#when I called to set up the appointment she offered an appointment tomorrow and I SO wanted that but. alas I have therapy at the time slot | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

minniesmutt · 8 months ago

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⚠︎ ━━━ MINE

⚠︎ ━━━ WC: 2K

⚠︎ ━━━ CONTENT: FOOD METNTIONS, PRAISE, PREGNANT SEX, INNIE IS A GENTLEMAN, ORAL (F. REC), FINGERING, UNPROTECTED SEX, CREAMPIE

“You don’t have to go back home all the time, you know that right?” Jeongin groaned as Y/n cleaned up his living room from the pizza orders

“I don’t wanna invade your space more than I have been,” Y/n said

“You’re not. I’m the one who invited you over,” Jeongin told her

“In,” Y/n whined as he stopped her from cleaning

“Do you work tomorrow?” He asked as he sat her next to him on the couch again

“No,” Y/n sighed

“Stay the night.” “M’kay,” Y/n agreed, “Let me finish cleaning though.”

“No, sit,” Jeongin stood and cleaned for her. Y/n giggled at him and checked her email while she waited for him to finish.

“What’s with the face?” Jeongin asked as he sat back next to her.

“Email from my building management,” Y/n told him.

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah, just a reminder my lease is up in a few months and I need to renew it soon.”

“Is he still on your lease?”

“No. I talked to the management about him the last time I had to renew. He never paid his half anyways.”

“You gonna renew?”

“I don’t know if I’m going to be able to afford to stay there anymore when the baby comes. I don’t even know if I’ll be able to find a place and move in before the baby gets here. I could move in with Hana again but I still have to talk to her about it.”

“You don’t have to agree, but you could move in here. Make it easier when the baby gets here and not moving him back and forth constantly.”

“In…” Y/n looked at him

“I’m just trying to think ahead. You don’t have to, but I’m putting the option out there.”

“I’ll take it into consideration,” Y/n told him as she closed her phone, setting it on the coffee table.

The two sat back on the couch, continuing to watch the drama that Jeongin had put on when they were eating dinner. Y/n had adjusted herself to be more comfortable a couple of times before Jeongin suggested moving them to the bedroom so she could lie down comfortably.

The two moved and Jeongin set her up comfortably on the bed under the covers and put on the show for them on the bedroom TV. Y/n rested her head on his shoulder as she kept her eyes on the TV. Slowly, the two somehow shifted closer. His arm wrapped around her while she rested on his chest. Getting interrupted by his phone as she was falling asleep, “Sorry,” Jeongin apologized

Jeongin grabbed his phone and left the room to take the call. Y/n laid back and continued watching the show. Jeongin came back a few minutes later and got back into bed with her again. “Who called?” Y/n asked

“My mom. Asked how the appointment went. Says congratulations on us having a boy,” he clued her in

“Think she’ll help plan the baby shower?” Y/n asked as she looked up at him

“She did ask about it. Offered the house to host it at.” Jeongin looked down at her

“I love your mom,” Y/n smiled

“I’ll tell her next time she calls,” Jeongin laughed, pulling her closer to him again

Y/n smiled up at him as her arm draped over his middle. Jeongin leaned his forehead on hers, returning the smile. “You look like you’re thinking,” Y/n said

“I am.”

“About?”

“How I kind of regret saying to go slow because I kind of wanna kiss you. Especially after shopping all day…”

Y/n leaned forward and placed her lips on his. Not giving him another second to think about it. It took a second for the man to respond then he wrapped his arms around her and held her as close as he could with her bump between them.

Y/n smiled and cupped his face. Both melted into the kiss as he rolled them both over so he was on top. His hands held onto her hips as the kiss deepened. Y/n moaned into the kiss before he pulled away and looked down at her. “You okay?” He asked, kissing her cheeks

“Yeah,” Y/n said as he trailed his lips down to her neck

Jeongin didn’t say anything as he pulled away from her neck. He reached over and grabbed a pillow from the other side of the bed, moving her to get the pillow under her for her back.

“I said I was okay,” Y/n said

“You fell asleep on your back three days ago and you woke me up at four am, yelling at me for not turning you on your side.”

“I said sorry,” Y/n pouted

“You’re lucky you’re cute,” Jeongin kissed her pout.

Y/n wrapped her arms around his neck, “Just cute?”

Jeongin hummed as he returned to kissing her neck. “Cute. Amazing. Funny. Hot. The mother of my child. All mine.” he said between kisses, getting closer to her collarbone

“Your’s?” Y/n asked

“Mine,” Jeongin confirmed

Y/n smiled as she looked up at him. His eyes seemed to be holding so many emotions. Jeongin leaned down to her lips again, pressing them together. Y/n moaned into his mouth. Jeongin mumbled more praises against her lip before he moved back to her neck again. Y/n moaned as he lightly bit the side of her neck. Her fingers grabbed at the hairs at the nape of his neck.

“Wish I remembered the first time we slept together,” Jeongin muttered into her skin.

“Second time?” Y/n suggested

“Right now?”

“Please.”

Jeongin looked up at her, “You sure?”

“I’m really good at begging In. I’ll do it.”

“Another time,” Jeongin smiled as he leaned down and attacked her lips again.

Y/n moaned as he adjusted her legs around his waist. Y/n could feel him growing as he pressed against her. Y/n tightened her legs around him while his hands slipped under her shirt. Pushing the fabric up while he slipped his tongue past the seal of her lips.

Y/n slipped her hands from his hair as their tongues danced between them and worked on unbuttoning his shirt. Jeongin rolled his hips against hers making her moan into his mouth. His hands moved down from pushing her shirt up and unbuttoned her pants. Gently lifting her hips and pulling the fabric down.

He pulled away from her lips as she got the last button undone. Jeongin tossed off the shirt and the tank top underneath along with her pants. Y/n sat up as best she could before he helped her get her shirt and bra off.

“You’re so beautiful,” Jeongin muttered as he kissed her neck again

Y/n whined as he moved down. Kissing down between her breasts, over her growing stomach then over her clothed cunt. Jeongin laid down on his stomach as he put her legs over his shoulder after pulling the last bit of fabric off of her.

Y/n shivered as his tongue ran up from her entrance to her clit then his lips wrapped around the bud. Y/n grabbed onto the sheets under her as he all but devoured her. Jeongin moaned into her as he subtly humped the mattress. Mumbling praises that didn’t reach her ears but he would gladly repeat later.

“In,” Y/n moaned as his tongue just barely dipped into her

“Yeah, baby?” He asked

“Finger… please…” Y/n begged

“Yeah? Need me to fill your pretty pussy with my fingers. So wet already,” He rambled as he pushed his middle finger into her.

Y/n moaned as his finger curled up into her. Grabbing onto his hair to ground herself better. Just making the man below her moan as he continued pumping his finger in and out of her. Lips and tongue worked her clit as she moaned his name.

Jeongin slipped another finger into her, making her tighten her grip on his hair. He kept his pace steady while her legs tightened around his head. “‘M close,” Y/n whined

He hummed in response and kept his pace steady. Helping her get closer and closer til he finally tipped her over. Her cum covered his fingers as he stayed there until her grip on him loosened. He gently put her legs back on the bed as he sat up and pulled his fingers out of her, licking them clean, taking pride as he watched her face flush. He pulled his fingers out of his mouth and leaned back down to her lips, letting her taste herself off them.

“How you feelin’ baby?” He asked between kisses

“Good. Need more.”

“Yeah? Tell me what you need baby.”

Jeongin’s lips wandered again, making her lose her thoughts alongside her post-orgasm brain. “In…”

“Words love. Need you to tell me what you need no matter how hard it is in that pretty brain of yours.”

“Cock,” Y/n moaned

“Where?”

“Inside…”

“Inside where? You’re pretty mouth or your pussy?”

“Pussy… Innie please.”

Jeongin hummed as he sat back and pulled off his pants and boxers. Chucking them onto the floor with the rest of their clothes.

“Condom?” He asked

“Doesn’t matter. Won’t make a difference and I’m clean.”

“I’m clean too.”

Jeongin lined himself up with her entrance and slowly pushed in. He grabbed onto her hands and pinned them onto the pillow below. Taking his time to sink into her and letting her adjust to him. Retelling her all the praises that she didn’t hear earlier. Kissing her for the umpteenth time now. Letting her get used to him fully inside her till she begged him to move.

Jeongin sat up a bit but kept their hands together. Slowly pulling his hips back and pushing back interesting her. Keeping up the pace and not rocking her too much. Only going faster when she asked him though it was more like begging. Smiling to himself as her legs wrapped around his waist tight.

He leaned down and kissed everywhere he could on her neck, leaving a couple of marks he was sure would bruise later. Y/n gripped his hands tighter as he left his mark on her while his hips knocked into her.

Y/n moaned as a certain angle hit the right spot inside her. Her back arching off the pillow just a bit. Begging him to hit there again. Jeongin happily obliged and repositioned them a bit to get to that spot again. Picking up his pace more as he twitched inside her. Orgasm approaching quickly.

“Fuck,” he mumbled under his breath as he sat up more, taking one hand away from hers and rolling his thumb over her clit. Y/n moaned louder at the added stimulation on her already sensitive clit. Her now free hand gripping the pillow under her head before the high blindsided her.

Jeongin groaned as she clamped down around him. Making it a bit harder but he managed. Fucking her through her high again until her moans turned to whines and he came inside her. Pushing himself into her and painting her walls white. Groaning a few times as he thrusted a few more times into her. Burying himself in her once he was finished.

Both of them lay in the afterglow for a minute, catching their breaths before looking at each other. “Hi,” Y/n breathed

“Hi mama,” Jeongin smiled

“I like when you call me that,” Y/n smiled

“Good. I’m gonna keep calling you that.” Jeongin leaned down and kissed her again

Y/n moaned into his mouth before pulling back, “Getting uncomfortable?” he asked

“Little bit,” Y/n answered

“Let me pull out and get you cleaned up.” Jeongin pecked her lips before slowly pulling out of her before getting up to clean up. Going to the bathroom then coming back. Gently cleaning her up and fixing the covers and pillows before joining her back on the bed. Spooning her and rubbing her belly

“Can I ask a bit of a dumb question?” Y/n asked

“You’re questions are never dumb.”

“What are we?”

“Mm,” Jeongin kissed her shoulder, “How does being boyfriend and girlfriend sound?”

“I like that.”

“I was just waiting for you to be ready.”

“You’re too good for me.”

“Think I’m perfect for you.” Jeongin chuckled behind her

“Ego,” Y/n rolled her eyes

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twice-inamillion · 10 months ago

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The Company

Newest Recruit

Story Building and Fluff

Chapter 8

3,160 Words

(You and Mina’s family have a talk about her enjoying the company. Jessica goes to America to buy her new home. A new set of trainees arrive to the company from a different company.)

After talking to Mina and the choreographer, you ask them for an appointment to talk to her parents. Mina agrees and calls her mom to see when the best time to talk to them both.

You return to your hotel and talk to your assistants about recruiting her into the company. As you’re going over some possible offers, you can make you receive a phone call from the choreographer telling you that Mina and her family can meet tomorrow evening. I am glad about the rapid response and that you prepared everything for your meeting.

It’s the following day, and you’re standing in front of her house and ringing the doorbell. It doesn’t take too long for the door to open, and you see an older female, assuming to be the mother. “Good evening; you must be here because of Mina, correct?”

“Yes. Thank you for inviting me to your home.”

“Come, take a seat. I’ll call Mina and her father over.”

“Thank you,” walking to the living room and sitting on the couch.”

You see Mina walking down the stairs to the living room, “Good evening,” she shyly waved her hand. She sits on the couch across from you and waits for both her parents to arrive.

From the kitchen, Mina’s parents and the choreographer walk to the living room with drinks and snacks.

“Sorry for the wait; we wanted to bring snacks for us to enjoy.”

Once everyone is seated, you introduce yourself as the CEO of Olympus Entertainment, surprising everyone. Knowing some information about the company, the choreographer briefs the parents on the benefits offered to the trainees and the education they get.

Both the parents smile when they hear about the great benefits offered and the chance to finish their education, unlike other companies.

“We like that your company allows them to finish their studies. We want Mina to finish her schooling if possible,” says Mina’s dad.

“Yes, we understand that joining the entertainment business isn’t what some parents see as an ideal job. Here, out of our company, we want everyone to receive higher education in case the trainees decide to change their career path. We also allow them to gain experience in the field by applying to be staff in our company.”

Her parents seem a bit more comfortable hearing that there is a backup plan just in case she doesn’t want to continue. You go over on why you want Mina in your company and what you are willing to offer.

“I’m glad you think highly of our daughter and her talents. She’s been a good girl, and we think she should make this decision on her l own,” says Mina’s mom.

Mina shyly speaks up, “I want to go. I’m a bit nervous, but I think it’d be nice to meet other people who enjoy dancing.”

“Are you sure, Mina?” asks her dad.

“Yes, Ceo-nim complimented my dancing a lot, so I don’t want it to go to waste.”

Her mom then asks, “Okay, then it’s decided. Please take care of our daughter and her future.”

“I will.”

Mina and her parents sign the contract. You congratulate both of them and assure them they won’t regret it.

“Do you need her to fly to Korea now?”

Take care of your schooling and enjoy a small break. I’ll personally come and you all to the company and give you a tour and see our facilities.”

As you’re about to leave, Mina walks up and grabs the edge of your jacket, “CEO-nim, I won’t disappoint you,” as she plays with her fingers.

——————

It’s been a few days after signing Mina to your label, and you have been preparing for her arrival. During the week, you also had Jessica living with you after collecting her items from her apartment. She tells you about her plan to return to America and set up her own fashion brand.

During her stay at your place, Jessica has looked online for possible houses to buy during her stay back in San Francisco. “What do you think about this one?” she asks.

“That one looks nice; it has a nice backyard, and it's not directly in the middle of the city.”

“I like this one too, but it seems busy.”

“You said you want to relax, so maybe something where there are not too many tourists.”

“It has been nice to see them in person.”

“If you want, I can schedule a few open houses; I’m almost done with what I have to do.”

“But how are we going to get there without getting noticed? I don’t want the public to see me like this.”

“We can take my plane there.”

“You got a plane?”

“Yes, I don’t want to go through the hassle of chartering a plane, so I just bought one myself.”

You arrive in San Francisco two days later and go to multiple open houses. Most of these homes are in the millions, but you’re willing to spend that much for your child. After a few days of looking, Jessica makes up her mind, and you sign a contract to purchase the house. The both of you stopped by her parents' house to drop off some items before heading back to Korea. Jessica is about to open the door when you hear, “Jessica, is that you?” Out comes a younger version of her, her sister. She looks at you in annoyance and says, “Is that the guy that knocked you up?”

Jessica reacts and smacks her, “Shut up!” The sister runs back inside as Jessica tries to hit her again but fails. “Sorry for the rude girl over there, but that is my younger sister, Krystal.” You try to introduce yourself to her sister, but she ignores you.

“So, I heard from Mom and Dad that you bought a house nearby.”

“Actually, he bought the house,” she said as she looked in my direction.

“Hmph… that’s the least he could do after getting you pregnant and causing you to get kicked out.”

“Krystal, be quiet.”

“But it’s true. He was the cause for everything.”

“It’s partially my fault, too, not just his.”

The two of them continue to discuss with each other, and you say, “I’m going to be heading back to the airport. I’ll be back to help you move in. Also, send me the information on the fashion line.” Jessica turns around and kisses you on the cheek before you head out.

————-

A bit over a week has passed, and you are headed to Japan to pick up Mina and her parents.

They board the plane, and during the flight, you give them the rundown of what they will see during their stay in Korea.

“After arriving, we can have lunch and tour the campus. I will lead the tour while your items are taken to the hotel I reserved for you during your stay. The second day would be reviewing some fine details about Mina’s stay and looking at the dorms she would be staying in. You then have the next few days to tour around and do as you wish, and the company will pay for it.”

“Ceo-nim, you don’t have to do that,” says Mina’s mom.

“I want to. Mina is the first idol I personally recruited, making it a special moment. Plus, your daughter has a lot of talent, so it would be rude of me not to respond in kindness.”

Mina and Mina’s mom smile while her dad agrees that his daughter is worthy of such consideration.

You all arrive at the company and walk into the main building. You take them through the meeting room, cafeteria, and main practice rooms. The next stop is the education center, where most trainees have classes to finish their education, take extracurricular activities, or want to study.

The last place is the large building where I have practice rooms for small to large groups or for individual practice. “The place is so big and new,” says Mina’s mom.

“We want all our trainees and idols with the opportunity to succeed, so we provide them with the best, anywhere from education to mental health.”

“What about security, like the safety of the trainees and idols?” asks dad.

“The campus is normally closed to the public. Most areas require a security clearance based on the position you have in the company. For example, we separate the trainees and idols to prevent any potential conflict, such as education builds and dorms. Since most of them have a regular schedule, we tend to know where they are at. If there are any irregularities, we use these bracelets to know where they last were since they are used to access building doors.”

“What about if they get sick? How do they get treatment?” asks Mina’s mom.

“We do have a health center that can deal with common issues and is planning to build an in-house hospital for all company employees, trainees, and idols.”

“Seems like you all have things figured out,” says Mina’s dad.

“We want to ensure the safety of everyone here and make it as easy for them to concentrate on their goals.

After the tour, all of you go out to dinner before calling it a night. “I’ll leave you all for the night and see you early in the morning. You’ll get to experience our cafeteria and see the dorms.”

————-

Early in the morning, you meet Mina and her parents outside the cafeteria. “Good morning.”

“Good morning, Ceo-nim.”

“How was your sleep?”

“It was great; the beds were really comfortable.”

“That’s good to hear. We use the same mattress for our dorms here.”

“You hear that, Mina. Make sure not to sleep in too much,” says her dad.

“Otōsan… not in front of the Ceo,” whines Mina and covers her embarrassed face.

“It’s fine; I sometimes enjoy a good rest.”

The four of you head to the cafeteria. Mina is surprised by the number of food options that the area offers. “We offer meals three times a day and have cafes and small shops throughout the campus. You can even order a custom meal if given prior notice.”

Mina walks to the line, gets various dishes, and walks out of the line with a gummy smile.

“Seems like our daughter is going to get accustomed to here in no time,” says Dad in a joking manner.

We all laugh, and Mina turns red again from her dad teasing her. We continue to have breakfast. When we are done, we head out to the dorms where she will stay.

“The dorms are not that far away but separate from the rest of the campus. We have multiple types of dorms for those who are over of age and who are not. We keep them separate since they have different schedules and rules. Once placed in a group, you are moved to a large dorm based on the number of people within the group. They have a kitchen and more space to get to know each other better and build relationships.”

“So does that mean I get to room with another person?”

“We actually have a room available that is meant for two, but you’ll be using it on your own. Obviously, when we get more trainees, we will pair you up with someone who has similar interests.”

As we walk down the road to the dorms, her parents are amazed by how well-maintained they look. Mina cannot help but comment on how they look like college dorms and is excited to see her own dorm. “Is this my dorm?”

“Actually, yes. The one on the left.”

You take out your phone and call the dorm manager. She came outside and introduced herself as the one in charge of managing the building and dorm RA.

She leads the group to the second floor of the building and into the unoccupied wing. “You won't be in this wing, but we are going to use it as an example. Here are the shared bathrooms with multiple stalls and showers cleaned frequently. You are all divided in wings so there are not many who use the bathrooms. There are also individual restrooms throughout the building.”

She then walks to a room and opens it, “This is an example of a double room; there are two beds, a large closet for, and a table.” The parents walk around and seem to like the room, “it’s big. I think you’ll like Mina,” says her mom. “Next, we’ll see a triple room, and it’s much bigger than the double.”

After the demonstration, the manager walks the group to the dorm that Mina will be occupying. “This will be your room, Mina. It’s a double, but you won't have a roommate as of now. We expect a new round of incoming trainees, so you might be paired up soon.”

“Look, Mina, it has a nice view,” says her dad.

You comment, “I think you’ll like it. You are more than welcome to return tomorrow so you can help with the move-in process. Let’s return to my office and discuss some minor details.”

You are all in your office and take out two large folders, a copy for the parents and one for Mina. “These will be your copy of the contract, the expectations and the list of benefits, and some of the options we offer in extracurricular activities. Also, we don’t ask for any payment from the parents, and it's covered by us until they debut. After that, we do take out a share of what was invested for training.”

“That sounds more than reasonable; I heard of other companies asking for large amounts of money upfront,” says the dad.

“Yes, some do, but since we are a new company, we want to separate ourselves from them.”

As you and the parents talk, Mina looks at the extracurricular catalog and tries to decide on what she wants to join.

“Do you have an idea, sweetheart?” asks Mina’s mom.

“There are so many options, I can’t make up my mind.”

“It’s okay, Mina. Take your time; choose whenever you are ready.”

Her mom looks through the dance section and says, “I see you don’t offer Ballet.”

“Yes, unfortunately, we don’t have many trainees that practice. It was something that we wanted to have and actually have a room for it, but it's not completed.”

“What do you think, Mina? Do you still want to practice ballet?” asks her dad.

“I don’t know. I want to try other dances, but I also want to continue.”

“If you want, we can complete it for you. I would be more than happy to see you dance again.”

“See, Mina, the CEO himself said that we want to see you dance and is willing to finish its construction just for you,” says her dad.

You see, Mina thinks about it and fiddles with her fingers, “Do you really like my dancing, Ceo-nim?”

“Yes, I really did.”

“Umm… if you like it, then I’ll be more than happy to continue.”

“Aww, sweetie, that’s good to hear,” says her mom.

“That would be amazing, Mina. Then, I’ll make sure we finish the construction of the studio. You’ll be our first user so it would be like your personal dance studio, haha,.”

“See, Mina, your own studio,” says her mom.

“Thank you so much; I’ll try to live up to your expectations of me,” says Mina shyly.

After that conversation, a member of the trainee team came in and explained the clearance system and the bracelet that Mina would be wearing. This will give her access to her room and other facilities. “We have your information in our system. This bracelet serves as a smartwatch and access key to your room, the buildings you are cleared for, your health profile for the health center, and the cafeteria.”

Mina confirms her information, and the bracelet activates. The team member puts on her bracelet and shows her how it works and what type of data it shows on our end. “This information is kept on our private servers and are not shared anywhere. So when you scan it in a certain location, it only shows based information and nothing else. Try using it here.”

The screen shows Mina’s basic information as a trainee and a picture. “Okay, it seems like you’re all ready to move in.”

—————

It’s been a few weeks since Mina moved into the dorms, and she’s been slowly adjusting to her new environment. You call her a few times a week to ask how she is doing or if she needs anything. Like always, she’s shy and soft-spoken.

Today, you called her to your office to give her some news that will affect her position as a trainee. “Good morning, CEO-nim. I’m here because you wanted to see me.”

“Yes, good morning Mina. Come over and talk a seat.”

“Is something the matter?”

“Yes. I have been in contact with JYP Entertainment, and we are going to collaborate. The company will receive a couple of its idols as part of an agreement. You will be placed together with them since you’re one of the newest trainees.”

“Do you know how many trainees will be coming over?”

“There will be fifteen others; some of them have trainees for a long time while others have just a few years.”

“Does that mean I'll be getting a roommate?”

“Yes, they should be arriving within a week, so try to make them feel comfortable.”

————-

“I hope you treat my trainees well,” says Park Jin-young.

“Don’t worry. They’re going to enjoy their time here.”

“I hope so.”

You then step forward and introduce yourself, “Hello, everyone. Welcome to Olympus Entertainment. I hope you enjoy your time here and build friendships with those around you.”

All the trainees from JYP, in unison, stand up and say, “Thank you for having us, CEO.”

“All of you already know why you’re here, but, as a formality, introduce yourselves.

“Hello, my name is Im Na-yeon.”

“Hello, my name is Yoo Jeong-yeon.”

“Hello, my name is Hirai Momo.”

“Hello, my name is Minatozaki Sana.”

“Hello, my name is Park Ji-hyo.”

“Hello, my name is Myoi Mina.”

“Hello, my name is Song Min-young.”

“Hello, my name is Park Ji-won.

“Hello, my name is Kim Da-hyun.”

“Hello, my name is Son Chae-young.”

“Hello, my name is Chou Tzu-yu.”

“Hello, my name is Lee Chae-yeon.”

“Hello, my name is Kim Eun-suh.”

“Hello, my name is Jeon So-mi.”

“Hello, my name is Lee Chae-ryeong.”

“Hello, my name is Natty.”

“Welcome once again, all sixteen of you.”

#twice #male reader #twice fluff #kpop fluff #twice Mina #TM smut #Jessica Jung #Jung Jessica #snsd jessica #kpop idol

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gingerparker · 2 years ago

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PULL ON MY THONG

Pairing: College!Peter Parker X Reader

Summary: Peter needs a vacation. So, naturally, he goes to Vegas during his summer break. He's thin on cash and finds a job at a water park! The hot girl behind the bikini bar is a great bonus to his biweekly paycheck.

Warning: Fluff, sexual tension, teasing, slight body worship, drinking (both reader and Peter are 21+)

Word Count: 7158

A/N: let's pretend this wasn't a summer writing challenge... life happened HARD for it to be posted now.. but i hope y'all enjoy anyway ajsjjs DISCLAIMER!! i know the hotel i used here doesn't have a water park but i was too lazy to use a real one sooo it's an invented one!

It's too warm as soon as Peter exits the airport. It's a sticky and dry kind of warmth, no wind of any kind can be felt around him. His small luggage feels like it weighs 5 tons more than it did mere seconds ago and he realizes how stupid it is to have worn dark clothes.

Travellers push past him to find a cab of any kind to get out of the intense heat. Families get into larger Ubers and some are crazy enough to be walking out. Peter is not that determined.

He has to shuffle through the crowd to find a free cab, they are being filled much quicker than he would have thought. Thank god for his faster pace.

Inside the car, he's blasted with cool air, the sweat on his forehead seemingly evaporating.

The drive to his hotel is smooth. He chugs the rest of his water bottle minutes into the ride. Queen's weather didn't prepare him for this.

In only a few minutes he's on the strip. Billboards of all kinds flash around the cab. It's day outside yet he feels blinded by the colourful lights. He sees half-naked men posing with tourists for money as well as showgirls doing the same. He doesn't let his eyes linger too long. The sidewalk is full of people; after all, it's tourist season.

A bright pink flamingo catches his eye, his hotel seemingly calling out to him! Come, Peter! There's some air con in me maybe you could go to my bar or even check out my casin-

"Sir!" he's startled by the harsh voice that calls him, the cab driver.

"Yes?"

"We're here? I've taken you to your hotel" he gestures to the building they are parked next to.

"Oh! How much do I owe you?"

"Y/N, I need you to do the night shift today! Bebe is stuck in St-George, you know how horrible the construction traffic is" Your boss, Xiomara, pleads over the phone. "And I can't come in I have an appointment with my OB"

"What about Charlize?" you ask.

Your phone is on speaker on your bed and you're already looking through the clean bikinis you have ready.

"I haven't been able to reach her, please please please!" she sounds so desperate that you laugh a little.

"Should I wear the blue holo set or go for the pink and red tie-dye one?" Mars squeals loudly, her voice cracks through the speaker on your phone.

"Tie-dye!! You're a lifesaver Y/N/N, I owe you"

"No worries babes, nothing exciting was happening with me tonight" You'll just have to reschedule your date with your vibrator for another day.

"I'll buy you breakfast on your next opening shift! Wait, that's tomorrow, oh god you're gonna be so tired. I can still try and reach Char-"

"Mars! Don't worry so much, keep it going and the baby will just shoot right out of you" you laugh as you pack your bag for the evening.

"I mean I wouldn't complain. I'm very much over pregnancy" she sighs and you only hum as an answer.

You both say your goodbyes and you're quickly doing a makeup look to match your uniform for the night.

Deep red lipstick, a thick black liner that frames your eyes just the way you like and a light amount of everything else. It heats up like crazy in the small bar so you don't want to be sweating it off in seconds. The finishing touch is some body shimmer, that's for the extra tips.

You live in a resort-like rental near the Vegas Strip. Your university funds top students from other states to live in these apartments. When you'd been accepted and offered to house you; you couldn't turn it down. Leaving New York was easy enough, your parents were always travelling for their jobs and your friends were leaving for other schools so it was an easy decision.

A big bonus was that it was only 10 minutes away by foot from your job in a hotel's adult pool.

You gathered all your things and made your way out.

Tuesday nights are the slowest nights. The restricted pool access you work in usually has a long cue to be let in but currently, there are only 5 people. 7 if you count the obviously underage girls that nervously fiddle with their fake IDS.

You've only made 50$ in tips so far which is pretty disheartening. Did you waste your best body shimmer for this?

After cleaning the bar for the third time in the last 10 minutes you give up pretending to be busy. Maybe you should make yourself a drink... A nice cranberry, vodka and watermelon purée slushy... You could even try the new bubblegum gin you received...

As you're trying to figure out what to mix the new alcohol with you spot a guy. A hot guy to be precise. He looks lost as he enters the area and pockets his wallet. His eyes are wide and they seem to be full of awe. First time in Vegas probably. His abs are what make your eyes follow him. For such a soft face the body he has is a pleasant surprise, muscles that don't look too bulky and that highlight the fact that he probably takes very good care of himself.

He looks like a Long Island ice tea type of guy, who likes alcohol but doesn't like tasting it all that much. You almost want to whistle at him or do anything to catch his eye.

He'd be a better date than your vibrator that's for sure.

It's Peter's fifth day in Las Vegas and he just learned about his hotel's private pool. They only let people 21 years old and older in. All he knew was that there was a small water park, and the kids' screaming could be heard throughout the day.

There are more palm trees to cover up this part of the hotel's grounds, giving more privacy to whatever happens here. There's a large DJ booth elevated at the end of the pool and at least 3 different bars. The DJ obviously pressed shuffle on a Spotify playlist and decided to scroll through his phone. The 3 bartenders he sees look bored out of their minds and are seemingly playing a card game. Only about 20 other guests are enjoying the privacy of this section.

He chooses to go buy himself a drink, there's nothing much to do besides that and swim right now.

Right as he's about to go and disturb the guys playing cards he sees a little hut next to the jacuzzi. It's pure white and only has a sign on the front where it's written "Cheeky Chicks" with a bright pink bikini painted on.

His brows furrow before he steps back to look inside.

His eyes widen and his breath hitches. There stands a girl. A half-naked girl. A very very pretty half-naked girl. A girl that's already looking at him. Peter's knees might just give out under him. A smirk forms on your lips when you realised cute hot chiselled guy noticed you. This is going to be so much fun.

"Hi," you say while leaning forward on your bar a little. The guy's face heats up instantly. Red creeps up his chest and onto his face. Peter is incredibly weak for pretty girls.

"Hi," he manages to breathe out.

"Come over here," you say with a wink. No one can tell you that you aren't good at your job.

Peter nods and makes his way over to her. His steps are quicker than he initially wanted, he did want to look cool and nonchalant. Too late now!

"What's your name?" you ask when he reaches your hut.

"Um... I'm not sure" his brain is screaming the answer at him but all he can hear is "her eyes are up there, her eyes are up there, her eyes ar-"

"Mh that's unfortunate, guess I'll have to stick with sexy stranger" your smirk grows when his tongue comes out to lick his lips.

"Right, um, I'm Peter?"

"You sure about that babes?" his eyes get as wide as saucers, nicknames are appreciated... You make a mental note of this.

"Peter Parker," he says "That's my name" he nods to himself. Probably feeling very proud that he's remembered it. God, he's adorable your practically melting.

"Hi Peter Parker, I'm Y/N, it's nice to meet you hot stuff" You lean back to your normal position, he's been working very hard to keep his eyes in respectful eye contact.

"What can I get you, Pete?"

"Huh?"

"You walked up to my bar, don't you want a drink?" you gesture to all the alcohol you have around you.

"Oh! Um what's your favourite?" he looks at the numerous bottles around you.

"Anything turned into a slush" you answer honestly.

"Ok... Something with cherry?" he suggests with a tilt of his head. You nod and get to work.

If you mix your shaker more than usual who could fault you? It keeps his eyes on you as silence settles over. After adding a cherry and coconut slush to the alcohol mix you top it off with maraschino cherries and a bright pink swirly straw.

You hand it over to him, purposefully making contact with his hand. He takes a big sip and your stare falls to his neck. Thick but lean, muscular and so soft looking. He'd look so good with hickeys littered all over it. You could even trail some down, down, down... just under where his swimming trucks start. God, you really need to get off.

"So what do you think, babes?" you ask him as he brings his straw away from his lips. He nods excitedly as a smile spreads on his face. How can you want him to rearrange your insides and bake him a cake all at once?

"It's delicious! I can't even taste the alcohol you put in here" he nods seemingly approvingly and you smile smugly.

"That's how you know it's a dangerous drink" you wink, turning around to quickly put away the things you used to prepare Peter's drink.

"So how much do I owe you?" he takes his wallet out and opens it up with one hand.

Maybe this is your chance to be bold. Get a date out of this incredibly slow day?

"Mh it'll only cost you your phone number" you shrug with a smirk on your face. Peter sputters on the sip he'd taken and flushes from head to toe. He shakes his head quickly and puts down his cup.

"I have to pay you" he goes through the bills he has in his wallet, instantly paling. He counts them again to then meet your eyes anxiously. "Um, any luck this cost under 6$?" he laughs awkwardly taking out the six 1$ bill he had. You cringe and shake your head. Why must you go for the broke cutie? He sighs and shoves the bills into your tip jar.

"I'm sorry, my aunt always tells me to budget better but this trip has got me much shorter on cash than usual..." Peter puts his wallet away, already knowing it's best if leaves as fast as he can.

"How long are you staying in Vegas for?" your question surprises even yourself. You both expect to have him just walk away and forget this interaction happened... but alas you're incredibly weak.

"I don't know really... I bought a one-way ticket so... I'll probably try and get a ticket to leave at the end of summer" which is currently two and a half months away.

"And you already have no cash left??" you gasp. How is that even possible? "Do you have a job? Or a sugar daddy?" you add in a rushed tone, shocked at his quite reckless planning.

"Think I'd look good in a bikini?" he teases. Joking at a time like this? He might just be your soulmate.

"You'd look amazing in a bikini but this is a woman owed and woman run" You sigh dreamily at the thought of Peter in a bikini. New kink unlocked? Or are you just incredibly horny... "Although... one of the lifeguards at the water park quit! Maybe I could get a good word in for you" You start shutting off the lights in your little hut and locking up the coolers and stands around you.

"Now?" Peter exclaims. You ignore his shock and turn back to him. You spot his unfinished slushy and hand it back to him.

"Drink it at least, I'm not doing charity for you not to enjoy it" you tease him before making your way out, locking the side door and hanging up the "Closed" sign.

"Oh and I'm still expecting your phone number"

That's how Peter Parker got himself a job at his hotel's water park. The man running it barely asked him what his name was before he was hired. They made sure that he had the right certification for a lifeguard job and the next day he was on the schedule. Well, they wrote him in with a Sharpie and they spelt his name wrong but he had a job!

The kids were... tolerable, the pay was ok and the conditions were bearable. His favourite part, however, is the hottie that always put extra cherries on his alcoholic slushes.

It's been three weeks now since he was able to pay back the first one, and it's also been three weeks since you've exchanged numbers.

You've been texting back and forth like crazy. Just facts about your days when you aren't working at the same time or you even like to have him pick out your bikini. He gets exceptionally shy and takes forever to answer but, surprisingly, he's got impeccable taste. Peter knows it's because of how attracted to you he is. Getting to know you has only deepened how doomed he is, how quickly his feelings have shifted from plain lust.

"So you haven't fucked yet?" Ned's voice is loud out of his phone speaker and it scares the shit out of Peter. He's on his lunch break and it's his weekly bro date with Ned. They have lately been full of your name.

"No, women and men can be friends. You know this" Peter knows full well that he'd ditch the friendship in a heartbeat for something more. He'll keep this act up tho, more gentlemanly... right?

"Not when they obviously wanna bone Pete... You're telling me not even a steamy make-out session?" Peter is glad they decided not to FaceTime because he knows what face Ned would be making right now and he doesn't want to see it.

"No" He wishes. He wishes so badly. Like it's actually starting to concern him how much he just wants you to sit on his lap, put your hands in his hair, maybe pull a little, definitely call him babes like you alw- See? He's going insane.

"That's sad Petey, get a move on! If Y/N is as hot as you say then you can't waste any time!" Ned's voice is so diplomatic it's weird but comforting.

"Oh. My. God. Babes you talk about me?" your chipper voice almost startles Peter off his seat and onto the suspiciously green floors.

Peter looks at you with a terrified expression on his face, like you've caught him mid-murder. Damn, his Peter Tingle for not warning him of your arrival!

"Is that her? Y/N! PETER WANTS TO FU-"

His phone is thrown across the room at record-breaking speed, destroying it. You barely seem surprised.

The silence that takes over the room gives Peter time to look you over. What you're wearing today has to be lingerie... just enough is left to the imagination and it's hypnotising. The way the slightest movement makes you look, the up and down of your chest as you breathe, how you look walking closer to him. Wait, walking closer??

His eyes snap up to meet yours as you walk over to him.

"Take me out tonight" You lean down to his eye level. The eye contact you hold is intense. So much is communicated through facial expressions. Peter's mind repeats your statement over and over, making sure he actually heard the right thing.

"Where?"

"Anywhere near an Apple Store so we can get you a new phone" you wink.

Smoking hot date, check.

Carefully picked out outfit, check.

Cute but comfortable makeup, check.

Get Peter a new phone before the date actually starts, check.

You and Peter are now slowly making your way down the Vegas Strip. With the ending goal in mind to find someplace interesting to eat. You walked past many many different restaurants but nothing that made you stop walking.

Peter's hand holds yours loosely, the hot weather unsuitable for real hand-holding. He's wearing a light pink shirt with flamingos and flowers patterned around it, obviously, he hadn't packed a "date shirt" before leaving New York and bought it at his hotel. His legs are barely hidden away by his short jeans short that have numerous rips in them... God you want to bite his thighs.

"You're staring at my legs again" You can hear him smirking through the tone of his voice.

"Oh shut up!" you knock your shoulder onto his arm with a laugh.

"It's fine this most likely compensates for the number of times I've at your boobs... or your ass... or anything really when you have a bikini on" he gestures with his free hand to you. Most likely visualising a bikini on you now.

"Mh, that's true... I'll keep staring then!" you smile proudly winking at him. His face and neck flush pink as he ducks his head. He's so fun to tease always so responsive.

Conversation is easy. It always is. Your personalities mesh together perfectly which makes hanging out with him so fun.

This being more officially a date has put weight on both of your shoulders. Somehow, it's made a sliver of anxiety surround the both of you. It must mean you both want this date to go well; to have many more after.

"Oh! How about hot dogs?" Peter points to a small restaurant to his left.

"Those are probably, like funky hot dogs... I'm down, let's go!" you tug him towards Haute Doggery.

You're both greeted by a woman behind the counter when you walk in. The place is small, with four two-person tables and a high counter along one of the only bare walls. That said it's cosy and inviting so you're immediately excited.

"Wow! A foot-long hog dog??" Peter gasps as he reads the menu. You giggle at his reaction now reading the menu yourself. So many options to choose from... "Want to share two regular-sized speciality ones?"

"Only if we get fries" you nod seriously, now choosing a hot dog to share with him.

"I definitely want to try the mac and cheese one" Peter looks away from the menu to meet your eyes.

"Good choice! I saw we get that one and the breakfast one, I can never say no to hash browns"

Once you receive your order you make your way to one of the tables, ready to absolutely dig in. Peter takes the time to precisely cut in half both hot dogs and gives you your pieces.

"Cheers!" you say knocking your half with his before taking a generous bite of the breakfast delight.

"So this is my room!" Peter shuffles inside his hotel room before holding the door open for you.

The room is nothing crazy. One queen bed in. the middle, a dresser with a tv on top of it, grey carpet flooring, pinkish walls, a bathroom and a balcony overlooking the pools and the waterpark.

You make your way over to his freshly made bed: thank you housekeeping. You sit down on it beckoning Peter over to you. He toes off his shoes in a hurry before practically lunging at the spot next to you. Cute.

"Had fun, cutie?" you look at him with seductive eyes and a warm smile. You want him to be putty in your hands.

Peter reacts immediately to the name you call him, blushing and wide-eyed.

"Yeah, you're easy to talk to and really sex- I mean smart. Really smart." his words seem to be tumbling out of his mouth in a panic.

"Babes, calm down!! You can compliment me. Physically too" you smack his chest feeling the firm muscle of his peck.

He only nods as an answer but keeps his eyes locked with yours. You're the one to break the eye contact to glance at his lips. You want to kiss him so bad...

"Can I kiss you?" Peter might be a mind reader.

"Please" is what you answer.

Kissing Peter is immediately addicting. He's so enthusiastic, kisses like his life depends on it. His left hand goes to your back and his right cradles your jaw. Your own move around his body. Gripping his muscles, tangling in his hair, slipping under his shirt. You're having a great time exploring his body.

You bite his bottom lip playfully, tugging it towards you and it makes Peter moan in delight.

"You're so hot, I'm going insane" he mumbles between desperate kisses.

You only hum in answer wrapping your arms around his neck and pulling him down above you. His body is so warm against yours like he's on fire. You tug off his shirt, to help him cool down is what you tell yourself.

"I know I see you without a shirt more than with one but this is so much sexier" you trail your fingers all. over. him.

Peter turns you onto your side to unzip your romper. His lips never leave yours, the contact staying feverish and fast. It's like he wants to eat you whole. Maybe he does, you'd let him.

The shrill sound of your ringtone startles you, causing you to knock your chin into Peter's nose as you look up.

He groans as you reach to silence the (incredibly rude) device. Unfortunately, your index has other plans and presses the accept call button.

"Y/N?" Xiomara... This can only mean bad news.

"I know you're on a date and I'm so incredibly sorry to be doing this. I just went into labour and you're literally in the hotel somewhere..." Her voice is strained and you breathe out in exasperation.

Peter's head drops into the crook of your neck. His hands don't start roaming, they travel, map your body out. Every single inch of skin he can reach. Inside the romper, your face, legs, arms... Anything and everything.

"I... I don't have a bikini" you manage to say.

"I really don't care what you wear. Actually, you know what I don't care about the bar right now never mind" She hangs up immediately.

"Thank fuck for that" Peter exclaims dragging the rest of your romper off.

You laugh as he readily gets back to what he was doing. His lips on yours, guided your hands into his hair and hips bucking into yours.

Yeah, this is so much better than taking over "Cheeky Chicks" for the evening.

#peter parker x reader #peter parker #tom holland spiderman #mcu spiderman #spiderman #peter x reader #tom holland x reader

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phenomenalgirl9 · 2 years ago

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Taehyung x Reader: Stand down

Summary: All you wanted was to keep on your job as an agent and fend for your child. But, a certain fellow agent made it difficult for you. However, fate has different plans.

A/n: Been holding onto this for sometime now

Wc: 5.7k (ish)

_____________________________________

You've worked under Mr. Bang for almost 20 years now, ever since he found you fleeing through the streets of Daegu when you were 13, trying to run away from child care services. He took you in, he treated you as his own. He helped you learn self defense, then weapons. He fed you, clothed you, nurtured you and made you his most prized agent, he never made it seem like he did a favor on you. He was the person whom you'd consider as a father. He was there for you and he trusted you. He was there for you even when you got pregnant and decided to keep the baby. Your little baby girl Bora, he loved her to pieces and she called him Grandpa.

When you got back to work after your pregnancy, (he gave you a 6 months leave after pregnancy, he gave it to all his female agents) and you were looking for babysitters who could be trusted he offered to look after her while you worked, it's not like either of you had any other family to turn to anyway.

If you had to say you were one of the best agents of Bangtan, one would call you guys hired goons but you all are "hireable agents". The other best agent being your mortal rival Kim Taehyung. The sassy bitch who thinks he's so good at everything. "Now, now, don't fight, it wasn't either of your faults. The one who is to blame here is the person who gave false intel. I'll send in an agent to it, you both go back" Mr. Bang said. You walked to the nursery he had set up for Bora and found the girl sleeping. You picked her up and exited through the back door and kept her in the back seat and were near the driver's door when you heard footsteps and your hand hovered over your gun, before putting it back down.

"What do you want?" You asked bitterly. "What's with the venom in your voice? Anyway, the next time Mr. Bang appoints you and I in the same unit, ask him not to" he said glaring at you. "Why me? Don't you have a mouth of your own?" You taunted him. You want to get into the car and just drive off but you can't, he would see Bora the moment you opened the door, he can't right now cause the windows are all tinted. Actually nobody knows about her, you, Mr. Bang and your best friend Jungkook, considering that would be for the best for safety reasons.

"Fine. Whatever" he said and walked to a different direction. Dumb man, you muttered as you got inside the car and drove away. It's not like any one can be excluded from the team. The team alpha of Bangtan, Jungkook, Jimin, Taehyung and you, Mr. Bang's most trusted agents. You reached your apartment and punched in the numbers and set the sleeping Bora down on her bed and decided to get fresh and check schedules.

Tomorrow you had a special mission, an assassination, after a long time. You checked the blue prints and the plan that Seokjin sent you. You sighed and heard your phone ring, "Namjoon. Ssup?" you said,

-Yeah. I think we should assign 3 more people to your squad, it'll help and ensure the safe escape, incase Plan A goes cheese.

(That's the way you guys talk cause Mr. Bang says saying the 'F' word is unlucky)

I was thinking the same thing, okay I'll text them.

-Just call them

Why don't you do it then?

-Fine. Be careful, okay?

Yeah Joon.

And you hung up.

"Mama~" you heard Bora call you running to where you were sitting. "Yes bubba?" You said eyes still on the blue prints, when you heard silence and looked at her. She just stood there, with her hands in the air. You smiled at her antics and picked her up and placed her on your lap and repeated "yes bubba?". "Does it hurt?" She asked, pointing at the drying wound on your cheek. "nope, it's okay, it's healing" you said amused at your child's concern. "Wah. Grandpa said Mama is strong. She will always protect Bora '' she said. "Grandpa is right. Mama will always protect Bora." You said, patting her head. At this Bora stepped down off your lap and ran to her room. You shook your head and went back to look through the papers. When you heard her come back, with a..... Lightsaber? "Bora where-" before you could answer.

"From now, Bora will also proteck Mama!" She said, A pan on her head and towel tied around her neck. And you knew where this was coming from. Yet you asked "Bora? Where did you get the lightsaber?"

"Uncle Kookie" she said with a wide smile and you shook your head and smiled.

_____________________________________

The next morning you, dropped Bora at Mr. Bang's and went to the Bangtan house. "Jungkook, did all 8 of them report?" you asked as you took the tab from his hand and made sure the last moment arrangements were okay. One by one the agents piled in, and you set off for your destination, Taehyung's van hot in pursuit.

As you reached, you two made no eye contact. Jungkook and his assistant Jimin, nod at each other, and the two squads sneak inside the building through two pathways. As your group sneaked directly in, Taehyung's squad took the Fire exit route.

"Something's wrong" you said as soon as you and your squad reached the floor. "Why, the blueprints match," Jungkook said. "The guards," Taehyung said through the intercom.

"Shit! They know! Retrea-" Y/n was interrupted but the sound of a bullet going off.

"Incoming!" You screamed, and everyone jumped to get cover. "GET INTO THE LIFTs NOW!" Taehyung exclaimed as he jumped in through the fire exit. By then you were actively shooting the attackers hidden among the pillars.

"Y/n!" Jungkook screamed, as a bullet straight hit your arm, you turned the direction and shot two shots towards the rascal who hit you and he dropped.

Taehyung and Jungkook rushed to your side as Jimin guarded and kept shooting as the four of you walked into the elevator. "Y/n are you fine?!" Jungkook exclaimed. He asked as you were wearing a black shirt and the blood blotch can't be seen. You let out a shaky breath and suddenly all your phones started buzzing like crazy. Jimin pulled him out and was stunned. "The base is under attack," he said. "FUCK! THIS WAS ALL A SET UP" Taehyung screamed. You all immediately rushed out "Taehyung take Y/n!" You looked at Taehyung and he nodded at you, as the two of you climbed onto his motorbike.

Neither of you uttered a word, the base was at a secluded part and you were on a different side of the city. "FUCK FUCK FUCK" was all your mind can think. Mr Bang and Bora, you prayed they both were safe. Most of the agents were out for work today, only the basic security team were there. This means it was planned, it's an assassination. You tried your best to not let your worst thoughts intrude your mind.

As soon as you and Tae reach the gate, you find it open wide. The security all on the ground. You ran your way inside and shouted "Mr Bang! MR BANG!" You screamed as you passed finding most of the security shot. You were trembling by the time you reached the door to Mr Bang's room. You never noticed Taehyung and Jungkook who were already behind you. Jungkook pushed you aside and unlocked his guns safety and pushed the door open to only freeze on spot. You rushed in behind him to see, Mr Bang on the floor. A shot on his forehead and one on his chest. You stood there stunt tears stinging your eyes, you frantically ran out of the room, as Taehyung and Jungkook rushed to check if there was any chance he was alive, just if-

You ran towards the nursery and shouted "Bora!" But, didn't get an answer. Your hands were shaking as more tears spilled your eyes. "Bora! BORA!!" you cried out loud. Taehyung surprised at your sudden outburst of the unfamiliar. "Ahjussi!! Bora!!" You cried tears running out in streams as you crashed onto your knees. "Y/n" Taehyung held your shoulder and didn't know what to say or ask when Jungkook screamed "Y/n!!! Y/n, in here! Quick!!"

Y/n stood up and ran and found Jungkook sticking his ear on the wall behind Mr Bang's chair and desk. Mr Bang's secret chamber! You thought and rushed to the opposite wall and opened the starry night painting revealing the keypad. You put in the password and the door slid open. "Bo-bora?" Jungkook asked in a low-soft voice. "Uncle Kookie!" Bora called and Jungkook walked in, and in the queue you rushed in and picked your baby girl in your arms, kissing her cheek. "Bora bubba, are you okay?" You asked in tears. "Yes mama~" she said, wiping your eyes. You didn't see it but Taehyung's (who was standing and watching you hug a child and Jungkook patting the kid's head) eyes went wide.

"Bubba you go home with Uncle Kookie, mama will join you in a while" you said, patting her head and looking at Jungkook. He nodded his head and picked up Bora, covering her eyes and walking out. By then the rest of the hit team were there. Namjoon, Jin, Jimin, Hoseok (who was busy on another assignment that night), And Taehyung watched in awe as they saw Jungkook carry a child outside the room, through the fire exit. They got more confused when she shouted "Bye mama" and they all looked at you for answers.

"She's my daughter," you said. And you watched all of their eyes go wide, and you added "Just mine". You didn't notice, but Taehyung seemed to take a sigh of relief. "When you went to Seoul 4 years ago and stayed for 2 years. Was it-" Hoseok was hesitating to ask. "Yes. I was pregnant, but I was also setting up the small office there. Helped Mr Bang's nephew and all. I didn't want anyone to know. Only Jungkook knew and of course Mr Bang knew too" you explained. "You did what you thought was the best. Don't worry, now we'll all be more aware and careful" Namjoon said and you walked and dropped beside Mr Bang's now lifeless body. "Mr Bang? I'm so sorry and thankful to you" you managed to let out and broke down, the 5 others came to their knees beside and behind you. "Thank you for saving me all those years ago, you were the closest person I had to a father. Thank you for teaching me everything. Thank you for supporting me, for saving my baby. Mr Bang! How will I repay you" you said and completely broke down. Someone immediately embraced you, you were too grieved to notice it was Taehyung who jumped and hugged you. Hoseok and Jin patted you head and back, as they all wiped their tears. He was a fatherly figure to all of you, he took all of you in at certain times of your lives.

"Y/n! Jimin! Mr Bang!" A sound came from outside, and a pale cat-like man came running to the door frame, you all looked as he entered the room and went paler. You stood up and walked to him and embraced him. The last piece of the hit team, the one who handled all and every legal matter of Bangtan, Min Yoongi. "I can't believe he's gone" he just said.

"I will find whoever did this" You said, leaving the embrace and wiping your eyes. "We're with you," Seokjin said.

"I-I have his will" Yoongi revealed "We need to go through that as soon as things are sorted here".

"His nephew is already on the way," you said. The room was silent in your apartment, it was a rare sight to see all of you in one place and the place to be silent. Come to think of it, this was the first time the others ever came to your house, as you all always met at Mr Bang's but staying there became too much. Everyone just sat there staring at a distance, except Yoongi and Namjoon, one was working with papers and the other was on his laptop, these workaholics and their dumb coping mechanisms, you thought. Soon you received a text and you texted back to your floor. You whispered to Jungkook who was sitting beside you to open the door. "Y/n" your name sounded from a voice coming from the door, the voice had a different accent, which became clear as he uttered "oh my god, are you guys okay??"

"Chris!" You said, standing up and he opened his arms inviting you into them. "I couldn't protect him, Chris! I'm so sorry!" You said sobbing again. "It's not your fault. Please don't blame yourself" Chris said, stroking your head. Only Jin noticed the way Taehyung gritted his teeth and tightened his fists. "Where are the others?" You asked as you let go. "I brought Minho and Jisung with me, the others are minding the office there, but they can come for any emergency alert, I have full plans ready for all that. But, where is Bora?" Chris asked. "She's sleeping in the room" Jungkook said and he nodded. "I wish we would be meeting under different circumstances but anyways, this is our hit team" you said introducing everyone, one by one, "guys this is Christopher Bang, Mr Bang's nephew" you said.

"Now that everybody is here, it's time to read the will" Yoongi said. And eveyone nodded and took a seat. "First the assets he had, alot, he left 2% each for the Namjoon, Jin, Hoseok, Jimin, Taehyung, Jungkook and Myself. 35% to Y/n, 35% to Chris and the rest 16% to Bora" he said and you eyes went wide, "She can access 3% of it when she's 15, 6% went she starts college and the rest after she's 22" Yoongi added. "Now, the gang will be a bit reorganized. Y/n will be replaced by Taehyung as the chief agent. Chris will remain the head of the Seoul office and expand it and Y/n will sit as the head now. As his-" Yoongi stopped to take a breath, "As his daughter, his heir" you covered your mouth in shock. You were sure Chris would be the head, you looked at him and he was looking at you, his eyes seemed proud. "You deserve it, Y/n-ah" Jungkook said, shaking you. "Now, we find who-" Jimin started but was interrupted by Namjoon saying "Found it!". Everyone jumped at his sudden outburst. "What happened Joon?" Jin asked. "I got the coordinates of the IP that leaked out our information," Namjoon said, turning the screen. Taehyung immediately put them in his phone and said. "It's somewhere in Gyeonggi-do," he said. "Send it to me, I'll ask my men to go there and bring him here" Chris said. Taehyung looked at you but you nodded at him. "You all rest, you all look too tired, especially Y/n" Chris said and Jin nodded. "Lets spread out in the room and Y/n go to bed" he said. "I'll join Bora in her room. A few of you take my room and others get blankets and adjust here" you said. You really were tired, with a last hug Chris went to check on the mansion as the rest found places to settle.

_____________________________________

You received a call, it was hardly 7 in the morning "Yeah?" You answered "okay" you replied and woke yourself up. You called Jungkook and put him on Bora duty as you contemplated whom to call, as if on cue Taehyung got up from the couch. "I'll go" he just said, "Fine" you muttered, as you couldn't help but notice his chiseled abs that he was covering up by doing his buttons. You mentally scolded yourself for that. The whole ride was silent. As soon as you reached you saw a very known face on the ground. "YOU!" you screamed and rushed up the stairs and kicked the man on the chest as he rolled back with a scream.

"We found these with him," Felix said, pointing at a laptop that Namjoon is currently on. "When did you get here?" You asked. "A few minutes before you" you nodded and said "Get him on the chair" and put your hair in a bun. As if mechanically Felix and Jisung picked the bound man up and dragged him to the free chair and placed him on it. You walked behind Namjoon and asked him what he found only for him to say that it was all encrypted and the code isn't hackable.

You strided off to the man and pulled him by his hair to face him upwards. "WHAT. IS. THE. CODE. Park?" only for him to laugh, showing his bloody teeth, probably received from Chris or Felix. "Answer her" Taehyung said and pinched his ear, both of you held strong as the man struggled and screamed. "Chris" you called and signaled him. Taehyung and Chris now hit and pinched the man questioning him. As you called Felix behind Namjoon. "Did he have anything else around him? Any scanner?" You asked. And Felix shook his head a No. "Y/n! His fingers" Namjoon suddenly said and you looked at the Laptop to find a fingerprint scanner. "Boys bring him here" you said and they tried one by one and it did open. "You can't kill me. Else you won't get the fingerprint. It's encoded on every level with my thumb and it is needed multiple times" he said and cracked up and a gun went off. Everyone looked at you and then at the silent man, who is now quite dead with a bullet on his forehead "Thank you for the information". "Y/n?" Chris, Namjoon and Taehyung said at the same time. "Felix. Chop off that bastard's finger and store it in the freezer, take a print of it first though. Namjoon, decode that damn thing. I gotta get my daughter ready for school" you said and walked off, getting an agent to drive you home.

"She killed him?" Namjoon uttered after you left. "She's never hit any vitals of anyone who hasn't attacked her" Taehyung said, finally letting the dead corpse down as Chris did the same. All shocked at the fact that you killed someone and didn't even blink.

As your car went Park's words ran on your mind 'information is always sellable on the market as long as you can buy it' he had said to Felix when he asked who bought him off. You closed your eyes and breathed in and out. "You're almost home, Bora mustn't see you like that".

You walked to your apartment and walked in to find Bora playing with Jungkook and Jimin, as Jin and Hoseok were cooking in the kitchen. You walk in and you find him packing lunch in Bora's lunch box.

Mr Bang’s funeral was held three days after he died, it was closed off, only the rituals and the agents. You were introduced to them as their new leader.

"Mama!" Bora ran to you and hugged your legs. You patted your daughter's head and said "Bubba lets get you ready for school" you told her and she started blabbering, making you smile. "You know, uncle Jimin and uncle Hobi are so fun. Uncle Jin made yummy lunch for Bora" she went on, happy to meet new uncles. You felt happy that she had more people in her life, but at what cost, is what you thought. When you went back to the mansion with Junkook, Jimin, Hoseok, Jin and the food, you found Felix sleeping on the couch and Taehyung, Chris and Namjoon huddled in front of that laptop screen. "What did you find?" you asked them. "What the fuck! Who killed JYP?" Hoseok exclaimed as soon as he entered the room. "I did, he cheated us. Call some agents and get this removed" you said. "On it" Jimin said and walked out. "The Chois" is what Taehyung utter when he looked up. Your blood started boiling, the Chois had a contract with Mr Bang to not interfere with the affairs of bangtan. “These RASCALS” you said “Jungook, call the alpha team” as you started leaving the room while bringing out your gun and checking it. “Y/n! No” Chris and Taehyung said at the same time. “Are you crazy!” Chris said. “You will get yourself killed! What about Bora? Us? Think of what’s at stake before you act up".

“Ah! FUCK!” you cursed and sat down on the top step of the stairs, hand on your head. FInally letting it all out, letting the tears fall. “Mr Bang. How could I let this happen” Jungkook and Hoseok rushed to hug you from both sides. You felt another weight on your back and it's probably Jimin. “He loved all of us so much. He loved Bora so much. SHe was asking if she could play with Grandpa today! What will I tell her?!” you sobbed, tears flowed endlessly. All the others were crying by then. “Let's take them down,” Taehyung said, finally coming in front of you and wiping away your tears. You looked up at him, his eyes wet but he had a look of determination in his face. There was no facade in that look, no ego, no sarcasm, it’s like it's a complete different Kim Taehyung. “We are all in this together” he said. “And you are boss” Chris said from behind “You’re supposed to lead us and take care of us and we’ll protect you and each other and Bora” He added and you nodded your head. You looked around at all these people along with the once working around the house, these are your people now. “Let’s do this,” you said.

“I found these blueprints of their mansion,” Jin said and spread them out. “But we need someone to check if it's credible,” He said. “Let's send in two agents to check it out and we need the maintenance schedules of their house and locations of other safe houses” You said. “Let's put Hobi and Jisung on a look out. We'll know the people who visit regularly and will have the element of surprise. Thanks to Minho who has been his bodyguard undetected, we have so much information on him” Taehyung said, noting these down on the white board. In a white shirt that opens 2 buttons from the collar, messy hair, one hand stuck into the trouser and specs. He looked godly okay, and you couldn’t help but notice that. He suddenly looked towards you and your eyes met, a small smile enlightened his face and it reached yours too, this wasn’t the first time this happened. “So, we're ready with the plan apart from the authenticity of the blueprint, its not very essential but it's safer, we’ll see to that and Jin’s on Bora duty today, and we have a meeting with a dealer” Chris said. “I’m off then” Jin said as he winked and walked away and you shook your head. The boys adore your daughter, she also adores her, uncle Joonie, Jinie, Yooni, Hobi, Jiminie and Tata, she already loved Kookie.

You, Taehyung and Chris went to meet your arms dealer and struck new deals. Well you bought some more stuff than arms. Yes you bought off information, thanks to Taehyung. A few business and client meetings and you were done for the day.

“Y/n, I’ll drop you home, you didn’t bring your car right?” Chris said. “You don’t have to worry. Her house is on my way I’ll just drop her” Taehyung said and grabbed your hand as he started walking towards his motorbike. “Taehyung!” you whisper yelled. But he didn’t say a word. He picked up one of the helmets and put it on your head and secured it, then put his own and started the bike, and waited for you to mount it, the moment you did and held onto his shoulders he drove off.

“Will you say something?” You finally said, not being able to take in the silence. “He can’t hit on you” he said. “Sorry what?” you said. “I said, he isn’t allowed to hit on you. Only I can do that!” he grumbled. “What’s wrong with you?” you asked but he stayed silent, you didn’t even notice you were reaching your alley and he stopped the bike in front of your house and the two of you climbed down. “Do you like him?” he finally asked. “Whom? Chris?” you asked and Taehyung nodded. “Lord! NO!” you denied, “Then don’t let him flirt with you” Taehyung said. “What why? It doesn’t do any harm” you said smiling only to stop when you noticed his eyes, dark and deep, you averted your eyes and were about to walk away. “But it does! It harms and hurts me! Y/n, for the past few days I have been painfully obvious. Not like I wasn’t before that. Can you stop running and look at me” he said, grabbing your arm and pulling you to himself "Please, stop pushing me away" he almost sounded like he'd break any moment.

"Mama~ Tata~" a sound came running towards you two (literally) and hugged Taehyung's legs. "Bora!" He lighted up instantly and picked her up and walked inside giving you one last look and you stood there dumbfounded. "Ssup?" Jin said and was about to follow them but stopped to look at you. "What? Never been rejected by your own blood?" Jin asked jokingly. You still stood there and Jin started to worry "Y/n? What's wrong?"

"Jin, can I talk to you?" you asked and he nodded standing in front of you, giving you his full attention.

The two of you settled on a bench in the nearby park.

"Taehyung, he-" you stopped, you still couldn't say it. "Don't tell me he grew balls and confessed to you" Jin said being his normal self but you looked at him in shock. "Wait really??" He got excited, "Wait, I thought you liked him too, why are you in tears?" he asked. You didn't even notice you were crying until he said "I don't know, if this was before then it wouldn't have been a matter. But now? I can't jump into things, I have Bora" you said. "Did you see how she jumped Taehyung before you? She was literally talking about you and him. That's mostly all she talks about, and a little bit about Kookie and us. She adores him." Jin said. "And that's what I am afraid of. What if he decides he can't do it?" You said. "You've seen Taehyung grow up Y/n. He never talks without thinking, and he's loved you for so long, ALL OF YOU, then and now, all this time. He loves Bora too, you should see the way he looks at you both" Jin said, patting your head. "Now, let's go back, I'll cook something for all-" he was interrupted by the sound of his phone. …. "What? Fuck!" Jin said and looked at you "Okay!"

"Y/N quickly get your car and meet Taehyung at the alley behind your building. Quick!" Jin said amd rushed off. As you stood up and ran, thank god for Mr Bang made it your habit to always wear shoes in which you can run. You rushed into your parking lot and pulled out of it as fast as you could and rushed to the back alley. You noticed Taehyung walking towards the car and opened the door for him as he jumped inside and said "Drive Drive"

"Where is Bora?!" You asked and then got shocked to see his arm shot and bleeding. "She's with Jin Hyung. Drive quick" he said, and you did, you drove towards the mansion , "Not towards the mansion, if someone follows me, then they'll reach the mansion and Bora too" He said. You turned the car towards the Gyeongsan safe house.

"Will you be okay?" You asked. "It's not deep, the bullet just scratched me" he said and you shook your head. The sound of your phone broke the silence. "Receive it" you said, Taehyung put it on speaker. "Y/n! The Chois are running away, we'll miss our chance and we need to empty the mansion as well. What do I do" he said. And you harshly stopped the car. "Fuck!" You curse "wait" think Y/n, Think. "Get the plan into motion right now, call all agents and go full offense, send Bora to Seoul with Jin and Felix"

"Are you sure?" Taehyung asked, "What other choice do we have if we need to stop him from running away and the attacks, we have to. What if Minho gets into trouble? We need to do this. Now, Chris do it" you said, determinedly. "Ok boss, you both need to stay safe. Minho told me you have a tail" he warned. "Okay. You all be safe" you said, almost reaching the house and pulling inside the forest. You then helped Taehyung out and the two of you made your way through the forest. "There's someone following us, I just feel it" you said, and looked behind scanning the trees. You brought out your gun and took off the safety lock. "You stay here" you said. "Y/n you can't do that, get back" Taehyung barked. "I need to protect you. I can't lead people to the safe house" you whispered, Taehyung saw the determination in your eyes. He held your hand and pulled you to him, crashing his lips to yours, "come back to me safely, Bora would be waiting" He said as he pulled away. Your mind went black for a moment but you nodded. You had to protect him, and you will.

"I told you to not move!" You said as you ran and hugged him. "I hate you" you said as he held you tight with his unhurt arm. The two of you made your way towards the safe house.

You slowly crept towards the trees where you heard the sounds, one, two and three, there were three people, you had enough bullets but taking on three would be a bit difficult until, you heard Taehyung shoot a shot loudly. Why did this dummy take off his silencer? You thought, but then you realised. They all were distracted. You aimed and hit the one closest to you on the head and he dropped, then number two and down. Suddenly the last one looked back and pointed his gun at you, you were in his close range "fuck!" You cursed and were about to run to take cover, but the man dropped, showing a huffing Taehyung behind him.

You cleaned his wound and bandaged it. You had received word that Jin and Felix had left safely and the mission is on now, so you wait. You couldn't help but notice how chiselled his body was, you won't say you never imagined how his body would be like below those button up shirts. You now realise that the comments you thought were sarcastic, he actually made them to get a reaction from you. His comments you took to be teasing were actually him flirting. "A picture would last longer" he said, with a smirk, making you realize that you were indeed staring. You wanted to rub that smirk off his face and so you did the most intrusive thing that came to your mind. "Really?" You taunted, as you started unbuttoning your shirt, slowly one by one, you noticed him gulp and his eyes following every move of yours. You finally took it off and placed it on the counter and slowly walked towards him. He felt like a deer caught in the headlights, unlike the deers, it excited him.

You walk towards him in a tank top and jeans, damn his luck. You stood in front of him and fisted his hair, turning his face above towards you and kissed him roughly. You let him know all you feelings through that one kiss. How you've been in love with him for so long, how his words always got to you, how you felt hurt and hooked up with someone when he had declared that he was dating someone else. How you felt now, with all these pent up feelings. He immediately held your waist and brought you down on his lap. Your hands roamed his bare body and flicked his nippled as he moaned inside your mouth. You locked your hands behind him and hugged him as you made out. Tae pulled away and attacked your neck. "You mine" he growled as he hit a specific place that made you moan and he made sure to leave marks. Soon you tank top came off, as Taehyung went in awe seeing you. "You're so beautiful" he whispered as he dove to kiss you.

_____________________________________

You heard your phone ring and sat up, a heavy arm still on your waist.

"It's done, the Leader is down, we've set a meeting with his three sons to discuss the new terms of business" Chris said. "Oh my god. Thank god, everyone is safe right?" You asked. "Yeah a few are hurt but nothing much. He did send forces to attack us, but thanks to your timely response we evaded them and found him on time." He said and you laughed, you finally hung up saying you'll see them all at Yoongi's the next day.

_____________________________________

7 months later

Later that night, you went in to switch off the lights in Bora's room, when you find Taehyung sleeping beside her, a story book in hand. You smiled at the two, the two most important people of your life, whom you'd protect at all cost.

"Mama~" Bora asked, "Yes Bubba" you said, still planning out the business on the table with Namjoon and Hoseok as Tae and Jungkook played with Bora on the ground. "Can Tata stay with Bora and Mama always?" she asked you. "Always" Taehyung beat you to it and pulled Bora in a hug and said, patting her head. "Tata will always be there for Mama and Bora".

_____________________________________

Other works

Taglist: @back2bluesidex

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the-stars-in-between · 1 month ago

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So I wrote a little something for Zoro's birthday but there was a part that didn't fit what i wanted for the story. It's not really finished but i didn't want to leave it in my unfinished projects graveyard so it's yours now. Enjoy! And if you want you can always read the real story on AO3. I'll post it in a few days when I'm done.

Walking Home

When Zoro walked down the stairs of the school after his last class of the day, he didn’t expect his friends to be waiting for him at their usual picnic table in the courtyard. It was the perfect table, shaded by a large tree in the summer and far enough away to not be disturbed by the stream of students.

(Luffy had bitten a kid who sat there once, no one else had dared after that.)

Everyone usually dispersed on Monday nights, Usopp to join the art club, Nami to make out with Vivi by the river, and Sanji to help his father at the restaurant. Luffy was more of a wild card, as likely to sneak into the zoo to fight crocodiles or stay behind at school to chat with Principal Jinbei.

Zoro himself took advantage of this evening to go train at the dojo with Kuina but she had a medical appointment tonight and training wasn't nearly as fun without her.

But tonight, they were all here—waiting for him. Vivi was the first to notice him, her gold bracelets clicking against each other on her wrist, catching the sun’s rays as she gave him a big wave. Zoro’s smile widened slightly as he walked over to his friends, the sound of Luffy sipping loudly from his juice box audible from across the courtyard.

“How’s the birthday boy?” Usopp asked as Zoro set his gym bag down at his feet.

“Still the same as I was at noon,” Zoro replied amused. “What are you guys doing here?”

“We just thought we could walk home together tonight,” Vivi smiled. “Take a detour downtown to get a waffle. My treat.”

“Sweet,” Zoro agreed.

He had nothing to do tonight and didn't particularly want to return to his empty apartment anytime soon. The loneliness didn't bother him that much, not when he spent more time at Luffy's and his brothers' or with his friends than at home, but something about his birthday made the atmosphere feel strange.

"Yeah!" Luffy cheered brightly as he jumped up from the table, his flip-flops hitting the concrete heavily. "Let's go."

Luffy grabbed Zoro’s hand and dragged him out of the school, everyone following behind them. The wind stirred up fiery-colored leaves around them, ones that crackled with a satisfying sound underfoot. Usopp and Luffy stopped to jump into each pile of leaves and Nami pulled out her phone to take pictures. She called it blackmail material but Zoro had seen her creating a photo album on her old computer.

“How was your math class?” Sanji asked, walking beside him.

“A little boring,” Zoro admitted. “I’m not sure I understood everything.”

He wouldn’t admit it under any circumstances, even under torture, but he sometimes missed Sanji’s presence in class. They weren’t in the same class anymore since Zoro had repeated his first year and the cook hadn’t.

Even after spending the hour exchanging familiar squabbles and sarcastic (and often mean) comments about their classmates, Sanji somehow always understood the lesson and took the time to explain it to Zoro when he asked.

“I can help you,” Sanji offered, lighting a cigarette now that they were far away from the school.

“That’s suspicious, what do you want?” Zoro retorted, his brow furrowed.

“I’m just trying to help you, asshole. Do you really want to spend five years in high school?” Sanji replied with practiced ease.

“Sanji! Don't be mean to Zoro on his birthday,” Nami interjected.

"Yes, my sweetness," Sanji replied as Zoro's smug smile grew.

A smile that faded when Nami added. “Wait until tomorrow before reminding him of his academic failure.”

“I don't know why I'm friends with you!” Zoro shouted at the witch.

“You love us!” Usopp and Nami replied in unison, exchanging an amused look.

“Unfortunately,” Zoro mumbled, kicking a chestnut that ended up in the gutter.

Zoro shoved his hands in his pockets and continued straight ahead. At the last moment, Nami's arm intertwined with his, pulling him in a different direction.

"We turned," Nami pointed out in false exasperation, without letting go of his arm. "You really aren't paying attention to where you're going. We should put you on a leash."

"Look, I caught a pigeon!" Luffy shouted as he ran towards Usopp, Sanji and Vivi with a pigeon in his hands.

The poor animal flapped its wings in desperation, trying to fly away and escape, but Zoro knew it was useless. When Luffy had you, he didn’t let go. The commotion attracted the attention of passersby, and Nami hid her head in Zoro's shoulder.

"Luffy too," Nami groaned. "It's impossible to go out with you."

"You should consider putting your girlfriend on a leash too," Zoro pointed out, smirking. "But I bet she'd like that."

Cheeks flushing, Nami slapped Zoro on the shoulder. That didn't change the fact that Zoro was right, while Sanji was hiding behind Usopp, Vivi was petting the pigeon and talking to it in a low voice.

"I'm sure she's already adopting it," Zoro mocked. "I can see it from here, she's going to call it Carue and it’ll sleep with you every night."

"Luffy!" Nami called out in horror, realizing the truth in Zoro's words. "Let the pigeon go, these critters are full of diseases."

Luffy and Vivi turned to Nami, batting their eyelashes in a pleading manner. "Please, can we keep him? Please, please, please?"

"No," Nami replied firmly. "Luffy, what will your grandfather say if he comes home and there's a pigeon in your apartment?"

It was a low blow, but it was necessary. Ace and Sabo certainly weren't going to stop Luffy from bringing yet another stray animal to their apartment (yes, Zoro was included in those strays). It had taken Nami weeks to convince Luffy to bring the dugong back to the marine biologists.

(So far, no one knew how a dugong ended up so far from its natural habitat, but the local aquarium had paid for Luffy's plane ticket to bring his friend back to Australia.)

"Nami is no fun," Luffy pouted with his head down after releasing the pigeon. “Boo!”

"Boo!" Vivi added, sticking her tongue out.

"Don't forget to wash your hands before you eat," Nami ignored them as she walked past them.

#one piece #roronoa zoro #zoro's birthday #high school au #straw hat pirates #my writing

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yunessa · 2 months ago

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Owlcatober 31: Funeral

Not spoilery much but you'll want to look away Dujour and read this excerpt later down the line.

“They didn’t need to be so rude.” Finnean said. The Pathfinder’s voice had turned sour.

“They weren’t being rude. Galfrey surprised everyone with that appointment to Knight Commander. We didn’t even have a chance to see the funds she gave us.” Yunessa rested a hand on Finnean’s hilt. “I can’t read all the documents and gather up all the reports myself- not if we need to start moving tomorrow.”

“They could have been nicer.” Finnean complained. He’d woken up when Yunessa had entered the tent.

“Let them fuss over paperwork. Commanders don’t need paperwork.” Woljif scoffed.

“They need it. It’s like a funnel . All the important stuff goes up to the top.” Lann’s eyes were moving. Being aboveground underneath the open sky seemed to agree with Lann. “And the Commander needs to do stuff like this. Our tribe’s chief would oversee the important stuff because if he isn’t there, everyone sees it.”

“By the time we’re back everything will have been set up.” Yunessa glanced ahead of them as Ember skipped through puddles, laughing gaily as Soot flew overhead. “We need people to understand the chain of command we’ve set or everyone will crowd me and I’ll be overwhelmed. Irabeth’s people will be trustworthy and can fill those positions well while she uses the money the queen left to hire additional crusaders and funds.”

“With that established, we’re sending our scouts ahead of us in the morning and we’ll head out the day after. It doesn’t sound like it is as work as it seems but Daeran was right- the queen left us soldiers but…” Yunessa stole a look towards Daeran. The Aasimar had tried his charms on Sosiel but his charms- if one could call the flirtatious words he offered up to Sosiel anything were roundly rejected.

“In short we were given a handful of soldiers, some money, and pretty words to help us traverse over one thousand, eight hundred furlongs through territory we haven’t held in well over a decade.” Daeran’s smile was sardonic.

“Which means no maintained roads, forests to traverse and if what Quartermaster Garms said was true, blades of grass that can cut through normal leather boots.” Yunessa guessed.

Sosiel had moved ahead of the group to be closer to Ember as they discussed their plans. And the trip to the graveyard was peaceful. Yunessa was feeling in good spirits as they spotted the tall opened gates of the cemetery ahead. It felt like they were finally starting to understand the reins of command they’d been given.

The funeral was full of mourners. Elves, gnomes, humans, tieflings and many more mingled in the cemetery. So many new graves had been dug, and so many ashes burned that this section of the cemetery was just for the members of the various churches that had died.

News of Yunessa’s appointment had spread like lightning and Sosiel had instructed Yunessa on the right resorts to pay. At each section a handful of dirt would be taken and cast over the open graves with words said- any words that felt right Sosiel assured Yunessa.

The first area they went to belonged to Shelyn;s church, ancient trees and plants oversaw their quiet charges, casting cold shadows on the ground as the sun began to slowly set. If it weren’t for the heartbreaking sounds of the present mourners, it might have felt peaceful.

An elderly man threw a handful of soil over a box so small it could have held shoes. He held together his shaking hands. “My poor granddaughter,” His voice was hoarse as he spoke, clasping his hands together. “A whole life was ahead of you. You were so young…” Tears ran down his weathered face. “But you sacrificed it all for an old cripple like me. Dear Calix. My dear Calix.” His shoulder shook as his words faded to silence, absorbed by his grief.

Yunessa threw a handful of dirt into a grave and an elven woman stood next to them, her face wet with tears. Her red eyes were bloodshot, her lips quivering. “He painted.” She began. “He painted and he was the best painter in this world. But it’s all gone. Him, our house, - it all burned and now there’s nothing left to remember him by.” Her sobs sounded broken, her fingers digging into her arms. “My life, my whole heart! Gone, gone and stolen by fire.”

The grave next to Yunessa had dirt tossed into it. A young man looked down at a sealed urn. His lips trembled but his face remained stoic as he looked down. After a long moment he exhaled slowly, stepping away from the grave to watch it from the walkway.

Yunessa heard Sosiel’s voice turning to see the cleric standing in front of four open graves. His breathing sounded strained as the cleric struggled. He wiped at his teary ees before he spoke. His voice was soft but his words were sincere. “I wish you a warm welcome in Shelyn’s realm. We will win this war, I swear to you. We’ll banish this ugliness and evil, make the world richer and let peace blossom in it. We’ll make sure anything like this… this…” He broke off, sobbing and unable to finish what he was saying.

Lan stood in the shadows underneath the tree watching the funeral. Ember and Daeran were farther away from the mourners, and Yunessa saw Soot as the raven perched on the closest tree. Woljif watched the funeral from a nearby grave, tail twitching as he watched the mourners.

Yunessa grabbed another handful of dirt, throwing it into the graves of Sosiel’s friends. “Thank you for everything you’ve done for us.” They said simply. Sosiel didn’t glance to Yunessa, but a nearby elven man nodded in approval.

“They were good people. I can’t believe they’re gone.” Sosiel wiped at his face. “It doesn’t feel real…”

“Gabrei- no. What is that?” An elven woman shrieked, falling backwards. The sheer horror in her voice disrupted the mournful atmosphere. Everyone turned as the elven woman pointed to an open grave.

A pale, bloated hand grasped the edge of the ground and pulled itself out. The smell of horrid corpse stench wafted from its rotting body as it uttered an unnatural croaking noise.

“Zombie, run!”

#pathfinder #pathfinder: wrath of the righteous #pwtor pals #owlcatober #owlcatober 2024

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beeeinyourbonnet · 6 months ago

Text

Covetous | Chapter 17

Pairing: Nostelle

Summary: Father Joseph MacAvoy wakes up in a library across town with no idea of how he got there. When the kind librarian doesn’t kick him out immediately, he considers that maybe there’s more to life than alcohol.

[chapter 1] [chapter 2] [chapter 3] [chapter 4] [chapter 5] [chapter 6] [chapter 7] [chapter 8] [chapter 9] [chapter 10] [chapter 11] [chapter 12] [chapter 13] [chapter 14] [chapter 15] [chapter 16]

[read on ao3]

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Friday couldn’t come fast enough. Belle spent the week planning crafts and ordering supplies, grateful she’d have two extra hands to put to work the day before their storybook crafting weekend.

Kaz had come around the same time every day to have a snack and nap through a movie. Unfortunately, Coach Gaston had also come every day, and it didn’t matter what Belle said, he did not seem to take a hint.

“Do you wear perfume?” he asked on Wednesday.

“Yes,” she said.

“Did John get it for you?”

“It’s Joe.”

“Joe, right, sorry.”

She tried to keep him at arm’s length, but on Thursday, he caught her dragging boxes of supplies into a reading room and was helping her before she could even deny his offer. When he followed her into the room, she realized he was muscular enough to block the whole doorway, trapping her in with him.

He set his box on the table with a dramatic grunt, like he hadn’t just seen her do the same.

“Why don’t you let me carry the rest of these in?” he asked.

“I appreciate your help, but I can handle it.”

“Come on.” He leaned on the frame, and watching him from where she was caged in, she understood why Kaz disappeared any time he came into view. She had read him the second she’d seen him, and Belle wished she’d done the same.

“It’s not much left, Clive.”

“I don’t want you to hurt yourself.” He folded his arms like he was settling in to stand there awhile. “And then you can thank me by having a drink with me.”

“I don’t want to have a drink with you,” she said. “Please leave.”

“Leave? Come on, I’ll carry more boxes.”

She didn’t think he’d let her leave the room if she didn’t at least let him carry boxes, so she agreed, making sure never to go in first, and then somehow, she found herself trapped at her desk again, but that was a much safer trap.

“When do you get off? We can go grab that drink.”

“Clive, it was really nice of you to help, but I don’t want to have a drink with you.”

He leaned forward. “How about coffee?”

Was he ever going to let up? “I don’t have time tonight,” she said. “I have a hair appointment.”

He left after that with a promise that she’d have that drink with him sometime, and she wanted to cry. If only the library had a security person, she could have barred him, but they barely had funding for electricity much less a whole extra employee.

When she called Nosty to see how his appointment had gone, she wanted to tell him about Clive, but just like it had all week, something stopped her. A small piece of her felt like it was her fault Clive wouldn’t leave her alone and that Nosty would blame her and be right.

She was glad she’d be seeing him in person tomorrow. She’d feel better then.

****

MacAvoy spent half an hour digging up Belle’s old bus instructions, but it turned out Nosty didn’t need them. He could get anywhere in the city without even consulting a map, and against his will, this impressed MacAvoy.

They rode the buses in silence, MacAvoy sitting while Nosty stood next to him, holding the bar above his head in one hand and a paperback in the other.

It had been almost two weeks since he’d sat with Belle in the library, and his heart leapt at the opportunity to do it again. Even Nosty’s presence couldn’t dampen his excitement.

As they walked up—finally—MacAvoy waved to the man Belle brought coffee to every morning, promising to come back and chat in a bit, but Nosty barely spared him a glance as he stalked toward the library doors. MacAvoy hurried after.

When they burst in, Belle was nowhere to be found, and Nosty paused. Even though this surprised MacAvoy as well, he was glad to see Nosty thrown for a loop for once.

Then, Belle popped up from behind a tri-fold poster board with a cheerful, “Hello!”

For the first time since the call from the constabulary weeks ago, MacAvoy’s muscles eased. At Belle’s side in this library was a place he belonged as much as he belonged on a pulpit.

“What you doing?” Nosty strode over and MacAvoy trailed after him like a duckling.

“Making some signs for tomorrow. I’m glad you’re both here.” She capped a marker and then strode around the table, taking each of them by an arm.

“Are we gonna be glad we’re here?” Nosty asked, and MacAvoy kept quiet. Whatever Belle asked him to do, he would do without comment.

“If keeping me from losing my mind makes you glad, then yes.”

Nosty grunted, and MacAvoy wanted to smirk at having this upper hand, but then he saw the two of them making doe eyes at one another, and he guessed he was losing that round as well.

Belle sat them at two tables pushed together with six cardboard boxes lined up. The first one MacAvoy peeked into had boxes and boxes of crayons.

“We’re making little kits, so grab a bag out of this box and put one thing from all the other boxes in it.” Belle plucked out a mesh drawstring bag to demonstrate, and placed in a name tag sticker, a box of crayons, a sheet of colored star stickers, a tube of glitter glue, and a small chocolate.

“Do the different bag colors matter?” Nosty asked.

“They will for me, but not for you.” She dropped her example on the table. “Oh, and whenever you’re ready, I have something for you in my office.”

MacAvoy tried to scrutinize Nosty’s reaction to this as well as Belle’s expression to see if this was some sort of code for sex, but Nosty seemed to know what it was already, and all he did was thank her.

“All right, I’ll be over there making signs.” She squeezed each of them on the arm at the same time and then rushed off.

Not wanting to be overshadowed, MacAvoy snatched up the first bag and got to work.

“It’s not a contest, you don’t have to race me, Jesus Christ.” Nosty spoke softly enough that Belle didn’t hear, and MacAvoy’s neck tensed. He was so sneaky when he was being rude.

“I’m just trying to help Belle,” he said.

Nosty rolled his eyes, but the two of them worked in silence for almost an hour before MacAvoy scraped the bottom of the first cardboard box with his fingers.

After that, Belle tasked Nosty with sorting supplies and MacAvoy with manning the desk while she conducted story time for children under three and their parents. MacAvoy couldn’t quite see Belle from the desk, but that was okay because he could see Nosty. He had set himself up at a table where he could watch her through the shelves, and he made a cursory effort to sort things into piles, but mostly, he watched Belle.

MacAvoy had now spent time alone with Nosty, time alone with Belle, and time alone with Nosty and Belle, but he had never seen anything like the naked adoration on Nosty’s face as he watched Belle work. Did he always look like that when he came to the library? Was it memories like these, memories of Belle in her element reading stories to babies, that kept Nosty going on the cold, unforgiving streets?

****

It had been two weeks since he’d last checked a book in or out, and he had never been great at it anyway, so the handful of patrons that came to the desk took up way more of his Nosty-watching time than he’d have liked. Storytime was wrapping up by the time the last woman left, and MacAvoy only got one glimpse of Nosty before he dedicated himself to sorting—presumably to pretend he’d been focused on it all along.

The storytime crowd dispersed, some to play in the little play area in the corner, some to look at books, and some to leave. Belle checked on each of them before stopping at Nosty, and even though MacAvoy knew it was fruitless, he strained to hear what she said to him.

Whatever it was, Nosty snapped to look at the door, then Belle rubbed his arm and he settled. She said something else and he cracked a grin, then she squeezed his arm and left him for the circulation desk.

“Any troubles?” she asked.

He shook his head. “It went as smoothly as it could, all things considered. How was story time?”

“Perfect.”

He vacated her chair, then stood next to it, trying not to wring his hands quite so obviously. “Should I bring over a chair?”

“I don’t think so,” Belle said. “Truly, I shouldn’t have had you over here as much as I did before, and my only excuse is that I was a wreck. But I don’t have much else for you two to help with, so you’re welcome to find something to do.”

She gestured out to the library, and this filled him with dread. Find something to do? The only reason he came here was to spend time with Belle in her favorite place.

“Where’s Nosty?” he asked.

Belle shrugged, already scrolling through her emails. “He likes to hide. I’m sure he’s somewhere.”

MacAvoy left to bring a cup of coffee to his friend across the street, then poured himself one and set out to find Nosty.

It was not as difficult as he expected. Nosty sat cross-legged on the floor against a shelf of science texts, a novel propped open in his lap. He didn’t look up at MacAvoy’s approach, but MacAvoy was no longer naive enough to assume that he’d remained undetected.

He squatted to see what was in Nosty’s line of sight at this angle. As expected, Belle’s desk was visible above a row of history paperbacks.

“What do you want?” Nosty asked, unmoving.

MacAvoy clenched a fist in his pocket. “Thought you might want some company.”

Nosty finally looked up from his book. “You want my company?”

Of course he didn’t, but what else was he supposed to do? Besides, if Belle saw them together, it would make her happy.

“Better than being alone.”

“You sure about that?” Nosty turned back to his book, and it didn’t matter how he looked gazing at Belle, he was awful.

“Suit yourself.” He stalked off, but the wind left his sails as soon as he turned the corner. What did he have to do if Belle had no tasks and no one wanted to talk to him?

A book collided with his upper arm just hard enough to startle him. Nosty held the novel out to him.

“What’s this?”

“I know it sucks to quit,” Nosty said. “You look bored.”

Unable to pick his jaw up, MacAvoy accepted the book, staring at the cover without seeing it. He swallowed, then cleared his throat. “Weren’t you reading this?”

“Read it twice already. Goes quick. Passes the time.”

In all the time he’d spent with Belle, though he’d enjoyed having audiobooks on because they made him feel less alone, he’d never considered trying to read a text. He thanked Nosty, then wandered over to the couches and flipped the book over.

He didn’t know what he expected Nosty’s reading tastes to be—in all honesty, he still had trouble wrapping his head around the idea that Nosty read for pleasure at all. Still, it surprised him to discover that the thin paperback in his hands was about dragons. He could not recall ever having read a fantasy novel, except perhaps when he was a child.

The book smelled of old paper, and the text was almost too small for him to focus on. Just as he was settling into the first page with his brow furrowed in concentration, the couch dipped, and Nosty curled up against the opposite end.

The most shocking part about Nosty coming to sit with him was that he could not see Belle from there. What did that mean? Was he sitting with him truly to keep him company?

Still, MacAvoy took the distraction. “What are you reading?”

“Nothing if I’m talking to you.”

He tried to read again and made it three pages before Nosty disappeared. Even though he said nothing, somehow MacAvoy knew he’d disappointed him. With a tiny groan, he opened the book firmly, forcing himself to stare at it.

“All right.”

He jumped at the sound of Belle’s cheerful voice, and then she was coming around to sit next to him.

“You need help?” he asked.

“No, Nosty says you do. Come on, put it down, let’s go.”

Baffled, he trailed after Belle as she weaved through the stacks until she stopped at a row full of paperbacks.

“I think this will be more your cup of tea.” She plucked a book out and handed it to him, letting go almost before he’d grabbed it as she moved to pluck another, and soon he had a pile of seven books in his arms.

“You want me to read all of these?”

“Of course not.” She scanned the shelves again and then, after a second’s hesitation, grabbed an eighth book. “I just think you’re more likely to find one you want to read in this group than from Nosty’s tastes.”

“You don’t think Nosty has good taste?”

The look she gave him would have sent any Catholic school student running in shame. “No, I think it’s my job to recommend books to anyone who wants one and he was just trying to be nice to a friend.”

Appropriately chastened, he brought his stack of books back to the couch to sort through them. She’d picked a variety of mysteries, and as he selected one set in the Scottish Highlands, he decided that this definitely was more his speed.

The mean little voice in his head wanted to sneer at Nosty, but he was sober and rational enough to recognize that, whether Nosty had chosen the correct book himself, he had made an effort to find one. He’d called over the librarian.

MacAvoy made it through an entire chapter with the Scottish detective before Nosty returned to loom over him.

“What?” he asked, surprised at how annoyed he was to be interrupted.

“Belle made tea.” He jerked his thumb toward a table and then walked off. Not wanting to reject this unexpected and continued olive branch, MacAvoy hurried after him. Though they sat as far apart as two strangers forced to share a table, MacAvoy knew that Nosty was making a conscious choice to sit here instead of lurking between the stacks where he could observe Belle unseen.

Now, of course, they could both see Belle, but she could see them as well.

They sat and read in what could only be described as companionable silence until a delighted voice that MacAvoy didn’t recognize chirped, “Oh my god, Nosty!”

A young woman with cropped, greasy hair who couldn’t have been more than twenty, if that, stood before them in an oversized jacket, one arm crossed over her to clutch at her elbow.

“Kaz,” Nosty said, not quite frosty but not quite friendly either.

“I thought you was locked up!” She grabbed the chair closest to him and clambered into it. MacAvoy stared at his book, though anyone with working eyes could see he was just eavesdropping.

“It’d take more than one herd o’ pigs to lock me up,” Nosty said. He closed his book, and though his movements were slow, MacAvoy had spent the past two weeks doing almost nothing but spying on him, and he could tell that it was deliberate. Nosty was agitated.

“How’d you get out?” Kaz asked. “Gypo said they kept you.”

“How’d I get out?” Nosty cracked his knuckles. “Couple o’ well-placed threats, a few hints as to what a bloke’s capable of without a sense of self-preservation.” He drew a finger across his throat. “Easy.”

MacAvoy almost laughed—surely, Kaz wouldn’t buy that?—but she gaped at him like he’d just dispensed a holy truth.

“No shit?”

Nosty shrugged as though he’d prefer to be taking a bow but didn’t have the space, and MacAvoy could not hide that he was looking between them now.

“Threatening the police is not a strategy that he recommends,” MacAvoy said because the moonstruck look in Kaz’s eyes was making him feel like he was about to be an accessory to a crime.

“Wee bird like her doesn’t need to threaten the coppers,” Nosty scoffed. “She can just fucking cry, they’ll be wrapped around her finger.”

Kaz eyed MacAvoy warily and inched her chair closer to Nosty. How was it that so many people found Nosty more comforting than him? Sure, he knew lots of people had complicated relationships with religion, but he was so small, so harmless in his too-big shirt and collarino. Taking the hint, he cast his eyes back to his book.

“Do you just sit here and read?” Kaz asked.

“Sometimes I have a smoke,” Nosty said.

“Belle doesn’t put on a movie?”

MacAvoy peeked up at Nosty, whose tense shoulders could burst through his jacket at any moment.

“She would if I asked her to.”

Kaz glanced behind her, back at the circulation desk, then scooted closer to Nosty and lowered her voice. “You never said she was pretty when you told me about her.”

Nosty smacked both hands on the table. “That’s not why I’m here, is it? It’s just a place to eat and sit down, hey? Who gives a fuck if the librarian is a fine piece of arse?”

MacAvoy wanted to say something, wanted to defend Belle’s honor, but he sensed that it would not go over well. Even he, in his most unflattering interpretation, could not pretend that Nosty wasn’t lying to save—well, he didn’t know what Nosty was saving, but it was probably something.

“Jesus, fine, don’t get your knickers in a twist,” Kaz said, which MacAvoy thought was quite brave of her. He wouldn’t have said something like that to Nosty when he was in a mood.

They sat for awhile, and Kaz made multiple trips to the snack cart and engaged Nosty in soft, fleeting conversation. MacAvoy eavesdropped a little about whoever Gypo was—dead now, from the sound of it—and some fellows named Marley and Boomer that Nosty insisted Kaz never tell about the library, and then Nosty fell silent.

“Who’s that?” he asked, and when MacAvoy realized he was allowed to hear this, he looked up.

Clive, who he’d all but forgotten about, was leaning over the circulation desk, COACH GASTON emblazoned on his back. MacAvoy could no longer see Belle through him, but maybe Nosty could.

“That’s the coach,” Kaz whispered. “He comes in every day.”

Nosty turned a terrifying, wild expression on Kaz, teeth bared. “Does he?” he bit out.

Again, this did not seem to frighten her, and she nodded vigorously. “She always tells him she doesn’t want to go out with him but he keeps coming back. I don’t like him.”

“Every day?” Nosty asked. MacAvoy’s heart thumped wildly in his ears even though Nosty was no threat to him at the moment.

“He thinks she’ll change her mind.”

Nosty slapped a hand on the table, and MacAvoy leapt to his feet. “Well, Father, get ready to be useful.”

“Wh-what?” MacAvoy asked.

“Someone’s gotta read his death rites.”

****

The problem with Coach Gaston’s appearances was that, though Belle had come to expect them all week, she could not know exactly when. Sometimes, he was in the after school crowd, sometimes he was closer to closing, and today, he was well before she expected him entirely.

“Good afternoon,” she said, though she knew she should have said something like get out.

“Hey, beautiful,” he said. “That’s what ‘Belle’ means, right? It’s pretty.”

“Yes,” she said. Again, the futile thought that she could be curt enough to convince him to go away floated through her mind.

“You know, you’re not like any other girl I’ve met,” he said.

“Because I’m uninterested?” As usual, she stared at her computer screen, determined not to do anything that could be construed as eye contact.

“We’ll see.” He leaned closer and plucked a pen off of her desk. “You’re so passionate about books.”

“How would you know?” she snapped. “We’ve never even talked about books.”

“So you want to grab a drink and talk about books?” he asked, and she could have screamed. Of course she’d fallen right into his trap.

“Oi, look at that,” came Nosty’s booming voice, and Belle could breathe again. “There’s a fucking rat in the library.”

Coach Gaston turned, and Nosty shoved him against the desk, gripping his lapels and snarling.

“What the hell, mate?” Clive asked, hands scrabbling along the desk for a grip. Nosty pushed him further back.

“Mate? Don’t be so chummy, son,” Nosty hissed, brogue so thick, Belle could hardly understand him. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

Coach Gaston pushed Nosty off of him, and though he was at least three times more muscular, Belle thought that the only reason he was able to push Nosty back was because Nosty let him. He stepped back enough to give Clive space to brace himself.

“What am I doing? What are you doing? Picking a fight in a library in front of a woman?”

Belle scowled, but the only person paying attention to her was Joseph cowering just out of reach of the fight. “Excuse me—”

“Aye, I picked a fight in front of her, I picked it because she wants you to piss off.”

“Me?” Coach Gaston drew himself up, but Nosty just bared his teeth. “You’re the one causing problems.”

Nosty barked with laughter. “Och, I’m the one causing problems, he says.” He surveyed an imaginary audience. “Fucking piece of shite manky keech good for fuck all—did she not tell you no?”

If she hadn’t been staring at him, she would have missed his glance dart toward her, but she nodded vigorously when she realized he was seeking confirmation of this fact.

Coach Gaston blustered. “For now.”

For a second, Belle thought Nosty might leap at Clive like a wildcat and rip his throat out with his teeth.

“Fuck—fucking for now?”

“You know how women are,” Clive said, clearly trying to develop some level of camaraderie when it became obvious that Nosty would not be swayed by his considerable extra muscle.

“Well, fuck me, I guess I don’t. How are they, then?”

“Well.” Clive glanced back at her, and she didn’t have time to put on her stoic mask again, too busy clutching the top of her chair and watching Nosty. “They’ve got to lead you on. You know, no really means yes eventually and all that.”

With a roar, Nosty had him by the lapels and bent over the desk again, and Belle had to jump out of the way.

“Didn’t anyone ever teach you basic word comprehension, Coach?” Nosty snarled while Clive groped around the desk. Belle moved a pen cup out of his reach.

“Let go of me!”

“Oh, you want me to let go?” Nosty drove his elbow into his gut.

“Yes, god!” Clive wheezed.

“Didn’t hear that, mate .” Nosty grabbed Clive’s wandering hand and slammed it back into the desk. “How about a broken finger?”

“N-no—let go of me!”

“What’s that? No? Sounds like a yes to me—”

“Wait, stop!” Belle flew out from around her desk, grateful to hear no bones cracking.

“Get back!” Joseph yelled, but Belle grabbed Nosty’s arm and tugged. It didn’t budge.

“Belle—” Nosty growled.

“Nosty, please, stop!” She clutched his arm like a teddy bear. “If you’re doing this for me, you’ve made your point. You don’t need to hurt him.”

“I don’t think I have made my point.” He wrenched his arm out of her grasp. “He hasn’t even tried to apologize yet.”

“I’m sorry!” Coach Gaston flailed, but he couldn’t move under Nosty’s weight. “Belle, I’m sorry!”

Belle, not knowing what else to do and ignoring Joseph’s hand on her elbow, ducked under Nosty’s arm to get between him and Clive.

He finally looked at her, a wild animal ready to strike, and she trembled as she met his eyes. “It’s not worth it,” she said. “Let him go.”

Nosty watched her for the span of three breaths, and then dropped his hold on Coach Gaston. Belle stepped aside to let him clamber off the desk.

“You’re banned from the library,” she said to him. “You’re not even allowed for school visits.”

“Me?” He looked incredulously at Nosty. “What about him?”

“What the fuck do you care if you’re not allowed?” Nosty asked. “Come on, I’ll see you out.” He grabbed Coach Gaston by the lapels again and half-escorted, half-dragged him through the door. Belle, Joseph, and Kaz all watched them leave.

“Jesus Christ,” Joseph said. “Jesus fucking Christ, I need a drink.”

“Are you okay, Belle?” Kaz asked.

Belle nodded, watching the door even though she could no longer see Nosty. Where was he? Was he coming back?

“Don’t go after him,” Joseph said. “Just let him be.”

“Shut up.” After that, she had no time for guilt over Joseph’s wide eyes or slack jaw because she was running out the doors.

Nosty was nowhere in sight, but when she waved to her friend across the street, he pointed around the other side of the library. She jogged over and there he was, pacing and smoking a cigarette. He held up a hand to stop her from coming closer, so she did.

“Nosty.”

“Don’t say anything,” he said. “Please, I can’t fucking hear it right now.” He rubbed at his chest near the scar from his bottle injury.

“I wasn’t going to say anything bad,” she called.

He paused, then threw his cigarette on the ground and crushed it beneath his boot. Without looking at her, he lit another, took a few puffs, then did the same.

“Nosty, can I come closer?”

He shrugged, so she took a few steps toward him, then another few when he didn’t flee, and a few more until she could reach his arm.

“Thank you for getting rid of him.”

He didn’t speak. She licked her lips.

“Nosty, I’m not mad. Please.”

Careful, like he didn’t know which of them might break, he stepped toward her. She wrapped both hands around his arm, and he came a little bit closer.

“Please say something,” she said.

He flicked the flint of his lighter in his other hand, watching it click click click until it sparked. “I scared you.”

She shook her head, squeezing his arm. “You didn’t scare me.”

“Don’t lie, Belle, I saw your face. I know how to scare someone. I know what it fucking looks like.”

Belle licked her dry lips again. What could she say? She had been a little scared. “I wasn’t afraid you’d hurt me.”

His head hardly moved, but he watched her now. “What were you afraid of?”

She wished she could wrap her arms around him and bury her face in his chest, but she stayed back. “I was afraid you wouldn’t stop, and the police would come, and they’d lock you up with no bail for good.”

The shift was almost imperceptible, but somehow, Nosty faced her now. “Fuck.”

“Fuck,” she agreed.

“I don’t want to go to prison.”

Tentative, she slid her hand into his. He linked their fingers together. “Then you can’t be violent.”

“Violence is who I am, Belle. Just ask anyone.”

Belle stepped close enough to rest her head on his shoulder, and though his arm twitched, he stood stock-still beneath her.

“That’s not true. Violence is a piece of you just like anything else.”

“Belle, this is me.” He pulled his arm out of hers. “I’m a basket case who’d cut off the hand what feeds him to make a fucking point.”

She shook her head. “Violence has just been the only tool you’ve had for a long time.”

He frowned down at her. “What?”

“The only way you knew to survive was with violence.” She offered her hand again. “That doesn’t mean that’s all you are, and you can learn new tools. You can make different choices.”

Still frowning at her, he took her hand.

“The past doesn’t define you. It’s how you move forward that does.”

“If he’d done so much as grazed you by accident, I’d have broken his fucking neck,” Nosty whispered.

She shook her head. “You didn’t even break his fingers.”

“What don’t you understand?” He yanked her to him, cupping her face roughly in his free hand. “If you hadn’t stopped me, I would have. I would have broken every single finger on his hand, and probably pissed on his fucking shoes.”

A laugh bubbled up, but she swallowed it because Nosty did not appear to be joking. “It doesn’t matter what you might have done. It matters that you chose not to.”

Nosty groaned liked a wounded dog and dropped his hand. “I don’t understand, Belle. I don’t understand what you want me to say. I tried again, I failed. Dress it up however you want, it doesn’t change anything.”

With the hand she still held, she tugged him toward the back of the library where there was a tiny concrete patio and a picnic table where the employees and volunteers who smoked usually took their breaks. He allowed her to sit him down and arrange him so that she could sit next to him and take his hand again.

“Nosty, you keep looking at every setback as failure.”

“Belle, I’m trying my best—”

“I know.” She pressed a finger to his lips and he settled. “Healing takes a long time. You can’t change overnight—and I’m not asking you to change who you are.”

“Healing?” he said. “You sound like the therapist.”

She pressed her finger more firmly to his lips, and he finally cracked a tiny smile.

“You’ve always had to rely on violence to survive, but now you don’t. Now you have a safe place to go, regular meals, and people who care about you.”

“But—”

“Nosty, have I given you permission to speak?”

Watching her the same way he did whenever he was gearing up to tease her, he tilted his head to the side and closed his teeth around her finger. She laughed and snatched her hand away.

“You don’t have to use violence anymore, and someday, your brain will catch up. And until then, if I’m able to stop you, that means there’s hope.”

“You think so?”

She shrugged. “You came out here to smoke and cool off, didn’t you? I don’t see Clive’s body in a ditch.”

Nosty looked down at his hands, flipping them over as if to confirm that there was no blood. “I did tell him there were some things I missed about me time in prison, and he best lock his windows at night.”

“ Nosty , that’s not funny.”

He pursed his lips. “Wasn’t supposed to be, was it? I wanted him to be as scared as he made you.”

“Oh god.” She slid her hand up to her forehead. “He did scare me.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” He lifted her chin. “I would’ve been here.”

She shook her head. “I felt silly.”

“In front of me? I just told you I’d’ve pissed on his shoes, and I fucking meant it.”

As usual, her sudden burst of affection made her want to kiss him, but she held back. “I guess I was afraid I hadn’t done enough to tell him no, and you might—you might be upset.”

“Me? Upset with you about him?” His eyes narrowed as if he was doing mental math, and then he snorted. “Is it because I was upset about the good Father?”

“Maybe.”

He tilted her face more, staring her down. “I was only jealous because you were nice to him. If you told me some bloke was bothering you, I’d take care of it. I’d do anything to protect you. You—” He clenched his teeth, but kept eye contact. “You’ve done so much to protect me.”

“I’m really proud of you,” she said. “You’ve come so far. And—maybe your new therapist will help you internalize what you learned today?”

“Internalize what I’ve learnt today?” He scoffed. “Best be careful or I’ll think you want me to do more than be civil with the shrink.”

“Well, if you have to go anyway, you might as well get something out of it.”

He snorted. “We’ll see.” He released her chin only to wrap a lock of her hair around his finger. “I’m not ready to go back in yet.”

“Well, I can’t leave the desk forever, but a few more minutes can’t hurt.” She pecked him on the cheek so quickly, he jumped, and then he grinned.

“A few minutes with you’s less than I want and more than I deserve, but I’ll take it.”

#nostelle #anyelle #anyelle fic #anyelle fanfic #anyelle fanfiction #new update #covetous #nosty #nosty x belle

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batbux · 1 year ago

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untitled janet/talia, Bruce's bio kid Tim AU pt. 2

Stepping out into the small lobby that served the two giant offices on this floor (Bruce Wayne’s and Lucius Fox’s, if she remembered correctly), Janet was glad to finally put a face to the woman she’d been speaking with for the past two weeks. The grandmotherly woman pecking at her computer keys like a particularly discerning chicken had to be Emma Johnson and most importantly, she did not have a child underfoot.

“Hello, Emma,” Janet greeted warmly as she walked up. She was still early by a good ten minutes, but she was a little past caring about being fashionably on time. The woman looked up in surprise though she must have heard the elevator. Janet’s smile was honest as she approached; in her efforts securing this meeting, she’d found Emma to be a lovely sort of woman and was charmed by her Coke bottle glasses.

“Oh, you must be Janet,” she said, voice just as sweet as Janet remembered. “Did you find your way up alright? I don’t think we’ve had you here before, have we?”

“The front desk was very helpful,” Janet assured her. “Yes, it’s my first time scoring a meeting with the Bruce Wayne.”

“Good, we’re happy to have you,” she nodded firmly and lifted her phone, presumably to dial her employer. “Hello, Mr. Wayne. Your next appointment is here, Janet Drake.” She gave Janet a little wink. “Okay. Okay, Mr. Wayne, thank you.”

She set the phone back in its cradle and smiled. “You can go on in. Between you and me, I think he wants the distraction until Mr. Fox comes back up from R and D and forces him to finish his paperwork.”

“Always put off until tomorrow what you could have done today,” Janet said. “Isn’t that how the saying goes?”

“Oh, certainly. Particularly if your name happens to be on the building.”

“Well, since mine sure isn’t, I shouldn’t waste any more time,” she said, but hesitated. “Emma, would you say that Mr. Wayne is a good man?”

“He’s good to us,” she said with an easy shrug. “I think that counts for something. Men like him don’t have to be good to people like me, but he is. Always look at how they treat their staff or the people serving them, that’s what I say.”

“You’re right,” she agreed. Jack was a fair weather friend to his employees. He was nice enough – until something went wrong. “Well then, wish me luck.”

“You won’t need it,” Emma promised as Janet let herself into Bruce Wayne’s impressive office. It was intimidating. It gave her the same feeling she had when she was seventeen and being called into the principal’s office though the stakes now were much, much higher.

Even as anxious as she was, Janet had to admit the office was a thing of beauty, all clean lines and the sweeping views. Bruce Wayne arguably had the only good view of Gotham: high up and expansive enough that you couldn’t see the filth and petty crime on the streets below.

It’s understated minimalism was marred by little personal touches everywhere. Pictures and children’s artwork hung on the walls and were framed on the large desk. Behind it, Bruce Wayne sat watching her with those too-blue eyes of his.

“Good morning, Mr. Wayne,” she said, opting for formality even though it felt wrong. Bruce Wayne had given her a screaming orgasm and a tiny human being – she felt a little entitled to use his first name.

“Just Bruce,” he thankfully corrected, standing to offer her a hand. “It’s a pleasure to see you again, Janet. Last I heard, you and Jack were exploring, uh, Bolivia?”

“Peru,” she corrected, taking his offered hand and shaking it firmly. He directed her into a chair and she eased down into it as Bruce retook his seat. Her head was full of little niceties she could do or say to ease this fraught situation, but she was tired and you really only had to make nice if you intended on continuing to play the game.

And Janet was tapping out.

“I know you’re probably a little confused about why I’m here,” she said, cutting off what was sure to be excruciating small talk about Jack or Peru. “And I’d like to be blunt with you.”

Bruce paused for half a moment and just looked at her. Unlike most of the world, she knew Bruce wasn’t half the fool he pretended to be for the media and she knew he had to remember their night together in Cypress.

“By all means,” he eventually settled on.

She nodded and pulled her phone out of her purse. His brow furrowed as she navigated back to that picture of Timothy at the ice cream parlor. She gave it the quickest look before setting it on the desk and sliding it towards Bruce.

A picture, after all, was worth a thousand words.

“This is Timothy,” she said as Bruce’s eyes traced the picture, no doubt taking note of the boy’s likeness to himself. His black hair, so different from Jack or Janet’s brown and crinkled blue eyes, much lighter than Janet’s own.

“He’s a cute kid,” he said flatly, his polite cheer giving way to wariness. Janet nodded, both at his word and at his unspoken suspicion.

“I didn’t lie about being on birth control,” she said. He was a mistake, she didn’t say. “I had an IUD. I got pregnant anyway.”

“And you think he’s mine.”

#tim drake #janet drake #bruce wayne #my writing tag #batman #robin #dc #fic: no choice but to love you

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theworldoffostering · 8 months ago

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Raising kids is not for the weak.

The good:

DS took his road test and passed it! It felt so nice to do a normal kid/parent thing and see him be successful.

The anniversary of his adoption day was this month. It’s been 15 years.

Ms. 6 was accepted into a university.

Ms. 6 is going to graduate high school next month!

We are progressing in attachment therapy with Baby.

School is almost done for the year.

The mediocre:

DD broke up with her fiancé and is already seeing someone else. I did not care for her fiancé, but already seeing someone else is a red flag.

I talked with the students with disabilities center on Ms. 6’s campus this week to try to get her some services. In turn, I had to request her IEP. Her IEP from fall was a train wreck so I reconvened the team this week and told them to rewrite it appropriately. Apparently the guidance counselor quit in the fall and no one has taken his place. For real, without a parent, most kids are completely lost.

I signed Ms. 6 up for college registration and orientation. Students have to bring a parent. I offered but she wants her mom to go which is fine. However, we don’t know if her mom will go. She was too hungover to take Ms. 6 to the hospital when she had knee surgery scheduled a couple of months back. Last week she didn’t get out of bed to take Ms. 6 to a somewhat major dental appointment. I told her I would go, but her mom insisted that she was going so I could not attend. I stood down and then she didn’t show up. Same thing happened with the knee surgery.

The challenging:

So much drama with Ms. 6’s family of origin. Ms. 6 lives over three hours away from us but is enrolled in a high school near us and her graduation will be where we live. I offered to throw her a graduation party and invite her mom. Ms. 6 was thrilled. Her mom told her to cut DH and I off and that she could no longer talk to us or receive mail from us. Now her mom is threatening to take away Ms. 6 attending her own graduation altogether.

Ms. 6 insisted she completed her FASFA. She did, but it was for the 23-24 year, not the 24-25 year. I straightened it out two weeks ago and filled it out for her (she’s an independent so parent income doesn’t count). Financial aid packagers don’t go out until next month so I’m hoping she will still get enough to be able to go to school.

Ms. 6 told me this week that she never obtained a new birth certificate or social security card despite me directing her in how to do both things multiple times in the fall after she left here unexpectedly. I finally just ordered (and paid) for a new birth certificate for her this week.

I feel incredibly burned out. Like maybe I need meds? My endocrin called and told me I need to start doing B12 injections because after taking oral supplements for three months, my b12 levels actually went down. I don’t know if it’s that, or wading through all of the drama, or both. Some days, I don’t feel like I can even put one foot in front of the other. It’s too much. How do you ever get a break from everything?

Tomorrow we are meeting with DD to try to work out getting her a $4k car from a friend of mine. It’s a 2006 Odyssey with almost 200k miles on it. The insurance (collision only) would be $2k for the year. She’s bouncing from one hourly job to another and not saving anything. She desperately needs a vehicle to get to and from work. Currently she’s relying on her fiancé and her vehicle, but now that they’re no longer together, it seems more important that she have her own. She has zero money saved, but I have a college fund set aside for her with about $10k in it. Clearly she’s not going to college right now so I think we are going to pivot with that money and pay for the car and the insurance for a year.

I was planning to drive 6.5 hours this weekend to meet up with Ms. 6 and her BF who she met online. Ms. 6 has really been pushing for this. I asked for his address so I could locate a nearby hotel. She said he didn’t want me to have it. Then I asked for his name. He apparently did not want to disclose that to me either. I did tell her that was super sketch, and now I do think he’s like a really scary person who no one has vetted. Ms. 6 has already stayed with him several times so maybe not a serial killer, but anything else is possible in my brain. He’s definitely older because he has his own apartment.

It’s so much, you guys.

#parenting teens #parenting is hard #adoption #parenting adult children

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mysteriouslyspookyandcooky · 11 months ago

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Zilgol the Half-Orc (f/f)

female protagonist and female monster

warnings: sexual themes, language, mature themes

words: 5239

Sighing, Neris set down the cape. Her hand was begging for forgiveness now from the constant sewing of the same pattern over and over again. She was tired. Extremely so. She stood up after placing her needle into a cushion.

The tailor left her room and wandered down the hall. She should have eaten much earlier, but time got ahead of her. Being in charge of the embroidery of the royal guard's new capes is a big job. This was only for the highest guards. Kilug, the king, had wanted them to have the new castle symbol on the left chest and he entrusted her the most with the tedious task. There were only a few of them, Ornis, the head guard, included.

Neris entered the mess hall and approached the maids for a meal. The one lady smiled her way before going to grab her leftover from supper earlier that evening.

"Neris?"

The blonde turns towards her name being called. She sees the king, "Ah, hello, Kilug, how can I help you?"

The orc smiles, "I have a request for you."

Neris smiles, "Which is?"

The man moves and he offers a hand to someone behind him. A woman stands there. Long black hair falls down her face in loose strands. She's tall but doesn't look completely orc. Half, possibly?

"This is my newest royal guard, Zilgol. She has no uniform and I know you designed the recent one so I assumed I could hand her to you for measuring."

Neris nods her head, "Yes, of course! I can do that. Don't expect it to be soon, I am still working on the capes as of right now."

"Take as long as you need, Neris, I am in no rush. I will compensate you fairly. We can talk of it in a few days if that is good with you?"

"Of course," she smiles, "I will get back to you, my king."

He nods and then bows before slapping Zilgol's shoulder and walking out of the room. The woman stands there for a moment before standing up straight, "When and where do you need me?"

She talks like a royal warrior. Neris chuckles, "No need for such formalities with me…Zilgol. When are you free for me to do measurements? I have appointments tomorrow but I can meet you around dinnertime?"

Zilgol nods her head, "Whatever works for you, my lady."

Neris shakes her head at the wording, "Oh, please don't say it like that. I am just merely human. I need no such titles. I assume you know the tailor's quarters?"

She nods her head, "I can find my way."

"Perfect," Neris starts, "I'm the fourth door on the left. I can do your measurements first and go from there."

The maid calls for Neris and turns to grab the meal from her hands, "See you tomorrow, Zilgol."

Neris walks off with a small bow before heading to her room. She sits in her desk chair and thinks of the woman. She is rather attractive. Both have the perfect orc and human features.

The next day, an hour after dinner, a knock touches her door, "Come in."

The door opens and Zilgol appears, "Ah, yes, come in, Zilgol."

"I apologize for my lateness, I may have lied when I said I knew where this place was…"

Neris gasps, "Oh, dear! I could have shown you the way."

Zilgol tilts her head a little and seems almost embarrassed, "It's my job to know. It's my fault."

"Well, you are here now," Neris smiles, "Now if you don't mind, you can close the door and come over here for me to measure you."

Zilgol approaches the blonde woman and then she finally sees the height difference between them. It's almost a foot but not as much as it would be standing next to Kilug. Zilgol stands there a bit awkward, "Extend your arms for me, please."

The woman does so and Neris hesitates before chuckling, "Sorry, give me a second. I need to grab a stool, you're a bit too tall."

"No need."

Zilgol lowers to her knees for the tailor and she chuckles, "Well, thank you."

She takes the precise measurements and jots them down onto a piece of paper with a quill, "How loose fitting would you like your clothing, Zilgol?"

The woman stands again and looks at the blonde in wonder. Her hair was so pretty, in little curls against her shoulders. Her eyes are a bright grey that seems to hold so much light in them. Zilgol stutters for a second, "Looser, please. I don't like the clothes clinging to me when I fight."

"I understand, I hate that feeling as well."

Zilgol nods, "They rub my scars the wrong way it seems."

"Ah, yes, I can't even imagine," Neris states. The orc isn't sure why she says that and turns her head away a little.

As Neris kneels to take the lengths of her legs, she hums to herself a little tune from her childhood. Zilgol smiles as she goes about her business as if she wasn't even in the room.

"You're very pretty," Zilgol mutters.

Neris looks up at her. The orc's eyes widen and she curses, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…"

"It's okay!" Neris starts, "I never had anyone say that before, I appreciate it."

The orc smiles, "Well, okay then…"

As Neris moves to her legs once more, "I need to measure the circumference of your thigh, I may accidentally touch you. This okay?"

Zilgol takes a breath, "Yeah, do what you need to do…"

The tailor takes swift measurements and is done in quick movements of the long tape she holds. Neris stands and smiles, "Could I ask a few questions?"

The brunette nods, "Of course, what do you need?"

"Boot size?"

"13."

"Do you keep your sword on the right or left?"

"Right, I'm left-handed."

Neris smiles, "May I ask a personal question?"

"Of course."

"Are you only half-orc? I don't mean to pry but you look more human than others…"

Zilgol nods her head, "Yes, my mother was human and my father an orc. It's not uncommon anymore but the clan that I came from it was a bit odd."

"Ah, I see," she wonders, "Thank you for telling me. I've always been a curious one. My mother said it'd eventually get me into trouble…"

"It's okay to be curious," she starts, "I find it rather intriguing."

Neris chuckles, "Well, thank you, Zilgol. That seems to be all I need from you. You can come by anytime to check the progress if you wish or if you have older garments you want me to embroider or change for you."

"Could I come by and spend time with you?"

Neris stutters, "Oh! Well, yes, if you would like to."

Zilgol lowers her head slightly, "I will see you tomorrow then. Have a good night, my lady."

"You as well, Zilgol."

The orc leaves the room and is true to her word. Sometime in the mid-afternoon she shows up at the tailor's door, with something in her hand.

Neris meets her with a smile, "I would welcome you in better but I am currently holding a needle and thread right now."

Zilgol smiles and enters the room, closing the door behind her. She watches the human go to sit back in a large cushioned chair in the corner. She tucks her legs to her chest before she goes about using the needle in her hands, "What are you making?"

Neris smiles but doesn't look up at her, "Finishing the last of the royal guards cape embroidery. That is without yours but I wanted to finish these first as I was commissioned them before."

Zilgol nods her head, "I see. Is this something you've always done?"

The orc takes a seat on the edge of the bed, careful not to mess up the blankets with her heavier form. Neris chuckles, "Yes, actually. My mother taught me when I was a little girl, as she did with my older sisters. My sisters didn't take the path I did with making it my entire life, but we always knitted and sewed together on some mornings. It was nice. Peaceful."

"Do you still keep in contact with them?"

The woman frowns, "Well, I talk to my eldest sister, Madeline. She lives in the West now and we converse every so often to talk of things. Mainly to prove we are still alive to one another. She is married and has my nieces and nephews. My other sister, mother, and father all died in the rebellion before Kilug took over from his father. My dad fought on Kilug's side in the army and is cost him his life. I was taken into the castle for asylum and they found good use in me. My sister, however, didn't want to stay in this land and left all the memories behind."

Zilgol nods, "I'm sorry for your losses. I lost my brother in the rebellion as well. I know how it feels. He was a good man."

Neris smiles, "Yes, I think of them fondly, but I am very happy with my life here in the castle. I work very close with Kilug and his wife, who I adore and talk with frequently."

The guard chuckles, "You do that so swiftly. If I were to try, I'd surely stab myself."

The human rolls her eyes, "All it takes is practice, Zilgol. Like how you got good with a sword. Same concept."

Zilgol stands up and wanders over to the side of the room that has all of her finished projects, "Would you need help with taking the capes to the king? I'm sure I can assist."

Neris smiles, "You don't have to help me, you know?"

The orc nods, "I'm aware. I truly am just lying to find ways to stay be you longer…"

She almost drops the needle in her hand but sets it against the cape in her hands, "You can just spend time with me, Zilgol. No need to lie about it. I enjoy your company!"

Her voice is lined with a happiness that the orc feels is undeserved but she smiles, "Would you like to join me in the gardens later? After supper?"

"I would love to. I can finish some stuff up here, eat, and meet you by the main entrance," Neris states.

"Perfect," the orc starts, "I will see you then and leave you to work. Goodbye, my lady."

"Goodbye."

Neris watches as the door closes once more and she giggles and kicks her feet. A flush comes to her cheeks but she cannot help it. A small crush was definitely forming on the half-orcish warrior. She has never been able to feel this comfortable around another in so long.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Neris walked down the corridor and was met with the door of the gardens. She enters and sees the woman she has been wanting to see for hours leaning against one of the pillars. She looks so beautiful from the side. Her pointed nose is an attractive feature of her face that leaves her to wonder.

Zilgol hears her and looks over to her with a smile, "Hello, my lady."

"You can call me by my name, you know, Zilgol?"

She chuckles, "Alright, Neris."

The human shivers but covers it up with a forced cough, "Now what would you like to do?"

"Can you ride a horse?"

Neris shrugs, "Not very well, I admit."

"That's alright, I won't let you fall," Zilgol tells her, offering her hand to grab. She does. The orcish woman leads her out of the gardens to see a tall steed awaiting. A huge one, probably bred to carry her size.

"This is Magus, he won't bite unless you try to stab me," she tells Neris as the grey steed looks their way.

"Good thing I never planned to do such to you," Neris says with a smile, offering her hand to the steed. He sniffs her hand and nuzzles into it so Neris starts to pet his flank. He neighs and kicks his leg a little. Zilgol laughs, "Huh, he doesn't do that often."

The steed only huffs in response as Zilgol pats his flank, "Here, I'll help you up."

Zilgol easily picks the human up to help her get onto the horse, then pulls herself up onto the saddle to sit behind her. She lightly kicks Magus and he starts on the path, "A ride okay with you, Neris?"

"Perfect."

The orc wraps an arm around the human's middle and holds her closer as the steed picks up a faster pace. Neris clenches a little but Zilgol holds her closer, "I promise I won't let you fall. Besides Magus is used to new riders…"

Magus leads them around the castle grounds along the edge so they have a bit of privacy. Soon enough Zilgol speaks for the steed to slow down and he does until he reaches a stop. Zilgol hops off first and offers her hand for Neris. The blonde takes the hand only to be swept up and held bridal style before being set onto the floor, "That okay with you? Wasn't too much?"

"No! It was lovely," Neris tells the woman, holding her bicep in her hand. The orc smiles, "I am glad you enjoyed it."

As Zilgol goes to move, Neris speaks up, "Zilgol?"

"Yes, Neris?"

"I should have your things finished by the end of the week if you want to come and pick them up," she tells her. The orc smiles, "Of course, wouldn't miss seeing you."

Neris is distracted the entire time she works on the final pieces of the woman's new uniform and cape. The human groans into her pillow. Why was the woman so attractive? She had never felt this way about anyone else before and it was driving her mad. They have only known each other for a few weeks, it's hardly enough time for anything. She groans deeply into her pillow again but gets up to finish the final touches to the cape.

In a few days, it was ready and basically perfectly done like the rest. Neris paces the room waiting for the orc to approach her room. Should she say something? Should she not? She was so clueless and this usually never happens. Then a knock.

Neris yelps a little and almost drops her needle before placing it on the table. The orc stands there smiling, "Hello. Neris, I brought you a gift."

The woman smiles, "Oh, you didn't need to do that, Zilgol. The uniform is paid for by the king, you know?"

"I didn't bring it for payment. I brought it just because I wanted to," she states, holding out a box before her. Neris raises an eyebrow, "I will need you to try on the uniform so I can make needed changes in the future…"

"I don't doubt you have perfectly crafted that uniform to fit me. I want you to open this first," she starts, "Please."

Neris sighs but takes the box with her as she goes to sit on her bed. She takes the top off, sets it aside, and gasps. She grabs the material out of the box and squeals. It was a deep burgundy fabric with beautiful golden lace and embroidery.

"Oh, my gods, Zilgol…where did you get this? This must have been expensive with this stitching…"

The orc smiles, "No matter where I bought it. I wanted you to make a dress for yourself. You make so much for others and I think you need to do something for yourself for once."

Neris stutters for a moment before she starts to cry, "Oh, this is so lovely…"

Zilgol curses, "Fuck. I'm so sorry. I didn't want to make you cry…"

"I'm fine! It's just so thoughtful and nice and I can't believe you did this for me. It's so wonderful and beautiful and I think this just deepens the liking I already have for you…"

Zilgol stills, "You like me?"

Neris pauses, "I didn't mean to say that aloud…"

The orc smiles, "I was hoping you would accept this as a possible courting gift…"

The human stands up, "Really? You mean that?"

Zilgol chuckles at her little childish actions in how she says it, "Of course, I find you rather beautiful, Neris. I would love to see how this goes."

Smiling, the blonde jumps up to hug the taller woman closely with a little happy noise that follows. Large arms wrap around her middle and she feels warmth radiating off of her as she hugs back. She pulls back and smiles brightly, making the orc's heart flutter a little.

Zilgol's hand lands on the side of her face as they smile at one another, "Let's get that uniform on you now so I can finish it up, okay?"

"Anything for you," she responds with.

Time passes quickly for the two. As the winter months get harsher, Neris becomes overworked with the newest fur coats in the castle. She rather enjoys it but it is a tedious task at best to make sure the pelts don't ruin in the process. But as the winter progresses, so does the relationship between the tailor and the royal guard. Whenever Zilgol isn't on duty, she always manages to sneak over to see Neris. Even if it's her just sitting in the room reading a book as Neris sews away in the other corner, they still enjoy one another's company.

Neris, however, holds a little secret. She has been working on the fabric she was gifted a few moons ago. She had made a beautiful dress with the bust and long sleeves of another black material she had to accent with the burgundy. Zilgol had no idea she even had started, let alone that the woman made a uniform tailcoat for the orc with the extras.

As Zilgol sat in the corner of the room, scanning over some of Kilug's planning, Neris stood up and walked over to the taller woman with a small smile, "Zilgol?"

"Yes, dove?"

Neris's heart warms at the new nickname, "I have something to show you that I've been hiding."

The orc looks concerned for a moment but only nods her head, "Which is?"

The tailor smiles and heads to her closet and grabs two hangers, "I have been working with the fabric you gave me and made myself a dress!"

Zilgol chuckles, "You have? That's lovely, let me see."

"Well, that's not all," the woman trails off.

The orc raises an eyebrow at her tone, "What else?"

Neris holds out the hangers then and smiles brightly, "I made you a matching tailcoat for the future. I used more black for yours as it blends in more with the royal uniform. I hope you like it!"

The orc's mouth falls open a little, "You made this for me? Oh, dove, the fabric was meant for you to do something you wanted."

"Good thing I wanted to do this then!"

Zilgol chuckles and reaches out to touch the fabric of her new coat. She smiles and takes it off the hanger and starts to pull it up onto her shoulders. Perfect fit. Neris giggles and jumps up and down a little, "It looks wonderful!"

"Put the dress on," Zilgol mutters, "I wish to match with you."

Neris nods her head and moves to take her outer layers off, not minding the eyes roaming her frame. She slips the dress up her legs and pulls the sleeves over her arms.

"Zip me up, Zil?"

The orc chuckles at the abbreviation of her name before walking over to grab her ha to lift it up and gently place it over Neris's shoulders before grabbing the seams and zipping the dress up as carefully as she could. On impulse, she leans forward and kisses the blonde's shoulder before pulling away. Neris gasps but turns to her and smiles.

Neris blushes but ends up laying her hair back down, "How is it? I haven't tried it on other than to make sure my measurements were good before I did the outer layer of the fabric…"

The orc pauses and stares at her, "You look like a goddess, Neris. Ethereal. It's hard for me to control myself when I know you wear the same thing as me. Almost as if you are mine…"

Her voice trails off at the end, but Neris catches it, "Maybe that's the point?"

"Hm?"

"To be yours. I don't mind people knowing that I want no one else other than you, Zilgol," she states with a sheepish smile.

The orc sighs shakily before grabbing the blonde's face and kissing her roughly. Neris makes a small startled noise but sighs into the kiss and pushes back against her happily. Large hands travel down the human's shoulders and her arms before they circle her waist and hips to pull her closer than before until they are flush against one another. Neris tilts her head to get a better angle and Zilgol moves away from her lips to travel kisses down her neck. Neris squeals and Zilgol stops, "I'm sorry, is that too much?"

"No!" she says a bit excitedly, "It's just very sensitive."

The orc nods her head, "I see."

Her lips return but a bit lighter and more teasingly as Neris squirms a little at the notion. The orc nips at the juncture of her neck which makes the human moan a little under her breath. The orc sighs but pulls away, "I should stop…I don't want to make a mockery of your honor, my dove."

"Fuck my honor. You are not tarnishing it. No one cares what we do."

Zilgol groans, her sudden swearing causing a reaction deep within her. The orc smiles and kisses her again to moan happily when Neris's arms wrap around her neck to pull her even closer, "Don't leave."

"I don't ever plan to," Zilgol mutters against her lips, "I plan to stay until you are sick of me, and even after that, my darling dove."

Neris smiles, "Was that a proposal?"

The orc chuckles, "I will properly propose when the spring comes. I would rather marry you when I don't have to worry about you getting a cold."

The tailor shakes her head, "I am rather healthy, thank you."

"Be quiet," the orc mutters before kissing her again and wrapping her larger form around her once again to trail her fingers up to the zipper. The human hums as her warm fingers bring the zipper down as she was doing the opposite of before. The human happily steps out of the dress before helping the orc out of her troubling clothing. She sits in the middle of her bed, awaiting the orc to join her. She stands there with her wrappings around her breasts and simple undergarments. Neris smiles at her and offers a hand for her to take, which she does, leaving a kiss on it before joining her on the bed.

Zilgol notices the human's nipples peak at the cold through the thin slip dress and happily nuzzles between her breasts. The blonde chuckles and runs her fingers through the other woman's hair. She seems to make a content noise as she settles over Neris's body but still tries not to crush her under her weight.

The human grabs her head and kisses her forehead and the orc mumbles in response before she moves to kiss her lips once more. Her kiss trails down her neck as she moves the strap of her slip to the side to continue her exploration of the pale skin below her.

Neris hums as a warm hand goes up her slip on the left side of her body to find its place on her waist, lightly touching the hem of her underwear yet not moving farther than that. Zilgol pulls back getting a whine in protest from the blonde, "What are you comfortable with, dove?"

"Everything you are willing to give me, love," she whispers back, and the orc's face flushes. She smiles and reaches for her slip, "May I?"

"Please."

Zilgol takes the thin silk over her lover's head and tosses it to the floor. She groans when her eyes are met with her supple breasts and she dives towards them, "Thank the gods I am the only one who gets to see these lovely things…"

"Only you," Neris confirms in a breathless whisper.

Zilgol touches them gently. She was always flat-chested herself which made it easier in battle as they didn't drag her down. But, fuck, she thought, Neris made her wild with them. They always were so nice and hidden inside of her flowy dresses.

"Fuck, Neris, you are beautiful, my dove," she whispers. Before Neris can retort, an eager mouth lands on her chest that leaves her breathless for a moment. Then the lips move towards a nipple and a gentle lick goes across it making her arch a little. The woman's tusks tickle her skin a little but then her mouth clamps over it and sucks and she can do nothing else but moan aloud into the room.

"Zilgol!"

The orc hums against her skin as she trails her unused hand up to tweak the other nipple between her calloused fingers. Neris writhes for a moment as the pleasure swells through her before she grabs onto the orc's wide shoulders. Nimble fingers, usually used to sew, start to unlace the wrappings around her breasts to free them.

Zilgol hums in appreciation as little hands trail down her neck and along her shoulders down to her chest where they lightly touch over her small breasts and nipples. The orc moans a little at the contact, not really used to the attention.

"You're perfect," Neris whispers through her little moans. Moaning at the praise, Zilgol's mouth goes down her chest to her stomach. The blonde is sad she cannot touch her anymore but when her fingers touch her entrance, she forgets all about it.

The fingers touch her through the fabric of her underwear before slipping the fabric aside, "Still okay?"

"You don't need to be so fragile with me, love, I want this," the blonde tells her, brushing her hand over the orc's cheek with a soft smile.

Zilgol nods her head and kisses the palm on her face, "As you wish, dove."

Just then the orc grabs her hips roughly and pulls her down the bed a little before ripping the underwear off of her and tossing it haphazardly onto the floor beside them. Neris squeals at the notion and slightly chuckles to herself before a tongue is on her making her moan aloud. The tongue is rough, but gentle with its movements and relentless against her clit when the orc finds it. One of the orc's warm hands reaches up and grabs her breast in her hand to fondle it.

Neris moans and bucks against the orc's face but is easily pushed down onto the bed when the tongue moves south to dip into her entrance. Neris's eyes roll back as she groans, "Zilgol, please…"

"Hush, dove. I have you."

Neris whines and bucks against her anyway. Zilgol chuckles just to push her hips down again and make a disapproving noise, "I promise, I will not leave you."

Zilgol stretches up a little and winks at the human. Her hands trail down and along her sides before fingers lightly brush over her folds before dipping in. Two fingers enter her gently and wait for the woman to adjust to the feeling before the orc starts to move them in and out slowly. She curls her fingers when she has her fingers the entire way inside before pulling them out and repeating the process.

Then as Neris gets moving around, Zilgol moves her face down to place a kiss over her lower stomach before using her tongue on her clit once again. The blonde moans and grips the orc's hair roughly which only makes the brunette moan into her folds.

With the pressure of her tongue on her clit and the sliding of her fingers, Neris quickly comes to the edge and when she arches her back dramatically, the orc can only smile. She keeps her fingers at a slow pace to drag it out but goes to kiss the blonde, "You did so well, dove."

Neris whines and grabs the woman to kiss her harder, "Fuck."

Zilgol chuckles and kisses her cheek before taking her fingers from her folds and using that hand to lift herself off of the woman, "No, don't leave."

"I don't plan on going anywhere," Zilgol confirms this by lying next to her on the bed. Neris hums and goes to lay on her chest for a moment, taking in a deep breath. Then her nimble fingers wander to lay on her chest and touch all over her breasts. She touches the nipples gently which makes the orc sigh in simple pleasure, "Dove."

"Shh," she mutters, "Let me touch you."

Zilgol nods and watches as the woman leans up a little and trails her left hand over the breast farthest from her before popping the closest nipple into her mouth. The orc groans and grips the back of her lover's head in her hand, almost enclosing it. Neris happily sucks on the perk bud as long as the woman keeps moaning into her ears only for her to hear.

The hand travels down her toned stomach and slips under her underwear to trace little patterns along her folds. Zilgol jolts at the sudden touch but relaxes into it. Those nimble fingers open her folds to find her clit, rubbing strong circles around it. The orc groans, "I will not last long, dove. Making you cum has affected me more than I realized…"

Neris nods her head and bites the nipple in her mouth only for the orc to hold back a loud moan at the contact, "Ah, please, keep doing that, my little dove."

The tailor hums and eagerly roughens the pressure from her mouth to bite her nipples. Zilgol's back arches slightly as she leans into the mouth. Her fingers circle her clit a few more times before she slips two fingers in. The orc hums, "More."

Neris looks at her and the orc whines, "More. I'm bigger than you…"

She smiles and hums against her breast before slipping another finger into her. She rides against her fingers and begs for the woman to go faster. She does happily and then inserts a fourth finger into her, making the orc groan deeply and grab hold of the bed sheets.

The blonde times her sudden thrusts with little nips to her nipple, sending her over the edge when she moves her thumb to tap against her clit. Zilgol moans deeply into the air and her right leg shakes a little at the effort before she bes Neris to stop.

Neris only chuckles and continues a little, leaving the orc overstimulated before she stops. The tailor smiles and kisses the orc who holds her close after the fact.

The blonde moves to lay on the brunette's chest and snuggles into her, "You are not allowed to leave me, little dove."

Neris hums and kisses her cheek, "I don't plan to, my love."

#monster girlfriend #monster #monsters #romance #orc romance #half-orc #half orc romance #f/f #monster romance

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abbatoirablaze · 1 year ago

Text

Everything, Sebastian Stan

Word Count: 1.4k

Sebastian stared angrily at his co-star, his jaw ticking as he watched him with her. Rage coursed through his veins as he put his hand on her lower back.

While he wanted to get up from his spot at the bar and walk over to the man, only to punch him in the face, he tried to keep his cool, instead taking a long drag from his beer.

He winced at the warmth of it.

He’d been sitting there watching her for far too long.

Was waiting like some weirdo in the shadows while she mingled.

“And you’re sure you want this one?” his manager asked, half paying attention to the star. Sebastian nodded, looking at the glamor shot. You were tastefully dressed, yes, but it was a boudoir photo, one that was driving him wild. His manager nodded, returning to the phone call, and shuffled the photos together, placing the chosen one on top, “give me one minute, Max. I got a client in here, and he’s picking a girl from the agency. Yeah, yeah. I know.”

Sebastian tried to keep a poker face as he fought the annoyance at his manager.

Why did he have to take the call during his appointment?

“Sebastian…when do you want her?”

“As soon as possible.” The manager nodded and wrote something down on a notepad, before tucking the photos away into an envelope, “I’ll make the call after I get off the phone with Max, yeah?”

Sebastian sucked in his cheeks and nodded, getting up from his spot, “alright. I have an audition to get to across town, so give me a call when you get the confirmation. I have a Christmas party with NBC and I want her at my side.”

“She will be, don’t worry.”

“Sebastian…”

He felt his heart skip a beat as he looked up from his drink at the bar. You were smiling sweetly at him as you wrapped your arm around his waist and leaned into him, “you okay honey?”

How long had he zoned out?

“Yeah,” he nodded, offering you a simple smile as he turned to envelope you in his arms, “didn’t want to bug you while you were making friends.”

You could hear the tinge of jealousy in his voice and your brow rose, “Sebastian…”

“You know me too well, honey,” he chuckled, “why you back over here with me, huh? You looked like you were having fun!”

“Yeah? Well maybe I just wanted to spend some time with you,” you whispered into his side. He noticed you inhaling deeply and he smiled at the thought that his scent was calming you down. He knew that despite your job, you hated to be around too many people for too long, so he found himself loving the fact that he was becoming your security blanket. He lived for how you nuzzled your way into his side, snuggling up to him, “you’ve been hiding out by the bar for a while now…

“You’ve been hiding out at the bar all night, Stan.”

“Yeah, well Ed got me the wrong girl,” he grumbled angrily, watching as his date was giggling and flirting with his other co-stars, rubbing shoulders so to speak to sleep her way up the ladder, “remind me to fire that useless ass in the morning.”

“Your manager or the girl?” his friend teased.

Sebastian scowled, “Who do you think, Chace?”

“Will do,” Chace chuckled, clapping his friend on the shoulder, “so which one did you want?”

“Number twenty-seven,” he said simply. A smile lit up his face as he dreamily thought of that shot. Everything about the photo of you set off fireworks in his mind, “I’m telling you…she’s not just any girl either. That woman is my future wife.”

“Whatever you say, brother,” he laughed, “so you have her number memorized? Does this mean I shouldn’t pick her when I look at the photos tomorrow? My manager is hooking me up with the company for another date to a Gossip Girl party I have going on and they couldn’t squeeze me in on time for this one.”

“You pick her and you’re no longer my brother!” Sebastian joked.

“Yeah…that so?”

Sebastian smirked, “it’s a fact. I’m hoping that I can get ahold of the agency in the morning and explain Ed’s mistake…hopefully they can send her over for tomorrow. I’ve got a ‘party’ for Marvel…”

“You’re not cast in anything for them, are you?”

“Not yet,” he shrugged, “a few agents called…said that they’re looking for a bunch of guys for a few long-term projects. I guess I made the cut for their first round short lists.”

“Lucky,” Chace chuckled, “I can’t even get them to look at me for a superhero role. All they see is Gossip Girl.”

“Baby?” His eyes snapped to yours as he drifted back from another memory, “you okay? You’re zoning out a lot, tonight.”

“Just thinking…” he admitted softly.

“Ohh, anything in particular,” You teased as your fingers drifted up his toned chest, “what’s on your mind?”

“Thinking about how we ended up together.” He replied thoughtfully, lifting your hand to his lips only to kiss each individual knuckle, “just thinking about how that almost didn’t happen…how I almost missed out on you!”

“You mean, how you stole me away from Evans?”

“This is my girlfriend, (Y/N).”

“Pleased to meet you!” you smiled sweetly, shaking hands with a few other perspective superheroes as you indulged the mixer.

Sebastian was pissed.

He’d gotten ahold of the agency.

But when he’d asked for you, he’d been told that you had already entered into a contract with another star. When he tried to press them for a name, stating that he’d been the first one to turn in his paperwork, they reminded him that he’d chosen a different girl, chalking his comments up to no chemistry, and not the manager’s error.

But when he saw you walk in on Chris Evans’ arm, he felt his heart plummet.

Chris was fresh off of two Marvel movies, playing Johnny Storm in the Fantastic Four. He knew that Evans had more star power than he did, and he knew that he wouldn’t be able to get you even if he tried.

But then he saw the glimmer in your eye as Chris introduced everyone to you. And he felt the emotions. It was like some cheesy romantic comedy where everything slowed down, and it was like the two of you were the only ones in the room.

No one else mattered.

He shook your hand, just like everyone else, but both you and himself held some secret smile as the sparks flew between you.

“Sebastian…”

You felt your throat go dry as you merely nodded along, hoping that the star wouldn’t see through your charade.

“Nice to meet you!”

“You’re Chris’ girlfriend?” he asked, hinting subtly that he knew of something. But you gave him a polite smile and nodded. Sebastian’s gaze never wavered from you, “how long have the two of you been together?”

“Few months, right?” Evans lied.

You gave another sweet, albeit fake nod, but agreed with him, “feels like just yesterday we stumbled across each other while jogging.”

Another thing he knew that you hated.

“I remember you saying you two ran into each other, jogging.”

You frowned, remembering the night, “we didn’t really have a lot of time to dig into a backstory…and we didn’t think that someone would ask so many questions about our ‘relationship.’ Little did I know you were interested in me before he was.”

Sebastian smiled as he leaned down and kissed you softly.

He had seen right through you that night.

In an instant.

“You’re from the agency.”

You spun around so quickly, you nearly stumbled. But Sebastian was quick to catch you in his arms.

Your hands wrapped around his neck, and his arms wrapped low around your waist.

“S-Sebastian…” you whimpered softly, surprised at the man sneaking up on you in the powder room, “Wh-what are you doing here?”

“I tried calling again after that Marvel first round mixer,” he answered honestly, “said I knew Evans had you…I’ve been trying to see you again since then.”

“Sebastian-“

“Tell me that the kiss meant nothing that night,” he said quickly, his eyes searching yours, “tell me that when we snuck away from everyone and danced under the stars that it meant nothing…tell me that the kiss meant nothing and I’ll ju-“

“It meant everything…”

“It meant everything,” you whispered softly, knowing those three words would affect him even years after the first meeting, “you still mean everything to me…”

“Me,” he replied gently, his hand pulling away from your waist to rest lightly on your stomach, “and the baby?”

“Of course…and Noel will be here soon enough,” you reminded him, giving him a sweet look, “our little girl is due any day now…”

“And I couldn’t be happier!”

“I love you, Sebastian!”

“I love you too, (Y/N!)”

#25 days of christmas #everything #sebastian stan #one shot #1 shot

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separatist-apologist · 2 years ago

Text

The Death Of Peace Of Mind

When the curtains call the time, will we both go home alive?

Summary: Eris Vanserra is a man who is used to feeling nothing.

All that is about to change.

For day 5 of romance week (but maybe we're not gonna tag this one): Feelings Realization

Read on AO3 | Part 1

“What would you do if you found out the guy you were kind of seeing is a psychopath?” Arina asked, jogging across a sidewalk before a car could come barreling through.

“Are you talking about Eris?” Elain replied through the phone. “I know he can be intense, but underneath it all, he’s really decent.”Arina almost laughed. She was talking about Eris, who wished her a good morning each day and asked her how things were going when she got off work. He’d sent flowers to her doorstep.

And at night he climbed through her window, tied her up with rope, and ate her pussy like it was the finest meal he’d ever had. He was also planning his next murder, which Arina was struggling with. Not because he was doing it…but because she found she just didn’t care.

What did it say about her that she was anxious for all three of them to be dead? That what she really wanted was for him to take off that stupid mask, tell her the truth, and let her merge these two men into one complete picture.

“We have a date tomorrow night,” Arina told Elain, making her way to Eris’s office. He’d made this appointment for her, the controlling bastard. It hadn’t stopped her from making her way across the city to see him or from putting on a clingy dress and make-up, knowing full well he was going to have to unzip the top if he wanted to see her ribs.

No bra, of course.

It was ridiculous, but nothing he hadn’t seen before at this point. Arina had stopped wearing clothes to bed given Eris would just slice them right off her body. One ruined pajama set was fine. Five of them was too much. Besides, she rather liked being woken to the feel of the soft blindfold sliding over her eyes. He’d found more gentle rope after the first night left burns on her skin, and tied her so there were no lingering welts.

For a murderer—and a stalker—he was surprisingly thoughtful.

“I hope it goes well,” Elain offered cheerfully. “And not just because I think it would be fun to date brothers. Eris could use someone in his life. He seems lonely.”Arina wasn’t touching that with a ten foot pole.

“Maybe,” she agreed, though she suspected there was more to it than that. Arina was at the office and needed to end this conversation before she saw the man in question. “Let me call you back.”

Arina slid her phone into her bag and entered the clinical office. She filled out the required paperwork and handed over her insurance and ID before she was directed to sit on a rather nice leather choice facing a television. A woman with a small child weaving around her legs bounced her foot as she glanced toward the door at the other end of the room. Magazines were spread over a chipped coffee table while different posters warning people not to smoke, drink, or have unprotected sex were hung against beige walls.

“Ms. Novak?”

A nurse in cheerful lavender scrubs called Arina back. She wondered if Eris let her jump the line, or if this woman was waiting to see a different doctor. Arina was weighed, her blood pressure taken, and a patient history given before she was left alone behind a closed door, sitting atop an exam table that had a model of a human heart sitting on the little gray counter. She was tempted to fidget with it, to pull apart the different ventricles and see if she could piece it back together.

A knock on the door tempered that impulse. A moment later, Eris Vanserra poked his head through the crack before stepping in entirely. Arina’s heart took off at a gallop when she saw him, dressed in a white button down tucked into a pair of charcoal slacks. He looked incredible with his styled hair pushed off his elegant, handsome face. Closing the door, Eris turned a truly sultry smile on her.

“You came.”

“I’m sure you saw me on the sheet,” she replied, suddenly embarrassed by this obvious attempt to seduce him. Surely this man wasn’t creeping through her bedroom window each night. He didn’t seem capable of such a thing.

“That doesn’t mean you’d show up,” he replied, sitting easily on a swivelling stool to pull up her chart. “How are you feeling?”

Raw from your fingers and mouth and rope. “Better,” she replied. He nodded, scanning whatever he saw on the screen.

“Sleeping well? Eating?”

“Yes and yes.”

“Any pain?”

She shook her head, forcing him to glance up at her. “Good,” he murmured, typing quickly. He stood, looking her over. With gentle, warm fingers, Eris turned her face toward his own and brushed his thumb over the bruise still healing on her cheekbone.

Which one?

She almost shivered.

Eris dropped his hand to step around the table for a stethoscope. “Deep breaths. Just like before,” he murmured, sliding the little notches into his ears. He was close enough she could smell the familiar crisp, spicy scent of his cologne. Her whole body reacted on instinct, flooding her with heat like she did every night. Eris didn’t seem to notice, or was too professional to acknowledge it. He merely replaced the little piece of metal against her back to listen to her lungs.

He slid it around his neck, blinking as if he’d just realized what she was wearing. “I want to see your ribs. I’ll step out—”

“No,” she said, far too breathlessly as she swept her long hair over to one shoulder. “You can stay.”

She reached around the back of her dress for the zipper but Eris very gently replaced her hand with his own. He tugged the little piece of metal down over her spine before oh so gently pushing the straps off her shoulders. Arina held the front against her breasts, only because they were in his place of work and getting half naked seemed wildly inappropriate.

His eyes darkened and she wondered if that was how he looked when he crawled between her legs each night. Eris skimmed his fingers over her ribs, pressing lightly. “Does that hurt?”

“No,” she whispered. He swallowed, exhaling a soft breath through his lips before reaching over her to push against her other set.

“And this?”

Arina turned her head to look at him, well aware they were mere inches from each other. They had a date tomorrow night. She ought to leave well enough alone.

His eyes slid to her lips. “It doesn’t hurt,” she breathed, palm pressed against his chest.

He groaned softly, taking that hand and tangling it in her hair for a brutal, yet familiar kiss. Did he really think she couldn’t tell the difference between his persona and real life? That a mask was enough to hide how utterly obvious he was being? Did he think she didn’t notice how he bit her lip, how his tongue was so demanding or how his fingers pushed at the fabric of her dress so he could tease her breasts? All of it was edged in pain.

Exactly the way she liked it.

Arina wondered how Eris liked it. He never let her touch him, even when she’d suggested he keep her blindfolded and fuck her. She was here, now. There was nothing stopping her from taking that hand on his chest and cupping him through his pants.

Eris moaned. “I want—”

“Me, first,” she interrupted, well aware of what he wanted. He did it every night until she was shaking and exhausted. It was her turn, she told herself. Her turn to slide off that exam table and onto the cold, white linoleum beneath her. She tugged at his belt while Eris watched, his eyes wild and dark.

“Arina—”

“You need to be quiet,” she said, holding his gaze while undoing the button on his slacks. She could see the bulge in his pants and wondered how he’d been taking care of himself. Had he? Had he been using his hand, or was he all pent up? What would he taste like?

“You still have to take me out tomorrow,” she warned him, using the heel of her hand to rub him through his black boxer briefs.

“Whatever you want,” he told her, threading long fingers through her hair. “It’s all planned, but I can fuck—” he exhaled, throwing his head back when she pulled the long, thick length of him from his underwear and, without teasing or preamble, took the blunt, heavy head into her mouth. How much time did she have before a nurse came looking for him?

This was payback for the nights in her bedroom when he refused to let her touch him. She was well aware Eris could have straddled her chest and shoved his cock into her mouth—she wanted him to.

She couldn’t fit all of him, though it was clear Eris wanted her to try. Maybe if they were in her bedroom she would have. Tied to her headboard, unable to escape him, Eris could have pushed her nose to his abdomen and made her take all of them. No one would have heard her gag, her protests.

Here, though, Eris was forced to yield when she pressed her palms against the tops of his thighs and slapped, forcing him to release his grip on her hair. Using one hand to make up the difference and her other to tease and toy with his balls, Arina threw herself into swallowing as much of him as she could silently. The scent of his cologne mingled with the clean taste of his skin and the near silent moans coming from the man above her. He’d braced his body against the counter behind him, though one hand was still using her hair to half fuck her face.

He was too loud when she tightened her grip on him, teeth gently scraping against his skin. Of course he liked this rough. Of course he liked a little pain. Arina wasn’t gentle, then, nor was she polite. Saliva dragged from each pass of her mouth, her wrist twisting roughly each time she came back up.

Eris was shaking, reaching for her head with his other hand. Their eyes met in a silent question, to which Arina answered by hollowing her cheeks.

Do it.

He snapped, hips pumping his cock furiously into her throat with just enough restraint to keep him from suffocating her. She wondered if today would mark a new development in their evenings together.

Was it fucked up that she hoped so?

Eris grunted, pushing further into her throat to finish. Arina widened her jaw to suck down air, eyes closed for the first time to focus on swallowing without choking. He was panting, practically begging, shuddering as wave after wave of pleasure overtook him.

Good.

She felt like the score was better settled between them.

Breathing as if he’d run a marathon, Eris gripped Arina by the tops of her arms and pulled her off him for a vicious, messy kiss.

“Spend the night tomorrow,” Eris whispered, thumbs stroking her cheek.

“Why? So you can—”

“Fuck you? Yes, exactly,” he interrupted, eyes flashing. “Nice and slow, all night…no interruptions, nothing keeping me from doing everything I’ve been imagining all week…”

“Does this mean dinner is off?” she asked nervously. She didn’t want to be just a hookup.

He shook his head, kissing her again. “Date is still on.”

“We’ll see how I feel, I guess.”

“And if I insist?” he responded, allowing her to step back and slid the straps of her sundress back over her arms.

Arina felt mischievous. “Then you’ll have to sneak into my bedroom window and have your wicked way with me, I suppose.”

He betrayed nothing. “Say you will. My place, my bed. I’ll buy you breakfast in the morning. And lunch, too—dinner, even, if you want.”

“You sound desperate,” she teased, her heart racing.

Eris only shrugged. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Eight oclock.”

She smiled. “Don’t keep me waiting.”

ERIS:

Eris had no fucking idea how he managed to get through the rest of his day. He typed clinical notes and saw patients. He drove home and had dinner and talked to his mother on the phone. And the entire time, all he thought about was Arina on her knees, peering up at him through dark lashes as she choked down his cock. It was all he could feel, that wet, warm mouth, her pillowy tongue, her soft throat. He wanted to do it again. Wanted to wrap his hand around her neck and make her take every last inch of him, until her lips were blue and her eyes were glazed.

He thought she wanted that, too.

He intended to go to her just as soon as he crossed a name off his list. Josh O’Neil was the second roommate who’d helped hold Arina down. Who’d been promised he could take a turn—and who therefore needed to die.

He’d had a hell of a time tracking Josh down. The police presence had lingered, which was enough to keep Eris away. Something about that place bothered him. He couldn’t put his finger on it—but Josh and Jack were careful. Like they knew it was no self strangulation that had killed their friend, despite how Eris had looped that belt around his neck and left him with his pants around his ankles.

He was curious. Curious enough to leave Arina to her bed and head out into the night. Back to that apartment where he knew Josh would be. Unlike Arina, who lived in the heart of a good neighborhood filled with people who didn’t pay close enough attention to her, Jack and Josh lived in a rougher neighborhood. A place where people intentionally looked the other way. It had made it easy to slip through a broken lobby door and into the apartment Arina had forced her way out of.

If Eris was young and lacked capital, it was the kind of place he might have chosen, too.

The hair on the back of his neck stood on end as he approached.

“Truce,” called a voice from an alleyway. Eris turned his head, his vision half obscured by his mask. He could hear shoes crunching on glass, dragging shadows from the dark. There was no streetlight to illuminate them, and when they appeared, Eris supposed he should have guessed.

That was Arina’s luck, to slip from one killer to another.

“How’d you get in?” Jack asked, pushing sandy brown hair off his face. He looked like every other douche bag Eris knew, minus the fresh, still damp blood soaking his shirt. Beside him, Josh stood just a little taller, grinning with amusement. Eris had his knife just behind his back and a gun tucked under his shirt, just in case.

Eris didn’t respond, cocking his head as he tried to figure out how to best cut Josh’s throat and leave the corpse for Jack to deal with.

“Did we overstep?” Josh added. They didn’t know, then. They were young, still, and likely green. He wondered whose blood they were coated in or why they didn’t care. Sloppy, was what it was.

“Are we on your turf, fucking your whores?”

Eris remained silent.

“Look, we don’t need a war. We brought you a gift,” Jack said, gesturing to the alley behind them. There was no fucking way Eris was stupid enough to go back there. Josh laughed, turning his back without an ounce of fear to march back into the dark. It was the only opportunity Eris was going to get. Lunging, Eris pulled that curved blade from his pocket, and in one easy, fluid motion, brought it screaming across Josh’s neck.

He hit his knees with a loud thud, gasping into the dark. Eyes wild as he turned for his friend, who merely watched with a clinical, almost bored expression on his face. Neither of them moved, though Josh reached for them both, dragging himself against the pavement as if that would save him.

Only when he was still did Jack turn to Eris. “You’ve done me a favor. They’re sloppy—messy. I’m going to leave your present in the ally so you understand that whatever score you think is between ought to be settled. I would hate for anyone else to get hurt. You understand.” Jack reached into the waistband of his jeans and as casually as he might have pulled out car keys, pulled out a gun. He didn’t point it at Eris—there was no need. He merely stepped over his friend's body, whistling to himself as he made his way home in the dark. Eris watched, hidden in the shadows, until Jack was far out of sight.

Only then did he dare to creep into the alley.

He was nearly sick. They knew. A woman he didn’t recognize, far older than Arina, lay dead against a brick wall. She’d likely died hours before, though Eris couldn’t tell. He couldn’t stop looking at all that blood stained, blonde hair. A piece of paper was curled in her lifeless fingers—a message clearly written to him.

Eris pried it out, well aware he needed to get the fuck away from all those dead bodies. Clutching it in his fist, he took off, not daring to look back and careful where he stepped. The neighborhood was dangerous—it would look like Josh had left his lover to die in an alleyway, only to meet a coward's fate.

Eris drove around for an hour, weaving around the city in random, unpredictable patterns in an effort to confuse anyone who might have followed. He never took off his mask—not until he was sure he was alone. Only then, parked in a gas station, did he dare unfurl that blood splattered note.

I always had a thing for blondes.

Eris exploded in rage. Everything was so fucked. If Jack thought Eris was coming after him, he’d turn around and go right back after Arina. And even if Eris didn’t, Jack still might. The threat would loom for the rest of her life, unaware of the threat that surrounded her.

He willed himself not to care. To walk away from her, to drive back home and not give a fuck if Jack was plotting to end her life. He could go home, eat dinner, and call anyone in his phone to suck his cock. Just like he’d always done. Sh was a distraction.

She was the death of his peace of mind.

Eris took a breath. And then another.

Eyes closed, he reclined in his seat.

She’s nothing. She’s worthless.

She was everything.

He turned the ignition back on, well aware he could not go back to before. That life was over for him—he’d known it the moment he saw her. He needed to see her, to make sure she was okay. He’d wasted too much time tying her up and eating her out when he should have been teaching her how to disembowel someone.

He couldn’t watch her all day, every day. Though Eris was about to try. He went home, well aware he’d crossed psychopath territory days ago. Who gave a shit at this point if there were cameras in her house? Who cared if he tracked her every fucking movement until Jack was floating in the river? One day she’d be grateful for all this, ideally when he had her sleeping in his bed every single night, but until then, this would suffice.

After all, he wasn’t trying to stop her from going anywhere. Or, that was how Eris rationalized all this. Stalking was usually reserved for prey, and it was short-lived. Eris was in this for the long haul, for better or worse, which meant she could not die. He was unwilling to discover what grief felt like. Arina would live, or they would both die, and those were the only options he was willing to entertain.

Eris crept into her bedroom like he always did, relieved to find her alive and asleep. She was tucked beneath her blanket, one hand curled beneath her chin. He wanted to go to her, to brush bare knuckles over her still healing cheekbones, and tell her everything was going to be fine.

Instead, Eris set his cameras up to face every point of entry in her apartment, concealing them so she wouldn’t notice—not immediately, anyway. Maybe one day if she ever deep cleaned, which Eris doubted. He’d picked up the night before and again as he moved through her place, replacing her shoes by the door and putting her dirty laundry in the hamper.

He was tempted to do her dishes, too—maybe another night. This night couldn’t be soft. He needed to make her sharp, at least around the edges. Tomorrow she’d be in his bed, and the next night, too, if he could get away with it. Eris had no idea what sort of timeline people who typically dated adhered to, but he knew his brother and Elain still weren’t living together and they’d been dating for a solid year.

Eris needed things to move a little faster. A degenerate like Jack wouldn’t be able to get past his doorman.

A month?

He was still chewing that thought when he went to her in her bedroom. Eris pulled the blankets from her body, forgetting she’d been sleeping naked to keep him from cutting apart anymore pajamas. She was so absurdly pretty, with a body that made him irrational. He’d nearly thrown away a medical career that very afternoon when she’d gotten on her knees to suck his cock and he’d had to fight every urge in his body not to fuck her up against the door.

She stirred, peaking open an eye. She wasn’t afraid of him anymore. Arina hadn’t been afraid since that first night, because Arina was strong. Because she was like him, even if she didn’t realize it.

“I was starting to think you’d forgotten,” she whispered.

“There’s no forgetting you,” he replied, staring at that little strip of blonde hair over her pussy. He wanted to fuck her so badly it was making him stupid.

Tomorrow. You’ll be inside her tomorrow.

“Get dressed,” he added, forcing himself to look away.

“Why?”

“Where is your knife?”

There was a pause. “Why?”

He sighed, irritated that she still thought there was any possibility he was going to harm her. “You need to know how to use it.”

“Oh.”

“Do you really think—” he cut himself off when he realized she was standing, holding a little blue top between slim fingers. Those fucking legs. Even the mask couldn’t hide his reaction given he immediately looked up at the ceiling in an attempt to keep himself from falling to his knees.

Had he ever been good at this? He was starting to think he hadn’t. Eris had to turn to keep himself from leaping on her, his cock roaring to life. He hadn’t forgotten that blowjob, after all. “I’m not going to kill you,” he ground out, willing himself to calm the fuck down. He counted to ten, assuming that was enough time for her to dress before he turned back around. She was bent over her pillow, fishing out that knife and Eris was aching and hot all over again.

“Ready?” she asked innocently.

Not in a million fucking years.

“Let's begin.”

ARINA:

Arina rubbed her eyes, crossing her legs again. Eris had kept her up most of the night running her through drills without telling her why it was suddenly so important she learn how to stab. She much preferred the night he went down on her. Arina was in her living room, dressed in a red slip dress and heels. The time shone 7:59 on the stove which made Arina antsy. He wasn’t coming.

She didn’t know why she thought that—only that it was still possible she was wrong about him and blowing him in his office had scared him off. Arina had to be careful when it came to men—give them what they wanted too early and they stopped trying.

Not soon enough and they didn’t try at all.

The clock shifted to eight and a soft knock graced the door. Arina exhaled a breath. Arina went to him, drinking in the rich, familiar scent of his cologne. Eris looked incredible, tall and muscular in inky black trousers and a matching black shirt. He reached for her, arm around her back to pull her into him for a soft, passionate kiss.

“Sorry,” he murmured, not looking sorry at all. Arina decided not to mention her lipstick had smeared over his mouth. It looked…well, it looked a little like blood. What did it say that she sort of liked that?

“Missed you, too,” she said with a smile. “I’m glad you came.”

“This is all I’ve thought about,” he admitted, looking past her at the overnight bag she’d packed. “All ready to go?”

Eris was smooth, swapping their positions so she stood on the porch and he was striding into her apartment for the bag. Arina tried so hard to smother the smile on her face—failing when he slung the floral straps over his shoulders with a sultry expression.

Arina nodded before asking, “What’s the plan for tonight?”

“Dinner,” he said, closing the door behind her. “And something else I think you’ll like—not my cock, don’t look at me like that—ice cream after, if you want. Or my cock, if—”

Arina smacked him lightly on the arm. “It was one blow job, Eris.”

He yanked open the passenger side for her, clearly working for the sex he expected to happen later that evening. “Forgive me for wanting many, many more.”

“Is that all it takes?” she all but laughed, folding herself into the familiar leather interior. Eris snapped the door shut, tossed her bag in the trunk, and joined her in the car.

Eris glanced over, smug and pleased in equal measure. “It doesn’t hurt, that’s for sure.”

Arina was grinning the entire way to the expensive restaurant Eris had picked out. There was no lull in the conversation and though it was easily the nicest place Arina had ever eaten in, Eris didn’t make it weird. He didn’t do that thing where, when pulling out his card to pay, he looked over at her so she knew it had been expensive and he expected to be repaid in some way.

Arina was doubting herself by the time they reached the theater. Eris was so pleased with himself to have secured ballet tickets on such short notice. He was witty, he was well-dressed and elegant and charming.

Was he also the kind of man who could strangle someone to death?

She’d snoop, she decided once they were seated in the dark. He had to sleep eventually, and once he did, she’d go through his things and prove he was the man creeping through her window each night.

Arina prayed he was, at any rate, because she didn’t think Ghost was going to be cool with another man. And if she was being perfectly honest, she much preferred Eris, who’d put his hand on her thigh and was rubbing lazy circles over her skin while he watched the show. She’d take the doctor if his hobby’s skewed toward vigilante justice.

But no one else.

That was a dangerous thought, given she just barely knew Eris to begin with. It was too soon to say she liked him enough to excuse a multitude of felonies and yet standing in the elevator of his building, his fingers brushing the back of her hand while Arina explained all the things she was sure he’d missed, she didn’t care. She hadn’t cared last night when he’d been barking orders at her through that stupid Halloween mask and she didn’t care when he led her into his absurdly large penthouse, swaggering like a man with a big dick he knew was going to be wet soon enough.

Eris took her bag straight to his bedroom. “Just in case you think I’m the sort of gentleman who’d offer you a guest room,” he told her, eyes flashing. Eris’s bedroom was immaculate, with a wall of glass overlooking the city. His bed was large and draped in black silks and cream cotton, the headboard framed by the glass. She imagined he woke up each morning bathed in golden light and found herself jealous of such a small opulence.

Two nightstands on either side of his bed held little lamps, a book…and a knife. “Afraid of being attacked in your sleep?” she teased, walking toward it. Eris didn’t stop her, fingertips pressed into the wood at the top of the door frame as he leaned his large, tall body against it.

“You never know,” he murmured, his easy expression slipping into something more intense. Arina unsheathed it from the leather, inhaling a sharp breath. Was he even trying to hide it, then? It was an identical match to her own blade, curved and impossibly sharp.

Eris’s smile was edged, eyes watching her with open amusement. Did he want her to guess? Or was this part of the fun? Arina slid it back into the holster, mind racing.

“I suppose a doctor would be good with a knife,” she said lightly.

“Very good,” he all but purred, pushing off the frame to come to her. “Though, I think I’m more skilled with my hands.”

She shivered—not from fear, but want. He was prowling toward her, every inch of him wholly focused on her.

“You don’t need to worry about that,” he murmured, taking the handle from her fingers and tossing it with a clunk back to the bedside table. “Or anything but me.”

“I should be worried about you?” she whispered, looking up into his amber eyes. They seemed to burn, were all but living flame.

“Maybe a little,” he admitted as one hand cupped the back of her head. He pulled her closer, eyes slipping to her mouth.

“And if I’m not?” she replied.

He smiled slightly. “Even better for me.”

Kissing him was just as good as she remembered. Better, even, with that mask partially pulled back. Eris wasn’t pretending, though he wasn’t openly admitting what he was, either. Arina reached for him, twining her arms around his neck to drag him closer. She’d meant to force him to watch a movie, to work for the right to unzip her dress.

Eris backed her toward the bed, tongue invading her mouth like having her was his mandate, a directive from the gods themselves. He groaned softly, pressing them both into the mattress.

“What’s your rush—” She tried to slow him down, but Eris was a man possessed. He swallowed the rest of her words, reaching for her thigh to hitch around his waist. Grinding himself against her ended Arina’s weak protests. She’d forgotten the size of him, forgotten how it had felt to have him in her mouth, her hand.

She wanted to know what it would feel like to have him in her body, bad enough that she arched into him, tugging at his perfect hair until she’d thoroughly unmade him. She had the sense that Eris’s sleek, unbothered exterior was merely another mask for whatever writhing creature lay just beneath the surface. How many people got to see him like this? How many had he let in?

Eris reared up, thighs bracketing her body as he began undoing the buttons on his shirt. “I can’t stop thinking about yesterday,” he told her, his chest rising and falling. “About your mouth—fuck—” She’d propped herself up on her elbows to watch him undress. Tall, lean, and still well-muscled, Eris Vanserra was a fucking dream. Exactly her type, she thought as he shoved that nice shirt off his frame and tossed it to the floor. Not so tidy after all, she thought with a smile.

“What’s that for?” he asked gruffly, eyes searching her face. His cheeks had warmed, highlighting the smattering of freckles dusting his nose.

“You,” she breathed, running her palm over his stomach. “You’re beautiful.”

“Beautiful,” he repeated, as if he couldn’t believe she’d said such a thing. Arina was given no opportunity to insist she was right or even offer up another compliment. Eris was back on her, kissing her like a desperate, wild man. This was what had been missing from their nights together, she thought. Eris was rough and yet kind, his hands palming her through her dress to edge the pleasure he offered with the sweetest touch of pain.

She could meet him. Arina ranked her nails down his bare back, sharp enough to all but draw blood. Eris groaned, grinding his cock against her body.

“Is that what you like, Eris?” she whispered, hooking her leg against his waist. He responded with a nip to her bottom lip. Arina wanted to see all of him. Reaching for his belt, she meant to fully undress him so she could take him back into her mouth before she rode him into oblivion. She wasn’t tied up this time, and to Arina, that meant she had control.

He had to do what she said, what she wanted.

Eris was quicker, flipping her to her stomach so he could unzip her dress and push it off her body. Eris wrapped the long strands of her hair around his wrist and pulled, arching her back up off the bed.

“There she is,” he whispered, letting Arina shove the dress down to her knees. No bra, which he must have realized in the theater given how cold she was. She had worn a lacy red thong, which Eris snapped like a thirteen year old boy, chuckling to himself when her head snapped to look over her shoulder.

“I’ve been thinking about this since I saw you in my brother's apartment,” he whispered, rubbing his hand over her ass cheek. “I wanted to bend you over the kitchen counter and fuck you so hard the whole building complained.”

“Eris,” she whispered, wiggling her hips while he maneuvered the scrap of lace off her body. She was utterly naked, pushed up on her knees and elbows. Eris’s eyes were glazed over, drinking in the sight of her. In any other circumstances, Arina would have felt self-conscious about being so on display.

Eris made her seem like something sexy, something he’d been waiting on his entire life. She knew he’d seen her naked before, but this was different. Arina pulled her hair from his grasp, yanking the strands from her scalp. She knew what he wanted—to fuck her from behind, until she was all but suffocating into a pillow.

She wanted control. This first time, Arina wanted to decide when and how he came.

“On your knees, Eris,” she whispered, holding his haze. He cocked his head, sitting on his haunches, and for a moment she thought he’d say no.

“I’m putting my face in that pussy,” he informed her, a lazy smile on his face.

“Then you’ll do it on your back,” she declared, anticipation building in her chest. He didn’t stop her as she trailed her fingers down his chest or when she reached for his belt buckle. In fact, Eris remained still until both his pants and his underwear were down by his knees, waiting to join her clothes on the floor.

“Is this what you want, then?” he asked, his thick, long cock jutting from between her legs. Arina scooted closer until the tip of him was bruised against her stomach.

“Maybe I’d like to tie you up,” she whispered, holding his gaze. Eris’s eyes flashed—not with fear, but excitement. Grabbing her by the back of her neck, Eris kissed her roughly, teasing her breasts with his other hand. Was she being obvious enough?

I know and I don’t care.

Pulling her hair to arch her neck, Eris pressed a sucking kiss to the hollow of her neck. “Do whatever you like with me.”

She was quick, pushing him to the bed before he could change his mind. “How does it feel?” she asked him, raking her nails up and down his bare chest as she swung her leg over his body. Eris’s eyes were wholly dark, watching her with interest.

He responded by grabbing her by the hips and yanking her up to his face. “Feels fucking fantastic,” he replied, kissing one thigh, and then the other. It hadn’t occurred to her that Eris would still get what he wanted even if she was on top.

Not until he pulled her against his face so it was him suffocating. Arina pitched forward, gripping the dark wood headboard to keep herself from falling off him. With her eyes shut, she was practically back in her bedroom. He wasn’t even trying to hide who he was. The only difference was this time, Arina could ride him the way she often wanted and was prevented by his hands. Eris was forever holding her still so he could lick the way he wanted, keeping her just at the edge for as long as he deemed appropriate—sending her flying over the edge when he tired of teasing.

Not that Eris didn’t try. There would be bruises on her hips from how tight he held her, trying to still her so he could prolong fucking her with his tongue. Anytime Arina got too loud or traded her hold on the headboard for his hair, Eris would move his tongue down her body, denying her the release she wanted so badly.

It was driving her insane. He was driving her insane.

“You can end this, pretty girl,” he panted, stopping entirely when Arina let out a frustrated growl. “Beg me to let you come.”

“Eris,” she replied, pushing his face back into her. He chuckled darkly, sucking her clit between his lips as she began to ride his face again. He was clever, his tongue gliding over her in just the perfect rhythm, building her up just until she was right there—and then he moved, jerking his head to deny her what she wanted. No matter how vicious she was with his hair, Eris always managed to evade her.

He was going to make her beg.

Arina was dying, throbbing from unmet need. Every inch of her was wound tighter than a bow string.

“Eris,” she gasped, hating how his tongue slowed, tracing lazy circles around her clit. He hummed out a response. Arina whined, hips jerking desperately. “Please.”

His tongue was no faster. Waiting.

“Please let me come.”

He groaned, gripping her by the thighs again. Arina rolled her hips, his tongue rising to meet her. This. This was what she needed. Eris sucked and licked as excitement built through Arina, gathering like molten heat just at the base of her spine. This time, when she hung over that edge, Eris kept going until she came. He let her ride his face like she was a wild, desperate animal, his arms shaking with the effort it took to keep himself flat on his back. Arina couldn’t breathe, was hot and tight and alive for maybe the first time in her life.

She knew what he would try and do next. Arina was quick and Eris was needy. She swung off his face, pulling herself roughly from his grasp.

“Not this time,” she breathed, grabbing him by the chin for a kiss. Eris groaned again, arching into her hand when she reached for that thick cock. She stroked and kissed, chasing the taste of her release until she’d come down just enough. She wanted him to feel the aftershocks, to know what was waiting for him if he let go.

Eris reached for her and Arina swatted, still holding his cock as she straddled his hips. “First time belongs to me,” she said, rising up on her knees to tease the thick head of him over her soaked pussy.

“And the next time?” he grunted, neck arching with pleasure.

“I’ll do whatever you say,” she whispered, sinking herself down on him. Eris was loud, which surprised her, groaning as she took each bruising inch of him. His hips bucked, driving himself deeper and drawing a loud gasp from Arina who was trying so hard to adjust to the stretch of him.

Eris watched her, eyes half lidded. He was struck dumb for the moment but if he realized she was struggling to accommodate him, he’d take over. Arina rocked herself against him, squeezed so tight she could barely breathe.

“Fuck, sunshine,” he panted, merging his two personas without meaning to. Digging her nails into his chest, Arina kept going, if only to hear him make more of those sounds. Moaning and heaving, all the while watching her. Eris’s legs parted behind her, as if spreading them wider somehow heightened his pleasure.

Arina wanted to see him come apart. It took her a moment to figure out a rhythm that didn’t immediately exhaust her, using his body for leverage as she began to slide herself up and down his cock.

“You’re so fucking tight, I can’t—” Eris reached for her nipples, teasing him in his fingers until Arina was whining. Release built all over again, too fast too uncontrolled. She wanted to drag them both out. She swore she’d come again, that she’d slow down to really enjoy him. Arina came with a soft scream, flattening against him to rub herself along the length of his body. Eris was wild beneath her, meeting her thrust for thrust as he grunted indiscriminate curses into her ear.

Arina sunk her teeth hard into his shoulder, biting down the scream that rose in her body. That was, apparently, the magic button to set off Eris. He came like a bomb, flipping her over with his thighs so he could grab her by the throat in one hand, her wrists pinned above her head.

He was vicious, riding out both his and her orgasm with punishing thrusts. There was no finesse to it—it was as if he merely needed to drive himself as far into her as he could.

Eris was covered in a slick sheen of sweat when he finally stopped, wild-eyed and burning. He released her throat, but didn’t pull himself out of her.

“Again,” he whispered, kissing just behind her ear. “Right now.”

“Right now,” she agreed, still tight around him.

“You’re mine,” he added, as if there was ever any doubt.

Arina merely kissed him in response.

ERIS:

Eris knew he was better served spending his night between Arina’s thighs. He knew better than to roam the streets at night when she was asleep, and consoled himself with the knowledge that she was in his bed, at least. He’d had her two months as of that day–which Eris had celebrated by keeping her naked and on her back for the majority of the day.

And yet the lingering problem of Jack kept him up at night. He didn’t trust that the man wouldn’t get curious about the woman who’d thwarted him and come looking. That he, too, would become enamored with whatever charm Arina possessed that kept Eris so thoroughly enraptured. And when he realized Arina wanted Eris, what then?

He needed to die.

Eris couldn’t lay his feelings at Arina’s feet knowing there was another predator out there. And he was too chicken shit to admit he was the man in the mask, even if he was mostly sure she’d pieced that one together, too.

She’d be back in her apartment tomorrow, and Eris had an overnight scheduled in the emergency room. He needed to know she was safe. That thought drove him back into the shitty part of the city, back down those unlit streets and the sidewalk where he could see the faint smear of blood from his kill two months before.

He was quick, slipping into Jack’s apartment without being detected. He could hear Jack moving around the back, unaware death was coming for him. Anticipation warmed Eris, pushing him down the hall toward that door—where Jack was waiting.

“Dumb mother fucker,” Jack snarled, shoving open the door just as Eris unsheathed his knife. Eris lunged, knocking Jack to the floor while still gripping his knife. “Now I’m gonna fucking kill her—and I’m gonna let you watch.”

Eris snarled, messy and stupid. He wasn’t thinking straight, had forgotten how to best incapacitate someone who was struggling. He was too blinded by his emotions, which gave Jack an edge. Eris felt white hot pain lance through his side and realized he’d been stabbed.

His own blade came up over Jack’s face, slicing over the man’s rather plain face before he rolled to the side. Both them were bleeding, staring at the other like wounded animals.

“You come near her,” Eris breathed, panting through his mask as he stepped back toward the door. “And I’ll have your head.”

“You’re gonna watch her die,” Jack breathed. The wound was deep—he’d need stitches. Eris would be working in the hospital tomorrow, which he imagined would be about the time Jack would need to hobble in for help.

Accidents happened every day. Who would miss a fucking lowlife loser? He could make it look like infection, like sepsis had worked its way into his bloodstream and then quietly kill him. A long, drawn out, painful death.

“We’ll see,” Eris replied before staggering out. Laughter followed him down the hall and out into the cool, near wintry air. He couldn’t go home to her—not bleeding like this. She was safe he told himself, loping down the sidewalk toward his car hidden a couple blocks away.

Stupid—he was so fucking stupid. He was too scared, too caught up in Arina that he wasn’t thinking logically. He’d gotten hurt. She’d see the wound the next time he undressed in front of her and then what? What would he tell her?

“I was jumped.”

He said it with a rueful smile when he made his way into his own emergency room, shirt lifted to show the clean cut.

“You’re lucky,” Rhysand murmured, cocking his head to the side as he assessed Eris. Eris had left his mask, his gloves, and his vest in the car so it seemed like he’d merely been out, dressed in black. “A little further and they’d have nicked a kidney.”

Eris only sighed. Lucky.

He didn’t feel fucking lucky with only a local anesthetic and Rhysand’s clumsy movements. Eris was a terrible patient, like all doctors, annoyed that Rhys didn’t do things how he would and at the orders to keep still—to wait, when Rhys was done, for worthless observation. He knew the signs of infection, and the signs of lightheadedness, too.

“If a guy with a cut down his face comes in,” Eris began, drawing his thumb over his eye to illustrate where the wound would be, “can you call me?”

Rhysand chuckled. “Are you thinking about payback?”

He had no idea. “I’d like to see the look on his face when I walk in to treat him,” Eris replied with a savage grin.

“That’s fucked,” Rhys replied with a smile. “And so fucking funny. Yeah, if I see a guy with a cut down his face, I’ll give you a call.”

And that was that. Eris was sent home with a little pain medication he didn’t bother filling and a sense of unease. He’d have to just tell her. Tell Arina how he’d fucked it all up, that he’d put her right back in danger.

He’d have to tell her who he was. There was no way around it anymore. No more waiting. Eris’s stomach churned the whole drive back to his apartment. He couldn’t stop himself from playing out every worst case scenario. Couldn’t stop imagining Arina demanding he let her go.

Breaking up with him.

How he’d have to tie her to the bed with those burning eyes once so filled with want, now filled with hate. Keep her there until she softened, until she understood that he loved her.

Eris groaned, head against the seat after parking in the garage. He was so fucking stupid.

He was in love with her.

Sighing, he made his way toward the elevator that would take him to the lobby. Unease pricked at the back of his neck. Eris swore he was being watched. He turned his head, but nothing was out of place. He was extra paranoid, or that was what he told himself. Eris moved quickly, stepping into the lobby as dread flooded through him.

If he were Jack, how much would he have tried to learn about another killer in the same city? Eris knew everything there was to know about Jack—divorced parents, shitty state school he flunked out of, car salesman to pay the bills. It hadn’t been hard to track down an address, grades, hell even a fucking credit score.

And as he stepped into his apartment, he considered what Jack might have learned about him. A dead father and a mother living on the west coast. A brother in law while Eris was…a doctor. Someone who could step into an emergency room to be stitched up in a place that, even with connections, still liked to waste time.

Every light in the apartment was off. He couldn’t recall if he’d done that himself, though Arina hated it. She’d sleep in total darkness if he was there, but when he was gone he turned on a lamp. And he swore, as he opened the closed door to his bedroom, that he’d done that for her.

Rage was building in his chest as he flipped on the light. The sheets to his bed were tangled around the end of the bed, half dragged to the floor. Blood dotted his sheets. Not enough to speak of death, but enough to make his hands shake.

There had been a fight. He could see it in the overturned chair, the lamp broken against a wall. Several pairs of his shoes were scattered about the floor and a picture frame on the wall hung askew. He could track her movement—she’d run to the bathroom and tried to lock herself in. Clever thing, he thought, pulling back the pillow Arina always slept on. The one she still kept her knife beneath.

Just in case.

It was missing. A burst of affection slammed through him. She wasn’t unarmed, then. Eris turned for his closet, where he kept an array of tools. A gun, which he loathed. He much preferred to be up close and personal when he killed. For whatever it said about him—and he wasn’t willing to examine it—-he liked seeing the light leave a person’s eyes.

A note lay just at his feet. Jack's calling card, he knew as he picked it up with trembling fingers. Blood, smudged in the shape of a fingerprint covered the words.

Do blondes have more fun?

Eris was going to kill him. He was going to fucking kill him. Flexing his fingers around the piece of metal, Eris turned back to look at the blood. Little drops—like she’d been struck unaware. Likely when she was sleeping, as if one blow was enough to knock a person out. Jack was stupid, and real life wasn’t like the movies. It would take a hell of a lot more to bring Arina down.

And still Eris counted them up quickly. He’d punish Jack for each one. Each little hurt.

As he made his way back into the inky night, he reminded himself that she’d already bested him once.

She would do it again.

ARINA:

All the things she’d ever learned about being kidnapped were lies. Tied up in the back of a trunk with a bruised, throbbing head, she’d managed to kick out the taillight with her barefoot. It cut up her skin in the process, and ultimately did nothing given no one stopped. No one called the police. Jack kept driving, slamming the breaks just often enough to slam her around.

She needed to focus. She had Eris’s knife tucked into the waistband of her shorts and would have to be careful to keep Jack from noticing. This, she understood, was only partly about her. She’d escaped and had the sense that he was angry about it, but beyond that, he was baiting Eris.

The fresh cut on his face, inflamed and swollen, told her why.

No matter what Jack said about Eris bleeding out in an alley, she knew if he was alive, he was on his way. That, for whatever flaws he had, he would come if only to keep someone else from touching her.

Though, she had been certain that night when she’d fallen asleep wrapped around him, that he was in love with her.

And more certain that she was in love with him.

Stalking murderer and all.

All she had to do was keep her wits about her. Jack wasn’t particularly smart, she reasoned. She’d escaped him once before. He thought little of her. This fight was clearly between him and Eris. So Arina settled and waited for the car to stop. Her hands were bound in front of her which she used to hold the knife still when he opened the lid and yanked her out.

She limped over broken pavement, inhaling the rotting stench of fish. He’d taken her to the docks which didn’t bode well for her. If he threw her into the water bound, there was a decent chance she’d drown in the river. Not that he was thinking that far ahead—yet.

“What happened to your face?” Arina asked as they made their way toward one of the corrugated metal buildings. She knew exactly what had happened, but wanted to get him talking. Wanted to focus him on his actual objective before he looked at her too closely and decided she’d be fun to play with in the interim.

He exhaled noisily. Overhead, a street lamp flickered on and off, giving the area a truly sinister vibe. It was too cold to be out in the thin shirt and shorts she wore, and Arina was grateful she’d put anything on that night. She typically slept naked in Eris’s bed, especially after he fucked her into the mattress. She’d woken a little before Jack arrived to find him gone and had dressed so she could go to the bathroom.

Jack pushed her through a swinging, heavy door, shoving so hard she nearly toppled to the ground.

“Sit,” he barked, nodding toward a beam in the middle of the space. There were no rooms, no enclosed spaces save for one bathroom that hardly looked sturdy. Rust ate at the concrete below her bruised, cut feet and a window on the side overlooking the river had been blown out by a storm.

Storage containers and old tools lay scattered along a wobbly table, long abandoned by whoever had once worked here. Arina carefully folded herself to the ground, resting the back of her head against the steel support holding up a tin roof.

Jack paced back and forth, his white sneaker splattered with blood. One side of his face was viciously swollen and, Arina supposed, had to hurt badly. Eris had cut him deeply. She wondered if it was better to continue to play stupid—to pretend this was all a continuation of those two bad dates.

“Please,” she began, her throat coated in sand. “I won’t tell anyone—”

“Shut up,” he barked, head turning toward the door. He pulled a gun from his loose fitting jeans, cagey and nervous. “You’ll do whatever I say if you want a clean death.”

Her hands out of sight, Arina carefully edged the hidden blade to her back. Jack wasn’t watching her, didn’t think anything of her. Heart pounding, Arina managed to get the knife into her tied hands without him realizing anything was amiss. She looked, she though, merely like she was struggling.

Would Eris be proud she wasn’t crying? That she was being rational, level-headed?

Where was he?

“Why are you doing this?” she whispered, stilling when he turned to look at her. Jack assessed her with new eyes before turning back to his watch. Arina didn’t let herself relax, never dropping her guard even as she began to saw at the roughly tied rope.

“It’s not personal,” Jack finally ground out. “You were merely convenient.”

She had to swallow the bile that rose in her throat. No crying, no vomiting, she told herself. All of that would happen in the aftermath.

“I told him to stay away,” Jack added. “Warned him what I’d do if he didn’t let it go. He can’t, though. He’s like me. It’s the thrill of the chase, of hunting. I knew he’d come looking. Dr. Vanserra.”

And there it was. Confirmation, just like she’d always known.

While Jack continued his vigil, Arina managed to make headway on her bindings.

“Why you?” he asked, glancing toward her for a moment.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she lied. “Eris is a doctor, he works long hours.”

“He’s a killer,” Jack said with a relish, baring his teeth. “So noble, Dr. Vanserra. He prefers the wealthy, the elite. Men,” Jack added with a wolfish grin. “I’m sure he styles himself as the protector of the innocent, but deep down he’s no better than me.”

With one final pull of the knife, Arina’s bindings came undone. She gripped them in her hand too keep him from hearing the thud of the rope.

“How long,” Jack had turned his back to the door as he faced that dark bathroom, “before he learns what we all figure out?”

“What's that?” she whispered, wondering how she was going to escape. The knife in her hand felt damning, weighty.

“You are nothing but a novelty. Something fun until you’re not—until the hunger is too overwhelming and your presence too inconvenient? Men like us don’t love. We only consume.”

The sound of boots echoed around them. Crunching glass, a skittering rock—a warning. Jack was grinning like Christmas had come early but Arina was shallow breathing.

A door somewhere out of sight kicked open and then there he was. In the mask, in all black, swinging a heavy, metal baseball bat and whistling a children’s tune.

How had he found her? Scratch that, she decided. She didn’t care. She only cared he was here, radiating dangerous, violent energy. It also took all the attention from her. Jack stepped forward, his back fully to her though Arina sensed Eris was watching only her.

“Aw, take off the mask, doctor,” Jack sneered. Arina had turned, pulling her hands apart carefully so Eris could see. He cocked his head toward the door, a silent order to get out.

She shook her head no.

I’m not leaving you.

“Show her who you really are.”

Arina watched that gloved hand reach for the mask—and the other for the gun in his back pocket. He dropped the bat with a clatter to the floor, quick as a flash. Eris was fast, pulling the trigger, but Jack was prepared. He laughed as the bullet grazed him, firing his own shot that hit Eris in the thigh. Eris groaned, slamming to his knees while Arina screamed.

“Still?!” Jack demanded, striding to Eris. “After everything, you still won’t speak? Explain her to me, doctor! Explain your fascination!”

Jack ripped off the mask, revealing a furious Eris burning with hatred. Panting from the pain, looking at her with nothing but steel. Waiting, she realized.

Jack was going to kill Eris. It prompted Arina to her feet, to walk toward the pair of them even as Eris’s expression shifted, silently pleading for her to go.

“I was going to make you watch her die,” Jack said, fingers threaded roughly in Eris’s hair. “But there’s poetry in dying knowing I’m going to fuck your girl. I’m going to fuck every hole right next to your—”

“Don’t,” Eris begged. Jack laughed before the sound choked in his lungs. Arina had driven her knife into his side, twisting enough that Jack groaned in pain. Ripping the blade from his flesh, she thought it was all so odd. Like sliding a knife into a cooked turkey, cutting through tendon and hitting bone.

Jack brought his gun to Arina’s chest and with an inhuman roar, Eris lunged himself at Jack. This was personal, not just to Eris, but to Arina, too. She followed them both to the floor, kneeling over Jack’s head while Eris kept him pinned.

“Tell me what to do,” she demanded, looking at Eris.”How do I end this.”

It was like Jack wasn’t there, as Eris reached for her hand.

“Right here,” he said, pressing the tip of Arina’s knife against Jack’s neck. “Push, sunshine. Perfect.”

The blade slid like butter through his skin, drawing a fountain of blood that sprayed her in the face. Jack’s eyes were wide as saucers and filled with fear, just as she must have once been. He’d enjoyed that—would have killed her, had she not escaped.

“How do you like it?” she asked him, watching the panic on his expression.

“Arina,” Eris murmured, pulling her back. Neither of them moved, sitting on that filthy floor silently. Witnesses to Jack’s final moments, of his gasping, wet breaths and the rattling groan before silence filled the air.

“I would have…” Eris tried, taking her face in his hands so she had to look at her. “I didn’t…This wasn’t how you were supposed to find out.”

“I’ve known,” she replied. “Since you tied me up.”

He licked his lips nervously. “Oh.”

“I don’t care,” she added, catching the relief that flooded through him. “I love you.”

He pulled her closer, wincing in obvious pain. They needed to leave before they were caught beside a dead body. “I am not a good man,” he told her, silencing her with a look when she opened her mouth to protest. “I’ll never be a good man. This is who I’ll always be. But, fuck, Arina, I swear I’ll be good to you. Good for you.”

“I know,” she agreed, pressing a bloody kiss to his mouth. “I know you will.”

“I do love you,” he added, threading his fingers through her hair to kiss her deeper. Chasing the taste of copper and salt on her lips, on his own desperation. Arina let him before helping him to his feet. There were practical concerns—how had she become this creature? While Eris limped to the sidewalk, Arina went back inside with a can of gasoline she’d pulled out of a nearby warehouse. Arina felt nothing at all, pouring gas over the pools of Eris’s blood, Jack’s body, and every other surface she could find. She merely wanted to hide their presence—she didn’t care about anything else.

Eris was in the car when she returned, the flames of her former life illuminating her back. “Ready?” he murmured, wincing as he held his leg. He’d need to see someone about that injury.

Sitting in his driver seat, Arina leaned over and placed a kiss to his jaw.

“Ready.”

Eris:

One year later:

“My brother says he fell in love with Arina the moment he saw her.”

Lucien’s words lingered in Eris’s mind as he tugged at his tie. As far as speeches went, Lucien had done a perfect job hitting all the emotional notes Eris had always struggled with. Elain had been even better, bringing his new wife to weepy tears as she listened to the heartfelt words spoken to their family and friends.

The same wife with her head on his shoulder, eyes closed after a long day of smiling and dancing and generally being on. That was her talent, he thought. Making him seem more charming by comparison, smoothing out his sharper edges, his tendencies to stare a little too long, to speak a little too dryly. If people liked him, that was Arina’s influence.

Eris leaned over to kiss her forehead. “Did I wear you out?” he asked, catching the way those pink lips curved into a smile.

“Just preparing myself for what's coming.”

“A nap is what’s coming,” Eris joked, though there was truth to those words. He’d had a little too much to drink and was drained from all the time spent socializing. “And then some fucking….at three am.”

Arina reached for his thigh, rubbing high enough to excite him. “Three am?”

It was already one in the morning.

“Maybe four,” he conceded, well aware he was likely to get stabbed if he woke her too early.

“And our flight?” she pressed as the car they were in slowed to a stop.

Door opened just as Eris said, “There’s always time.”

“Maybe in the bathroom?”

As if Eris wouldn’t have the whole plane to himself. She didn’t understand that, was still getting used to spending his money however she liked. “Especially in the bathroom,” he said instead, sliding an arm around her waist. They were ushered up into the suite he’d booked for the night. He’d had different, filthier plans when he’d first seen it—of fucking her on every possible surface. Until she was bowlegged as she made her way through the airport.

Now, standing in the spacious bedroom, Eris chugged a cold bottle of water while Arina flopped onto a white duvet scattered with rose petals.

It looked rather like blood.

“Well, Mr Vanserra,” she began, holding up her hand to look at both the diamond cut ruby and matching band on her ring fingers. “Have you finally gotten what you wanted?”

He ran his thumb over the cool, matching metal on his own finger. “It worked out better than I imagined,” he admitted. That was true. Arina had never participated in another of his kills, though she also was more than willing to bandage up any scrapes or bruises he had—and to lovingly remove the bloodstains from his clothes.

“Oh? How so?”

“I didn’t have to tie you to my bed until you fell in love with both me and my cock,” he said, prowling toward her. Arina shot up, still in that ivory gown he was so fond of, and dragged him to the bed. She was giggling as he fell beside her, pulling him close until his head was pillowed against her breasts. Little beads bit into his cheek, though he didn’t care. Eris buried his nose in her skin, drinking in the soft smell of her.

“You’re a silly man, Eris Vanserra.”

“Only for you,” he murmured, lacing his fingers through her own before pressing a soft kiss to her knuckles.

“I don’t care about anyone else,” she admitted.

Eris grinned. “As you shouldn’t. I belong wholly to you.”

#murder daddy is back #couples who commit felonies together stay together #arina really said ALL IN

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