was studying. 

Tom knocked lightly on (Y/N) dorm, god she wouldn’t want to see him. If anything she’d slam the door on his face, the sound of the door creaking open caused Tom to quickly turn the other direction and walk away.

He missed her, more than words could explain. 

Vivian stuck her head out the hallway and noticed Tom walking away at a fast pace, “Holland! You don’t get to knock and dash!” he stood in his place cursing to himself for not being fast enough, turning on his heels he walked back over to the dorm.

“Hey Vivian, is um (Y/N) here?”

She rose her brows in confusion, “She hasn’t been here for the past two months.” did he not know? I mean she did tell Harrison and expected him to tell Tom because they’re best friends, why wouldn’t Harrison tell him?

“W-what do you mean?” Tom asked in confusion, did she go back home to take some time off? 

“Harrison didn’t tell you? Jesus, I want to slap him sometimes. (Y/N) is in Paris right now, she was offered to take a semester there.” 

Paris, France

That was one number one on her bucket list, visit the city of love. Not only did she visit the city of love, she’ll be there for a semester. There were nights when the two would just talk, and go on about places they’d love to visit. Paris was one of the places (Y/N) would go on and on about.

“It’s amazing, the architecture is beyond magnificent. Also their history, I could go on and on about that.” (Y/N) spoke her head resting against Tom’s chest as her fingers traced random shapes on his abdomen.

Times like this, he’d space out and watch her in awe as she spoke passionately he loved the way she scrunched her nose when she spoke ever now and then or the twinkle in her eyes and she dreamt of what she’d do. 

“She um, left this envelope with your name on it. I think she knew one day you’d come by.”

Dear Thomas, 

 I guess if you’re reading this, you came by my dorm. Maybe you were asking for me, or maybe you were asking for your hoodies back. If you’re here because of the second option, I folded all your hoodies neatly and placed them in a bag. You can ask Vivian for them. If you came here because of option one, well I’m in Paris. The city that I wished and hoped to visit, with you. Before I left, I decided to write this because no matter how much pain and sadness you’ve caused. I still love you. I hate that, I hate that I still love you even though your love for me wasn’t real. I’m a real idiot for that, I’m an idiot for even writing this letter. But they said if you write out of you feel, it’ll make you feel a lot better. God I hope that’s true. I just miss you Thomas, I miss walking to class with you, you bringing me coffee and helping me study. I miss laying next to you. I hope, that you’ll change and be the Thomas I saw everyday, the Thomas who loves and cares for his family, please don’t be the Thomas who put’s up this act to cause other’s to fear him. Please don’t be the Thomas who thought a bet wouldn’t hurt his relationship. You have so much potential, you know you can do much better that President of ZZB. We both know that. Thomas, I hope one day you’ll let yourself feel for once, to allow yourself to get hurt. To tear down that stupid wall that hides what I saw everyday. Maybe someone time in the future, I’ll be ready to talk to you. But for now, I just hope that, maybe if you do find someone else, love the person genuinely. 

(Y/N)

P.S, 

If you plan to come any time sooner, you’ll know where to find me.

(Y/N) sat there, looking over the letter. She had spent hours contemplating if she should just crumple it up and throw it into the trash or just place it in the envelope written with Tom’s name.

She had chosen option two, hoping and praying she made the right choice. She stared at the bag with Tom’s neatly folded hoodies, she wanted to keep one. To wear and have him close to her. So she did, she kept the hoodie he wore the first night they met.

The night that changed everything.

If she didn’t go to the party with Vivian, maybe she wouldn’t have met him.

If he didn’t take her out to coffee, maybe they wouldn’t have gotten closer to one another. 

 If he didn’t accept the bet, then maybe he would’ve lost his position 

If, if Tom came clean about the bet, way before it even ended. Maybe they’d still be together.

Maybe.

“You have so much potential, you know you can do much better that president of ZZB. We both know that.”

The words echoed in his head, maybe it was time. Time to step down from what he thought he enjoyed and loved, partying and being the king of NYU. He had spent the night thinking about if this was a good choice, the right choice. 

The right choice could’ve been done months ago, when he knew he actually loved her. Right then and there would’ve called off the bet and wouldn’t give two shit’s about being President. Instead of trying to fix the past, fix your present so it won’t repeat in the future.

-

"Bonjour, puis-je avoir du café glacé et un croissant s'il vous plaît?” (Y/N) closed the cafe menu handing it to the waiter who wrote down her order. Oh Paris, it was truly beautiful except for the smell of cigarettes that filled the air. She enjoyed going to different café’s everyday and spending most of her afternoon there.

It was already one o’clock in Paris and seven in the morning New York time. This was usually the time Vivian was waking up for her eight o’clock class, and the usual time they’d just talk about how their day was yesterday.

“Morning, what do you have planned for today?” (Y/N) questioned taking a sip of her ice coffee humming lightly at how sweet her drink was, she could hear Vivian rummaging around for something in the background.

“Class, then a date with Harrison later. Also Tom stepped down as president of ZZB.” 

(Y/N) felt her heart drop to the bottom of her stomach, “Why?” all she could think about is what she wrote in the letter, about how he can do much better than president. 

“I've been waiting to tell you, he came by last week. I guess, whatever was in the letter, helped him.” Vivian spoke as she searched her drawers.

"Did he come back? For his hoodies?” she fiddled with the small spoon she had placed in her coffee twirling it around watching as it created a little whirlpool.

Maybe he didn’t care for those hoodies.

“Uh no, the last I saw him was when I gave him the envelope. Harrison said, he needed to take some time off. I think he went to visit his family. But I’ll text you later, I’m gonna grab something to eat then head to class. Love you.”

“Love you too.”

(Y/N) ended the call sighing to herself as she stared at her home screen, she still hadn’t changed it nor did she really plan too. At least she didn’t plan to change it soon, it was a picture of Tom sleeping. The morning after celebrating their sixth month anniversary, his curls fell atop his forehead with his mouth slightly agape.

As much as she wanted to delete their pictures, she found herself canceling the photos she selected to delete.

There were nights where she’d lay in bed and stare at his contact, unsure if she should call him. Nights where she’d type out a message and her thumb would hover over the little arrow, only to delete the message. 

She gathered her belongs and left a some cash to cover her bill before off to start the rest of her day.

-

"She’s always at this cafe La Fontaine de Mars, oh forgive my french. No? No laugh? Anyways, I’m not too sure where her airbnb is, I just know it’s near the Cham-Cham-” Vivian began to snap her fingers trying to pronounce it as best as she could.

“Champ Elysees.”

Vivian glared at Harrison scoffing at how he just cut her off, “Do you want to explain it?” Harrison shook his head no pressing his lips into a thin line allowing his girlfriend to continue.

“Well, what Harrison said. So once we land, we’ll check into the hotel and then you’ll go look for (Y/N).”

At the time (Y/N) had called they were getting ready to go to the airport, their flight was at 9:15 and they’d land the next day at 9:30. Hence the reason why she was causing such a ruckus, she was looking for her passport.

“You guys didn’t have to come.” Tom mumbled handing the worker his ticket and passport as Vivian scoffed lightly behind him.

“Over my dead body Holland, just because I’m helping you doesn’t mean I forgive you.” 

Tom had originally planned to go by himself but, Vivian had forced herself and Harrison onto the trip saying she missed her best friend and the only way he’d go alone to Paris if pigs started flying.

“This is gonna be a long 18 hours.” Harrison mumbled following his best friend and girlfriend through the tunnel.

-

(Y/N) sat on the balcony to her airbnb it was eleven o’clock and she planned on heading to the café in two hours. The reason why she’s always at the café at one, is because her body and mind is still on New York time. Hence the reason why she always get’s iced coffee, not that it’s not normal to have coffee anytime of the day.

She was glad that she took this opportunity, being able to study abroad for a semester. A paid trip to study abroad, all expenses paid for and taken care of. Yet, she missed New York. Paris was always a dream city to visit but, she missed her friends. She missed Tom. 

The only reason why (Y/N) accepted to go was because she thought, she could move on from Tom and spending time away maybe that’ll change how she felt about him.

Yup, that’s not working.

She got up from her seat and headed back in to get ready for the rest of her day.

Little did she know, just about an hour ago her best friend had landed in Paris along with the person she couldn’t get off her mind.

-

“Here’s the game plan boys, the hotel is within walking distance of the café. While Harrison and I are out attempting to sight see, Tom will go and find (Y/N). Got it?” 

The boys looked between one another shrugging at whatever Vivian had said, “Got it.” Vivian nodded at the two before excusing herself to get changed out of her airport outfit suggesting the boys do the same, especially Tom if he wanted (Y/N) to talk to him.

He felt beyond nervous, he hadn’t seen or spoken to her in almost two months. Just because she said if you plan to come anytime sooner, you’ll know where to find me, doesn’t mean she’d want to talk. 

Before he knew it, Tom found himself walking to the café. 

(Y/N) sat at her usual table scrolling through her phone to call Vivian, she waited for her to answer listening to the line ring for a few seconds before going to voicemail.

“Odd, maybe she’s sleeping in.” (Y/N) thought as she ended the call opening messages to leave her a good morning text and asking her to call her later.

It was a beautiful sunny day in Paris, light chatter moved up and down the street along with cars and mopeds. Tom stood a few feet away from the cafe, he could seen the girl he flew 3,625 miles to see. She looked as beautiful as ever, even beautiful since the last time he had seen her.

“This is now or never, you can only fix the present. Not the past.” Tom thought as he began to walk closer to the café, (Y/N) attention was on her phone her head hanged low and she mindlessly scrolled through instagram.

She pressed on Vivian’s story to see she took a picture of her and Harrison standing in front of the eiffel tower in confusion, “Her photoshopping skills are getting better or she was actually here.” (Y/N) thought to herself noticing the photo was taken about ten minutes ago.

“Hi.” 

A voice said, an all to familiar voice. 

(Y/N) lifted her head to see Tom was standing in front of her, maybe this was a dream. A really vivid crazy dream, he couldn’t have been here, neither could Vivian and Harrison.

She pinched her exposed skin in hopes that she’d wake up, yet all she got was a little sharp pain to her wrist. This was real, he actually read the letter. Tom was in the flesh, standing right in front of her.

“Hi.” (Y/N) responded with a small smile.

Maybe, everything was meant to be this way.