#where she noticed jenny outside her door all the time but never coming in after their parents death

[purplecowboywombatgoth]

"The gearbreakers dabble in necromancy" is still one of hardest lines ive ever read to this day.

[ronaldofandom]

A Fairy Tale

A short drabble on Bheem, Malli and Jenny.

No warnings. Pure fluff, and the title is self-explanatory :)

Written in 90 mins as a stress buster since work has been kicking my butt!!

.........................................................

The day was long. And harsh. Bheem felt drained of all energy. Every ounce of his body just wanted to crash and rest and not deal with the things that he had to deal with today. The only respite was that he was walking back home. Where she would be waiting for him. She probably hadn’t eaten also. He had asked her many times to not wait up for him when he was getting late, but she had told him she liked doing that.

He could hear her voice from outside - sweet, serene and so melodious.

She had left the door open for him. And when he entered, the sight was even sweeter. Jenny was telling a bedtime story to Malli. The kid looked so happy and peaceful - her head in Jenny’s lap, her eyes closed, hanging on to every word. Jenny’s bedtime stories were in English. Still, Malli had started picking up a few words in Delhi and more from Jenny’s classes in the last six weeks in Adilabad.

The love of his life noticed his presence then, and gave him a dazzling smile. It lit up his world every time, and tonight was no different.

‘Five minutes please.’

She mouthed to him slowly, and he nodded at her.

Malli had complained to Bheem passionately that he had been hogging all the time of her friend. Jenny had been her friend first. Not his. And that it was grossly unfair.

Both Bheem and Jenny had felt guilty about it and promised to rectify it. Since then, Jenny had been actively taking time out of her day to play with Malli, do activities with her and also tell bedtime stories to her.

She had already told three stories tonight, but the kid kept insisting on more. Malli loved the descriptions of beautiful princesses in faraway lands - far beyond her imagination - across wide seas. She had never seen the sea before in her life, but it sounded so fascinating. And she was obsessed with fairy tales.

‘Okay, I will tell one more, but it will be the last one. Promise?’

The girl nodded happily and closed her eyes again as Jenny stroked her hair. The puppy eyes worked every-time on Jenny, and Malli had realized that long back.

‘This one is called - The Princess who never smiled.’

‘Long ago, there lived a princess who never smiled or laughed. Not the kind of smile that reached her eyes anyways. It was plastic, platonic - she didn’t know what true happiness, laughter, and contentment really meant.’

Malli adjusted her head in her lap, turning her face towards her waist to hide from the light coming from the nearby lamp. Bheem was freshening up in the adjoining chamber.

‘Meanwhile, an honest common man lived across the town. He used to work as a labourer for a merchant. He worked sincerely, tirelessly, all year, every year. At the end of every year, the master offered him a sack full of money, asking him to take however much he desired. But he only picked one coin. Every year.’

‘Aisa kyu?’ (But why?)

Malli asked curiously. She was confused - when the man could have so much more, why did he settle for less?

Bheem had changed into his night clothes by then - which were essentially his pajamas. He liked to sleep bare-chested, which Jenny had learned soon after coming to Adilabad. Not that she was complaining, far from it.

He sat next to where Jenny was sitting on the cot, linking his arm with hers. Her other hand kept stroking Malli’s hair. Jenny looked deep into his eyes as she responded to Malli’s question.

‘Because the man was simple, honest and content. He had a small little world, far away from the town, deep into the woods, and he didn’t need much else from life. One coin was enough to meet his family’s basic needs. He didn’t want to take more than he needed. Greed was a sin for him. He didn’t want to take advantage of the merchant’s fondness for him.’

Bheem noticed how her sweet smile had turned into a look of deep admiration and affection. He kissed her forehead, and she rested her head on his shoulder.

‘He was also a proud man, you see. He didn’t want to take more than he deserved. He didn’t want to take any charity from others, even from people close to him. His principles, morals, ethics and beliefs were sacrosanct to him. It would have broken him if he ever had to compromise on those, unless he was compelled to do that for his family, his people.’

Malli nodded in understanding. She liked the man already. Maybe he was a little too idealistic - in his shoes, Malli may have taken at least a couple of coins. But the man’s honesty seemed sweetly charming. And very familiar also, for some reason.

‘What happened then? Did he ever meet the princess?’

She really, really wanted them to meet. Something told her they would complete each other.

‘She always kept looking for different experiences hoping that something would click someday that would make her truly content. One day, the princess was roaming the local bazaar. She had asked her bodyguards to wait at a distance - their constant presence everywhere was a big source of irritation for her.’

Bheem intertwined his hand in hers, keeping their joined hands in his lap, as his head nuzzled hers slowly.

‘That’s where she saw him for the first time. He didn’t venture away from his house in the woods, unless he absolutely needed to. But that day, he had some urgent business to attend to. It was fate that brought them both to the same place, she knew that in her heart the moment she saw him.’

Jenny looked up at Bheem then. Her eyes turned slightly moist. It didn’t distress Bheem because he sensed it was coming from a place of love.

‘Aage kya hua?’ (What happened then?)

His hand moved into her open hair, brushing them with his fingers. She sighed blissfully.

‘The princess smiled then. This one reached her eyes, her heart, her soul. They talked that day, and then they met again, and talked some more. Her friends also noticed that she had changed and were happy for her. But she couldn’t get enough of him. Always worrying that he would disappear one day. That he would retreat to his own world, which she didn’t understand and where she may not be welcomed. That he would forget about her.’

Her voice trembled ever so slightly, and he caught it immediately. His hand moved from her hair to her neck and shoulders, rubbing them gently, trying to soothe her.

Malli was far too intrigued now. She had a sinking feeling that something bad was going to happen. Which would make it a horrible bedtime story and she would make Jenny tell her one more, then, despite her protests - there was no way she was going to bed with a broken heart.

‘Did he….forget? Did he…leave?’

Malli asked slowly, trying to find the right words. Jenny’s hand tightened around Bheem’s, and he squeezed back.

‘Well, that’s what she thought. Because he did leave for a while. She thought that was the end of her short fairy tale. And she would have to return to a world full of fakeness, pretense, and manipulation. But it was fate which brought them together again.’

Malli breathed a sigh of relief. Not realizing that Jenny’s voice had eased too.

‘You see, she didn’t know that he had started to feel the same way about her. She had fallen first, and hard, but he had fallen too. So when fate gave them another chance, they took it with both hands. He held her hand & led her into his world, paving the way for her, looking out for her, keeping her happy, and safe. She had been a princess all her life, by title, but he really made her feel like one. With his love. That’s when she understood what true laughter, true happiness really meant.’

Malli clapped her hands. Both Bheem and Jenny smiled at her antics.

‘But, her family…let her leave?’

‘Well, she eloped. And that was the best decision she ever made in her life.’

Malli clapped again, grinning from ear to ear, her head still buried in Jenny’s lap.

‘Happy ever after then?’

That was something Jenny used to say at the end of many stories. Malli had memorized that line by heart.

Jenny’s eyes turned heavy again. Bheem kissed her palm in response.

‘Y-yes. They lived happily ever after.’

Hopefully. She omitted the last word.

Bheem sensed that something was troubling her heart, and he wanted to kiss away her somber mood immediately. His lips brushed the outline of her jaw, but Jenny jumped at the first touch, gasping in horror and covering his mouth with her palm. Her eyes pointed towards Malli, who was drifting to sleep in her lap.

At least she wasn’t somber now. He will take that as a win. In all honesty, he loved flustering her like this. It was the quickest way to see her all flushed and bothered. It was his favorite look on her.

He pulled her hand away and dove in one more time, tasting her lips briefly before she pulled away with more horror.

Malli stirred in her lap from her sudden movement.

‘Bheem, not like this, please.’

She mouthed at him, half pleading, half admonishing.

Malli chose that moment to ask some more questions about the story, almost building a segue to request another story.

Bheem’s patience, though otherwise infinite, ran out then. He lifted Malli in his arms, ignoring her half-hearted protests, carrying her back to her mother’s hut. She had gotten more than her fair share, it was Bheem’s turn now.

By the time he returned, Jenny had set up two plates on the mat and served dinner. And, she had changed into her night clothes too, looking every bit as ravishing as she always did.

The food was tempting, but she was far more tempting to him.

She held his hand and started leading him toward the mat, but he didn’t move.

‘You must be hungry, right? Come, let’s have some.’

Was he hungry? Most definitely. For food? A fair bit. For other things? A helluva lot more.

He would have happily foregone food for now and jumped straightaway to other things. But she hadn’t eaten either, and he couldn’t have that. And he won’t want the food to go to waste, either. So he would eat first and do do other things after that, but he would get his dessert without further ado.

She tugged at his hand again, and he pulled her back, sending her crashing into his chest.

Grabbing the back of her head, he locked his lips onto hers as his hands started to wander. She gasped at the suddenness of it all, and he deepened the kiss further, lifting her slightly off the ground. All his trials from the day seemed to vanish in those few minutes.

He willed himself to stop before the point of no return. Smiling at her disheveled state, he pulled her towards the mat to have their dinner. Bheem couldn’t remember the last time he was this disinterested in food in his life. It was a first, like many others since she came into his world and turned it upside down. And Bheem couldn’t thank his stars enough for every single one of those moments.

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Hope it was remotely coherent :)

As always, would love to know your thoughts!!

@irisesforyoureyes @rambheem-is-real @thewinchestergirl1208 @eremin0109 @eenadu-varthalu @rorapostsbl @yehsahihai @budugu @maraudersbitchesassemble @juhiiiiii @justmeand-myinsight @rambheemisgoated @rosayounan @jrntrtitties @obsessedtoafault @rambheemlove @jjwolfesworld @alikokinav @iam-siriuslysher-lokid @bromance-minus-the-b @dumdaradumdaradum @lovingperfectionwonderland @annieginny @chaanv @ssabriel @sally-for-sally @milla984 @kaagazkefool @boochhaan @mesimpleone @filesbeorganized @ladydarkey @teddybat24 @stanleykubricks @stuckyandlarrystuff @burningsheepcrown @veteran-fanperson @voidsteffy @ronika-writes-stuff @beingmes-blog @yonderghostshistories @nisreenart @chaidrivenwhore @bheemaxrama @carminavulcana @umbrulla @mizutaama @rosefulmadness @gifseafins @fangirlshrewt97

[biscuitblinkeu]

Jenchulichaeng; Backstory [11]

Jennie Kim x Fem!reader

………………………………………………………………………

Jennie was cursed?

You immediately look at Jennie with a worried expression. You grab her hand, “What does she mean?”

After a few moments of silence, she finally answers. “My ability to shapeshift into a cat, I didn’t always have it. It's a part of the curse. But it's a long story how it happened..”

“I’m willing to listen to all of it.” You stated firmly. Jennie began her story, and Chulichaeng would fill in some parts.

…

Jennie was a very curious child, and it made sense to be that way when everyone kept things from her. Her mother and father barely let her leave the house, never telling her why she couldn’t.

“Papa?” Jennie called out hesitantly as she approached her father who sat in a leather chair, a book in his hand, “may I go play outside with the other children?” She rocked on her toes.

“Ask your mother, dear.” So that’s what she did.

She made her way to the bottom of the grand staircase leading to the second floor. It loomed, intimidating her and filling her with dread. She walked up the steps quietly, hoping they wouldn’t creek. Her mother always seemed to know it was her coming to see her because of it. With tiny footsteps, she made her way down the hallway.

Her heart raced as she turned the handle and pushed the door open slowly, expecting to find her mother in one of those moods where everything was wrong or perfect. The door swung wide with ease.

“What did I tell you about knocking, Jennie?”

“Sorry Mama.” She replied hastily. She had forgotten.

Her mother was seated at her large dark oak desk with books piled everywhere Jennie looked. The sunlight streaming in through the windows reflected in her mothers hair. Her cat-like eyes fell upon Jennie, but there wasn't much of any emotion in them.

Jennie noticed she was cleaning her jewelry. Her mothers daily ritual. She loved shiny things.

“Did you need something?” Her mother spoke up upon noticing her daughter wouldn’t.

“May I go play—”

“What did I tell you before? Hm?” Her mother cut her off. Her voice was tired.

“I’m not to be allowed outside.” Jennie replied dully, her eyes downcast. She felt stupid. Why did she think today would be different? After all, it's always the same answer. But she wasn’t going to give up so easily this time. She looked up again.

“Why?” She asked for the first time. She questioned her mother’s words for the first time. Her mother paused from scrubbing her ring, her dull unchanging expression, for the first time, appeared shocked.

“It’s not safe outside, dear.”

“There’s other kids outside.” Jennie replied without missing a beat. She frowned, she could hear the other kids playing outside; a ball bouncing on the brick streets, rope slapping the ground rhythmically as they played jump rope, and chalk being drawn on the sidewalk. Not once was she allowed to play with them.

“You're not a part of the other kids. You have to understand you’re different from them.” Her mother rubbed her temples.

Why did she not have a childhood like the other kids? Why must she be stuck inside this empty house her whole life? What is so dangerous outside?

Jennie left for her room. Ignoring her mother’s calls. She didn’t come out till dinner, only to return back to her room. Jennie spent that time tying her sheets together into a rope. She threw it out the window, the other end supported by her bedpost. She waited, waited till her parents slept.

And for the first time, Jennie snuck out.

Her feet landed on the ground, but her bracelet slipped off her wrist on the way down. She bent down to pick it up, only for it to be snatched up in the jaws of a squirrel.

Of course she chased after it. Her father gave her that bracelet. It ran into the forest, she followed close behind. She ran and ran, not knowing she was getting farther away from the village.

The squirrel dropped it after a while. She picked it up and slipped it back in her wrist. Jennie looked around, she didn’t recognize the area at all. She ran too far, and now she was lost.

She stood in the woods. Alone. Or, that’s what she thought till she heard singing.

She followed the melodic voice. It led to a trail. There was a woman sitting on a rock, she played with a ladybug on her finger. She paused upon seeing Jennie approach. Jennie’s jaw was dropped.

Could she be an angel? A goddess? She had to be.

Her blond hair flowed down her back, almost glowing. It had a luxurious shine to it. Her eyes, an amber brown, looked at Jennie softly, worriedly.

Why was a child out alone at this time of night— why was this, particular child out this late at night? This far from the village? The woman wondered.

“Jennie, why are you out this late?” The woman knew her name. Despite the woman knowing the answer to her own question, she still asked.

Jennie felt like she could trust this stranger. “I’m lost.” Jennie’s face heated up in embarrassment.

The woman began reaching for Jennie’s hand, she smiled. “Oh? Would you like me to take you back to your home—” The she paused, looking behind Jennie distantly.

A crackle from a stick made Jennie bring her hands to her chest and turn around in fear of it being her parents. But nothing came from the forestry, so she turned back around, eyes widening. The woman was gone. She was nowhere to be seen.

Jennie was truly alone now. She was scared. Lost in a forest and surrounded by nocturnal animals— who’d she only read about; what if they ate humans?

She stood in the woods, but now it was a grim and shadowy tangle of trees with branches that extended like fingers reaching out to grab her. The moon, crescent like and illuminated, grinned at her like the Cheshire Cat. She hated that cat.

Jennie wandered, hoping the river she heard could lead her back to the village. It led her farther away, led her to the village’s boundary, and she crossed it.

It was like a switch was flipped. Every instinct Jennie had raged, urged her to go back the way she came. Jennie felt terrified, but why?

She looked around her, the woods were now eerily quiet. She squinted at what looked like a human figure in between the trees, peeking at her. It slowly revealed itself, slipping away from the tree.

Its eyes were white, they moved like animated children scribbling. It had no body, just dark matter, tendrils of smoke coming off of it. It stepped closer, and Jennie stepped farther back. Her heart dropped to her stomach.

Then slowly it smiled, teeth white and…very sharp. It screeched before running after Jennie. She sprinted off.

She shouldn’t have snuck out, she should’ve listened.

As she ran, more of the figures appeared, running slightly behind on the sides of her. She could hear them laugh, like this was a game of tag.

She ran, ran as fast as a 10-year old could. But Jennie’s body was weaker than other kids at her age, her father had said before. So it wasn’t surprising when her legs gave out from under her. She tumbled, falling down into the dirt.

The shadowy figures came closer, whispering in a language Jennie didn’t understand. They sounded angry and mean. Her eyes welled with tears. She was going to die by them, wasn’t she? She’d never see her family again, all because she snuck away.

But then, “close your eyes,” a voice whispered. It was the angelic woman’s voice. Jennie did as she was told.

“Wait! What’s your name?” Jennie asked.

“Roseanne.”

“I’ll call you Rosie.” The woman just chuckled before looking at the shadows.

“Lisa, Jisoo?” A blinding light appeared, then Jennie felt warmth on the sides of her.

The warmth coaxed her into sleep, she was too tired and hungry to stay up any longer.

She heard snarling and the shadows shrieked, screamed in whispy tones before it was all silence.

Jennie woke up in her bedroom. She sat up quickly. She saw her mother and father standing right next to her bed, along with the angelic woman and two other women, they were conversing. Her mother was the first to notice Jennie was awake. Her eyes widened in shock.

She immediately reached out and brushed some of the tangles from Jennie’s hair. “I’m glad you’re awake. Are you alright dear?” She hugged Jennie tightly. Jennie nodded her head.

Her mother sighed before sitting in the chair next to her father. “I’m sorry..” She started, “It was wrong of us, for me, to keep you in the house this long. I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you from those monsters out there— thank goodness Roseanne was there.” Her mother massaged her temples.

“We have to tell you something.”

They told Jennie about her family’s history, more specifically about her mother’s parents.

Her great grandparents weren’t always well off, weren’t always rich. They came to Furusato, just like many others looking for a quiet place, an escape. They grew tired of their way of life as farmers, tired of seeing the rich go about without a care in the world. They wanted that privilege. So they sought out the rumored shaman who was granting wishes for a price. The shaman claimed he was a wizard.

They wished for riches, a big house; anything to get them out of the poverty they were heading for. To their disbelief it happened overnight, everything they wanted. They were skeptical at first, but disregarded it, the wizard never told them what the price would be so they didn’t think anything of it.

So, with the new gifts given to them, they prospered and had a daughter. They decided to travel to the states, but they couldn’t leave the village. They weren’t able to. Monsters came from the forest after them after they left the boundaries, like they did to Jennie. Once Jennie’s grandparents crossed the barrier, they lived on for another thirty years, as humans.

It was so sudden, one day they were human, the next cats. Jennie’s mom came home one day to find them gone, the house empty. She assumed they left her until she found a terribly written letter from them. They did die, but they left behind information about the curse, the deal they made. They believed that leaving the village triggers the transformation early, but later figured out its strong emotions that trigger it. Once you transform, you have five years till you're stuck that way.

Jennie’s mom transformed after being spooked by her neighbor's dog. She later found out, as cliche as it was, love broke the curse. Before Jennie’s parents passed, Roseanne was assigned to watch over Jennie along with two guardians; Lisa and Jisoo. The gods and goddess got word of the events of Furusato and sent them to watch over Jennie.

Jennie wasn’t allowed outside due to Furusato’s boundary and the fear of her transforming in front of the other kids. But they later found out Jennie had an extra addition to her curse, to make it harder. Every man (her age) to lay eyes on her would become enamored, fall in love with her.

….

“I…wow.” You had no words. Jennie had to deal with all that? So the hunters were cursed to act as they are. Wow.

“Is the curse broken now?” You hoped it was.

Roseanne stood up and touched Jennie’s forehead, “It’s starting to fade so I’d say yes, but just to make sure…you two should make love to each other.” She sat back down with a smile, acting like she didn’t just drop a bomb on you and Jennie. You and Jennie spluttered.

Lisa and Jisoo began laughing, eventually choking from it. You hid your face in your hands. But felt a tug on your sleeve. You turned your head and saw Jennie biting her lip nervously, her gaze constantly switching from your eyes and elsewhere. “Would you do that? With me?” She asked quietly, a blush on her face. Your breath caught in your throat and your heart sped up.

“I..”

“Ah! Before you answer her, we’ll be going…And (Y/n)? I expect to see you at work tomorrow, it’s the first snow!” With that the three left. You turned back to Jennie, a sheepish grin on your face.

“Of course, but I’d like to take you out on a proper date first.”

Would you like to continue? (￣^￣)ゞ

[areseebee]

could you do I still do for the writing meme?

in reference to this writing ask game that i posted on monday! the prompt was i still do.

this one was requested three times and i am nothing if not a servant to the people. and if anyone saw this already last night before i took it down, you will know this is my second go around on this one - same vibe, different ending. enjoy!

James wasn’t trying to count. He just knew – it’d been 102 days since Erin had kissed him in Donegal.

Almost 103, if he were getting technical about it – it was a minute to midnight on New Year’s Eve, and they were sprawled out around the television in his aunt and uncle’s house with an array of bon bons and chips around them and Princess Bride on in the background.

Michelle was insisting that she hadn’t total botched the glitter nail polish on Clare’s left big toe – “it’s supposed to look like that, Clare” – and Erin was idly braiding and re-braiding the same portion of Orla’s hair, both pairs of their eyes intently watching the film from where they sat at the other end of the sofa.

They could have been at Jenny Joyce’s party instead. But, as they often did these days, they had deferred to Clare and she hadn’t wanted to go.

“I’d rather not think about it being New Year’s that much,” she’d said and he’d immediately understood. He was pretty sure they’d all immediately understood: it was hard to start a new year when it was one that her dad would never be a part of.

So he wasn’t going to say, but as soon as the clock had hit 11:30, he couldn’t help but glance at his watch every few minutes. He just wanted to know when it was going to officially be 1998. He just wanted to know when it was going to be 103 days.

It’d been almost 103 days of a lot of Erin – intentional glances and well-placed hand brushes and sitting next to each other and continually edging the boundary “to wait” ever further. Like when they’d been doing homework at Erin’s kitchen table and he’d reached over to tuck a piece of hair that kept falling out of her clip behind her ear. Or when she’d held his hand at Mr. Devlin’s funeral (but then, so had Orla). And when they’d all parted after the wake, he thought maybe he’d felt a glancing kiss on his cheek as she pulled back from a hug. He wished he’d thought to do the same.

Almost 103 days. Almost 103 days was a long time – a long time of replaying the same moment over and over again in his head. He wanted a new moment to think about for the next 103.

He hadn’t expected to get it coming out of the toilet at 12:08.

“Oh! Sorry, do you need – I was just washing off the face mask,” he said when he opened the door to see Erin waiting outside it in the upper hallway.

“Aye, just…yeah, the toilet,” she said, motioning awkwardly to the open door behind him, but making no movement to go in. She looked at him a long moment and seemed to be chewing at the inside of her lip. “Um – don’t know if you noticed, but…Happy New Year.”

He felt his face relax into a smile. “Happy New Year. Yeah, I noticed. Just…didn’t want to say anything.”

“Right. Same,” she said. “I’m glad we’re here tonight, and not at – but, well, I had sort of wanted to…,” she trailed off. He couldn’t tell if it was the dim light, but her cheeks looked flushed.

“Want to – what?” he asked, eyebrows raised in question.

She shuffled her feet and chewed on her lip for another second, before she darted out on her tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek and landing somewhere right at the corner of his mouth.

“Oh!” he said, and instinctively, accidentally took a step back. The change on her face was instant.

“Oh my god. Oh shit. Sorry. Oh God. Sorry. I shouldn’t have –” she stammered, eyes wide in sudden embarrassment. “I – I thought we…I thought you still – oh God. Sorry. I’m just…going to –” she said, and tried to maneuver around him to the toilet.

“No! Wait, Erin –” he said, his brain scrambling to catch up. He reached out a hand to grab her; if he could just make her stay – his hand connected, wrapping around her wrist and ensuring that she turned back before she could lock herself in the toilet for the rest of the night. It’s what he figured she’d do; it’s what he would do. “Wait. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean –”

“It’s ok. I should have – I shouldn’t have thought. You know. It’s been a while. I should have asked or, or –”

“No. Erin. I still do. I still – here,” he said, and stepped into her in one fluid motion, placing his hand against her cheek and a kiss against her lips. And when he stepped back, this time she didn’t look embarrassed, though the high flush in her cheeks had remained. “I still do.”

[uvobreakmylegs]

Detour

I’m excited that it’s fall but i’m also sad that i won’t be able to swim anymore

Warnings: death, graphic depictions of violence, creepy behavior, groping, mentions of smut, kidnapping

The two guys at the gas station check out counter had been there when Phinks had first walked through the sliding glass doors, and they were still there when he approached the check out himself, having only dropped in to grab another pack of beer. The gas station clerk seemed annoyed while the two guys were pulling their pockets inside out, evidently in search of any spare change that may have been hiding on their persons. There was a sad pile of jenny and some change sitting in front of the clerk while she waited for them impatiently, and she seemed ready to push all of the money back towards them as it became more and more likely that these two didn't have enough cash for the assortment of alcohol and junk food that also sat on the counter.

Any other time Phinks would've been annoyed by the situation. But seeing as he didn't have anywhere to be, he found that he didn't really care all that much. The troupe likely wouldn't meet back up for some time which left his schedule quite open, and he had found it difficult to find something to occupy his time with while he waited for the boss to bring everyone together again.

Phinks had decided that a road trip was a decent way to pass the time. It was something he'd never really done before and so far it was easing his boredom as he had hoped it would. There was no real time limit he had set on himself or any destination that he had in mind. He'd just keep doing whatever he felt like until the novelty of the trip wore off and then go home.

“Would you like to take a few items off?”

The tired voice of the clerk cut through his thoughts, and Phinks found that there had been no progress with the two in front of him.

“No no, we need all of it,” one of the men, a redhead, insisted, “we just, uh....”

Trailing off, the man glanced over to Phinks, who was still waiting with his single pack of beer. Then the man looked over to his companion and then back to the items on the counter.

Phinks could already sense what the man was going to ask of him before he spoke out.

“Hey man,” the guy said to Phinks, “I know it sounds bad, but do you think you could spot me on this? I'm bringing this stuff back for my party. We ran out of some stuff way quicker than we expected. Can't let people down, y'know?”

The redhead started telling him how much more they needed until the clerk interrupted him to tell him off for harassing other customers for money. A mini argument started between the two, with the man insisting that he wasn't harassing anyone and the clerk disagreeing with him. The man's friend joined in shortly after and it was quickly turning into a mess.

What obnoxious fucking people.

If he was in more of a bad mood he'd have probably snapped the necks of all of them. The presence of cameras stopped him from doing that, however, as it would just be too much of a pain to go to the back and destroy the footage after. Still, even though he didn't have anywhere to be, it didn't mean that he wanted to waste his time listening to people bicker. The easiest way out of this was to just give them the jenny so they'd all shut up.

After pulling out his wallet, Phinks slid the jenny across the counter.

That shut the three of them up, and the two men were quick to express their gratitude while the clerk just looked tired.

“Thank you so, so much, man,” the redhead continued after they collected their bagged items.

“Mm-hm.”

Phinks was only half-paying attention to him as he waited for the clerk to scan the beer so he could hand her the jenny owed. That transaction went much quicker and Phinks was soon making his way to the exit.

The two men seemed to be waiting on him, though.

“Hey, since you helped us out, you wanna come to my party?” the redhead asked.

Normally his automatic response would've been to give him a flat “no”. But in this instance Phinks just shrugged.

That seemed to give the redhead hope, and he began listing the reasons why Phinks should follow them back, like his “cool house”, hot women and great beer.

Given the especially cheap brand of beer Phinks had largely paid for, he had a hard time believing that last point. He also wasn't quite sure why this guy was so insistent on getting him to come along. Was it really just because Phinks had bothered to help them out?

“Name's Stu by the way. Back there is Billy,” the redhead told him, sticking out his arm to shake hands. When Phinks didn't do the same, Stu seemed a bit dejected, yet even that didn't make him back down from inviting Phinks.

“So how 'bout it, man? You wanna come?”

“.... I'll think about it,” he told him.

“Okay, but do it fast man. My place isn't that far from here.”

Phinks nodded, and Stu ran off to the car where his friend was waiting. The other guy didn't seem as keen on Phinks as the redhead had, regarding the blonde with suspicion. Phinks could hear him saying something as the two entered the car. Stu seemed to brush him off, and then their car doors closed and Phinks couldn't hear anything else.

The two ended up pulling out of the parking lot before he did, and Phinks found himself following them as they all made the same turn onto the highway.

He still had no real urge to go to some random guy's party, especially when he found him to be pretty annoying. And if it was a party filled with the friends of someone like that, he'd probably get irritated with all of them pretty quick. Better to just ignore them and be on his way.

Although the thought of just driving aimlessly through the night wasn't all that attractive, either. He'd done that several times now, and the feeling of being the only person in the world while he drove on the empty highway had lost its touch by now.

The car in front of him veered off the highway to get onto a side road.

After a few seconds, Phinks did the same, just thinking to himself 'why not?'. It would be something different, a little detour on a trip that was meant to be a distraction, and if it ended up being something that he didn't want to bother with, then he could just leave.

Although the noise level in the house wasn't quiet, it was nowhere near ear-shatteringly loud as Phinks may have expected. At least it had that in it's favor. Other than that, it was a stereotypical frat house party, with everyone talking and drinking as they got more and more shitfaced.

The two who brought him here vanished into the kitchen, and Phinks began to make his way around the house, sipping one of the cans of beer he had bought for himself since he had no interest in the shit the host had him pay for. A girl in one of the upstairs rooms noticed the beer in his hand and begged him to share with her, even going as far as to tug on the sleeve of his jacket when he told her no. He ended up pushing her away, and though he had tried to use as little force as possible, his strength combined with her tipsiness caused her to stumble back into a wall. She was still whining about him when he walked back down the stairs, going on about how mean he was.

He thought he'd been pretty nice to her, all things considered.

It didn't take long for Phinks to lose interest in this particular distraction. Not that he'd been expecting much, but after going around the house and not even seeing anything that might be worth stealing, he figured it'd be best to leave soon. With his short temper being one of his vices, he didn't want to deal with what would happen if some drunk got on his nerves and he smashed them into the wall.

With the sights, sounds and smells became grating to him and seeing no reason to stay any longer, Phinks went about trying to find an exit. Attempting to get out the same way he came in was put to a stop when he saw how congested the front entrance had become. He could've easily pushed past all of them, but since that would likely draw a fair amount of attention, maybe it'd be a better idea to find a different way out. Phinks wandered into the kitchen, walking by Stu who tried to talk to him. A patio door leading to the backyard caught his eye and he ignored the party's host as he walked by several people to get to it.

The cool air outside felt refreshing and he let out a soft sigh as the patio door slowly swung closed. Claustrophobia generally wasn't something he had an issue with, but that seemed to change a little when he was faced with a house full of drunken strangers who didn't understand the meaning of personal space. Another nice thing was the fact that no one else seemed to be out here. He didn't think it was that cold out, but it worked just fine if the people inside thought otherwise.

He stood on a deck with an assortment of patio furniture that sat in front of an in ground pool, and when he looked to the side, he saw the gate within the fencing that surrounded the backyard.

That was his way out, then.

With no more reason to stick around, he was about to head out and back to his car-

But he paused when he heard the sound of splashing water, and he looked back to the pool.

So he wasn't the only person out here.

Some of the patio furniture had blocked you from his sight so he hadn't noticed you at first, but you were now swimming out into the center of the pool and impossible to miss. It was pretty late in the year for swimming, wasn't it? Yet you seemed to be content with yourself despite the temperature and lack of company, swimming around the pool like you owned it. Maybe you did; he wasn't sure what your relation was to the party host.

Then your eyes met, and you smiled as you greeted him.

“Hello.”

“... Hey.”

He hadn't come out to look for company. He was looking to leave.

Yet something about this situation, about you, intrigued him, and Phinks walked forward, continuing with “isn't it a little late in the season for swimming?”

“That's what everyone seems to think,” you said, “it's going to be drained tomorrow, so I wanted to swim one more time before that. It's the last chance I'll get for this year.”

“No public pools around here?” he asked.

“I don't really like public pools,” you told him, laughing a little bit as you continued “the ones around here are never clean, and I don't wanna swim around in nasty water.”

Phinks couldn't say if he really had an opinion one way or the other. He tried to avoid situations where he'd need to be shirtless in public, as the spider with the number 5 on his ribs would've been a dead giveaway for anyone who understood it's meaning. He just shrugged at you as he said “fair enough.”

Phinks now stood at the edge of the pool while you swam up to the edge.

“I don't think I've seen you before. You new around here?” you asked him.

“No. Just passing through. Helped out the host at the gas station and he invited me as thanks,” Phinks explained, “I was expecting this to be taking place at some shitty apartment; didn't think a guy like that owned a house.”

“He doesn't, it belongs to his older brother Jed. Stu just lives with him,” you responded.

“Ah.”

That made a bit more sense to him. Since he hadn't been able to buy beer from a gas station on his own, it didn't seem likely that the guy would've had his own house. So he was just leeching off of his brother.

Despite being ready to leave just minutes earlier, he found that he now had a reason to want to stay here longer. But standing and talking to you was getting a little awkward, so Phinks sat himself down on the concrete next to the pool. So far you weren't annoying compared to some of the others. And despite being by yourself beforehand, you seemed pretty open to talking with him, resting your arms on the edge of the pool.

“You friends with them, then?”

“Jed is in a few of my classes, so I'm friends with him. Not Stu, though. He's kind of an asshole. Likes to play a lot of stupid pranks.”

You rested your chin in your hand as you thought back.

“He's destroyed two of my phones so far, both times by dumping water on me,” you said, “although I guess he did repay me for both, but it's still such a hassle to go through.”

“You're nicer than I am. If some guy like that fucked up my phone I'd kill him.”

You laughed at him, not taking his words seriously.

“You seem nice enough. You helped him out, right?”

“Only because it was the fastest way to get outta there. Stupid bastard started an argument with the clerk.”

“Yeah. That sounds like something he'd do,” you said, tiredness lacing your voice.

A cheer then sounded from inside the house, and though the doors and windows were closed, it was loud enough that the both of you could hear it from outside.

“Things must be ramping up in there,” you commented.

“Guess so,” Phinks said, taking a swig of his drink after.

“Isn't it kinda weird that you're keeping to yourself with an event like this? Don't see the point in going out if you're going to avoid people,” he added.

“But isn't that what you're doing by coming out here?” you asked.

“Nah, I was getting ready to leave.”

“What stopped you?”

“I haven't done much out here beside sitting here talking to you. What do you think?”

You seemed a bit taken aback and a little embarrassed as you realized the reason, but gave him a small smile.

“Oh wow. Are you saying I managed to be charming enough to keep a guy from leaving?” you asked him.

“No. You're just not as annoying as the others I've met tonight.”

Your expression was rather blank as you took in that information.

“..... I'll take that as a compliment, then,” you said, “so what do you do?”

“What do I do?”

“For a job, or just anything in general.”

“I do a couple odd jobs here and there, I guess,” he answered, “every once in a while a bigger opportunity comes up, and I just do whatever I need to.”

It was an oversimplification of his criminal activities, and he hoped that he'd been vague enough without sounding suspicious.

It appeared that he had as you didn't seem to think it was strange.

“You mentioned earlier that you were just passing through. Are you on your way to a job or something?”

“Nah. I'm currently off-duty. And I had a lot of time to kill, so I decided to take a road trip.”

“Oh, that sounds nice,” you said, “I work on campus, so I don't really get to do vacations for now. Can't remember the last time I went on one.”

“Job at least worth it?”

“Kind of? Although the other week I needed to go through something stupid.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. I got screamed at by a lady.”

Your tone made it seem like that was something happened on a regular basis.

“For what?” he asked.

“Something with her daughter's textbooks. She ordered one that she didn't need on accident but didn't want to admit that she made a mistake, so she just let her mother yell at me for forty minutes and claim that we were the ones who fucked up.”

You sighed a little after the explanation. Evidently that situation still made you frustrated.

“.... Did she apologize after?” Phinks asked.

With a slightly wistful smile, you shook your head as you said “people like that don't apologize.”

“Sounds rough.”

It went without saying that Phinks wouldn't have tolerated anything like that. If it had been him he'd have killed them both and tossed their bodies in the trash. But he kept that rather violent thought to himself.

“Sorry you needed to deal with that,” he added.

“It's okay. It's little things that keep you going,” you said, “I've been looking forward to swimming for a while, so I'm pretty happy right now. Although I guess I'm kinda doing a job right now.”

“How so?”

“Jed's at his job right now, and since he doesn't trust Stu, he asked me to make sure nothing happens to the pool. The last time Stu had a party there was a bunch of trash in it the next morning, and it was a pain to clean up. So in exchange for using the pool, I have full permission to snitch on anyone who tosses anything.”

“Yeah? What's snitching gonna do?”

“Jed's a scary guy. Nobody wants to make him mad.”

If Phinks had felt like being more of an asshole, and if you'd been unpleasant during your conversation with him, he probably would've taken his half-finished beer can and thrown it into the pool just to upset you and also to see if your friend was as scary as you were making him out to be.

But so far he'd been enjoying himself, so as fun as that thought might have been, he decided against it.

You pulled one of your arms off of the rim and back into the water. Evidently you were getting cold, but you held on to the edge to continue speaking to him.

“So how long have you been on your trip?” you asked.

“A few weeks.”

“A few weeks? You must have been all over the place, then. Did you go anywhere in particular?”

“Not really,” Phinks answered, “didn't have any real plan when I set out. Just drove to wherever I thought would be interesting.”

“That's kinda cool,” you said, “must be nice to be able to go wherever you want without any real plan.”

“You can't?”

“Nope. Classes and work means I can't just run off whenever I feel like it.”

“Too busy getting screamed at?” he asked jokingly.

“Yeah, something like that,” you answered, laughing a little after.

You pulled your other arm back underwater and just kept a hand on the side of the wall.

“Cold?” he asked.

“A little.”

“Probably why most people aren't swimming this late.”

“I don't care; it's worth it,” you said, “honestly, the thought of being able to swim was what kept me going this week.”

That.... Was a little bit sad, Phinks thought to himself. That all you had to look forward to at the end of the week was a few hours to swim by yourself in the cold. There were much sadder circumstances in the world – he was certain that anyone from Meteor City would be more than happy to switch places with you – but your life must have felt empty. Although Phinks was technically in the same boat at the moment, at least being with the troupe gave him purpose. What did you have besides a shitty job and presumably a fair amount of college debt? Just the 'little things' to keep you going?

Maybe he was presuming too much; he'd only just met you after all. But it bothered him regardless.

“What are your plans for after college?” he asked.

You seemed a bit startled, and you looked away from him for the first time.

“Not really sure, actually. I'm still undecided on my major,” you admitted, “I need to figure out soon, though. I'm going to run out of the basic coursework that I need to get through, and my family is getting mad that I haven't made a decision yet.”

So you didn't have any direction and were being pressured by others. Still not the saddest circumstance ever, but if it had been him, Phinks was certain he'd have been miserable.

You clearly didn't want to keep going on about that particular subject, as you began to ask him questions about his trip, wanting to know where exactly he had been so far and how much longer he planned to drive for. The change in topics was obvious, but he decided to go along with it.

As the night grew darker while the two of you talked, he decided that he liked you. You could hold a decent conversation, even if the things you two talked about weren't all that meaningful.

You were pretty cute, too.

The party behind him still seemed to be going strong, but it was largely going ignored by you both, in part by the fact that you were still the only ones outside.

Your face lit up as a thought came to mind.

“You should come in!” you told him.

“No thanks.”

“Come on! It's really nice!”

You grabbed at his free hand, tugging on his arm lightly as you tried to encourage him to get into the pool.

“If you get my suit wet I'll drown you,” Phinks said told you.

You giggled, once more not taking him seriously. Though he was only half-serious about it at this point.

“Then take it off and come in,” you insisted.

“I don't have a swimsuit.”

“That doesn't stop most people.

“Good to know,” he said flatly.

Though you'd stopped tugging on his arm, both of your hands remained on his wrist as you looked up at him.

“Can you not swim?” you asked.

“I can swim fine,” he said, “I just don't feel like it right now.”

You seemed a bit disappointed, but you had yet to let go of his wrist.

“Should you really be that surprised with the temperature being what it is?” he asked you.

“It isn't that bad. And the pool is heated,” you insisted, “didn't think a bit of chill would scare off the most interesting person at this party, though.”

The corner of his lips curled a bit at that. He wasn't one for meaningless flattery, but he didn't mind hearing you say things like that.

“Is that why you're not letting go of me?”

“You don't seem to be doing much to shake me off.”

“I could if I wanted to.”

“So you don't want to?”

You were teasing him. And while he could tease you back, he went for a different approach.

He yanked his wrist out of your grip and grabbed your own wrist just as fast, and lifted you up until you were eye level with him. To say you were flustered by the action would've been an understatement, and your free hand grasped at the arm that held you up to lessen the weight on the arm that he had trapped.

With you partially out of the water, Phinks allowed his eyes to travel over your form, following the trails of water that dripped down your skin and imagining exactly what you looked like under that swimsuit. His grin got wider when he saw your body reacting to the cooler temperature and the way your nipples showed through the material. It hadn't been on his mind when he first approached you, but after spending time with you he found himself liking the idea of fooling around with you. Probably not in the house, and he doubted you would want to do anything in the pool due to that friend of yours you had mentioned. Maybe there was some dark corner around here where he could take you to do what he wanted.

You were squirming a little, trying to free yourself from his grip.

“It's cold,” you whined.

“Yep,” was his reply.

“Come on, let go. I'm only in a swimsuit.”

“You weren't letting me go,” he pointed out.

“Yeah, but I didn't pull you into the water.”

“Because you're too weak to do that.”

“That's not fair!”

“Don't think this is a situation where fairness matters, sweetheart.”

With that he let you go, and you dropped back down into the pool. You pushed away from the wall after, giving him a slightly sour look.

“Problem?” he asked.

“It's cold,” you repeated.

He just smirked.

“You're gonna need to deal with it at some point,” he told you.

“Yeah, but I wasn't ready for it then!”

You had to have noticed the way he looked at you, right? There was no way you were so oblivious to have not seen how he had blatantly looked you over. Yet you weren't mentioning it.

By now you were more at the center of the pool, pointedly out of his range.

“You done talking?” Phinks asked.

“No, but I don't want you pulling me out again.”

Then you looked away like you were embarrassed.

It clicked for him. You must have liked it, but you were too shy to say anything about it.

Your reluctance was cute, though Phinks knew he'd get tired of that game pretty fast.

“Come back over,” he told you.

“Why?”

“Because I want you to.”

You shook your head.

“You're going to do that again, right?” you asked.

“Maybe.”

“Then no. I don't wanna get out yet.”

“How long are you gonna stay in there?”

“Until I feel like getting out.”

“And if I want you out of there now?”

“Then you'd have to come in and get me.”

…. Oh

That's what it was.

A ploy by you to get him into the pool.

That's what you had to mean by those words, right?

“.... What the hell,” he said to himself as he stood.

It got your attention when he began to remove his clothing, throwing them over to a few neatly folded articles of clothing that sat next to a bag on the patio, which he assumed belonged to you. You were watching him closely, and he could sense a growing interest in you when he removed his shirt. Your eyes lingered a little when you caught sight of his spider tattoo, but there was no hint that you recognized what it meant, which was preferable.

“Enjoying the show?” he asked.

“You were looking at me earlier,” you answered defensively, “you're not allowed to get mad when I do the same.”

“Didn't say I was mad.”

You acknowledging the way he had looked at you then just reaffirmed in his head that you hadn't minded, and after stripping down to his boxers, Phinks jumped in. The water felt just as nice as you had said, but he didn't take much time to focus on it as he was quick to approach you. Within moments, he had wrapped his arms around you and pulled you in close, lifting you a little so you were at eye level with him. You seemed flustered again, but you didn't make any move to get away, and were resting your hands on his chest.

“I don't think you told me your name,” you whispered to him.

“Phinks.”

“Phinks,” you repeated, smiling afterwards, “I like it. It's cool.”

“Thanks,” he replied, “and how 'bout you?”

You gave him your name, which he also repeated to himself.

“Not as cool as 'Phinks', I guess,” you said.

“It suits you,” he said.

You smiled at him, then shifted slightly in his grip.

“Are you just gonna keep holding me?”

“You said I needed to come in and get you.”

“And what did you want to 'get' me for?”

Despite the question, you clearly had an idea of what Phinks was after as you began to move in closer to him. Phinks did the same, and slowly, the gap between the two of you was closed as your lips met together in a kiss.

With the heavy scent of pool chemicals that surrounded you two, it was hard to smell much else, but your lips were soft against his. The kiss was a bit tame for his liking, but he let you do what you wanted for now as you readjusted your arms so they were wrapped around his neck.

One of his hands slid down your back to reach down and squeeze your ass, and you gasped into the kiss. He slipped his tongue into your mouth for a brief moment before you pulled away, your hand over your mouth as you looked away in embarrassment.

“I'm not sure we should do much more here,” you said, glancing up at the house behind him, “there are people watching. I'm not into that.”

“Where do you wanna go?” he asked. It didn't surprise him much that you two might have attracted an audience, and when he heard the door to the patio open from behind him, he chose to ignore it.

“I don't think we'll get much privacy here, so how about my place?” you asked.

“Do you usually bring home strangers?”

“Only the really cool ones.”

He grinned.

You were leaning in to kiss him again when you suddenly froze and turned your attention to something behind Phinks.

“Don't do that!” you yelled.

Phinks turned his head just in time to see his and your clothes land in the water, with the guy who'd invited him – Stu, he remembered – pointing and laughing after having thrown them. The annoying woman from earlier, the one who had whined at him for his can of beer, was also there, standing behind Stu and running off with him towards the gate in the fence.

Phinks saw red.

He let you go and swiftly exited the pool, following after the two even as the chill of the night air nipped at his skin. He barely felt it, and he didn't give a shit that he was running around barefoot either. All of his focus was on catching up to those two assholes who'd dumped his clothes in the pool.

He was angry enough that he didn't notice the sound of feet following after him.

The two perpetrators were in an alleyway between two rows of houses, drunkenly laughing their asses off. Their demeanor didn't change when Phinks caught up to them. The woman actually began to laugh harder, probably because Phinks was still wearing only his boxers.

Stu was trying to contain himself a bit, and put his hands up as an offering of peace.

“Hey man, it wasn't anything personal. Just a prank,” he said, “you can use the dryer, and I'll lend you some clothes-”

His sentence was cut off when Phinks grabbed both sides of his head and twisted it completely around, the cracking of his broken neck ringing out in the empty alley.

The sight of Stu falling to the ground with his head facing the wrong way had the woman instantly sober up, and she looked to Phinks as she opened her mouth to scream.

Barely a whisper of sound was able to escape as he did the same thing to her, and now Phinks was standing half-naked in an alley with two dead bodies.

“Obnoxious fucking people,” he muttered to himself.

Then there was noise that came from behind him.

Phinks turned and saw the other guy who'd been at the gas station on the ground, his arms barely supporting himself as his eyes were wide at the sight of his friends dead before him.

His eyes widened even further when he spotted the spider on Phinks' ribs, clearly recognizing what it meant as he whispered “oh my god.”

Make that three bodies, Phinks thought to himself as he rushed forward to snap his neck as well.

Three bodies that he needed to get rid of. If anyone else from the party came out here and found them, the police would be called immediately. He had no intentions of staying here any longer, but it'd be best to put a bit of distance between himself and the crime scene before the police were inevitably called.

He was dragging the other guy by his ankles and in the process of collecting the woman's body when someone walked out into the alley through one of the other entrances. An older woman, who was definitely not from the party and had come from another house, carrying a bag of trash walked out in front of Phinks, and like the guy right before, her eyes grew wide as she saw the sight of the dead before her.

She made a move to run back to her house, but Phinks picked up a pebble that he infused with nen and launched it at her head. It traveled through her skull and the fencing beside her, and blood sprayed out from the exit wound and splattered onto the fence as well as she fell to the ground.

This was turning into a goddamn mess, and after Phinks had thrown now four bodies over into a different backyard, he heard a voice calling out “mom?” from the direction that the woman with the trash bag had come from.

Fuck this. He needed to go.

When he returned to the backyard to retrieve his clothes, he found you on the patio. You were holding his jacket over the concrete, desperately trying to wring out the water that had soaked it completely. You were visibly shivering as you did so, with goosebumps running up your arms and your teeth chattering. He noticed his pants hanging off the fence that surrounded the patio, and while they weren't dry by any means, you had clearly done your best to get the water out of them. Meanwhile your own clothes laid in a soggy heap by your equally soaked bag.

You noticed him when he walked closer.

“I'm sorry,” you told him. You looked guilty for some reason.

“You didn't do it,” Phinks said, considerably calmer now.

“No. But I made a big deal about you getting in with me, and with Stu around I should've been paying attention. I'm really, really sorry.”

He was about to tell you to stop apologizing when he heard a shout coming from the direction of the alleyway.

Fuck. He forgot that he needed to leave.

Luckily you were the only one who noticed, as the rest of the party goers still had the doors and windows securely shut. He pulled on his pants and his sopping wet tank top, and the sensation of wearing those wet clothes was just as unpleasant as he had anticipated. At least his shoes were still dry.

You were still holding his jacket, looking confused as you looked off in the direction where you'd heard that voice. Phinks was about to just take it from you and leave, but when he looked you over again, he thought over the things you two had talked about, the things you had said and how you'd acted around him, and he came to a split second decision.

Grabbing your clothes and bag, he shoved them into your hands before he grabbed one of your arms and pulled you after him. You seemed startled, but you didn't question him as you were too surprised to think of anything to say. He led you out through the backyard and down to where he had parked his car, opening the passenger side door and pushing you inside. He then walked around to the driver's side, and within moments you both were speeding out of the neighborhood.

By the time he came to the highway there was a strong smell of pool chemicals that filled the car, and both of the front seats were slowly soaking up the excess water that dripped off of the two of you.

You seemed to be in a mild state of shock, as you had yet to say anything. You just sat in your still wet swimsuit looking rather confused while you still held onto the soaked clothing Phinks had forced onto you.

After a while you shuddered and finally spoke up.

“Do you think you could turn up the heat?” you asked him.

“Oh. Sure. Sorry.”

Phinks turned the heat up all the way, and after a few moments you seemed to relax a bit, though now you were glancing over at him while smiling nervously.

“Uh, so, there's a lot that I should probably be questioning,” you began, “but I'll start with if you knew why there was yelling?”

Should he lie? No, that might be weird if he pretended not to know.

“I punched that guy in the face. I think I broke his nose,” he told you, “that was likely his friend after he saw him.”

“Ah. Okay,” you said, “that's..... Not very good, but I think I get why you did that. You're gonna get charged with assault, though.”

Fat chance.

“I'll deal with that when I come to that,” he answered, “sorry if I put you in a tough position.”

“It's okay. Well, not really. But Stu's pranks have always been pretty bad and what he did was shitty, so I guess it was bound to happen sooner or later.”

“Think you can forgive me?”

“... Yeah, I think so. Just promise you won't do anything like that again.”

“I promise.”

“Okay,” you said as you nodded, “so second question: where are we going?”

“.... Not sure. Didn't have much of a plan besides getting out of there and going back to what I was doing,” Phinks admitted.

“So you're just back to driving around going wherever?”

“Seems like it.”

“Why did you bring me along?” you asked.

“.... Didn't want that to be the last time I saw you,” he said.

“Oh.....”

His answer ended up making you flustered again, and while you did seem to be holding some reservations about him with his admission of violence and the fact that he really had just kidnapped you, he could see you rationalizing everything in your mind and convincing yourself that this wasn't all that bad.

It was preferable if you did that. It made taking you with him a lot easier.

“Luckily for me I don't work tomorrow,” you said, “and since the day after that is Sunday and the campus store isn't open then, I also have that day off. So I think it's okay if I drive around with you for a bit. Just get me back by Sunday night, alright?”

“Don't worry. I'll get you back safe and sound,” he told you, and you visibly relaxed at his words.

You were a little naive, a little too trusting. But that was fine. Phinks liked that about you.

“Okay so third question,” you announced as you looked down at the wet clothes in your lap, “what should we do about this?”

“Right. Let me pull over.”

He stopped the car beneath a streetlight, and you sat sideways on the passengers seat while you held the clothes out of the car and wrung the water out of them as best you could. Phinks took the opportunity to change after you handed him his jacket, and he threw the mostly damp clothes in the backseat.

Glancing over at you, he did appreciate how much your swimsuit showed off while you tried to dry out your own clothes. But while he liked the idea of you staying as you were for the rest of the trip, you probably wouldn't be as big of a fan of that. Going over to his trunk once more, he dug around through his bag before he found what he was looking for.

“I don't have anything that will fit you well,” Phinks said as he made his way over to you, “but this should cover you up.”

What he handed you was the long white robe he wore on occasion, usually for combat or missions.

You seemed a bit surprised when you saw it, but you accepted it gratefully. Your gaze went to the jeweled eye that hung near the neck of the garment, and he heard you mumble about it being pretty.

He wondered briefly what you might think of the snake headpiece he usually wore with it, but the time for that would come later as you were currently slipping his robe over your head.

“Thank you,” you told him again as you threw your clothing in the back as well.

Then your attention went to your bag, and you frowned.

“What's wrong?”

In response to his question, you tilted your bag to the side and water began to pour out of it.

“Ah.”

“How much do you wanna bet that my phone is dead?” you asked as you reached inside.

As was expected, your phone screen stayed black when you hit the power button, and you sighed.

“And that's phone number three that Stu has destroyed.”

“Don't worry. It won't happen again,” he told you.

“You sure?”

“Positive.”

You tossed the now useless phone into your bag and looked back up to him as if to say “so what now?”

Phinks had an idea for that.

“Wanna go to a motel?”

“A motel? Wow, you sure know how to treat someone,” you said sarcastically.

“You really think I can get you into a nice hotel with you looking like that? You don't even have shoes,” he said.

“I didn't get a chance to grab them,” you responded, though you seemed to concede a bit.

“Could we stop somewhere tomorrow so I can get shoes or something?”

“I'll buy you a whole new wardrobe if that's what you want.”

You laughed at that, shaking your head and saying that you didn't need that.

Before too long, Phinks was back in the drivers seat while you watched the streetlights as the car passed them by, your fingers idly playing with the jewel on his robes as you did so. He had turned down the heat and turned on the radio, and though it still felt strange to be sitting in the wet seats, it wasn't bothering either of you as much anymore. The smell from the pool was mostly gone after driving a bit with the windows opened just a crack.

Except for the occasional car that drove in the opposite direction, you were the only ones on the highway.

“How far are you gonna drive?” you eventually asked.

He wanted to get out of the state at least. Phinks didn't want to deal with a confrontation with the law while also taking you along with him. He wanted to get as far as he could while you were still cooperative, and whenever you realized that there was no chance he'd be taking you back, he'd go to more extreme measures of keeping you with him. Your phone being dead was a good thing for him; you wouldn't be able to try and get help as easily.

“I think we've passed by three or four motels already,” you added, “was there something wrong with them?”

“No. Sorry. I got a bit distracted,” Phinks replied, “I've come to really like the highway at night. There's something soothing about it, I guess. Wanted to stay like this for a bit longer.”

You nodded in response and looked back out the window, your fingers still playing with the jeweled eye.

“Can I borrow your phone at some point tomorrow? I need to call someone just so everyone back home knows I'm okay. Don't want them to worry,” you said to him.

“Sure,” he said.

Arguing with you over that would seem strange. He'd just need to avoid that subject tomorrow.

He noticed when you yawned.

“Getting tired?” he asked.

“A little,” you said, laughing a little as you added, “this wasn't how I was expecting my night to go.”

“Same here.”

“I hope you decide to stop soon. I might not be up for it tonight if you're planning on continuing where we left off at the pool when we reach that motel.”

“That's fine. We'll have all day tomorrow, right?”

His words made you embarrassed again, and you shyly answered with a yes as you smiled to yourself.

So that was the plan, then. Drive as far as he could tonight, fuck your brains out tomorrow, then get away further before you figured things out. You would likely object, not liking the idea of being taken away from everything you'd ever known. But he was certain that after spending enough time with him, you'd prefer it. Your current life wasn't any good, but he was prepared for you to not understand that at first. And if he needed to tie you up and shove you into the trunk to keep you compliant, he could do that. Seemed like a pretty fool-proof plan.

You were yawning again.

“Get some sleep if you need to,” he said, “I'll wake you up when I find a place I like.”

You nodded. Soon after he saw you settling back into the seat and closing your eyes as you attempted to get some rest.

He liked the sight of you next to him, sitting in his clothes while you nodded off in his car. And when he turned his attention back to the empty highway, he was once again hit with the feeling like he was the only one in the world. A feeling that only came with seeing an area that was typically full of people seem completely abandoned.

But this time, though, he wasn't alone.

[imagines-ahs]

Chapter Eight - Grey.

Summary: Wilhemina Venable felt it was finally time to leave Kineros Robotics and get a job with people who weren’t such morons like Jeff and Mutt. What she didn’t expect, however, was for her new boss to be so damn insufferable. She didn’t expect to fall in love with her, either.

Tag List: @devriesgoode @mistysswampmud @paulsonsratched @msvenablx (message me to be added if interested!)

“You too.” Without understanding much, Wilhemina followed outside and to the car waiting for her. She looked to the plant in her hand, playing with it throughout the ride home. What even had happened? 

When Wilhemina stepped home, Purpura was quick to greet her at the door; however, the cat shrunk down and ran away the minute it saw Venable, hiding underneath the couch. Wilhemina frowned. “Purpura, darling, I know I spent the day out, but is it really necessary to treat me like that?” She set her purse and coat aside, as well as the sage Billie Dean had given her. The cat refused to come out, even when Venable bargained with treats and toys. She might be stressed. Wilhemina settled on that thought and moved to take a hot shower and eat something. She was desperate to get some sleep. When she finally lay in bed, Venable called Purpura again. Nothing. With a tired sigh, she turned around and closed her eyes. Sleep arrived quickly, and with it came a dark shadow that crowded her dreams—now turned into nightmares. 

Even though Wilhemina had slept the whole night, it felt like she had just closed her eyes and opened them again, for her body still ached. Her heart was beating fast when the alarm went off, and her breathing was labored and heavy. Her hands shook. Flashes of the tall, slim creature in the corner of her room still haunted her mind. It had whispered to her in a distorted voice, telling her all the things her brain screamed at her when she was at her lowest. Venable found herself with cheeks wet and eyes still teary. The now familiar putrid smell clung to her nostrils and seemed to have intensified overnight. Wilhemina felt a little disoriented. She looked around with huge brown eyes, searching for the creature but found nothing. Heavily, she gulped down in fear. Where is Purpura? Hesitantly, Venable got up. She looked around, finding the cat still underneath the couch. There’s something wrong with her. Wilhemina tried getting closer, but Purpura hissed at her. She frowned. Purpura never hissed. The temperature at her house had dropped noticeably, and Venable thought perhaps Winter had settled in. When she checked her phone, however, it indicated she shouldn’t be feeling that cold. There is something wrong. Wilhemina couldn’t point at what was wrong, but she knew something had changed. And, when she walked into her bedroom after eating breakfast and the putrid smell intensified again, her mind put two plus two together. Her insides shuddered. That has to be a joke. Those things weren’t real, after all. 

Contrary to Wilhemina, Billie Dean felt reinvigorated after the long night of sleep. She took her time when getting ready to work, taking a long shower and drying her hair. When she stepped into the office with her blue coat and skirt, however, her eyes were met with the oddly paleness of Venable’s cheeks. She frowned. Quietly, she walked to her table. The office was still empty, saving for Jenny in the kitchen. “Good morning.”

“Good morning.” Tired brown eyes looked up. Venable played nervously with the pen in her hand. In her distraught state, she couldn’t bring herself to ask how Billie Dean was, given she had nearly fainted the day before. Her mind kept on going back to the shadows she had seen, to the things it had whispered, to all the secrets it, somehow, knew. 

Billie Dean frowned. “Did something happen?” Venable gulped. In all honesty, she was frightened. Purpura hadn’t even come close to her, her house smelled like death and her body still shook a little. At the question, she nodded, but didn’t say anything. Billie reached for one of her hands. It was cold. “Have you slept?” Quite frankly, it looked like Venable had spent the night up, for the bags under her eyes nearly matched the purple of her sweater. 

“Yes,” it was weak, but Venable answered. She tried bringing herself to sit up better, to stop trembling and to just be a Goddamn adult, but she couldn’t. I’m a grown woman scared of ghost stories. She licked her lips, trying to put her mind in place. 

“Did you burn the sage I gave to you?”

“I forgot.” 

Shit. That was spot on. Billie Dean’s eyes nearly shifted color as she began to understand what was going on. “Wilhemina, what happened?” Her voice was a little firmer now. She looked around, seeing people were starting to arrive. 

Venable just wanted to forget what had happened, but by the way Billie stared at her she figured she already knew what was going on. And it only caused the hair on the back of her neck to stand up even more. She didn’t want to open up; she didn’t want to talk about what that shadow had said, she didn’t want to look so vulnerable, especially now that the other employees were arriving. It had been just a bad night. “I had a nightmare. That’s all.” She lifted her head slightly. 

Billie Dean shook her head. “No… no, no. What else happened?” She had seen that same story countless of times. 

“Nothing.”

Now is not the time for her to close up! Billie Dean’s insides twisted in agony. “Did you see anything? Smell anything?” She would have to do all the work, so she began to fire up all the basic questions. “Do you have any pets? Did you feel cold?”

Is she spying on me? How was it possible that Billie Dean knew what questions to ask her? Venable’s brown eyes opened a little more. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Billie Dean gave her a look that let her know she was trapped. “I…”

“Tell me.” Billie had, after all, been the one to drag Wilhemina to that ranch. She kept her eyes glued on Venable, and when she saw her looking over to Emma and to the other employees, she already got the hint. “Why don’t we go to my office?”

“I have work to do.”

“And I’m your boss. Come on.” Billie absolutely hated to use that card, but sometimes it was the only way out. And right now, she didn’t mind being a little rude in order to protect Wilhemina. She lead the way, making sure Venable was following her, and when they got inside, she closed and locked the door. “You saw something, didn’t you?”

Hadn’t Venable been so tired, she would be fuming right now. Billie Dean always got her way with her—she was, after all, her boss—and she despised it. At the question, Wilhemina sighed. “It was just a nightmare,” she insisted. 

Why did Venable had to be so hard? “Wilhemina, I am in this field my whole life. I know the signs when I see them. Tell me what happened so I can help you. Whatever it is, it’s not your fault and it won’t hurt you if you don’t allow it to.”

“What are you implying?”

“That something followed you home.” Billie saw no reason to sugarcoat things. “I gave you the sage for a reason.”

Wilhemina scoffed. “Are you trying to scare me with one of your ghost stories?”

Billie Dean’s fists turned into balls. After what had happened yesterday, how on Earth could Venable still doubt everything? “Do you think I’d put up a show just for you? That I’d go as far as making sure you’d follow me so I could pretend to be sick?” Her voice had raised a little. “Can’t you admit maybe I’m not a fucking fraud? I’m trying to help you, after all. I’m not doing any of that for myself. Whatever happened to you last night, I can guarantee you that I’ve been dealing with my whole life.” Billie let out a loud, frustrated sigh. And Wilhemina thought that, perhaps, she had pushed things a little too far. “Just tell me what the fuck happened, or I’ll leave you alone to deal with whatever followed you home.” That was a lie. Billie Dean knew she would never allow anyone to be hurt by something she could prevent. But Venable didn’t need to know that right now. If Wilhemina wanted to play rough, she was going to play rough, too. 

With her jaw locked in place, Venable squeezed the cane on her hand. Her body struggled not to cave in, and her mind wandered to the prospect of Billie Dean having to deal with those shadows for days and days on end. The shadows had been real. Was it really just a dream? “I—I dreamt with a shadow,” she started, low and hesitant and everything that wasn’t usual to her. Venable’s brown eyes fell down to the beautiful marble floor. If she was going to allow Billie Dean in, she was at least not going to watch her laugh at her when she, eventually, did. “I have a cat, and she hasn’t allowed me close ever since I got home. My house smells like death.” She licked her lips nervously. “That shadow… it knew things I’ve never told anyone.” Billie Dean listened carefully. That was classic. And she found herself somewhat a little bit mad for allowing Wilhemina to go through that. How could she know, though, that her channel was so open? 

“Take me there.”

“What?” Wilhemina looked back at Billie Dean with a frown.

“Take me to your house. Now.”

“Wha—why?”

“It’s there still. It will be waiting for you. I need to cleanse your place.” Already reaching for her purse, Billie Dean opened the drawer on her table and grabbed a few containers of salt. She always had those nearby.

Wilhemina was lost. “But—you need to work. I need to work. The day barely started.”

“That’s my job. You said you were up on schedule, didn’t you?” Wilhemina nodded. “So, come on.” Billie Dean stared at her.

With those eyes against her, Wilhemina found no other choice but to guide Billie Dean down to the garage and to her car. She grabbed her purse on the way out, offering a small smile to Emma as they passed by her. “It’s not too far,” she said as she got into the driver’s seat. 

“I wouldn’t mind if it were.” Billie Dean buckled herself up. Wilhemina began to drive. She felt a little nervous. Her house was always clean and tidy, but she wasn’t exactly expecting any company. When was the last time someone saw my house? Granted, they had more important things to worry about. “Did you forget the sage, yesterday?” Billie Dean assumed Venable just didn’t give it importance. 

But Wilhemina nodded. “I got carried away with Purpura,” she explained, eyes on the road. 

Purpura. “That’s a sweet name.”

“Thank you.” The corners of Venable’s lips lifted up a little. 

Billie Dean side eyed her. Wilhemina was so focused on the road there was no way she would realize her staring, and so Billie took advantage of it. She allowed her brown eyes to linger just a little on Venable’s rough features; from her almond eyes that were graced by her glasses, to her nose, to the soft lines near her lips, to her lips—they were plump and beautiful—and to her cheekbones that could cut. How come it took me so long to realize she’s gorgeous? The thought brought the conversation she had with Emma back into her mind, and she looked down at her lap. It was still weird. After a few seconds, she cut the silence that had made itself home between them. “I’m sorry if I came too hard on you about Emma…”

Oh? That was a weird thing to talk about right now. Wilhemina was a little nervous, but she assumed Billie Dean was probably used to dealing with whatever was going on—Venable still refused to believe it could be anything from the other realm. It was just too far fetched. Besides, talking could help calm her down, even if her cheeks started blushing with such subject. “It took me by surprise,” she decided to be honest.

“I figured.” Billie Dean licked her lower lip, pondering her words. “What I said still stands, though… if anyone ever makes you feel uncomfortable, please tell me. You’re not getting in trouble.”

Venable found it interesting how much Billie Dean pressed on that subject. She hated when people tried getting into her business, but she assumed if Billie was bringing that up again, asking would be no prying. “Did anything happen before I assumed my position?” 

Once again, Billie Dean pondered on her answer. “Not in my company.” She was hoping that would be enough of an answer for Wilhemina to understand what she meant. 

Even though Venable wasn’t a hundred percent sure she had understood the answer correctly, it was enough for her. Billie Dean could open up in her own time. God knows how hard it was for Wilhemina to do so. She nodded. “Thank you.” She stopped at a red light. “But Emma didn’t do anything.” 

“Good.” Billie Dean looked out of the window. It was just another ordinary day for the world. “She told me so, but I decided checking with you would be the right thing to do.”

Wilhemina appreciated it. She appreciated it more than she could explain. In her life, not many people took the time to hear her side of the story. A small smile broke through her lips, and she turned to look at Billie Dean. Her brown eyes were quick to meet hers. “I appreciate it,” she said, calm and in all honesty. “I really do. Thank you.”

Billie Dean smiled back at her, and once again Wilhemina took notice of how utterly beautiful her teeth were. “Of course.” To see Venable smiling like that, so close to her, was nearly mesmerizing. It was like staring at a shooting star; you knew it happened, but you hardly ever had the chance to see it. 

Wilhemina broke their gaze when the light turned green, turning back to the road to start driving again. The silence of her car was still comfortable, even with Billie Dean beside her. Her mind wandered to the week before they had met, to how quick she had been to judge Billie. Venable had always complained that no one truly got to know her, but did she wait to truly get to know Billie Dean before jumping into conclusions? 

It didn’t take much for Wilhemina to start parking her car at the garage. Billie Dean took a deep breath, and the same putrid smell from the ranch invaded her nostrils. Her stomach twisted. As long as I don’t pass out, I’ll be fine. Venable guided them to the entrance door, opening it and stepping aside so Billie could get in. Purpura didn’t even show up this time. Wilhemina grew even more worried. As soon as Billie took a first step, her blood pressure already dropped. She gulped dryly, walking in and looking around. The house was beautiful—classy, full of tiny details—but Billie Dean didn’t have the mind to pay attention to it right now. She followed her gut, eyes closed, ears tingling. The whispers began again, demanding her to go away. She began to pray silently, feet walking in their own accord until she found herself standing on Venable’s bedroom. It was cold there, the smell was stronger. “Sage.” Wilhemina had been watching her quietly. She walked close in tiny footsteps, giving her space, and when Billie asked for the sage, she was quick to hand it to her. Billie Dean had opened her eyes again, and she now turned her lighter on and began to burn the plant. Something inside the room shook. It screamed. It demanded for Billie Dean to stop. She didn’t. The lights began to flicker. “Go to the living room,” she told Wilhemina. 

Venable quickly did so, and when she sat down on the couch, Purpura jumped on her lap as her tiny body shook. “Darling!” Wilhemina held the cat tightly, hugging her and burying her face onto her soft skin. The lights continued to flicker nonstop, causing Purpura to meow in fear. Venable’s eyes filled with tears. “It’s alright,” she whispered. Purpura snuggled out of Wilhemina’s embrace and squeezed herself between her back and the couch. Even though Purpura always did such thing when she was scared, it always caused Venable to worry. She closed her eyes and squeezed her cane. It was colder, now. The temperature seemed to be dropping by the minute. Purpura still shook against her, and Wilhemina could now hear Billie Dean saying something she couldn’t really understand. The lights flickered faster, now, and the smell came and went away. Venable found herself not having enough courage to open her eyes. Everything was chaotic, until all of a sudden, the house grew quiet. And the only thing Wilhemina heard was a loud stomp on the floor. “Billie Dean?” She called. The temperature was back to normal, and the lights were on and stable, the putrid smell was gone. “Billie Dean?” She called again, hesitantly getting up and walking to her bedroom. “Billie Dean, are you—shit!” On the floor, Billie lay passed out. There was salt on her door and around her bed, near her bathroom, too. Quickly, Venable leaned to sit down on the floor. Her back ached sharply, but she ignored it. She reached for Billie Dean’s head and lifted it to rest on her lap, cane now falling to the side. She’s bleeding. Wilhemina’s brown eyes scanned the patch of blood on Billie’s forehead. “Billie Dean, you need to wake up.” With one of her hands, Wilhemina caressed Billie’s cheek, with the other, she held her head. Her heart was speeding up again. She tried taking a deep breath, but her chest refused to fill with air. “Billie Dean, please.” What do I do?! There was no way she was going to manage pulling Billie out and to the car. She could barely stand without her cane. With eyes glossing over, Venable nearly missed when Billie Dean began to wake up. 

“Mmph,” Billie murmured. Her eyebrows furrowed. “Ouch…” She reached for her forehead, but Wilhemina quickly stopped her hand. 

“No no no, you’re bleeding.” Thank God she’s up.

Bleeding? Billie Dean frowned even more. She looked up to Wilhemina, and her consciousness instantly came back. “Are you alright?” She asked weakly. 

“We should focus on you, now.” How come Billie Dean always focused on anyone but herself? Wilhemina smiled sadly. She had learned the lesson the hard way. “You fainted.”

“But it’s gone.” From underneath, Venable looked like a Goddess between fire. “It wanted your energy.” Her voice was still weak. She moved to sit up, but Wilhemina stopped her. 

“Are you sure you’re alright to sit?” 

For someone who’s so rough, she is very sweet. “I am. It happens.”

“What does?” Venable let Billie Dean go, and her hand felt empty without the blonde hair tangled in it. 

“I’m used to fainting,” Billie breathed out. She leaned back against the bed. “I get drained when—“ She doesn’t believe in me. She doesn’t care. “Whatever.” Billie shook it off. Her eyes closed as she let her head fall back against the mattress. 

“No. Tell me.” Venable moved to sit down beside Billie Dean. She kept her eyes on her, worried she could fall again. 

“You think I’m a fraud. I’m not wasting my time.” Billie Dean’s words were almost slurred. 

Ouch. Venable couldn’t get upset when she deserved it. Looking down at her hands, Wilhemina bit her lower lip. Could her philosophy explain what had happened? Billie Dean’s could. “I don’t…”

“You do… you think I’m full of shit.”

“Not anymore.” Venable looked back up at Billie Dean. 

Slowly, Billie’s eyes met hers. She let out an exhausted chuckle. “So, you did?”

Wilhemina’s cheeks tinted. “I tend to be closed to things I don’t know…” 

Billie Dean hummed. “Noticed it.” She reached for her forehead, and one of her digits got coated in blood. She hissed.

Venable didn’t know if she wanted to know more about that sentence. “Let me get you a wet cloth.” She reached for her cane and, with some struggle, managed to get up. When she got back from the kitchen, Billie Dean now sat down on her bed. “Here… I got you some water, too. And a painkiller.”

“Thank you.” Billie Dean reached for the cloth, reaching to clean her wound. She made more of a mess than anything. Venable couldn’t help but chuckle to herself.

“Let me help you.” Gently, she sat down beside Billie Dean. The mattress shifted with her weight. She handed her the painkiller and the glass of water before reaching for the cloth. As light as a feather, she began wiping the wound clean. “It’s just a small cut…”

Billie Dean had no issues with being vulnerable, but being that vulnerable with someone who always wanted to appear so absolutely tough was a new thing. Her brown eyes watched the way Wilhemina concentrated on the task, nearly poking her tongue out. How was this woman the same one that refused to open up? Understanding Venable was hard. In a swift motion, she took the painkiller and downed it with the water. “Thank you.”

“It’s no problem.” Billie Dean had, after all, helped her. “How much do I owe you?” Wilhemina pulled away once the cut was clean. 

“What?” Confusion clouded Billie’s features.

“How much do I owe you for cleansing my house?” Wilhemina could still not believe Billie Dean a hundred percent, but she was an honest woman. If that was Billie’s job, she was going to pay for it. 

“Oh.” Even though Wilhemina was correct, coming to her house didn’t really feel like a job. Billie Dean shook her head. “It’s a favor.” It was my fault it got here, anyways. 

“Nonsense,” Venable protested. “How much is it?”

Billie Dean shook her head again. “We’re even. It’s for yesterday.” 

“What happened yesterday?”

“You were the only one to worry about me on set.” Billie offered her a sad smile. Wilhemina had noticed it yesterday, but didn’t think Billie Dean had. Or rather, she preferred she hadn’t. “We’re even,” she repeated. 

With a sad smile back, Venable nodded. “Okay.” What a weird concept; someone so famous and so well adjusted seemed to be just as lonely as Wilhemina. 

At the door, Purpura meowed all of a sudden. Billie quickly turned around, watching as the cat rubbed its side on the doorframe. That giant rat is a cat?! Billie Dean had never in her life seen one of… those. Funny enough, it was weirdly cute. “Is that Purpura?”

“Yes.” Wilhemina smiled brightly. She tapped at the spot between her and Billie Dean on the mattress, and in a second the cat had jumped on it. “Hi, darling.” Venable reached to caress between its ears, instantly feeling the buzzing of Purpura’s affection. The cat rubbed its head on her hand. “Are you feeling better, honey?”

Billie Dean could hardly believe she was getting to experience such a sweet side from Venable. All in one day. I was right. She’s not that kind. It warmed something inside Billie. “Can I pet her?”

“Of course. Just let her smell you first.” 

Billie Dean did as she was told, offering a hand to Purpura and waiting for her reaction. The cat sniffed Billie once or twice before instantly rubbing her head against her arm. “Oh, what a sweetheart.” Venable’s smile grew to her ears. She watched as Billie Dean caressed Purpura—the way she smiled down at the cat, the way she so carefully caressed her skin. “What a beautiful sweater you’ve got.” Billie’s eyes looked back up at Wilhemina, and her chest fluttered softly at the sight of her smiling like that. “She’s a bit unusual, isn’t she?” As soon as she said those words, the smile on Venable’s lips dropped. Uh oh. “Gorgeous,” Billie Dean quickly amended. 

Wilhemina softened up a little again. “That’s what connects me and her.” 

“Being gorgeous?” Billie Dean teased. And perhaps that was the fastest she had ever seen Wilhemina open up: When talking about her cat. She would remember that. 

“No—that is not what I meant!” Venable nearly jumped off the bed, cheeks so red they were soon getting purple. Billie Dean laughed loudly, and Wilhemina’s body shrunk down. Shame downed on her. I should have been careful. Who did she think she was, implying that she could ever be gorgeous? Even if that hadn’t been her intention, she should have seen it. She should have judged it better. She shouldn’t have acted so foolishly. 

“I agree.” Billie Dean managed to say once her laugh died down. But Venable looked so small, now. She’s not laughing. “I mean it.”

“What?”

“I think you’re gorgeous, too.” It wasn’t a lie. 

“That’s not funny, Billie Dean.” Just as her walls had dropped, they had been put up again. Venable lifted her chin up and forced her chest out, jaw locking in place. “That was not what I meant, and you know it. Don’t be childish.”

“I know, but I was not lying,” Billie Dean insisted. She had no trouble complementing people when they deserved it. And Wilhemina certainly did. “I do think you’re gorgeous.”

“Stop it.” Wilhemina reached for her cane and got up. She definitely didn’t need to be mocked in her own house. “This is not funny.”

Billie frowned. “I know,” her voice was firmer, now. “I’m not trying to be.” Purpura was still bumping her head on Billie Dean’s leg. 

Gulping thickly, Venable stared deeply at Billie Dean. “Please.” Her eyes had grown misty. “Stop mocking me.” 

“What?” Billie Dean quickly shook her head. “Wilhemina, I’m not mocking you.” The way Venable stared at her nearly made Billie Dean cry. She had seen that look before on herself countless times. “I’m complimenting you. Truly, honestly complimenting you.”

This time, Venable didn’t say anything back. Her eyes fell down, and she looked away before collecting herself. The information refused to process. “I’ll get you something to eat, so you don’t faint again.”

“Okay…” Billie Dean knew she wouldn’t, but Wilhemina seemed to be needing some alone time. When she left the bedroom, Billie sighed. What has she been through? Whatever it was, it had been dark. It had been dark and it had caused a beautiful soul to lose its shimmer. She doesn’t deserve it.

In the kitchen, Wilhemina found her hands shaking. She leaned against the counter and took a deep breath. How fucking inadequate am I?! Having an anxiety attack because of a fucking complement! Venable was starting to think everything that shadow whispered was true. Maybe she did deserve to be alone. Maybe no one should have to deal with her. I need to calm down. Filling a glass of water, she walked to the living room and to her purse, where her Valium was. She set the glass on the corner table and grabbed the bottle, quickly downing a pill. Then, she walked back to the kitchen to get Billie Dean something to eat. What would she like? Venable looked around in her fridge and cabinets, deciding on some bagels. She cut one open and popped it into the oven for a few minutes. While it warmed up she reached for the cream cheese, and when she turned around, Purpura had jumped on the counter and was now sniffing the plate she had left on it. “That’s not for you, sweetheart.” Gently, Wilhemina pet the cat until the bagel was done. She spread a good amount of cream cheese on each side of it, taking her time to make sure it was nicely even, and then she filled a glass of orange juice. Her mind was calming down. Venable grabbed the plate and made her way to the bedroom, and when she got to the doorframe, she realized she had taken a little too long. On her bed, Billie Dean had lay with her head on the pillows. In her exhausted state, she fell asleep. At first, Wilhemina felt a little lost. But then her brown eyes fell on Billie, and she stared at her for a minute while standing there, with the plate in hand. Her blonde hair was so silky and puffy, her skin was so absolutely peachy and her cheeks and lips were the perfect shade of rose. Was it normal for someone to look like the definition of an angel? I had never stopped to really look at her. Quietly, she set the bagel on the nightstand and returned to the kitchen to grab the glass of orange juice, which she left right beside the plate. Wilhemina took one last look of Billie Dean, and she looked so small in her king sized bed that it was only fair Venable covered her with a blanket. And so she did, with a purple one that smelled fresh and clean. After everything she had seen, Wilhemina definitely thought Billie Dean deserved to rest. Besides, she could always work from home. As light as a feather, Venable closed the door to her bedroom—taking care not to disrupt the salt Billie had lay there—and settled herself on the living room. What a strange morning it had been. 

Billie Dean’s body began waking from its slumber, and slowly she opened her eyes. The room was unfamiliar at first, but she soon remembered what had happened. With a yawn, she sat up, only then realizing the blanket on top of her. She felt so warm and comfortable; Wilhemina’s house was weirdly quiet. She probably built it from scratch. What time was it? How long had she slept? Worry began building inside of her. She turned around to hop out of bed, but stopped in place when her eyes lay on the food Venable had prepared her. Her heart warmed. Wilhemina didn’t do those things because she was starstruck; she did them because she cared about Billie Dean. People didn’t often care about Billie as a person, but they always wanted to be around her as a status. Carefully, Billie reached for the plate and glass Wilhemina had left her and walked to the door, weirdly opening it with her elbow. 

From the table on the living room, Venable looked back at Billie Dean. She had been working on her own MacBook. “Hi,” she said softly, offering a small smile. Even with her hair all messy, she still manages to look amazing. How was it possible that some people simply looked good all the time? I wasn’t born to be beautiful. “Are you feeling better?“

Billie smiled back, and her cheeks let her know her smile was somewhat shy. “I am. Thank you so much, you didn’t have to.” With gentle footsteps, she walked to the table. “Can I?” She motioned to a free chair. 

“Of course.” Wilhemina moved her things a bit to the side, making more room for Billie Dean. 

Sitting down, Billie set the plate and glass on the table. Instantly, she reached for a piece of the bagel and took a big bite of it. Purpura jumped on the table, meowing at her. A chuckle left Billie Dean’s lips before Venable could apologize for it. “Are you hungry, cutie?” 

“She always is.” Wilhemina chuckled. She closed her MacBook once she saved the document she had been working at. 

“Me too.” Billie teased, reaching to caress the cat’s skin with her free hand. It was so interesting how Purpura looked and felt; it was nothing usual, but still very much alike everything she knew. “What time is it?” She asked Venable once she swallowed the piece in her mouth. 

“Almost eleven-thirty.” Venable checked her phone. “I thought it was best to let you sleep.” Billie Dean was, after all, her boss. 

“I didn’t mean to fall asleep, let alone for that long.”

“You needed to rest.” The bagel is cold, now. Venable hoped it still tasted good. She assumed it did, by the way Billie happily ate it. Her coral nails caught Wilhemina’s attention as they held the food. They were nearly mesmerizing. How does she function with these on? 

“I’m spoiling myself. I’m used to fainting.” Billie Dean took another bite. 

Even though Wilhemina had heard that before, she refused to accept that Billie Dean saw it as normal. “So you should always rest.”

Billie Dean appreciated the way Venable thought sometimes: It was two plus two. Simple. Logical. But things didn’t always work that way. “The producers would kill me if I listened to what my body needs every time.” She reached to take a sip of the juice. Good juice. “It costs a lot to rent those buildings, they need me to work as quickly as possible.”

Even though Wilhemina understood it, she didn’t agree with it. “You’re not a machine. You can’t just change the oil and be good to go.” Billie Dean shrugged. Venable chewed on her bottom lip as she thought through her next words. “Look, I might not understand what you do,” she started, slow and mindful of every word. “But I understand how much it drained you when you did it. It’s not okay.” 

Billie Dean chewed slowly, now. Her eyes focused on Wilhemina’s, and she wondered what could she even answer to that. It was true. But she had been so used to being a money machine that seeing herself differently was almost foreign. “Yeah… I know.” She licked her lips clean from the crumbles. “I do. I just… it’s hard when the industry is like that. There’s no room for me to come and try to change it, you know?” 

Venable nodded. “I do. But I still think you should take care of yourself.” Billie Dean was about to answer when her phone began ringing. She reached for it in her pocket, seeing Jenny’s name on the screen. Glancing apologetically at Wilhemina, she picked it up. While Billie was on the phone, Venable got up to check Purpura’s food; she refilled her water bowl and made sure the litter box was clean. The call Billie Dean had received was probably about work, given they should be at the office. I need to eat. They’d probably have to leave soon, so she could have lunch at work. A yawn cut through Venable’s lips, reminding her of how tired she was. Wilhemina didn’t think it was fair to sleep while Billie Dean did; she was in her working hours, after all. It’s going to be a long day. She was thankful there was nothing she had to do after work today besides coming home and spoiling her cat. 

[let-them-read-fics]

Empress of the Heart (Pt. 1)

Requested By Anon: "Reader is an actress, and she meets Jennie at an event. They have a one night stand afterward, and months later they meet again." (It was a long request so I had to sum it up lol)

Pairing: Jennie x Fem!Actress!Reader

Word Count: ~ 9,351 😳 (Both parts combined)

Warnings / Misc. -- Smut / Suggestive Themes, Angst, Fluff

Disclaimer: This writing is a work of fiction, and no disrespect is meant for those mentioned herein.

A/N: Hello again! Guys, I'm actually really proud of this one. It gets better as it goes on. I hope you enjoy it (you'd better, because I stayed up until 8am writing again 🥴😂). I had to split this story into two parts to appease the Tumblr overlords, just so we’re clear.

♡ Happy reading ♡

Part 2

🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤

"Who's that?" Rosé asks, leaning in closer to the maknae as she points to a slightly recognizable face in the crowd. 

"I dunno," Lisa shrugs, throwing a thumb over her shoulder, "ask Jisoo." The Australian does as she says, padding over to seek out an answer from their unnie. 

"Y/N L/N, I believe. Her company is supposed to make a big announcement later." Jisoo informs, adding a nod to the end of her statement for certainty. Jennie stands beside them all, taking in the crowd of staff and business people hailing from all of the most powerful entertainment companies in Korea. The big dogs have all gathered here tonight to drop some major announcements for their upcoming projects and set up arrangements for future endeavors. 

"What do you think it'll be?" Jennie asks, eyes still trained on you as you converse with a famous actress. Her breath catches in her throat when you throw your head back, eyes filling with tears of laughter at something the high class woman said. You're absolutely stunning. 

"It could be anything, honestly. Her company's full of talent in every category." 

"Yeah, their newest girl group broke a record for Youtube streams in the first hour after release. Still didn't beat ours, though," Lisa adds with a smug look, holding her head a little higher. She's only playing, of course -- she's one of the most humble people Jennie knows. 

"She's really pretty," Jennie breathes out, speaking the words that have been rolling around in her mind since she laid eyes on you. The other girls adamantly agree, nodding their heads with purpose. 

"Do you wanna go talk to her? YG would probably like that; maybe we can let Jisoo do a little schmoozing." Rosé smirks, playfully nudging the unnie. Jisoo rolls her eyes with an amused scoff, quickly swatting the blonde's hand away. 

"I don't know, she seems pretty busy." Her words are unsure, weary -- her normal confidence is wavering a bit, now replaced with some type of nervousness that she can't quite explain. This isn't like her; why is she so anxious?

"Come on, it'll be fun." Lisa decides for them, leading the way with Jennie's hand clutched in her own; the brunette would surely slip away otherwise. 

They approach you from an angle, caught right in your blind spot as you continue your small talk with a new business exec. The man sees the girls behind you, waiting for their turn, and after a few more moments he leaves you with an office number to reach him by.

"Good evening… Y/N, right?" Jisoo leads politely, smiling as you turn to face them. You look even more dazzling up close, and Jennie's posture stiffens. She's definitely seen you somewhere before.

"That's me," you say sweetly, greeting all of them and committing their names to memory. 

"Jennie," she introduces, stretching a hand out to you. Your eyes flutter down to it before you grasp it within your own, the simple action appearing unbelievably cute to her.

"How're you doing tonight? I hear you've got some big news for us." Lisa wiggles her eyebrows, voice bouncy with anticipation.

You giggle, and Jennie thinks it may just be the sweetest thing she's ever heard. "It's a little hectic, if I'm honest, but I'm enjoying myself. What about you guys? And you'll just have to wait and see what we have in store for you." You end the sentence with a wink that just happened to be directed at Jennie, despite Lisa being the one to ask the question. She tries to fight the blush that soon rises to her cheeks. 

"We're doing well, I'd say. It's actually kind of nice to get out of the dorm and meet some new people." Rosé says almost wistfully, her eyes sending a fleeting glance around the room at her statement. 

"I know how that can feel. When I was first starting out I didn't get many opportunities for roles. But then I met my manager at the café I picked up a second job at, and the rest is history." You smile softly at the memory, recalling the events of that fateful day. You can't imagine where you'd be right now if things had played out differently. 

"You're an actress?" Jisoo asks, sounding like she just put two-and-two together. You nod at her, noticing the way that Jennie looks at you in deep thought. You can practically see the wheels turning. 

"So that's where I recognize you from. You guest starred in that JTBC miniseries earlier this year, didn't you?" 

"Ding ding ding, we have a winner." You smile, bowing your head in praise. It warms your heart to see her face light up, knowing that she finally felt that rush of putting her finger on the elusive thoughts in her head. Pulling knowledge you previously believed forgotten from the foggy depths of your brain is a rewarding experience in itself, and you're pleased that she remembered you. 

"I'm glad I made an impression during my short time on screen," you quirk, leaning in closer to her. 

"With skills like yours? You're unmatched, Y/N." She flirts, finally finding her bearings again. Her confidence is returning now, slowly but surely, and she pats herself on the back for not hiding behind her hands when you send her a tempting smile. 

"Ah, you're too kind--" you begin, only to be cut off by a tap on your shoulder. It's one of your co-stars.

"Good evening, ladies," he bows, "I'm sorry to break this up, but Y/N is needed by management." 

Your shoulders sag at this, his words sinking in. You'd much rather spend the night tucked away with the girls, getting to know them better -- especially Jennie, who makes your heart speed up anytime she looks at you. 

"I hate to go," they nod in agreement, sad to have to part ways. They really enjoyed speaking with you, and they'd be lying if they said they wanted to stop anytime soon. 

"But maybe I'll catch you later?" The question sounds hopeful, albeit a bit unsure as you scrunch your face up. They affirm that they'd "like that very much," and your shoulders relax a bit. Maybe there's still some hope for you all. 

◇◇◇◇◇  2 Hours Later  ◇◇◇◇◇

"Exactly! She shouldn't have forgiven him after that," you rant to Jisoo, talking about some characters from your favorite kdrama. 

"Babo, I tell you." She says dramatically, rolling her eyes. The action garners a chuckle from you, and Jennie finds herself smiling as she follows along with the conversation. She must've made her staring too obvious, because a minute later your eyes meet hers from across the table. She blinks, surprise etched gracefully into her features, and she clears her throat. Both of you have been stealing glances at one another all night, and things have only ramped up since you snuck away from management to see them again. You assured them you wouldn't get in trouble, but that was honestly the last thing on your mind. 

From her seat across from you, Jennie can see the curve of your body, your silhouette highlighted by the lights that shine on the wall behind you. They're dimmed somewhat to give a comfortable, soft glow to the room, and they contrast with the perfect curve of your face. She lets her eyes trail lower, admiring the expanse of your chest and how your fingers rest against the table, mindlessly playing with the expensive tablecloth. 

What you do next makes her choke on the water she had so bravely dared to take a drink of. 

You lean forward slightly, just enough for her to see your cleavage, while still appearing inconspicuous and innocent. The smirk you try to suppress tells her you know exactly what you're doing, and her cheeks grow hot. 

"Excuse me," she mutters to the table, quickly standing and all but running outside for some fresh air. She wants -- needs -- to put some distance between the two of you if she plans to have any self control. 

Cool air immediately greets her as she steps outside, hearing the sleek automatic door slide shut behind her. She can breathe now, and begin to soothe her racing mind. Despite only knowing you for the better part of 4 hours, she's already attracted to you. Way more than she cares to admit, as she presses her thighs together to put out the fire you started within her. 

No more than 5 minutes later, the doors slide open once more. 

"Everything alright?" You ask, tone dripping with amusement as you take in her flustered state. It's obvious that she's okay, just simply turned on. 

"Never better," she mumbles, glancing up at you with a lopsided smile. 

"You know, you ran out pretty fast back there. You sure know how to worry a girl." You fake a pout at her. 

"Oh, you don't say?" She plays along, approaching you with what few shreds of confidence she has left. She tucks a strand of hair behind your ear, whispering into it, "Well, I'm all good." 

"Wanna see for yourself?" She continues, drawing back slightly to take your hands within her own and wrap them around her waist. She smiles as they roam over her body, making sure to be thorough as you "check her out." 

She groans when your hand grazes over a sweet spot on her thigh, causing you to pause and tut at her, "Tsk tsk, Jennie. It looks like I'll have to inspect this a little further." She gulps at your words, mind clouded once again by filthy thoughts of you. 

"Let's get out of here," she suggests, taking your hand to lead you away. You chuckle at her eagerness, only capable of nodding as she basically drags you to her car. 

◇◇◇◇◇

Despite feeling like two horny teenagers, you and Jennie actually opted to slow things down and get to know each other more. She's one of the most interesting people you've ever met, and you could listen to her talk for hours on end. The feeling is beyond mutual, and she doesn't mind that she has to wait a little longer to have you. The promise of what the night will hold for the two of you thrills her, and the anticipation only heightens her feelings.

Takeout containers lay abandoned in her car, long forgotten about as you sit next to each other on the hood. The chilly surface of the windshield presses against your back, making you all the more thankful for having had the foresight to wear a coat tonight. You make a mental note to thank your stylist for the suggestion. 

Stars are beginning to twinkle in the distance, slowly coming out of their peaceful slumber to greet the evening sky. They bring to mind all the nights you spent in your backyard as a child, laid out on a warm blanket as you gazed up into space. Back when only trivial issues existed in your world, leaving you with an unscarred heart and unadulterated outlook on life. Those times were simple, only complicated by whatever drama was going on at school or what new person your friends liked. Back then you had no idea of what the future held for you -- what you'd end up doing with your life. If you had a chance to talk to your younger self, you'd tell her to enjoy those days as much as possible; to not take them for granted for even a second. 

Everyday you're reminded that fame is truly a blessing and a curse -- you miss the days that you could roam the streets freely with whomever you wanted to, not having to worry about paparazzi or the media, but you're thankful for where you are now. You get to do what you love, everyday, and make money from it -- it's what everyone wishes for in life; and although you've worked your ass off to get here, you owe a lot of credit to the fans. 

"It's so beautiful up here," Jennie says, voice stuck between a whisper and sigh as she lays her head on your shoulder. 

"You see that building over there, with the orange lights and trees around it?" You ask, pointing in the direction of the building. Her eyes follow the invisible path your finger makes, and she spots it, nodding for you to continue. 

"My mom used to work there; it's a daycare. I always loved helping out. The kids were so adorable." A bittersweet smile plays on your lips as you look down at your lap, clearly reminiscing. Jennie notices, brushing a strand of hair out of your face as she says, "I bet you miss it." 

"I do," you sigh, clenching your jaw briefly, "those were the days. Seoul's home, but sometimes it feels so distant."

"I know how that feels." You don't miss the way her eyes cast down, a hint of sadness behind them, her fingers toying with yours on her thigh. Life in the spotlight isn't all it's cracked up to be, and neither of you are strangers to that all too familiar pang of longing. 

"I'm happy to be here with you tonight, though," you try to turn the conversation cheery again, and Jennie's thankful for that. "I haven't had this much fun in a long time." 

Your plan works, and soon she's pepping up. "Me neither. Being with you feels...different. In a good way." Your smile widens exponentially when she adds, "A very good way." 

"Don't get too cheesy on me, now," you roll your eyes teasingly, wrapping both of your arms around her and pulling her flush up against your body. She lays her head on your chest, reveling in the scent of your perfume and the warmth radiating from you. Her hand comes to rest against your ribs, lightly rubbing patterns against them as the two of you continue star gazing. She can feel your heartbeat pick up when she slides her hand downwards, playing with the hem of your shirt innocently. 

Does she have any idea what she's doing to you?

Yes, yes she does. After all, your body is basically selling you out at this point. 

"Y/N?" 

"Mmm?" You hum, eyes closed and head leaned back against the windshield. Her skin is soft against yours, and your shared warmth has put you at ease.

"Do you wanna go somewhere? I really don't want the night to be over yet." Your heart flutters at her words; the fact that a woman such as Jennie is so reluctant to leave you is baffling in itself. 

"I'd love that, Jennie. What did you have in mind?" 

For a moment, Jennie's mind takes it there. She allows herself to imagine what it would be like to feel your skin against hers, connection unrestricted by clothing; how your kisses would feel against her lips, her body; what beautiful sounds you would make as she pushed you closer and closer to the edge. She can't deny how attracted she is to you, nor does she want to; but she also doesn't want to ruin the innocent moments you're sharing. She doesn't want to taint them with the lustful ideas that flood her mind anytime you give her that look, or caress her thigh absentmindedly. 

"How does the park sound?" 

"With you? There's nowhere I'd rather be." 

Despite her efforts, Jennie blushes at your statement, feeling that embarrassing warmth creep up the back of her neck. You've made her blush more in the span of one night than she previously had in her entire life, and that boosts your confidence tenfold.

"Who's being cheesy now, huh?" She asks, pinching your side playfully as she sits up. Her legs swing around until she's fully facing you, sitting criss-cross as the two of you smile at one another. 

Neither of you move for a while, both content with just admiring each other's beauty. Her fingers lace with yours, and after a moment she brings your hand up to her lips to lay a kiss to it. The action -- more so, how soft her lips are against your skin -- catches you off guard, and your breathing hitches. All at once, you're acutely aware of how badly you want to kiss her. 

As if things couldn't get anymore tempting, her tongue darts out of her mouth to soothe her lips, making them glisten in the dying light of the evening. 

She sees your eyes dart down to them, and her body leans closer to you ever so slightly, seemingly having a mind of its own. You meet her gaze again, silently asking for permission as you glance back down at her lips. She responds by giving one single nod before leaning in close enough that your noses almost brush against each other. 

"You're stunning." The compliment sounds breathy as it slips out of your mouth, but you're beyond caring at this point. Your pride was thrown out the window the second Jennie showed interest in you. 

"Don't look at me like that," she says, gently biting the inside of her cheek to keep herself from closing the distance. She wants you to be the one to do it.

"Like what?" 

"Like you're undressing me with your eyes." Her gaze casts down to your lips again, seemingly glued there as she watches them move when you speak your reply.

"You act like you weren't doing the same thing at the event." Her confidence falters momentarily, but she fights to hold her ground. "My colleagues even noticed it, babe -- you've gotta get better at hiding your attraction." You say with a chuckle, watching as Jennie's eyes grow wider. Had she really made it so obvious?

"We wouldn't be here right now if I was good at hiding it, so I think you owe me one." 

"Touché," you say, quirking an eyebrow in thought. She's right, as usual. "How can I ever make it up to you?" Your voice wiggles dramatically, face contorting in a mock apology. 

"I know a way," she says lowly, smiling as your hand finds its way to her knee a moment later. You hook your fingers in the crook of it, drawing a surprised gasp from her as she falls forward and into your arms. 

Here goes nothing. 

You raise your left hand to her cheek, brushing the back of your fingers against it gently as you build up the nerve to kiss her. Your other arm is wrapped securely around her waist in order to hold her steady above you. 

Her palms are pressed to the glass behind you, and her hair falls gracefully around you, creating a little curtain to shield you from the outside world. Finally gaining enough courage, you press your lips to hers in a soft kiss. It's slow and mild as you set a sensual rhythm, growing accustomed to the taste of each other. She sighs into your mouth as you reposition her so that she's straddling your lap. 

"Y/N, we're never gonna make it to the park if you keep kissing me like that." She warns, though her words hold no real threat at all. She wants this just as much as you do. 

You lay a trail of light kisses up her neck, all of them far too gentle for her liking right now. "Is this better, your highness?" You ask smugly, smiling against her throat as a frustrated sigh leaves her lips.

She places a hand on your chest to push you up against the glass, letting her fingers skim over your collarbone. Just as she's about to pounce, the sound of your phone ringing interrupts the moment. It vibrates in your pocket, right between Jennie's thighs, and you stifle a giggle at the reaction it would've drawn from her had you not quickly retrieved it. 

"Hello?" You ask, realizing you hadn't even bothered to check the caller ID. Jennie sits back on your legs, allowing her hands to rest on your hips and draw soothing circles.

"Y/N, I hate to tell you this on such short notice, but you have a new interview scheduled for tomorrow morning at 10AM. I'll send you all the details later." 

You sigh at your manager's words, running a hand over your face to relax yourself. The announcement party was supposed to signal the end of your busy week, but of course life just couldn't work in your favor for once. Now you'd be stuck in some random line of questioning, unable to give them any real answers for the sake of keeping spoilers from getting out. You can think of about a million things you'd rather be doing tomorrow morning, and one of them is sitting on your lap right now. 

"Yeah, okay. I'll talk to you later." You wait for him to say his goodbye before ending the call and turning back to Jennie with an apologetic look. 

"Sorry for ruining the moment." 

"You didn't ruin anything. But luckily for you…" she leans forward again, pressing a kiss to your lips that makes your heart stop for a second, "I can be very merciful." You nearly melt at her words, paired with how she whispers them in your ear. Her warm breath fans over your neck, rendering you speechless as you pull her back to your lips. 

This kiss is different -- full of passion and desire as you grow more used to each other. She raises up on her knees, towering over you as she stares down at you. You look so beautiful right now, your eyes appearing big as you look up into hers, waiting for her next move. She runs her hands through your hair before settling them on your cheeks, cupping the smooth skin and rubbing the pad of her thumb across it. You drag your nails up and down her exposed thighs, and you pat yourself on the back when you notice the trail of goosebumps they leave behind. 

"I actually do wanna go to the park with you, if that's alright. There's something I want to show you. I definitely want to continue this later, though." You say.

She nods at that, a smile making its way to her face that can't possibly be wiped away. As much as she wants to have you writhing underneath her, screaming her name, she can wait. She's content with making as many memories as possible with you tonight, and she's intrigued by the surprise you're hinting at.

A few gentle kisses later, you slide off the hood and help her down before going to open her car door for her. 

"Such a gentlewoman," she praises, pursing her lips at you. 

"Only for you," you wink, making her giggle. 

You quickly make your way to the driver's seat, set on getting to the park ASAP in order to spend as much time as you can with Jennie. After all, you can only stay up so late tonight if you want to be functioning for that interview tomorrow… and let's just say that you plan on being busy later. 

---------

"Voila!" You declare, motioning to some playground equipment in the kid's section of the sizable park. Of all the things she was guessing at, Jennie did not see this coming. 

"What, you came to show me monkey bars, Y/N? I've seen plenty of them--" She asks incredulously, looking around the area filled with miniature tables and chairs to go along with the equipment. 

"What? No, no. I used to play here when I was growing up, and my friend's and I had a secret hiding spot. We always stashed our favorite little knick knacks in it, and we promised we'd only show it to people we deemed worthy."

Jennie watches as your eyes light up at the recounting of such a dear memory, and she grins widely. You truly are a five year old at heart. 

"This is the first time I've been back here, since…" you trail off, realizing just how many years it's been. Being at such a different point in your life while standing in a place you frequented as a child is a weird juxtaposition that you weren't prepared for, but you push it from your mind.

"Anyway, I think you're pretty worthy." You joke, sizing her up. She laughs at that, and you revel in the pleasant sound. You know you probably won't see her again after tonight, so you're determined to ingrain the little things -- like her smile, her laugh -- into your brain. 

"Now, let's see… where did Ashley put it?" You whisper to yourself, scanning the length of the playground. Your eyes travel across the slides, over the swings, and around the monkey bars before you spot that little dip in the siding that you'd recognize anywhere. Jennie soon finds her hand slipping into yours as you lead her over to it, a childlike sense of giddiness on your face. She likes seeing you like this. 

"I hope it's still here," you say to no one, bending down to press your fingers against the old wood. It's far more worn down now, and you're worried that someone has already come by and cleaned out the hiding spot. Putting your doubts aside, you continue. 

"Okay, so don't laugh, but there's a special way you have to open it. Ashley showed it to me one day and it's the only way we could get it to budge after that."

She smiles her gummy smile at you, and you can't help but return the gesture and even steal a quick kiss. She's a bit taken aback when you ball your hand up, using the side of it to deliver a couple blows to the wood in two different spots. Next, you stand and line up your foot, remember exactly how your friend taught you, before executing a calculated kick to the other side. 

At first, Jennie wants to laugh at you; but upon closer inspection, she sees that in fact, a small opening is visible in the wood now. You smirk cockily, knowing full well that she hadn't expected that to work. 

"Told you so," you tease, now bending down again to work the panel free. You wiggle it back and forth repeatedly, being careful not to go too quickly and damage anything else, and eventually it pops out. She watches as you reach in and pull out a mini jewelry box -- the kind that can fit in your hand, mainly meant for rings or other small items. 

"We stole the box from our other friend, Janelle. Had to pay her our allowances for 2 months afterward. Can you believe that?" You ask, shaking your head with another smirk on your lips. Jennie laughs at you in full, loving how carefree you are right now. In a way, she's happy that your manager called earlier; otherwise the two of you most surely would be locked away in your bedroom right now. This experience is definitely one she'll cherish. 

"Unbelievable," she sighs, shaking her head and going along with it. 

You click the latch on the small box, it's material now weathered and rusty as it creaks when you open it. Jennie steps closer to you to examine its contents, and you fight to contain how hard your heart starts beating at the feeling of her hand on your lower back. 

"No way…" you utter, voice full of disbelief as your eyes land on one of your most prized possessions from childhood. 

"What?" Jennie asks, genuinely on the edge of her metaphorical seat. 

"This butterfly hair clip," you inform, slipping the small contraption between your fingers as you hold it up for her to see, "I won it at a fair with my mom and I always wondered where it went…" 

"It's beautiful, Y/N," she says, ooh-ing and ahh-ing at the details etched into it. For something so small and seemingly unassuming, it's actually very unique. 

"I want you to have it." You say, taking a step away so you can look at her. She instantly goes to refuse, saying, "I can't! You just found it after all this time--"

"And I went all that time without it. If you take it, I'll know it's safe with you. And you can use it to remember me by." You say, your gaze softening as you watch her debate with herself. 

"Okay. But if you ever want it back, call me." 

"Roger that." You say dorkily, earning yourself a roll of those dark eyes you find yourself getting lost in. 

"And for the record, Y/N, I could never forget you. Pretty hair clip or not." Her confession makes you feel happy on a whole new level; knowing that you've left an impact on her is truly a wonderful thing. 

"So, what now?" She asks, breaking the happy lull your conversation found itself in. 

"We can walk around the park for a little while, or…" you start, waiting for Jennie to prod you further. Both of you know exactly what game you're playing, but it's still fun nonetheless. 

"Or?" She inquires, stepping closer as she wraps her arms around your shoulders. She nonchalantly gives you a once over, knowing what power her darkening gaze holds over you. 

"We can go back to my place. Maybe play a little footsie, who knows?" You say, shrugging your shoulders with a stupid grin. Even while seducing someone, you can't resist being a geek. 

"Footsie?" Jennie gasps, raising her eyebrows, "What kind of girl do you take me for? That only happens after at least 2 dates in." 

"Such a prude, Ms. Kim. How can I change your mind?" 

She presses a finger to her cheek, pretending to think, before getting an idea. Her lips flirt with the shell of your ear as she whispers obscenities into it, turning you to mush with every new scenario she puts in your head. 

You stiffen as she kisses your jaw, the action catching you off guard as you continue reeling from her words. 

"I can do that, I think," you cough out, stumbling over the words a little bit. She laughs at the effect she has on you; seeing your confidence waver is a nice role reversal, and it's something she could definitely get used to. 

"Let's go." She commands, now taking your hand to pull you after her, just like you had done before.

◇◇◇◇◇

It's painful, how hard Jennie has to restrain herself from touching you as you fumble with your keys. She told herself she'd keep her hands to herself until you got inside, just in case any stray paparazzi managed to catch you two together. The last thing either of you need is some new scandal, especially with your careers in a vulnerable spot as they're really beginning to take off.

"If you don't get that door open within the next 10 seconds, then I'll just take you out here in the hallway." 

You audibly gulp at the image she just conjured up in your mind, and you speed up your movements. The prompting worked, evidently, because soon she's practically shoving you through the doorway.

"Finally," she breathes against your lips, pressing you up against the door once you've locked it back. 

"I've been waiting to do this since we met earlier." She indulges you in that little secret, smiling at the way you whimper when she pulls your leg up to wrap around her hips. 

"I'm all yours," you say, making Jennie's heart flutter at the sentiment. For the night, you're hers and she's yours. "...now kiss me," you command, growing more impatient with each feather-light kiss she presses to your jaw. 

"So bossy," she toys, making you roll your eyes. 

"You have no idea, babe." 

She bites her lip as your husky voice makes its way to her ears, thick with the desire she's been steadily building within you all night. You tug her forward, your fingers bunching up the material of her shirt with little care as her lips meet yours. 

Her tongue swipes across your bottom lip, asking for a permission that you granted the second she touched you. You pull her chin down slightly, allowing the kiss to deepen as you tangle your other hand in her hair. 

After an especially bruising bite to her lip -- one that thrills her to her core -- she pulls away, breathlessly asking, "How're you so good at this?" 

You cackle against her, taken aback by how genuine the question sounded. "Practice for the kdramas, of course." 

"I haven't had to do this," you slide a hand between your bodies, smirking at the gasp that sounds off deep in her throat as you make contact with her, "yet though. That might be a little extreme for the screen." 

"You think?" She scoffs softly, bringing her hands up to gather your hair to one side. She presses gentle kisses to your neck, prepping the surface for the dark marks she'll most certainly be leaving there later. 

"Ready?" You ask, making sure she wants to go through with this.

"You have no idea, babe." She copies your statement from earlier, garnering another smile from you. She swears she can never get enough of that sweet look on your face.

"Follow me," you say, giving her another peck to last until you reach the bedroom.

◇◇◇◇◇  The Morning After ◇◇◇◇◇

Warm, glittering rays of sunlight sneak past the curtains of your apartment window, shining gently through the light material. A dream-like haze befalls the room, serving as a wonderful greeting once you peek your eyes open. The only thing capable of rivaling such a wonderful sight is the woman beside you, her soft breaths keeping your shoulder warm. 

As you turn your head to look at her, careful not to wake her, your heart flips. Having her here next to you is the only reason you even believe last night happened; it was magical -- the stuff of fantasy. The two of you did everything: acted on every desire, every impulse -- you truly made the most of the night, determined to make it unforgettable. 

A few blissful minutes later, she stirs beside you. "Good morning, Y/N." Her eyes remain closed, still safe from the bright light of the morning as she smirks at the memories replaying in her mind. 

You lay a small kiss to her lips, simply missing how they feel against your own. "Morning, beautiful." 

A content sigh slips past her lips as she presses them against your neck, cuddling further into you. "Last night was fun." 

You decide to tease her. "Eh, I've had better." 

If there's one thing that Jennie knows, it's that she's good in bed -- great, even -- and you definitely seemed to be enjoying yourself last night, just as much as she was. Still though, a bit of insecurity runs through her as she raises up on her elbow to look at you through her lashes. 

"Really?" She stills her fingers on your arm, stopping them from continuing the trail that they had been blazing just seconds ago. Her eyebrows furrow subtly, the action almost unnoticed by you. 

Deciding the joke isn't worth it, you cup her cheek and raise her head so she can meet your eyes. 

"No, I'm kidding. Last night was… something else." You chuckle, smiling as your eyes move around the room in an attempt to find the right word for it. When none come to mind -- no words capable of conveying how great it was -- you look back to her.

She has a knowing grin on her face, "I couldn't agree more." 

Sneaking a glance at the clock propped up on your bedside table, you get an idea. "You know, Jennie…" you start, purring her name out as you had last night, garnering that achingly familiar groan from her, "...we still have a few hours before either of our schedules start." Your suggestion hangs in the air as you roll her over onto her back, hovering over her and brushing your noses together. 

"Hmm, you don't say? Well you're in luck; I still have some things I wanna try out." She plays back, leaning up to press a kiss to the corner of your lips as her hands wander over your body.

Your eyes widen in shock, "What the hell could you POSSIBLY be thinking of?? We tried just about everything." She laughs at your reaction and pulls you down closer to her body to whisper in your ear. Jennie can feel you tremble with every new image she puts in your head, just like she had in the park, her lips dragging you further under as she sneaks little kisses to your skin here and there. 

"Let me get this gay straight: you want me to do that on the balcony? What if my neighbors see?" 

"They won't, we're on one of the top floors. And even if they do… would that really be so bad?" She lets the question hang in the air; she'd be lying if she said the idea of getting caught doesn't thrill her. Thinking of your lips on her neck as she rocks against you, pinned to the railing while out in the open for the world to see, sends a rush of warmth through her. 

"I wish you weren't so good at convincing me to do things. You're dangerous, Jennie Kim." You warn, pointing a disapproving finger at her. Your eyes nearly pop out when she kisses it, taking the digit in between her lips while looking up at you innocently. This woman will be the death of you. 

◇◇ Back At The Blackpink Dorm ◇◇

"Yah, I know! The new update looks so weird--" 

"There she is," Lisa says, motioning to the doorway, interrupting Jisoo and Rosé’s conversation about whatever new video game the unnie had downloaded.

Jennie leans on the heavy door as she locks it behind her, lazily spinning around on her heel with her lips drawn back in a huge gummy smile. 

"Somebody's happy…" Jisoo teases, shooting her a smirk. She's still riding the high you put her on, and it's no wonder her members are noticing. It's not like she's exactly trying to hide it, either. 

"How was your night? Have fun with Y/N?" The maknae wiggles her eyebrows while propping herself up on her elbows to see Jennie's reaction.

"LISA! She wasn't supposed to know!" Rosé shouts, letting out a disappointed huff. The younger girl only shrugs, a stupid smirk on her lips. Some people just wanna watch the world burn. 

The brunette's daze is momentarily broken at this, and she asks what they're talking about. 

Jisoo lets out a hesitant breath before explaining, "We saw you two leave together, but we agreed to not bring it up until you did." She shoots some daggers at Lisa before continuing, "Somebody can't seem to keep her mouth shut, though." 

Jennie only chuckles now, not really caring if they knew or not. Her night was too wonderful to keep to herself; she would've ended up telling them anyway. 

"Gather round, girls; I'll fill you in." 

◇◇◇◇◇ Months Later  ◇◇◇◇◇

"Why exactly do we have to go to this premiere again?" Jennie grumbles, looking out the window of their limousine. She'd much rather be back at the dorm, snuggled into her cozy heap of pillows and blankets with Netflix playing on her tv. 

"Some of our colleagues are starring as background characters, so YG wants us to attend and show our support." Jisoo informs, always seeming to have more knowledge than all of the other girls combined. Jennie nods; the reasoning is sound, but she'd still prefer to be home. Mingling with business people for god knows how long doesn't seem all that enticing to her. 

"What's the movie?" Lisa asks, throwing the question behind her to the other girls as she searches the cubby for some complimentary snacks. 

"Empress of the Heart," Rosé answers, finally knowing something that Jisoo doesn't. 

"Let's watch the trailer for it. If we have to sit through it then we might as well see what we're getting ourselves into." Lisa suggests, her fingers busy opening the bag of chips she chose from the assortment. 

"Yeah, okay." Jennie says, her statement followed by words of agreement from the other girls. Rosé takes her phone out to search the title, pepping up when she spots it. She whispers something to Jisoo and Lisa, Jennie paying no mind as she watches the buildings pass by. Her favorite thing to fidget with is secure in her grip, occupying her mind. It's familiar design feels good in her hands -- like it's right where it belongs. (Yes, this is what you think it is).

The other girls put their acting skills to use as they hit play, keeping straight faces when your voice comes through the phone speakers. Jennie's head snaps over to them, recognizing the sound in an instant. "Y-Y/N's starring in it?" She asks, voice coming out as a stutter. The thought of seeing you again thrills her, but she doesn't know if she can do that without falling even deeper. Your night together left her with lasting feelings, none of which she was prepared for in the slightest, and she knows they'll be reignited the moment she lays eyes on you. 

"Mhm." They nod sympathetically, all knowing how much she's thought about you the last few months. 

Their driver knocks on the partition, requesting to open it. They give him the all clear, and soon he's rolling it down to inform them, "We're here, ladies." 

"I'll be okay," Jennie tells them, attempting to stop their worries from growing anymore than they already have. She plays the statement back in her head, whispering it to herself as she exits the limo; tonight could only go one of two ways, and it depends entirely on you.

☆☆ Part 2 Linked Up Top ☆☆

[notsofloofy]

Good Girl

Idol: Park Chaeyoung (Blackpink)

For a night of celebration, your girlfriend can’t help keep her hands to herself when it’s been a while since she’s spent time with you.

Warning: rough sex, praise kink, strap-on, exhibitionism, oral

☕buy me a coffee☕

Chaeyoung looks at your from the corner of her eyes, her lips twitching slightly when your attention refused to leave Jisoo and Lisa’s antics as they continued to fight over who had won the game they were playing.

While Jennie had decided to refill the snack bowl, the pair decided to have you as their referee and Chaeyoung could not stand the lack of attention, especially when she needed you so close to her.

She was mentally pleading for Jennie to come back just so she could excuse both you and herself to get a bit of alone time.

“Stop moving.” You murmured softly for only her to hear and the strawberry blonde had to bite her lip just so she wouldn’t outwardly whine and let her members hear her.

It started when she decided to climb on your lap and cuddle you. The moment she threw her legs over your lap, she felt something brushing against her and her eyes quickly snap to your face. The quick eye contact you had given each other was all it took for her to realize that you had your own plans for her and it shot heat straight to her core.

“Stop moving.” You warned her, arm wrapped around her hips as she felt the toy pressing against her leg while her arms were loose around your neck. “But I need you.” She quietly whimpered into your neck, biting her lip as her hand slipped under your shirt and let her nails lightly scratch against your stomach.

Your eyes shift from the competitive in front of you to your girlfriend as she stares back at you with wide and pleading eyes. “Please?” She pleaded once more and you had to look over to the kitchen where Jennie had disappeared before huffing.

“Unnie, how long are you going to take with the food?” You call out and the woman emerges a few minutes after, brow raised as she reclaimed her seat and set the bowl down. “Calm down, the food is here. No need to get your panties in a twist.” She says with a roll of her eyes and you had to laugh at her words before shaking your head.

You adjust your position so that your girlfriend was finally situated between your legs, her back pressed against your front, effectively making her squirm as when she felt the toy make contact with her back, but the hand on her leg forces her to stop when you give her a firm squeeze.

Placing a pillow on her lap, you then rest your chin on her shoulder while your hand slips inside her shorts without anyone possibly noticing. But your girlfriend’s legs quickly close, her eyes wide as she turns her head to look at you in alarm.

“Y/n, we’re-”

“You’ve been so needy, baby.” You coo quietly in her ear, making her throat run dry when she feels your fingers ghost over her already soaked underwear. It causes you to hum, smirking against her neck when you give it a light nip. “I’ve barely even touched you.” You chuckle and your girlfriend holds the pillow closer just to have your hand closer to where she needs you to be.

“You guys are disgusting.” Chaeyoung’s head quickly snaps to Jennie’s cringing figure. “I get it, you’re dating and madly in love, but there’s no need to rub it in our faces.” The rapper complains, making you laugh and for your girlfriend to relax slightly.

Though her relief is short lived when she feels you pushing her underwear aside and your middle finger rubs gently against her folds, applying just the right amount of pressure to drive her mad.

She squeezes the pillow tight, her legs trying to keep your hand in place as your fingers continue to tease at her folds. She had to bite her bottom lip to keep herself from moaning when your lips brush against the shell of her ear.

“Be quiet, baby girl. Don’t let the others catch on to what you’re doing.” But the thrill of getting caught had only made her even more aroused as she pressed herself more against you, her breathing heavy as she tried to bury her face to your neck.

Without warning, your middle finger slipped into her with ease, causing her body to tense up and a low groan was muffled against your skin. “That’s it, baby, you’re doing good.” She quietly hums in delight as her walls clamp around the digit inside of her, one you started to slowly pump in and out of her.

“So, Y/n, what did you think about our album?” Jennie’s voice suddenly piped up again and you tear your eyes away from your girlfriend, an innocent grin on your face. “I think it was amazing. You all did an amazing job in the video, too. But I have to say, Pretty Savage has got to be my favorite song.” You say casually as though you weren’t fucking your girlfriend right in front of her friends.

Lisa makes a sound that was either a grunt or a scoff. “I bet you just kept looking at Chaeyoung during our performances.” She stated and you laugh while adding another finger, pushing both of them until your were knuckle deep in your girlfriend’s pussy, causing her breathing to hitch as her other hand grabbed your wrist to keep you from pulling out.

“Hey, you were all hot, but I am kinda biased.” You reply while pressing a kiss to Chaeyoung’s temple when she hid her face into your neck again, her teeth lightly sinking into your skin to stop herself from moaning out loud.

The action was dismissed as her growing shy and Jennie giggled while tossing a pillow at the two of you. “You are such a sweet talker. No wonder Rosie’s in deep.”

Oh if she only knew.

“Anyway, do you two have any plans now that promotions are over? We have some time before the concert.” Jisoo questioned without tearing her eyes away from the screen. “We’ve been talking about going on a date, but we haven’t really decided on what to do.”

“You alright there, Chaeyoung? You’ve been really quiet.” You look down at the squirming girl between your legs, curling your fingers and then slowly pulling them out, earning a quiet and muffled moan against your neck. “I think she’s getting sleepy.” You chuckle before taking your hand out of her shorts and then rubbing her back with your other hand.

“That makes sense. We’ve been really busy, so go ahead and bring her to bed. We can catch up some more in the morning.”  Jennie tells you before gesturing to the two busy people. “I’ll handle them, so go ahead.”

Chaeyoung sends the brunette a weak smile before you stand up, arms around her waist to give her support, already knowing how weak her legs have gotten. You bring her to her bedroom, bidding the three goodnight before entering the room, immediately locking the door as you did and then shoving the Aussie against it.

“My, my, Rosie, you’ve been quite naughty.” You taunt while trapping her between you and the door while she grips at your arms, trembling as the heat in her began to grow and the ache had only gotten worse as she felt the strap on pressing against her through your clothes.

It’s easy to decipher what she wants and you waste no time pulling down her shorts and underwear then letting them drop to the floor. She quickly undoes your pants and you kick them off when they reach your ankles before her hand reaches down to play with her clit, her juices coating her fingers as she spreads her legs apart for you.

Her breathing is heavy, her skin flushed as her hand leaves her clit to wrap around the fake cock, guiding you to her entrance and whimpering. “Please. I need you.” She pleads and you grip her waist while peppering kisses on her shoulder and neck. “Have you been a good girl?” You hum as the tip of the toy teases at her aching heat.

“I promise, I’ll be good.” Her voice is breathy, desperate to have you inside of her, and you decide that she’s had enough teasing, for now. The toy slips inside of her and she gasps at the size, forgetting just how big you were as you stretched her walls out.

Her hands grip at your shoulders, her nails digging into the skin as you push the strap-on more, eliciting a groan from her lips as her eyes fell shut. Your begin thrusting inside her, immediately finding a suitable pace that has moans spilling from her lips while she keeps you in place.

Your hands reach down to grab the back of her legs before hoisting her up. Chaeyoung grunts as you bury the toy inside her, her eyes rolling to the back of her head when you start thrusting into her faster and the sound of skin slapping against skin rings in her ears.

She jerks when your hand comes in contact with her ass and she bites her lip. “Look at you, taking in my fat cock. Were you this eager to have your pussy filled?” You hum and she cries out while nodding her head. “This pussy is only for you. My toys can never make me feel as good.” She whines as you begin carrying her over to the bed.

Her legs lock around you when you settle her at the edge. She uses her hands to support her upper body, watching as you reach down and start massaging her clit when you ram the fake cock inside her.

She throws her head back in pure bliss, chest heaving as she tugs at her sheets. “Fuck! Right there!” She moans and you grip her thighs while thrusting faster, harder, and her body shakes when you hit just the right spot, smacking her ass in the process, surely leaving a bright red handprint in its wake.

“You’re doing so good, baby.” You purr in her ear, teeth scraping against the lobe as she moans out, her thighs trembling as the bed begins to creak. “You feel so good, so tight around my cock. So needy for me.” She withers at your words, biting her lip to quiet herself down, but your finger catches her, slipping past her lips and parting them open before her eyes meet your own hazy ones.

“Don’t do that. I want to hear you, pretty girl.” She whimpers at the name, but does as told, allowing her moans to fall from her plump lips, forgetting that her members were just outside the room and could possibly hear her as you continued to fuck her senseless.

You lift her shirt over her head, tossing it to the side before your fingers run over the valley of her breasts. She reacts immediately to your touch before she’s tugging at her bra, signaling for you to take them off.

But instead of doing so, you only pull the garment down, her breasts pressed together before your tongue flicks at the hardened bud. She twitches at the sudden action, but the moment you take her nipple into your warm mouth has her sighing blissfully when her hand finds the back of your head, her long fingers threading with your hair and keeping you in place as you continued to buck your hips against your girlfriend.

She's gasping when you switch to her other breast and the heat in her stomach grows stronger with each thrust you give her. Grabbing onto her thighs and lifting her lower body to get a better angle, you flick at the hardened bud with your tongue. "Fuck! Don't stop. Please, don't stop." She whimpers when she feels herself coming closer.

Sweat began to form on her skin, her breasts swaying with each heavy thrust from you when your kisses move up to her neck and she's clinging to you to keep you as close as possible.

"I'm so close." You hear her whisper weakly, her voice trembling just like her legs around you. "It's okay. You've been such a good girl, Chae." You reply while brushing her hair from her face before cradling her cheek. "Keep being a good girl and look at me when you cum, okay baby?"

Chaeyoung nods eagerly, moaning as you place a chaste kiss to her lips before letting your hands rest on either side of her on the bed as you focused on bringing her to climax. Her hands grabbing fistfuls of your shirt signalled you just how close she was, and when you brush against a certain spot inside her, it doesn't take long before her back arches off the bed and a long moan comes spilling from her parted lips.

Her juices coated her inner thighs, ruining her sheets as well as you finally pull out with both of you breathing heavily.

While she tries to catch her breath, her eyes never leave you as you undo the harness and drop the strap-on to the floor before gently caressing her thigh, earning a slight jump from the girl and a chuckle from you.

"You're so beautiful, babe." You compliment, making heat rush to her face before giving you a small push. "You did such a good job, so let me clean you up, okay?" She doesn't need to reply as you help her lay properly on the bed and start pressing kisses on her neck and down to the valley of her breasts.

She giggles at the light playful nip on her skin before feeling your lips move further south. Lifting her head, she watches you before your tongue comes in contact with her clit and her toes curl while her head presses back down against the pillows.

With a kiss to her thighs, you quickly glance up at your girlfriend before licking a stripe up her folds, watching as her chest began to rapidly rise and fall, hands clutching the sheets as you continued to lick at her heat.

After a few teasing licks, her hands shoots down to grab your head when you start sucking on her clit, her hips rising from the bed as she buried your head between her legs. "Feels so good, baby." She moans as you squeeze her thighs.

You run your tongue up and down her slit with harsher strokes and you can't help but moan as her taste coated your tongue, causing her to do the same from the vibrations the action provided and it didn't take long for her to come again due to her sensitivity.

Her mouth falls open in a silent scream, tears already in her eyes from overstimulation and you pull away when she finally released your head, allowing her to breathe as you lick your lips.

When she opens her eyes again, a soft moan falls from her lips when she sees her essence dripping from your chin before you get off the bed and move to grab a towel, washing both the towel and your face in her bathroom before coming back to properly clean her up.

As the cloth comes in contact with her skin, she jolts and you coo at her while pressing your hand against her cheek. "It's okay, I'm just going to clean you up." You whisper and Chaeyoung bit her lip while you quickly wiped her thighs.

When you discard the towel, you take your own shirt off before wiping the sweat from her face and neck. Her arms wrap loosely around your torso before you lay down next to her and kiss her forehead. "You did amazing, pretty girl." You whisper and your girlfriend hums in satisfaction while pressing a kiss to your collarbone.

You both eventually doze off after using up all your energy and Chaeyoung is more than happy with getting to ditch her members, even just for tonight.

[bizarredalek]

Floof

Thirteen x reader

Word count: 2804

Warning: uhhh cuteness overload as a warning?

Summary: The Doctor is drawn to how soft and fluffy your hair is. All she wants to do is touch it, and maybe make hers as fluffy as yours is

A/N: Who knew putting a fic on Tumblr was so confusing asdfghjkl Thank you Jenny and Elle for helping me with this ily both SO much

The Doctor couldn't figure it out. There was just something about you. Every time you walked into a room, you'd draw her attention from whatever it was that she was doing prior, which is something that rarely happens. And then one day, it just clicked.

You had come out of the shower one day; the scent of your favourite shampoo was an exact giveaway. You were happy to be able to wash off the sweat and dirt that had clung to you for the last few adventures. Your hair was freshly blow-dried, and it looked soft. Really soft. There had been times where you would be talking with her, and she'd have to fight every urge to just run her hand through it. She wanted to know what it felt like, how soft it'd be.

There have been small instances where she had gotten to touch your hair. Moments like when you would run past, and she would feel the feather-light touch. Or when you'd come up and hug her, and all she could smell, and feel was you. Warmth surrounding her, your hair that she deemed softer than anything in the Universe would be pressed against her cheek. It took every ounce of willpower for her never to let you go and bury her face into your hair. Just one look at you melted all her stress away.

You weren't oblivious to the Doctor's distractions either. Every time you two talked, you could see her focus elsewhere. Her hands would clench by her sides like she was trying to stop herself from reaching out. It wasn’t terribly hard to figure out what was distracting the Doctor so much, she was never all that subtle. You saw the way her eyes would follow you around the room. More like she was looking at something specifically on your head. Your assumption was right one day when you bounded excitedly over to the Doctor in the console room to ask about the newest adventure you were about to take, and she remained focused on your tresses.

One night, the Doctor returned to the console room with a cup of tea in hand to see you sitting by the open front doors with your legs swinging out and a blanket wrapped around your shoulders. The Galaxy looked beautiful with you sitting in front of it, with the pinks, purples, and blues lighting your face. It took the Doctor’s breath away. Walking closer the Doctor noticed that your appearance was a little disheveled. Clothing ruffled out of place and hair sticking up at odd angles, but it wasn’t as if you had a nightmare, or something disturbed you during your sleep. It seemed more like you just rolled out of bed and came here.

She called your name softly, now standing behind you. You tilted your head up towards the voice.

“Hello Doctor,” you greeted with a smile.

“What are you doing awake?” She asked. The Doctor had settled herself beside you, her tea forgotten behind her.

“I don’t know,” you replied, sliding over to make more room in the doorway. “I just woke up and couldn’t fall back asleep, so I came here,” You turned your gaze back to outside the Tardis. “It’s very beautiful.”

The Doctor nodded. “Yeah, it is. It’s probably one of my favourite Galaxies to just drift in, other than the Milky Way of course. The clashing colours are just breathtaking.”

You nodded in agreement. The Doctor started to ramble about the stars in a speech and speed that flew over your head faster than any breeze, but you didn’t mind. She would start talking animatedly, moving her hands as she would point to different areas in space.

You thought it was cute. You could’ve listened to her talk for hours, but your earlier exhaustion crept up on you and you felt your eyes closing, falling asleep to the sound of the Doctors voice.

The Doctor noticed your head dropping a bit before you’d snap back up, your eyes threatening to shut again. Your shoulders had been slouching down and she was worried you were going to end up rolling out of the Tardis.

“You know,” she started, her voice jerking you awake to give her your full attention. “If you’re tired you should go back to bed.”

You shook her head stubbornly, but the Doctor could see how tired you were getting. She debated just carrying you to your bed as you probably wouldn’t be able to put up a very big fight or she could wait until you fell asleep before carrying you. She opted for the latter; she was quite enjoying looking at the Galaxy with you right now. She felt her hearts stop a moment later when your weight suddenly slumped against her side, your head on her shoulder.

“Doctor,” you mumbled sleepily. “Can I lay on your lap?”

Her breath hitched in her throat, her two hearts beating so fast she feared that you would be able to hear them from your place against her side. How could she deny your gentle request though? So, she nodded with soft spoken “yes”. Your eyes brightened hearing her reply.

You slid away from the Doctor to make room so you could lay down comfortably. The Doctor, however, immediately missed your warmth and had to stop herself from making a sound of protest. The warmth returned when you placed your head on her thigh, your blanket rested on top of your body. You sighed contentedly.

“Comfy?” she asked, a teasing tone in her voice.

You only replied by cuddling further into the Doctor’s warmth, pulling the blanket up so it rested just under your chin.

Not wanting to take your hands out of your blanket burrito, you tried to blow your hair out of your face The Doctor looked down in amusement at your struggle. Her hand eventually found its way to your face, gently brushing the piece of hair from your eyes behind your ear. Her eyes widened at the feel of your hair.

“It’s so soft,” she spoke softly to herself out loud unaware you were still partially awake as she brushed her hand through your hair again.

You hummed and your body fully relaxed at the Doctor’s fingers raking through your locks. “Shampoo, conditioner, and blow dry equals fluffy and soft.”

The Doctor chuckled as she continued mindlessly playing with your hair. Her nails would lightly scratch against your scalp, causing you to sigh, and then switch to brushing your hair from the base of your skull to the end. She would hit the occasional knot, but you didn’t shift at her gentle pulling and smoothing it out. Occasionally, the Doctor would stop her actions thinking that you were fast asleep with how quiet and still you were, but you proved her wrong when your face would scrunch up with a disappointed groan.

“No,” you whined.

Your glare was not all that deadly or threatening in any way. In fact, it was more adorable than anything in the Doctor’s mind. Your eyes were dazed and unfocused, and you couldn’t hold your glare together very well. It was more of a grumpy squint than anything.

The Doctor merely laughed and caved in. “Okay, okay.”

You turned your head back to its place and sighed happily when you felt her hand return. The Doctor was absolutely convinced in her mind that if you were a cat, you would be purring.

The Doctor didn’t know how long you two stayed there in the doorway. Her one leg swung outside the box while her other made sure that you didn’t accidently roll out of the Tardis, that would certainly be a rude awakening.

The Time Lord was lost in her thoughts as she ran her fingers over your scalp the action calming for both you and her, barely paying attention to the soft sigh you let out. And any tension left in your body vanished, your entire weight settled against the Doctors leg. She thought of how glad she was to have you aboard the Tardis, how you always seem to know what she was feeling and how to make her feel better again. She didn’t know what would’ve happened if she didn’t have you as a companion.

She was brought back into her thoughts when she felt your breath against her leg, you’re breathing deep and steady telling her that you had officially fallen asleep. She gently and slowly raised your head to not wake you and picked you up with one arm holding your shoulders, cradling you to her chest with your head tucked into her neck, and her other arm was underneath your knees. After confirming that you had not stirred, she carried you down the halls to your room. The Tardis was kind enough to move your room closer, so the Doctor didn’t have to go wandering the halls finding your room.

“Can you open the door for me, girl?” the Doctor said quietly, trying in everyway possible to make sure you stayed sleeping.

The Doctor smiled when the door opened and walked inside. She placed you down on your bed and smiled at the small whine you let out when she released her hold on you. The Doctor knelt by your bed and brushed your hair out of you face. She pressed her lips against your forehead, whispering a soft goodnight before leaving your room to let you sleep in peace.

Once exiting your room, the Doctor immediately had a plan form in her mind. The Tardis disapprovingly hummed down at her Thief.

“It’ll be fine!” She brushed the machine off, already heading down the hallway to put her plan into action.

That morning, you were hanging in the console room chatting with Yaz, when you heard a voice calling your name behind you. You looked down the hall to see the Doctor jogging towards you, her hair different than what it usually looks like.

“Y/N!” she said excitedly, bounding up the stair to you.

“Doctor,” you greeted with a smile. “Good morning.”

“Good morning,” she greeted back, grinning ear to ear. “Did you sleep well?”

You nodded. “I did actually. I don’t remember getting back to my room, though.”

Now that she was closer you could see her hair looked a lot more different than her usual style, almost as if she put way too much hair products in than necessary. Her hair was all… frizzy, like it was full of static. You were surprised there wasn’t anything magnetic on her.

“Doctor,” you started, unable to look away from the mess she had created on her own head. “What... what did you do?”

“Well, I was thinking on what you said last night about how you got your hair all nice and soft and I thought I’d give it a go myself!” She grinned at you.

You couldn’t stop yourself from smiling at her explanation. She just looked so cute and proud of herself with her achievement.

“It looks like you used a bit too much, Doctor,” you told her. You reached your hand up and ran your hand through her blonde locks being able to feel exactly how staticky it felt through your fingers.

The Doctor blushed under your touch. “Well, I-it’s a little bit different than when I was a man.”

You hummed in thought. “Well, why don’t I show you how to properly take care of it, and try to fix it? You looked like you used the whole bottle of shampoo.”

The Doctor ducked her head in embarrassment. “It may have been a few bottles actually.”

You laughed, reaching down to grab the Doctor’s hand to lead her away from the console room. You both waved bye to Yaz. She laughed and waved back before going off to find the others.

“Thank you,” the Doctor muttered out. You had her sit on the bathtub edge while you stood behind her. You ran your hands through her hair to see the exact amount of damage she did.

You hummed in response. “Of course! Next time maybe don’t use so much product.” You teased her.

She rolled her eyes even though you couldn’t see it. You told her the basics of hair care for women, how much shampoo and conditioner to use “The whole bottle right?” She asked.

“No! Not the entire thing! At least a tiny handful is enough,” you reached for the face moisturizer sitting on the bathroom sink.

“Moisturizer?” The Doctor asked looking at the bottle in your hand.

You shrugged. “There are a few different ways to deal with static hair, but this is the only thing I had on hand and I’m sure you wouldn’t like me rubbing a laundry detergent sheet all over your head. Moisturizer just happens to also protect your hair to minimize any.”

“Have you done this before?” She asked. She trusted you, of course, but was still curious.

“Yeah, kind of,” you replied. “I would do this for my siblings. They also would overdo it with the hair products, and I found that this works.”

The Doctor nodded and you went to work. You dabbed the cream in your hands and rubbed them together before applying it to the Doctor’s hair. The Doctor leaned her head back into your touch and sighed, she could see how you fell asleep so easily with her doing it the night before, she felt herself drifting to sleep under your touch. You smiled at her reaction. You tilted her head up to get easier access to the hair in front of her face, her eyes were closed and her breathing had steadied out. You quickly finished off the Doctor’s hair, you didn’t want to disturb the Doctor’s rest yet she just looked so adorable all relaxed. Your thumbs lightly brushed over the Doctor’s cheeks; the stress lines that had been so clearly on her face faded away with every motion.

After you finished, you leaned down and pressed your own lips down on her forehead and then to her cheek. “You’re all done now, Doctor,” you whispered, not fully wanting to break the silence.

The Doctor’s eyes fluttered open with a hum. You helped her stand and took in your work. The moisturizer worked wonders for her, it was no longer full of static, nor did it look frizzy and untidy. It looked closer to how it was before the ‘incident’.

She brushed her own hand through her hair and beamed. “It feels a lot better! Thank you!”

You gave your own smile. “You are so welcome, Doctor.”

The Doctor moved forward and wrapped you in a hug and you gasped in surprise. You’ve never really been hugged by the Doctor, so it was quite a surprise to be suddenly held in her arms. All you could feel, and smell was her. Her coat radiated warmth and she smelled like the lavender shampoo she had used earlier, and a little bit of the tea she had this morning. You were surround by everything of the Doctor and you loved it.

You knew how hard it was for the Doctor to really express herself, so you were patient. You were there for whatever she needed. Be it a travel companion, a friend or an impromptu hair stylist for a disaster.

The Doctor pulled back from the embrace. You hated how cold you felt being out of her arms. You almost went to hug her again. Almost. Instead, you held out your arm to her.

“Shall we go plan our next adventure, Doctor?” you asked.

She laughed and looped her arm through yours. “Lets,” she said.

You listened to her list of different planet names and what was on them as the two of you left the bathroom. You could never understand her when she spoke at a million miles per hour, but it was nice to see her talk about something so excitedly. She listed off places that would light sky lanterns every night or a planet that was covered in snow that when the sun shined on them it would look like the planet was covered in sparkling diamonds. They all sounded amazing, but honestly you were just happy traveling with the Doctor. It didn’t matter where you went, or when, you were just happy being with her.

She led you back towards the console room. She gestured for you to place your hand on the lever with her. “So, where do you want to go?” She asked you.

You thought for a minute. Anywhere, you said to yourself. Anywhere if it’s with you. But you knew she wouldn’t accept that, so you looked up and said, “Surprise me.” And her answering grin lit up the room, and the two of you pulled the lever down, and off into space you went.

[crackheadenergy101]

Mystery woman

Summary : billy finds a young woman wandering the woods, he lets the young woman stay the night and despite her flirty teasing and young restless antics learns to get close to her, especially after hearing he’s her imprint

Billy settles on his porch, savoring on his favorite homemade coffee he lifts his head peering at the setting sun, “so peaceful”.

Billy returns to his coffee, churning it softly

He sighs “ to peaceful”, the man couldn't suppress his boredom, he truly cherished the peace at most times but some days he felt so isolated and today was one of those moments. Abruptly a rustle, the bushes shake as someone or something crawls through, billy instantly veers his head “ who's there!” he shouted. A rabbit steps out and billy calms down a bit, releasing the fist he clenched so tightly

Billy goes to recline his head but swiftly sits back up catching a glimpse of a woman deep in the forest. “Hey!” he yelled, the woman turns her naked body to face him, her eyes widening as she sees the person that called out to her “ Ma’am are you ok!” he shouted as he rolls closer. Unaware, billy looked into the woman's eyes, he felt the world halt as he looked into her glimmering eyes.

Billy gets closer and so does the woman instinctively, they both freeze, the woman shakes her head, her hair moving as she does so. Billy never felt this way, he felt so close to her in such a short time, could this be

Imprintation?

Billy shakes the thought, acknowledging that this wasn't the time “ Ma’am can you understand English?” the nude woman nods “ are you lost, homeless?” she shakes her head in a yes, Billy nods “come, please inside I have clean clothes and food”. “please take a bath I find you some clothes” he refrains from looking at the woman waiting till she finds the bathroom, he goes to his daughter room finding the stranger something to wear, he plops the clean clothes on the bedside and returns to the kitchen proceeding to cook her dinner. He doesn't even notice her walking out, “ thank you sir” billy jumps, knocking his hand into the heated pot, accidentally scorching his hand, the woman hastily walks over “ are you, ok sir?” billy nods and gives an awkward laugh.

“ it's fine! Really!” the woman finds a rag, wetting it and placing it onto the bruised hand “ sorry for scaring you,” she says while laughing

“ it’s fine Ms?” The woman grins “ y/n,” she says whilst opening the fridge and grabbing an ice pack, “ and you?” Billy watches as y/n drapes the ice pack in the blue rag, she positions it back on the hand “ billy”. Y/n grins “ well it’s wonderful to meet you billy, thank you for giving me such a lovely warm welcome”, she says getting closer to Billy’s face “ y-y, your very welcome,” he says while cracking up, “ so what we’re doing in woods?” Y/n gets up and turns off the stove “ I don’t know myself” she says softly. “ I went on a walk after being so furious and ended up here,” y/n says, zoning out while pouring the food, billy gives a concerned look “ naked?”

Y/n snaps out of her trance and laughs hearing what the older man said “huh? Oh no! God no” She snorts and places the food on the table “ that happened in the middle of the woods, somehow” billy nods, still not being convinced.

“ do you have any family? Friends? Money” y/n shakes her head “ you can stay here for tonight till we figure something out” y/n gives a big smile “ thanks!”. Y/n eats the food, looking at photos as she finishes “cute kids” billy smiles “oh thank you” “ where are they now?” billy sighs with a smile “ oh living, my youngest Jacob lives with me but is usually out doing his own thing rarely is hone anymore, my oldest girls are doing their own thing too, one is married to a surfer in Hawaii Rebecca, and the other lives with me but again far to busy to be home Rachel”. “mhm sounds lonely” billy gives a laugh “oh trust me, it is” they both give a giggle and y/n sits up.

“ you must have more family? a brother?” “ Nope, though I do have sisters” y/n gives a smile asking about them, “ well I have an older sister Nora, and three younger sisters Jennie, Connie, Emmie” “ do you guys see each other often?” y/n asked. “eh not as much as I wish but at family gatherings, we see each other” billy goes to the sink and begins cleaning their dishes “ how about you?” the woman shrugs, itching her h/c hair “ complicated, we're a family but like not blood related and we don't live together either we're kind of a-” “ -pack?” y/n thinks about this before answering “ yeah pack, I think”. She gets up leaning over billy, her chest being on top of his head “you can leave the dishes to me, it's the least I can do” “ uh o-ok” billy moves from beneath her and she gives a smile as he goes to his couch. They sit and chat for a while before billy sees the night sky and hears wolves howling, “ wow it's dark so quickly” “ you know the saying” “ Time flies by fast when you're having fun, “ they say in unison they smirk at each other when finishing the sentence. “ God, I'm tired,” billy says “ me too, uh where do I sleep?”

“ my room, I'll sleep on the couch-” y/n gasps “ no I'll take the couch you can keep the bed really” billy smiles “ it's fine your a guest-” y/n shakes her head “ an unexpected one, you really can't give me your room” billy shapes his head “ well I certainly can't leave you here on the couch by yourself, near the door”. Y/n gives a mischievous smile, billy squint's “ what are you thinking” y/n acts surprised and put a hand on her chest “ my son's friends always have that smile when there up to something”

“ well it's not too bad really, I was thinking we could share a bed” billy gives smile and nervously gives a smile “ oh um, ok?” billy mentally groaned feeling quite lame for acting so awkwardly, he felt rusty the last time he needed to deal with these things was before Rebecca and Rachel he had no idea how to respond. “ Great! I'll go fix the bed” y/b says quickly walking towards his room, billy sighs and gives himself a moment before following,

Despite his confused feelings, billy felt so happy and he didn't know why, being with y/n felt like it was meant to be and that he should always be by her side, he finally felt so less lonely.

“ well what side do you usually take” “ right” y/n nods and getting comfortable on the left side, “ well I'm gonna go shower now” y/n nods waving by as he goes inside with his clothes.

Billy sits in his shower cleaning his hair, he felt like a teenager all over again, which made him feel upset but at the same time, excited. He comes back finding y/n asleep, he smiles and gets into bed giving her space and relaxing, the slept for an hour till y/n cuddled up to him, it felt nice, he missed this kind of touch “ms l/n-” “imprint” billy stops talking and let's y/n muzzle her face into his neck.

“ what?”

“ shhh,” y/n says

Billy smiles before falling asleep, knowing his assumptions were correct, he fell asleep once more, with y/n draped over him.

Y/n wakes up to an empty bed, looking around for her imprint, steps outside the room to be greeted by a group of young men and women “ hello” y/n says smiling. The family stares dumbfounded looking back from billy to the woman

Billy laughs, he eventually has to tell them everything and vice versa with y/n but for now he’ll wait for y/n to tell her truth

Till then he'll just enjoy the funny stares

[hournites]

I have a potential prompt for a one shot if you are interested.

Would you write a fic where Rick (and the rest of the JSA) are worried about Beth but she finally shows up safely? Everyone is so relieved, especially Rick... so much so that he goes to hug her but he forgets that his hourglass hasn't completely run out yet and squeezes her too tight. Beth is all like "Uhh, Rick? I can't breathe!" So he quickly (and awkwardly) lets her go.

I think it could be slightly angsty but also cute.

The Disappearing Act

They meet back up behind the garage as planned. Yolanda slinks in from above a roof with Courtney blazing in on the seat of her staff behind her, not nearly as concerned for stealth.

Rick shakes his head at the two. “Where’s Jennie and Beth?”

“I’m here!” They all raise their heads up at the sound of her voice floating in the air.

"Wait." She quickly powers down, setting down her lantern as she shakes out her hand. “Where’s Beth?”

“What do you mean?” Rick questions. “She’s supposed to be with you.”

Jennie glances up from her ring with a sharp breath and glowing eyes. “No, she left me to find Courtney after you called.”

Courtney swerves around. “Me? I didn’t call her!”

Yolanda raises an eyebrow. “What call? I was with Court the whole time, she didn't call.”

“I don’t know, she got it through her goggles, so she left.” Jennie took a step back. “I would’ve gone with her, but we were meeting up here now anyway. I thought she’d be here.”

“So Beth’s gone?” Courtney cries. The cosmic staff flares up as she gets more agitated. “How could you lose Dr. Mid-Nite?”

“I didn’t lose her, Courtney, I trust Beth to make her own decisions. This isn’t my fault!”

“Alright!” Rick snaps, stepping between the two of them before things get out of hand. “It’s only been five minutes. How about we try actually calling her?”

Yolanda’s already on it, pressing a hand to the side of her helmet to get a signal through the coms as she stalks. “Dr. Mid-Nite, It’s Wildcat--Do you copy? Or hear me? Anything? Mid-Nite? Beth? Hellooo?”

Rick pulls down his hood and rakes his hand through his hair. “Where were you when this happened, Jennie?”

Jade light leaves Jennie’s eyes as she backs against a wall, holding herself stiffly. “I-I don’t remember."

"Well." Rick gives her five seconds. "Think harder."

"Okay! Okay! Um...I think we were near the office building for The American Dream.”

“Was anyone suspicious with you? Or around you?”

“What kind of question is that? Why would Jennie be with anyone suspicious?”

Courtney rolls her eyes. “I meant did she notice anything?”

“Beth this is Yolanda, this isn’t funny anymore. I’m serious, please say something....”

“No! I don’t think so!”

Rick spins on his heel.

“Where are you going?” Courtney yells after him. “We can’t split up now! What if there’s actually a villain out there?”

“That’s exactly why we need to find her instead of wasting more time.” Rick flips his hourglass. “You get Pat. I’m going to the American Dream with Jennie.”

“I’ll stay here,” Yolanda tells them. She whacks the side of her helmet again. "Dr. Mid-Nite, do you read me?"

Courtney points out her helmet isn’t broken. It’s just Beth not answering, which doesn't get well received by any of them.

"Geez!" Courtney hugs the staff to her chest, with a grimace, properly scolded. “Get Pat and shut up. I got it!”

~.~

Pat jogs out of the Pit Stop, wiping his sweaty brow with a rag when he hears the loud noise coming in from outside. “Did you find her?”

Rick kicks at the garbage cans lined up at the curb.

“I know you’re stressed.” Pat surveys the trash now littered along the sidewalk. “But you’re picking that up. And replacing those bins.”

"Fine!" Rick kicks another one.

Pat’s mouth thins into a straight line, evidently not being listened to.

“That would be a no,” Yolanda fills in with a frown. “Courtney’s circling around her neighbourhood. Pat checked the school. I’m still not getting anything from the coms.”

Rick lists off his search efforts in anxious detail, counting them out on his gloved fingers. “I tried the tunnels since her goggles don’t work down there. The ISA lair was empty. The cells were unlocked. I knocked down Grundy’s old cage, nothing.” He's frantic, tugging at the base of his hourglass, as though getting choked by his remaining time. “There’s nothing! I thought I could find that her goggles fell off or one of her gloves, anything—”

"Dr. Mid-Nite? Please answer. Make a noise if you can hear this. This is Wildcat, are you okay? Dr. Mid-Nite?"

“And I went back to the last place I saw her.” Jennie wilts, sinking down to sit on the steps. She wraps her arms around her knees, the lantern firmly placed at her feet. “This is my fault.”

Yolanda gives up on reaching Beth for a moment, taking a seat beside Jennie to console her.

“I should’ve paired with her,” Rick mutters, just barely loud enough for the others to hear. “We always do these stupid patrols together.”

“The patrols are not stupid!” Courtney butts in with a scoff. The Cosmic Staff charges at Rick in her defense. Unthinking, he swats it away with his strength, sending it flying out in the other direction.

“Hey! Don’t hurt the staff!”

“Whatever, Court!” Rick snaps. “Beth is actually missing and none of us have a clue as to where she is, we’re not going to be talking about your staff’s feelings—”

Yolanda wrings her hands and gets up abruptly. “Maybe the goggles malfunctioned again and she got lost somewhere.”

“She’s literally biked to every square foot of this town.”

“The goggles malfunctioning is a good theory, Yolanda.” Rick opens his mouth to retort and Pat continues before he can start another fight, “I’ve already given Barb a call in case she calls our house. Girls, why don’t you check your cell phones?”

The girls file back into the Pit Stop. Rick hovers by the door, reluctant to go in with them.

“Pat? Why aren’t you worried?” The tone borders on accusatory. Rick’s face is still covered by the dark mask, blending into the dark night, but his concern is transparent through his eyes.

Pat sighs. “It’s only been 2 hours. Beth is a smart girl.”

“She’s a smart, small, pretty girl in Blue Valley. A town full of murderers.”

“I’m well aware of that, Rick.” He pulls the rag out to wipe his face again. “But freaking out and hurting people’s feelings isn’t going to help anybody find her.”

“But—” Rick turns his face away, twisting the chain hanging from his neck again. “Sitting here isn’t helping either!”

We’re gathering clues and searching the town. I didn’t say we’re giving up.” Pat takes his time. “Look, I know you care about—”

“I just don’t know what I’d do if something bad happens to her!” He gestures at himself. “Or if this runs out and I can’t help her. It isn’t like Beth to….go silent.”

Pat claps a hand over the shoulder of Rick’s golden cape. “I know.”

“Pat!” Yolanda bursts out through the side door. Courtney and Jennie quick at her heels. “She’s okay! I heard her voice through the helmet! She’s on her way back!"

“What?” Rick shot up. “Where?”

Though he doesn’t have to look far. She’s at the corner, stumbling in her haste to get to them in the dark. The girls all scream and run and fly out to her, ignoring Pat’s insistence that Courtney and Jennie should at least try to conceal themselves in the middle of the road.

Rick sits back down heavy on the step, flooded with relief.

When Beth makes her way over, Pat checks to make sure she’s not wounded, but she waves him off, yanking down her green cowl. “I’m fine, Mr. Dugan. Just thirsty.”

“I’ll get you water!” Jennie practically shouts, rushing to the kitchenette inside the garage. “We’re never splitting up again!”

“What happened?” Pat exclaims. “We’ve searched the whole town!”

Her eyes slide to Rick and the glowing sand in his hourglass.

“You were all looking for me?”

“Yeah,” says Rick. “I was about to throw up.”

“Someone hacked into my goggles and faked Courtney’s call.” Beth cringes. “The Shade uh...wanted to talk?”

“The Shade?”

Courtney's curls whipped back violently. “He WHAT?”

“I’m okay!” Beth reassures them all again when they panic. “He messed up my goggles so I couldn’t use them until he finished what he had to say. He even dropped me off in his car by Richie’s when we were done talking.”

Courtney prompts, impatient, “And he talked to you about…?”

Beth sighs. “He’s giving Barbara an ultimatum about the Zarick artifacts.”

Yolanda grips onto her arm. “He kidnapped you to make a business arrangement?”

“He let me go afterwards!” Beth drops her gaze to her brown boots, feeling a bit embarrassed now that she sees how long she’s been gone. “He really wants that wand, Mr. Dugan.”

“I’m sure,” Pat says, rolling his eyes. “Barb and I will worry about the Zarick stuff tomorrow. We’re glad that you’re safe.”

Jennie returns with water and a snack. Beth takes a sip then excuses herself to change out of her Dr. Mid-Nite costume. When she returns, she settles next to Rick, who hasn’t said a word since their short exchange.

“So…” she starts timidly. “You were gonna throw up?”

Rick pulls her in for an embrace. She gasps. “Only you could have a whole civil conversation with a supervillain and walk out unscathed.”

“Rick! You’re crushing me!”

“Shit!” He lets go immediately when he feels the hard edge of the hourglass glowing in the wedge between them, reminding Rick his hugs right now would hurt. “Shit! Sorry! God, I’m sorry. I just didn’t—”

“It’s okay.” Beth throws her arms around his neck, squeezing tight. Rick closes his eyes, eased. He’ll let her do the holding. “I thought you were going to be mad.”

“What?” He turns to look at her. She’s so close, still hugging him, he has to look away. “No, I was worried. I turned the tunnels upside down for you.”

“Oh.” Beth lets go, but taps on the glass as the final grains of sand slide through the pinhole. “Really?”

“I’d do it again.” He clears his throat and adds, “For all of you, I mean. If you disappeared, um…” He trails off, unsure of why he’s feeling so awkward.

But Beth merely nods, seeming to understand. “Thank you. That means a lot to me.” They both look down at his chest, watching the hourglass to power down. Beth shoots him a timid smile. “Want to try that hug again?”

“Sure.” He stands up and extends out a hand, reeling her in.

[biscuitblinkeu]

Best Solution [6]

Jennie Kim x Fem!reader

…………………………………………………………………………

You had days to think about it. It was the best solution. Well, maybe the best one you could come up with.

You would avoid going to The Willow to avoid suspicions from the Hunters. They're bound to check if they knew you went there.

It’s been almost a week since you’ve stopped going to the Willow. The last day you spent there you promised you would protect Mandu till Jennie found a man worthy. It seemed to be universal that you nor Jennie, Jisoo, Lisa, or Roseanne thought the Hunters were.

You don’t know what you’d do if they followed you and captured Mandu. You're afraid, because they don’t seem to be trying to take only the key anymore, they want to hurt the cat. Well, they’re determined to get the key even if it means the cat gets hurt in the process, and you don’t blame them…it’s crazy that they’ve just resorted to this method when this has been going on for a year.

And knowing that this has been going on for a year already, you ask yourself how Jennie deals with this. You would go insane.

The Hunters began making their rounds in the day and night now. It’s like they don’t rest. They watch you like vultures, and you can’t help but think something was up. So you’ve been cautious.

You’ve been taking a different route home and eating your lunch in the shop. Every time you crossed the bridge you would think of the feline. You imagined her sitting under the tree getting some rest.You hope she found something else to snack on for the time being. It’s cold outside too, did she keep warm? Did she return home at all?

You blew out a breath and watched the cloud of mist fade. You were pulling the cart up the slope today. You happened to like doing it more in the fall because you wouldn’t sweat buckets like you did in the summer. It also makes you warmer in the chilly weather.

You parked the cart near the supply shed. Then you began loading it with herbs and medicines, and packaged ceramics. You learned that Jisoo and Lisa didn’t sell flowers in the fall or winter, obviously because it was too cold and dry. They switch to growing herbs in the inside garden and turn that into medicine.

After you loaded the cart you covered it (in case leaves fell inside) and left it there, ready for you to deliver when it was time.

You walked inside the shop, the bell ringing as you opened the door. Immediately sighing at the warmth, once again relieved Roseanne got the heater working. Jisoo walked up to you with two mugs.

“Hot tea or coffee?” You took the tea.

“Thanks, you're a lifesaver chicken.” You sat down next to Lisa, both of you laughing at the way Jisoo’s face contorted at the nickname.

You looked around, “where’s Roseanne?”

“She down at Jason’s bakery buying us lunch.” Lisa answered before continuing to sketch in her notebook.

“Ah, okay… What’s that supposed to be? A dog?” You asked, looking at the doodles filling the page. Lisa looked offended.

“No! It’s clearly a moose.” You snorted, unable to figure out how that could possibly be a moose.

“Let me see.” Jisoo leaned over the counter and took the sketchbook from Lisa, who pouted in her seat. Jisoo simply handed the notebook back before turning around, you could see her shoulders shake. Not long after she bursted out laughing, causing Lisa to splutter.

She clearly wasn’t an artist. “You guys are so mean..”

“I’m sorry, it just doesn’t look like a..” Lisa glared at Jisoo.

“I mean it’s not bad at all, Lili, it just needs some antlers, you know, that moose’s have.” Jisoo couldn’t hide the amusement from her voice but Lisa seemed to buy it. She elbowed you in the side before going back to drawing.

“So (Y/n), I noticed you don’t go to The Willow anymore?” Jisoo spoke.

“Yeah, what’s up with that? You’ve been staying in the shop to eat now.” Lisa was curious too.

“Well,” You started. “I’ve been feeling like I’m being watched by the Hunters. They’re never very far away either, it’s starting to creep me out. I can’t go to The Willow knowing that. What if they follow me and find Mandu? That’s her safe place.” You expressed your worries. Although you left out the part where they tried to make a deal with you.

“You have a good heart (Y/n).” You shrug.

-

It was quiet. Too quiet. You haven’t seen any Hunters since the morning. They weren’t on their patrols or hanging out in the Marketplace either. You had an unsettling feeling in your stomach. Especially since you hadn’t interacted with Mandu. Usually she would come and find you despite you shooing her away in case she’s spotted. But she hasn’t, not today.

You decided to walk around the village. Just to see what the Hunters are doing, maybe even find Mandu.

You saw other Hunters, but never did you see Kai and his groupies. It was only when you walked near the edge of the village boundaries , near the river that circled around the village you heard Mandu.

You scrambled down the path, and as you got closer you heard the sound of the river. Your heart pounded in your ears as you thought about the worst-case scenarios.

What if Mandu is drowning? Is she being attacked by wild animals?

You approached the river bed, freezing at the sound of voices. You hid behind a big rock and peeked over it.

Your heart falls to the bottom of your stomach at the sight. A group of Hunters surround the feline with nets and sharp tools. You spot their ringleader. Minho in all his glory stands in the middle, the ever so present smirk on his face.

You noticed Kai and Namjoon weren’t present, it was just Minho and some other men. They seemed to be working for Minho.

Mandu hissed at the men surrounding her. Minho holds a crossbow in his hand, as he laughs along with the men around him. He proceeds to reload the bow with another arrow. The arrow was coated with a thick dark colored liquid.

He aims, squaring his soldiers and lining up his feet. “I won’t miss again.” He whispers before firing, the arrow making a sharp whooshing sound.

Just like he said, he didn’t miss this time. The arrow hit Mandu right in the shoulder and she let out a pained yelp. You watch as Mandu stumbles back, the men surrounding her slowly closing in. They would grab her, she had nowhere left to go.

But no, having moved backward too far she eventually falls prey to the rushing current of the river behind her. It took everything in you not to reveal yourself and jump in to grab her. You dug your nails into your palms. You had to be patient. You couldn’t rush in like you normally do. You had to be level headed.

Mandu fought, her small legs kicked and thrashed against the current to keep herself afloat. She stayed strong for about fifteen seconds before she grew tired.

“Would you look at that boys! The poison’s already taking effect.” Minho whoops watching the cat's struggles get slower. He’ll have to compensate the man who sold him it.

Mandu’s head bobs under the water, returning to the surface slower each time. Her strangled mewls sound throughout the air as she fights the current.

They walk along the gravel trail next to the river for a while, following her. You sneak behind them.

“The poison has already spread. She’s just driftwood at this point, let’s catch her at the end of the river boys. It won’t be long.” Minho motions for them to follow and they leave.

You didn’t waste any time, as soon as they were out of sight you removed your sweater and dived in. Your feet didn’t even touch the bottom of the river.. The water temperature was a shock. Immediately after getting in you took in a strained breath. It was freezing. You couldn’t imagine what Mandu felt.

You swam with the current, which pushed you towards Mandu’s unmoving body faster. You could see the rivers drop making you kick faster.

Once you reached her you cradled her unmoving body in one arm, and began swimming with one arm. It was difficult, you swallowed water many times causing you to pause to cough it up. You were focused on keeping Mandu above the water.

Once you crawled out the water you quickly assessed the feline's situation. Her chest wasn’t rising at all and she was ice cold.

“No, no no! Wake up, wake up-” CPR- You can’t believe you're giving an animal out of all things CPR. You did twelve compressions on Mandu, and soon the water she swallowed was coughed up. Her eyes opened up a fraction and she let out a quiet meow before they closed again.

You didn’t know what to do.

So you ran as fast as you could to Chulichaeng’s shop.

Roseanne just watched her friends bicker. They surely were a match made in heaven.

“It’s cold! Put it on.” Lisa only shook her head, and if you ask Jisoo, or anyone really, Lisa was being childish.

“I can’t have you getting sick!” Jisoo fussed, trying to catch her around the table. All she wanted was for Lisa to wear warm clothing to protect her from the autumn chill. Although Lisa was very adamant her thin sweater and gloves kept her warm enough, Jisoo disagreed.

“You know that’s not possible.” Lisa doesn’t get sick. Well, she has a very low chance compared to other people.

“Still, I can’t have you die from hypothermia.”

“Shouldn’t you wait till winter to worry about that?” Lisa said, not understanding how a little chill in the air is going to “make her sick”, let alone kill her. It’d make more sense if it was winter, but it’s not. But then she remembered.

“Jisoo that was one time.”

“Lisa-” The door bursts open, effectively cutting Jisoo off and scaring the few shopping customers in the process.

“Help—” You stood there soaked and out of breath, a cat they soon realized was Mandu in your arms wrapped in your sweater.

Roseanne was quick to move, immediately telling customers to leave. After they did she shut the door. Lisa headed to the medicine cabinets.

You handed Mandu to Jisoo. “It’s all my fault- I knew something wasn’t right..” You cried. “They poisoned her.”

Roseanne came up to you, now with a blanket in her hands. “(Y/n)? Put this on please, you're shaking.” You shook your head, they should be worrying about Mandu.

What if…Mandu died because you took too long to save her? What if you hadn’t got there in time? You had to make sure she was okay.

“I’m fine-” you began, only to be cut off by Roseanne.

“You're not.” Roseanne's voice was hard, and stern. She sighed, "Come here.” She wrapped the cover around you. “We'll take care of her okay? Don't worry. You head home and change before you get sick."

“But-” You shut your mouth at the glare she gave you. Roseanne was scary when she was mad.

“Yes.” You agreed, albeit reluctantly. And while walking back home you couldn’t help but think if the best solution really was avoiding interaction with Mandu. After all, Roseanne has told you countless times everything happens for a reason.

Meanwhile, Minho was angry. He lashed out on his friends.

“Where is that damn cat!” He tugged at his hair, trying to think of how and when the cat could’ve gotten away. The poison definitely took it out for the time being. This was his chance. His chance to get his hands on the key without being stuck in Kai’s shadow.

But he fucked it up.

“Minho.” Minho immediately froze, he turned around with a smile on his face. Kai stood behind him. Kai stood there unimpressed, “What do you think you’re doing, going after the cat without informing me?”

“I just wanted to have a little fun, that's all.” Minho stuffed his hands in his pocket and shrugged, trying to act nonchalant.

Would you like to continue? ʅ（◞‿◟）ʃ

[pink-flame]

Promises Kept - A WFW Missing Scene

Soooo...I let it slip earlier to @mamirugbee that in my original plot outline for We Found Wonderland the scene where Luke finally wins the ring was there. I ended up not writing it because I thought that would be too much angst on top of everything else and you all would riot. But she wanted it and I love her so I wrote it. But then I got distracted with other angst on the way to that angst...so you also get the immediate aftermath of Julie leaving. Oops. It's 2 for 1 night for WFW angst! Just remember I WAS ASKED FOR THIS. Love you, Jenni. 💜

Luke held it together pretty well for approximately three days.

After watching Julie disappear right in front of his eyes, while he smiled...smiled to show her he would be ok...he had sunk to the ground, very much not ok. He had stayed there, just outside the garage doors, dizzy and sick to his stomach while the reality of the situation washed over him until finally the change in light alerted him to the fact hours had passed. He realized somewhere vaguely in the back of his mind through the haze of mental static that the rest of the guys would be home from school soon. He didn’t want them to see him like this. He didn’t want to be the one who had to tell them what had happened, didn't want to see the hurt in their eyes or even worse the sympathy. His instincts were screaming at him to run away from the situation, to escape like he had escaped his parents’ house when their smothering attention and rules became too much. The urge to grab his acoustic and walk out and never come back was strong, his fingers clenching and unclenching at his side as he turned the idea over in his mind.

In the end it was never really an option.

He couldn’t leave his friends.

He couldn’t leave his band.

He couldn’t leave his parents, not again.

And most of all he couldn’t leave the life Julie had almost sacrificed everything to make sure he got to live.

He had promised her a lot of things. That they would make things work somehow. That he would win her that dumb ring. That he would help her reconnect with her dad. That it would always be him and her, Luke and Julie, in it together against nosy bandmates, and questionable record labels, and the looming possibility of being separated by thousands of miles (back when that had seemed like as far apart as they could get).

And he had promised her that he would take care of their friends, and follow his dreams and do his best to be happy.

It turned out that the one promise he had made her that every inch of him was screaming out in protest against might be the only one he could actually keep.

So he would.

Luke unclenched his palms and placed his hands flat against the pavement outside the garage doors. He took a deep if shaky breath then pressed them into the firm surface until he managed to haul himself to his feet, his legs protesting as he forced them to move through their stiffness. He just had time to drag himself into the bathroom and splash cold water on his face before he heard the telltale sounds of his friends approaching, their boisterous voices carrying from all the way down the driveway. He emerged back into the studio, purposefully turning away from the doors in a desperate bid to buy himself a few extra seconds to compose himself before he had to explain Julie’s absence.

“And then I said if a platypus is a mammal where’s their nipples cause that’s how mammals feed their kids, right?”

“Reggie, I don’t know what made you think we want to hear this conversation…”

“Oh come on, Bobby, where’s your intellectual curiosity. Go on, Reggie.”

“Right, so then Mr. Gleeson said they don’t have nipples. They feed their babies by basically sweating milk through milk gutters.”

“Ok...I take it back, Bobby was right. I now know way more than I ever wanted to.”

“Luke, will get it. Hey, Luke! Guess what I…”

Luke turned slowly to face his friends and watched their faces fall as they took in his tight expression. Apparently his efforts to school his face into a neutral mask had failed epically. Luke realized his hands were shaking and shoved the offending appendages into his pockets hoping that would hide the effects of his runaway emotions.

That also seemed to be wishful thinking.

“What’s wrong?” Bobby asked bluntly, taking half a step towards Luke before stopping short when he saw the way he flinched. “Oh.”

“Luke, I’m…” Alex swallowed hard and glanced away for a moment seemingly fighting with his own emotions. “I’m so sorry.”

Reggie was the last to speak, the panic stealing over his face like a punch directly to Luke’s chest.

“Where’s Julie?”

When Luke didn’t answer right away he asked again, shaking off Alex’s attempts to place a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“Luke, where’s Julie?”

“Home,” He answered simply, his voice steady despite the emotions still raging inside of him.

He knew what he had to do now.

He had to honor Julie the only way he could, by helping his friends be ok.

“What? No,” Reggie protested, looking back and forth between his friends as though expecting someone to tell him it was a joke. “She wouldn’t. Not without saying goodbye.”

“She didn’t have a choice,” Luke told him gently. “The portal just appeared and she...she ran out of time.”

“Ok, ok,” Reggie ran his fingers through his hair roughly, leaving pieces standing up in all directions. “We can go to the ghost club, right? We can get Willie to help us get into Caleb’s dressing room and we can go find her.”

“That’s a good way to get killed by an evil ghost,” Bobby pointed out.

“We’ll figure it out,” Reggie insisted.

“Reg...we don’t even know...we don’t know if Caleb still trusts WIllie or not. We haven’t seen him since that night.”

Luke could hear the pain in his friend’s voice and he hated it. Alex might not have had the time to develop the same deep connection with Willie that Luke had with Julie, but he knew his friend had seen flashes of that potential in their stolen moments. The fact that Willie had been missing in action since he tried to help them save Julie weighed heavily on Alex. Luke could see it. He just couldn’t do anything about it except be there for him as much as he could.

He was going to need Alex too.

He was going to need all of them.

“Reggie, even if we could do that she didn’t want us to. She didn’t want us to leave our families or our dreams or our lives here. She fought so hard for us to have them. We have to live like it’s now or never, for her.”

He managed a small, sad smile hoping it would calm Reggie’s rising agitation but it seemed to have the opposite effect.

“Don’t quote your lyrics at me, dude,” Reggie snapped, once again brushing off Alex’s attempts to put a comforting hand on his arm. “You’re supposed to be in love with her. How can you just let her go without a fight?”

Luke felt like his throat was closing up as Reggie’s words hit him like a slap in the face. He knew his friend didn’t mean it, not really. He was just hurt and scared and mourning the loss of the little sister he loved.

It didn’t make it hurt any less to have his own doubts and guilt thrown back into his face though.

Before Luke could come up with anything else to say to comfort him, Reggie reached up to wipe at his eyes and spun on his heels, stomping out of the garage and down the driveway.

Alex shot Luke a worried look before nodding after their friend.

“I’ll check on him. I’ll be right back, ok?”

Then he was gone and Luke and Bobby were alone in the garage.

Bobby was looking at Luke like he was some kind of wounded animal and Luke wished he would stop because the longer his best friend looked at him like that the more tempting it was to totally break down. And he couldn’t do that and keep his promise to Julie. So he would hold it together. He would.

“I’m not going to ask if you’re ok because that would be a stupid question,” Bobby said, crossing the garage to sink onto the couch before patting the seat next to him expectantly.

Luke hesitated for a second or two before sighing and sinking down next to Bobby, the urge to tap his foot or drum on his knee overwhelming though he fought it down. He didn’t need to give Bobby more ammunition about his mental state. Not that he needed it.

“Look, I’m going to miss her too,” Bobby cleared his throat before reaching out to pat semi-awkwardly at Luke’s knee. “And I know it’s going to be worse for you. But I’m here for you. We all are. So just...don’t run, ok?”

Luke could have laughed at that if his mouth had seemed to remember how. His friends really did know him too well. Still. He had already ruled out that course of action.

“I won’t,” He promised.

And he didn’t.

What he did do was dive headfirst into trying to make sure their lives would go on like Julie wanted. He was there waiting when Reggie processed his feelings enough to feel bad about his outburst and showed up at the garage in the middle of the night and pulled Luke into a tight hug that lasted a long time. He was there when Alex wanted to talk about feeling anxious not knowing for sure if Julie had made it back to her time and what she had found there. He was even there when Bobby admitted that he missed Julie but he missed Queenie too and he wasn’t sure that the band was ever going to be as close as they once were. Luke did his best to reassure them all, checked in on his mom, and started calling around trying to book them a gig even though they had hardly any songs they could use and none of the bookers he spoke to seemed particularly interested.

He forced himself to tell bad jokes, and offered to go get pizza and suggest busking so they could refill their food fund.

He did all of that for three days until it was like the adrenaline he had been running off of ever since Julie disappeared into a hole in the ground finally wore off. On the fourth day he knew his friends noticed that he was quieter than normal though none of them said anything, just exchanged mildly worried looks. On the fifth day he lost his appetite, picking at the leftover pizza that Bobby had warmed up for him and refusing the variety of junk food his friend then hauled out to the garage. On the sixth day he slept most of the day, drifting in and out of fitful dreams. He had only emerged for a couple of bathroom breaks and was back curled under the blanket he usually left unused when his friends showed up after school, their worried looks no longer mild.

The 7th day was a Friday but they didn’t go to school. Instead they staged what amounted to an intervention, hovering around the couch (he didn’t bother folding it out now that the possibility of Julie crawling in next to him was gone) and refused to stop staring creepily at him until he sat up with an annoyed huff.

“Don’t you have school?” He muttered, pulling the blanket more firmly around his shoulders despite the smothering heat.

“We’re not going,” Reggie said, reaching out and yanking the blanket away from Luke in on quick movement.

“Hey!” Luke protested.

“We’re worried about you,” Alex said ignoring the way Luke was suddenly looking anywhere but at his friends. “You pretended nothing was wrong and then you crashed hard.”

“You’re depressed,” Bobby said bluntly, because of course he did.

He was annoyingly accurate and to the point at all times unless he was hiding his meaning in some obscure literary quote of course.

“I’m not,” Luke tried, feeling strangely exposed without the weight of the blanket. “I miss Julie...a lot, ok? But she wanted us to live and I’m living.”

“There’s living and there’s living,” Reggie countered, dropping down next to Luke to sling an arm around his shoulder. “And Julie would want you to be living, you know what I mean?”

“We don’t expect you to be ok,” Alex broke in quickly. “Just for you to be honest about what’s going on with you. You’ve been there for us the past few days now it’s your turn.”

“I’m fine,” Luke tried one last time, though his argument sounded half-hearted even to his own ears.

“You haven’t showered in a week,” Bobby pointed out, the softness behind his eyes easing the harshness of his words as Luke forced himself to look up and meet his friend’s eyes. “Come on, rinse the smell off and then we’re taking a field trip.”

Luke groaned but forced himself to stand and cross the distance to the bathroom, his bones aching like he had spent years in bed, not hours. He hardly remembered the shower but when he reemerged some indeterminate amount of time later his hair was dripping and he admittedly smelled a lot better. He still felt a bit like he was walking through a heavy fog though, like some slight, almost undetectable force was making each one of his steps just that little bit more difficult. He thought it might not be the weight of something slowing him down at all but the absence of something. It was like he had forgotten how to do everything right without Julie next to him. Walking and eating and breathing. He knew he had done them all before he ever knew her but that didn’t make them come any more naturally now that she was gone.

Still.

He had promised her he would try.

So he let his friends steer him out of the garage, let them lead him down the sidewalk, Alex and Bobby buffeting him on either side and Reggie walking in front, chattering away and peering back every few seconds as though afraid Luke would bolt if he didn’t keep him in his sight. Luke for his part just shuffled along, grunting out a response when asked a direct question and keeping silent the rest of the time. Apparently the plan was to head to Reggie’s house. His mom would be at work and she had bought him this brand new video game console called a Playstation that the boys were all dying to try out. That newly separated parent guilt was apparently good for a few things, like letting Reggie have ice cream every night and expensive gifts. Luke was pretty sure that none of them were particularly in the mood to play video games and were putting on the enthusiasm for his sake. He appreciated it. He just couldn’t match it.

But once they were actually in Reggie’s room, crowded around the little television he got for his last birthday, Luke had to admit he did feel a little more like a human being. He even caught himself laughing as he watched Alex and Reggie squabble over the second controller as Bobby clutched his above the fray. Reggie grinned when he saw Luke’s brief smile and shoved the controller they had been fighting over into his hands.

“Here, you try!”

And he couldn’t stand to see Reggie disappointed, not when he had seen him so hurt so recently. So Luke did try. And he let himself enjoy it. And he let himself tune out and pretend that there wasn’t someone missing.

He did such a good job at pretending that it wasn’t until they had left Reggie’s house several hours later in order to keep his mom from knowing they had skipped and headed for the ice cream shop that the gaping absence all came crashing back.

Because right around the corner from the ice cream shop was the arcade.

And right inside of the arcade entrance was a claw machine.

And inside of that claw machine he could only assume there was a purple plastic ring that would now never sit on his girl’s finger.

He couldn’t explain why his feet carried him towards the arcade but they did, seemingly without any specific direction from him.

“Luke....” Alex’s worried voice called after him but he didn’t pause until he was standing directly in front of the damn game that had been haunting him for months.

And there it was. The ring. Mocking him from the exact spot it had been in all along.

Apparently his friends had caught up to him by then because when Reggie spoke up it was from directly behind him.

“You’ve got to let that thing go, man,” His friend said carefully. “It doesn’t matter anymore.”

Luke found himself understanding Reggie’s initial reaction to the news about Julie’s departure because all of the sudden he was angry. He wasn’t just angry, he was furious.

He brought his fists down in tandem on either side of the joystick, feeling the reverberation up his recently healed arm and had just enough time to wonder if that was the smartest idea before words were bursting out of him unbidden.

“It matters,” He said fiercely, ignoring the way Reggie flinched slightly. “It matters. She matters. She matters to me and she’s gone and I said I would give her that ring and I didn’t and now I can’t and...and...it just matters, ok? It just does.”

Alex and Reggie both stared at him, eyes wide with worry seemingly unable to land on something helpful to say as they watched him finally implode. The silence stretched and Luke was just about to kick the machine just to have something to fill the gap and give him another chance to externalize the storm brewing inside of him when Bobby stepped forward calmly.

“Here,” He said, his voice calm and even. “Go ahead.”

He held out his hand and Luke instinctively stuck his out to catch whatever Bobby was trying to hand him. He folded his fingers over the mystery object to keep it from falling to the ground, before uncurling them carefully to examine it.

It was a quarter.

Luke looked up sharply expecting to see sympathy or something worse on Bobby’s face but all he saw was that look his best friend gave him when they were disagreeing on a song or when they couldn’t agree on what toppings to order for their pizza. Or maybe more like when Luke had wanted to use those fireworks for pyrotechnics or when he had suggested a book club as a viable gig. Like he didn’t approve of what Luke was doing but also like he was going to be right there behind him, letting him know he was an idiot and then helping him anyway.

Somehow it was exactly what Luke needed.

So he didn’t say anything else, just swung to face the machine and deposited his quarter in the slot before he could think better of it.

The game came to life as he swung the joystick jerkily to the right, not letting himself think too hard about the exact aim as the claw hovered over the ring in it’s plastic container. He slammed his hand down on the button to drop it probably harder than was strictly necessary but it felt good to have an excuse to hit something. The claw dropped and clutched it’s mechanical arms around the plastic container. Luke tried not to react, afterall he had gotten this far many times before, but the weak arms always released the ring long before it could actually make it to the prize shoot. But even as that hopeless thought crossed his mind the claw was rising, taking the ring with it and this time it didn’t drop back to its former spot. This time the ring remained locked in the claw’s embrace until it tumbled down into the prize shoot leaving all four boys to stare at the machine in surprise.

“Did that just…” Alex started.

“You did it,” Reggie practically whispered, disbelief clear in his voice.

Luke for his part just stared at the claw machine that had once again gone silent and still as he tried to process what had just happened. He had been so angry a minute ago and he could never win the ring and it didn’t matter because Julie was gone...Julie was gone...but it did matter and now he had won the ring and...did he really just win the ring?

Once again it was Bobby who broke them all out of their stupor, stepping forward and reaching through the metal flap to retrieve the ring, pressing the plastic container insistently into Luke’s shaking hands.

“You did it,” He said simply but firmly.

“I did it,” Luke echoed, his voice slightly choked.

“You said you would and you did,” Bobby continued. “It’s ok, Luke. You did it.”

Luke was very aware that Bobby was talking to him like a small child and he wanted to be offended, he really did, only he felt like a small child. Like nothing made sense and all of his emotions were too big for him. He had tried for so long and so hard to win that stupid ring, had seen it as a metaphor for how he felt about Julie, how he would do anything for her, how he wanted her to know that as intrinsically as she knew her own name. He had tried so hard and it had never worked and now she was gone and the very first time he tried, the first time, and he had done it.

Luke felt tears pricking at his eyes and did his best to fight them down.

“Luke…” Reggie started, his own eyes looking suspiciously wet.

Luke couldn’t bear to hear what Reggie was going to say or to make eye contact with any of his friends when he felt on the brink of breaking into sobs. He spun to face the machine again only that didn’t seem to help. His vision went blurry and his throat went tight and the next thing he knew he was breaking down into sobs. He tried to stifle them in a fit of embarrassment but there wasn’t much point. The tsunami had started and all he could do was ride the wave and pray he was in one piece on the other side.

He leaned forward and pressed his forehead against the cool glass of the claw machine, the soothing temperature doing little to slow the tears rolling down his face or the hiccuping, painful sounds that were emerging from his mouth. The ache in his chest was almost unbearable but it was matched by the sharp pain in his hand as he clutched so hard at the ring’s plastic container he was sure it would leave an angry red outline when he finally uncurled his fingers.

He loved her.

He loved her so much.

He loved her and he was never going to see her again and he won her the ring and she was never going to know it.

He was so alone.

Only he wasn’t.

Because suddenly there were warm arms wrapping around him from every direction, cheeks pressed against his shoulders and the top of his head, soft words of comfort being spoken in three different voices.

“It’s ok, Luke.”

“Let it out.”

“We’re here.”

And he did.

He had promised Julie they would do their best to be happy. He intended to keep that promise. But today all he felt was pain. And that would have to be ok too.

And it was.

And they were.

Not all at once.

Not for a long time if he was being honest.

But slowly and steadily genuine smiles, and laughter began to work their way back into their lives. They didn’t talk much about Julie at first. It hurt too much. But eventually Reggie brought up a story about her over pizza and soon they were all chiming in, recounting their favorite moments with the girl who would always live in their hearts even if she could no longer live in their world. After that they brought her up often and it hurts but it also heals.

Luke took to wearing the ring around even though it was too small for all of his fingers except his pinkie and often got stuck even then. Bobby didn't comment on the way his finger was starting to turn as purple as the ring itself, simply handed him a black cord one day for him to string it on and brushed off Luke’s rush of thankful words. After that Luke wore the ring on a cord around his neck, dangling down to thump gently against his heart as he walked, the cool plastic a constant reminder of what he lost but what he gained too.

He wasn’t living the life he would have chosen for himself but he was living the life Julie had chosen for him. He hoped the two would come together eventually. He had to have faith that they would.

Eventually he sat down to write a song for her and ended up with a poem instead.

Eventually he had the idea of sending her a message through time, a box filled with all of the things she had loved and left behind, all the ones that would fit in a small box anyway. Eventually he pried the teddy bear version of himself out of Reggie’s reluctant fingers to go inside. Eventually placed all of their carefully selected polaroids inside too.

And eventually he slid  a purple ring off of the cord he wore it on, placed it carefully back into its original container and left it for her to find with a lingering kiss pressed to its surface.

Eventually.

But first.

He lived.

Tag list: @futurearchaeologyprof @moreflowersthanweeds @chickwiththepurpleguitar

[thebrochtuarachs]

All That Was Good - Chapter 3

A/N: This story has just been a delight to write. Thank you to everyone who loves and comments about this story. It absolutely warms the heart. <3 As always, comments and suggestions are always welcome. :) Stay safe!

This story is also on AO3

xxxxxx

Faith.

It was as natural as breathing when Claire knelt and caught her daughter in a tight hug. 

“Ma!” Faith chimed and it swelled Claire’s heart. She couldn’t stop the tears that feel even if she tried. Seeing her photo in the wallet and now, in the flesh in the span of 5 seconds was more than enough to break Claire down. 

But it was definitely more for Jamie, who by now, has completely lost it. He was openly crying in awe and disbelief for the daughter he’s never seen or met but prayed with all regret that he could’ve. After everything that happened in Paris and even though they have settled it between them, deep inside his mind and heart, Jamie blamed himself for her loss. 

Hearing Jamie sniffle and wipe his nose and face, Faith turned to him and quickly reached out her arms, requesting him to carry her. Without hesitation, he picked her up and held her close to his heart. 

Pushing herself up from his shoulder, Faith turned to Jamie with a question. “Da, sad?” 

“No, no, not sad. Da is verra verra happy right now.” he quickly assured his daughter with the biggest smile on his face. “We’ve just missed you so much” 

Faith mirrored his smile as Jamie continued to take her in. “She has your eyes.” he remarked to Claire. 

“And your everything else!” Claire jokingly scoffed back at him. She then, squinted and too, shook her head in wonder. “Jamie, I - “

“I know. I can’t believe it either.” Jamie finished the sentence. He opened his free side to her and she quickly slided in, wrapping Jamie and their daughter together in her arms as close as she could. 

The next five minutes have been the most blissful time yet.

-

If the Beauchamps or the Frasers noticed Claire and Jamie’s puffy eyes and tear-streaked faces when they came to the dining hall, they (thankfully) didn’t mention it. 

To Claire and Jamie, everything was new - but to the foursome in front of them and the baby between them, it was practically routine and regular. 

Brian, Ellen, Henry, and Julia were talking about the latest in business and social events they were planning to attend. Claire and Jamie tried to keep an ear out to get some clues on what their families may be doing at this time but it was proving to be hard when there’s a two-year old, red-headed Fraser calling your attention every minute whether it was giving her food, her giving them food, wiping her clean, and listening to her stories in the past week she was with grandparents. Between the two, Jamie and Claire focused on Faith, savoring everything about her. Everything else can wait. 

They were taken out of their focus when Ellen asked Claire a question. “So, Claire, darling, what was the news ye had to tell us?” 

Claire swallowed the food she was chewing and looked at Jamie, a silent conversation ensuing between them. Jamie looked at her belly and maybe got her answer. It was the only thing of significance they could think of at the moment. 

“Oh, our news” She put her utensils down and everyone followed suit waiting to hear what’s next. “Well, Jamie and I are very happy to share that little Miss Faith here…” she tickled Faith’s belly resulting in a short giggle. “...is going to be a big sister.” 

They waited with baited breath for any reaction and hope that it was information they haven't told before. A few seconds later, all four grandparents erupted in celebration with the news, standing and looping Jamie and Claire into taps and hugs. 

“How far along are you?” Julia asked. 

“About two to three months. We just found ourselves.” Claire replied. 

“Have ye told anyone else?” It was Ellen’s turn to ask. 

“No, you guys are the first to know” 

“Can we tell the rest of the family, then, give them a quick call?” Brian chimed. Jamie and Claire nodded even thought they weren’t sure the extent of it. However, Brian offered the list immediately after. “We’ll call Willie, Jenny and Rabbie. And of course, we’ll reach out to your Uncle Lamb.” 

Jamie quickly clutched Claire’s hand and she did the same. Their entire family and more. 

It wouldn’t be far fetched that Claire and Jamie might think that they may have died and gone to heaven because this was everything. But until that reality falls down upon them, they will take this experience and make the most of it. 

“We should plan to get everybody here together and celebrate, maybe in another month’s time?”

“I agree, plan for a proper celebration. Plus, I think Lamb would also like to be out of the house once in a while.”

“It’s a date then!” 

The parents made all the arrangements and Claire and Jamie were just left to happily agree. 

-

The four grandparents continued their catch up to the library and Claire and Jamie decided to explore the estate. They brought Faith with them, not wanting to part with her just yet, even though the little girl was napping on Jamie’s shoulder. 

“Uncle Lamb must be in his 80s now but from what I gathered from my mom, he’s still strong but prefers to stay at home these days.” Claire shared, pulling out a cloth and wiping a drool from Faith.

They’ve checked the family photos and deducted what they could. In this time, William Fraser was married to Mary McNab, Jenny and Ian are together and already have wee Jamie and Maggie, and Rabbie is still in uni finishing his studies. 

Further reviewing the contents on both their wallets, what they’ve found so far are: Lallybroch is a whiskey distillery, Jamie and Claire are based in Glasgow, where Claire’s a nurse, and Jamie heads the Glasgow branch of the business - thankfully, jobs that are not necessarily out of their range. 

As for how they met, their past, and other information to their present, nothing much on that end yet. Maybe once they head to their own home, they’ll find more answers. But for now, they believe they have enough information to process but more importantly, let go a bit to focus more on Faith. 

The day passed rather quickly, with Jamie and Claire coming back to the house to cool off. They made their way to the living room, laying Faith down in one of the solo sofa chairs while they settled on the other. 

Jamie pulled Claire beside him and kissed her temple in reverence. She, in turn, cuddled closer to him, crossing her legs on top of his. Soon, sleep took over both of them once again, a much deserved nap as they adjust to today’s time. 

-

Jamie and Claire were woken up when they felt something trying to grab or climb at them.

“Oh, hi, darling. Did you have a good nap?” Claire asked Faith, she herself sitting straight and waking. 

“Yes. Are we going home now?” Faith asked as she bear hugged her mother. 

“Not yet. We’ll stay one more night and go tomorrow.” 

It was nearly dinnertime and one of their parents might’ve opened the lamp to give the space some light. Claire turned to Jamie and found him tenderly looking at the both of them. 

“I dinna have the words, Claire.” Jamie sighed and began. “I ken meeting our parents is one thing but meeting her, seeing her, feeling her, talking to her…” he reached to brush Faith’s hair. “Seeing what it is of her or me that is in her, watching ye become a mother…” Jamie shook his head. “I could talk about it all day, Sassenach. But after ye, this has been the best blessing in my life. And I promise ye, I wilna take it for granted.” 

“We won’t take it for granted, Jamie.” Claire reiterated their commitment. She, then, turned to their daughter to ask “Do you want to cuddle with Da next?” 

Sure enough, the little lass pulled out of Claire’s embrace and proceeded to go to Jamie’s. He put his nose in her head and breathed her in. “Mo nighean ruadh, tha gaol agam ort”. He grabbed Claire’s hand and placed a kiss on her knuckle. “Mo nighean donn, tha gaol agam ort” 

“I love you, too, Jamie.” she replied, squeezing his hand in agreement.

“Love too, Da” Faith said so simply and Claire and Jamie could just not stop the tears from flowing. 

Unbeknownst to them, outside the door, Ellen accidentally overheard their unusual conversation when she was coming to get them for supper. Throughout the day, she’d observed some things are rather different but nothing to be alarmed of. However, the chat did leave her a bit confused.

Letting the thoughts pass her mind, she knocked on the door loudly and got the family for dinner.

[kpop---scenarios]

Into The Night

Pairing: Kai x Reader

Warning: Smut

Word Count: 5k

Summary: You never expected to fall for the escort your friend ordered for you.

"It's a very reputable place." Jisoo smiles at you. "Very discreet. I think it would be a good place for you to go." She finishes. 

You stare at her with your mouth wide open as you try to comprehend what she had just said to you. 

"Bitch." You scoff. "Are you trying to tell me to go to a whore house to get laid?" You ask. 

"I mean, you're not the first person to do it. It's not a big deal." She says, shrugging her shoulders. "The guys are hot." She smirks, wiggling her eyebrows. 

You can't help but think about it for a minute. You really did need a good fuck, your vibrator can only do so much. "Fine." You say, crossing your arms. "But your ass is coming with me." You smirk, watching her face drop at what you had just said. 

"But.. I.. " she stutters. 

"No excuses, I fuck a sex worker, you fuck a sex worker. That's the deal." You laugh. You knew she would never do something like that, meaning you'd be off the hook. 

"Fine." She says. "Lets go. Now." She says, ushering you towards the door. "Now or never." 

"How about never?" You nervously giggle. 

"Or now works too. Let's go bitch." She finishes, dragging you out the front door of your apartment to a cafe down the street, to get the process started. 

Little did you know this was going to be the best, but also worst experience of your life. 

** 

Kai smiles as he says goodbye to his latest client, leaving her to relish in the orgasms he had given her, making her scream out his name. He knew he was good at what he did, that's all he was ever told he was good at, so why not make a career out of it. 

Women had always told him he was a great fuck, he had a handsome face but that would only take him so far. The words they told him always stuck with him, replaying over and over in his head. 

"You're a great fuck but thats it." 

"I could never date you. You're not good enough for me." 

It was always the same, with every woman that he met. They were always only interested in him because of his face, or his body. They never cared to get to know him or his likes and dislikes, only how many times could they cum because of him. 

Eventually he said fuck it and gave up on trying to pursue a relationship with women. He began working for an escort company, where he quickly climbed the ladder, becoming the most popular male escort. He made great money, but lived a lonely life despite being with different women. It wasn't the sex that was important to him, it was the connection, the love two people shared. That's what he craved, but he knew he wasn't enough. 

Kai's mind wanders back to just after he graduated from high-school. He had a date with a girl he had loved for the last four years and had tried time and time again to muster up the courage to ask her on a date.

"J-jennie, would you like to have dinner with me?" He asks, his fingers twiddling between each other. 

She smiled at him, but it wasn't genuine, more pitty. 

"Um sure." She half smiles. "I'll meet you at the restaurant." She says, walking away to her friends. Kai thought his heart was going to explode out from his chest. 

He was so happy. 

He wasn't your typical guy, he was shy. He was very quiet and often gave off the vibe of being an asshole, but in all honesty, you just needed to get to know him first but no one ever gave him that chance. 

His date with Jennie went well, the conversation lagged a few times but it had ended with him railing her in the back of his car. 

His muscles flex, the sweat glistening as he props himself up while he thrusts in and out of her, making her scream. 

It was the best night of his life and he thought about her everyday, until he saw her making out with some guy at a party a few days later. All eyes had been on him when he walked into the party, his arrival commencing the whispering between people and the staring.  

"W-what? I thought.. we.." he stutters, lost for words. 

She laughed. And laughed. "Look." She giggles. "You give top notch dick, but you're an asshole. You're not boyfriend material." She spits. 

Kai hangs his head low as he walks out of the party, heartbroken for the first time but not the last. 

He didn't let that one instance ruin his views on relationships and women, no, that came after the same thing happened in college. He had met Mina and she was so beautiful, smart and interesting. He was smitten with her, and when she agreed to go on a date with him, he was over the moon excited. 

"Would you like to get a coffee with me?" He whispers to her, only looking her in the eye once. 

"Sure. Sounds great." She smiles. 

He told himself he wouldn't sleep with her on the first date. Coffee seems innocent enough, but alas, it ended with him ramming into her from behind in an alleyway behind the coffee shop. 

"I had a great time." She smiles, as she adjusts her skirt. "See ya." She finishes, walking away, leaving him standing there slightly confused. 

Kai saw her often, mostly in the middle of the night when she called him and asked him to come fuck her. Whenever he asked to walk her to class or meet up for dinner, she was always busy or unavailable. And if they ever did meet up at her apartment during the day, she always had an excuse as to why he couldn't stay. 

"That was great." She sighs, rolling over onto her back. Kai rolls over, wrapping his arm around her waist, only laying there for a second before she wiggles out-of his embrace and stands at the edge of the bed. 

"What?" He asks, raising an eyebrow. 

"I've got a lot to do. You gotta go." She says, getting dressed and rushing him out of her apartment. 

He wanders around downtown for a bit, trying to think of why she kicked him out so quickly, why she never wants to spend time with him. He's lost in his thoughts until he sees Mina, just down the street walking with her friend. 

With a smile on his face he walks up to her to greet her. 

"Hey you." He smiles. 

She doesn't smile back. Instead, she scoffs, her friend giving him a weird, uncomfortable look. 

"Um." Mina starts, but Kai gets the point. 

"Gotcha." He mumbles, turning around to walk away and that's when he hears her. 

"Who is that?" Her friend asks, laughing. 

"The most amazing dick I've ever had." Mina raves. "But like that's all he's good for." She laughs. "He's so awkward. Could you imagine keeping that as your boyfriend? Talk about being embarrassed all the time." Mina laughs. "And he's studying accounting. How lame. He'd make better money fucking women for a living." She finishes. 

A tear rolls down Kai's cheek as he now vows to himself to never try for a relationship again. Women wanted some good, dominating cock? Then that's what he would give them, that's all that he would give them. 

** 

"Make sure he has brown hair." Jisoo laughs. The two of you sit in a cafe, on your phones choosing an escort for each other. You picked one for her, someone who seemed to fit her type just right, a man named Baekhyun. 

You were nervous about who she chose for you, but you trusted her, mostly. You knew she wouldn't screw you over. 

"Okay done. Meet him in an hour at the Into The Night hotel." She laughs. 

"Seriously? Fuck." You laugh nervously. 

Forty five minutes later you're standing outside the hotel, taking a deep breath. You're the one who needs to get the hotel room and he will knock on the door. You know, this is fine, its simple, its just a fuck. With a stranger. It's fine. 

"A room with a king size bed." You whisper to the front desk clerk who looks at you weirdly as you sweat slightly. 

"Room 5372. Here's your key. Enjoy your stay.. with no bags." He says. 

"Someone will be coming to ask for my room number. Make sure you tell him." You say, clearing your throat. 

"Of course." He says, looking back to his computer. 

**

You sit on the edge of the bed, your fingers twiddling as you wait for the much anticipated knock on the door. And when it came, your heart jumped from your chest. 

Your palms were sweaty as you gripped the door knob, taking a few very deep breaths before you pulled the door open revealing an extremely handsome man. His hair was messy and dark, his shirt unbuttoned just enough for you to see his chest, the muscles in his arms protruding from his long sleeve shirt. 

You go back and sit on the bed, watching him walk in, the bulge in his pants very noticeable. Your breath hitches as your eyes stare at it, unable to look away from it. 

"Hi." He says, his voice deep and rugged. "I'm Kai." He smiles. 

"Um hi, I'm.. um.. Ayn." You stutter. 

"Ayn." He says, a smirk on his face. "How would you like me, Ayn?" He asks. 

"What's your last name?" You ask, your nerves have now fully taken over. "Mines YLN." 

"Kim." He says, cocking his head to the side. 

"Nice, nice. Are you hungry? I'm starving. I'm going to order room service." You say, jolting yourself up and heading to the phone. 

"Wait you're serious?" He asks. 

"Very. I never joke about food." You say. 

"Uh. A burger?" He says, slightly confused about what was currently happening. But he hadn't had dinner and was kind of hungry, so why not?

"Hi, i'd like two cheeseburgers with fries and two cokes." You accidently yell into the phone. "Sorry." You whisper, hanging up. "Like twenty minutes you tell him, slowly walking back towards the bed. 

He nods his head. 

"So.. good times?" You ask, referring to the name of the hotel, a small smile on your face. 

"Yeah, I mean, it's meant for good times, so why not. I thought it was clever when I named it." He smiles. 

"You named it? Do you own the company?" You ask, genuinely shocked. 

"I do." Kai laughs. "I founded Knight Industries a few years ago and built it up." He says, beginning to unbutton his shirt. 

"Umm." You say nervously, thinking of how else you could stall. Honestly, you wanted to see what was under his shirt but you knew where it was going to lead you weren't sure about the stranger thing. 

Knock 

Knock 

"Room service." A voice chimes from outside your door. 

"I better.. get that." You half smile, quickly walking to the door. You open it and a cart is pushed into your room. The man looks confused when he sees Kai standing there, both of you fully clothed. 

"Uh, enjoy." He says, walking out but not before giving Kai a questioning look. 

**

Over the next hour you and Kai talk about one thing, well you talk about one thing and that thing is food. You went on and on while Kai actually sat there and smiled at you as you described to him your favorite dish to make at home. 

"It's so easy to make but tastes amazing. You have to taste it to believe it." You laugh. 

You also talked about what your dream vacation would be. 

"And that's why my absolute dream vacation would be a good tour of Europe. You would get everything." You groan, just thinking about the food made you want to drool everywhere." 

"You can't forget the wine though." Kai laughs. 

"No never, can never forget that." You smile. 

Beep

Beep. 

Your phone alarm beeps, telling you your two hours is up. You give Kai a smile before gathering your belongings. 

"Thanks for this. I had a great time." You smile before leaving the room, leaving him there to respond to no one. 

"Thank you." He whispers.

Kai tries to make sense of what just happened over the last two hours he had spent with you. When he talked you actually listened, you genuinely seemed interested in what he was saying and enjoyed talking to him. Something he had never had, no one ever wanted him, just his cock. 

**

"Wow." Jisoo says, a tired smile plastered on her face, her hair a mess as she limps towards you outside the hotel. "You don't look like you just got fucked." She pouts. 

"But you do." You respond. "I didn't. We talked. And it was really nice." You say, shyly. 

"It wasn't a date Ayn. You were supposed to get laid!" She yells, a little too loudly. 

"Next time. I will. Promise." You say. 

"You're going to have a next time?" She asks, surprised. 

"Would that be weird to request him again?" You ask. 

Before she could answer a very handsome man ran out of the hotel, yelling her name. 

"Jisoo! You forgot this." He smiles at her, his hair disheveled. He slyly hands her a pair of panties, giving her a wink before running back into the hotel. 

"That's Baekhyun." She breathes. "I think I love him." She finishes. The two of you laugh before linking arms and walking back to your apartment, completely missing the man you'd spent time with watching you walk away from him. 

That night you laid in your bed, staring at the request on your phone to meet up with him again. You wanted to see him again, whether you did anything or just talked but did he want to see you was the question. 

You left it alone for the next week, thinking and debating about it everyday. You had the request filled out, but for whatever reason you couldn't bring yourself to press send. 

You felt stupid. You probably weren't even his type, this is what he did for a living, of course he was nice to you, you paid for it. However, he was supposed to fuck you, not spend two hours eating and talking with you. 

After a week you finally pressed that send button, and you confirmed your meeting for tomorrow, making sure to add to meet at a park at sunset. You wondered if he would actually show up. 

**

The next night you sat on the park bench, your bag with a surprise beside you, as you waited for him to show up. The littlest part of you felt like he wasn't going to show up. So when I looked over and saw him walking towards you, your heart skipped a beat. 

He sat down next to you, a smile on his face as he looked at you. "Hi." He says. 

"Hi." You reply, your nerves coming back. 

"We never got around to your favorite food last time." You say, waiting for him to begin talking. 

"Fried chicken." He laughs. "My mom used to make it when I was little, and it's just kind of stuck now." He says, his hands placed on his lap. "She got the recipe when she was in America for a bit." 

"Have you traveled much?" You ask. 

He looked at you like you were crazy when you asked him that, but you really and truly wanted to know more about him. 

"Japan a few times, China and America once, but that was years ago. I've always wanted to go back." He tells you. "Have you been anywhere?" He asks. 

"No I've never traveled anywhere. I've always wanted to though." You smile. 

"I think you'd like Japan. Amazing food." He laughs. 

"Anywhere that has good food has my vote." You smile. "Speaking of food, I brought this for you." You say, pulling out the container of food you made for him. "I really wanted you to try it." You laugh. 

"I-.. wow." He says, looking shocked. Your eyes meet as he remains speechless at your kind gesture. 

Before you knew what was happening, Kai had leaned over and pressed his plump lips to yours, wrapping his hand around the back of your head to deepen the kiss. 

When he pulls away you smile, standing up, your face covered in blush. "We'll have to meet up again so I can refill the container." You smile, walking away, hoping he uses the number you left on the top of the lid. 

** 

3 days. It took him 3 days to text you. After the second day you had completely given up hope on him messaging you, but that was typical of your fashion, never giving enough time to anyone. 

You had woken up early in the morning for work and saw a text from a number you didn't recognize, thanking you for the food and how delicious it was. 

You texted all day after that, about everything. He asked you on a date for that weekend, 8pm on Saturday. You told him you'd love too, and when Saturday rolled around you were terrified. 

Your doorbell rang right at 8pm, and your heart fluttered as you walked towards the door, your heel clicking on the floor. You glanced at yourself in the mirror one more time, satisfied enough with how your makeup and hair turned out, you smoothed down your tight dress before answering the door. 

"Hi." Kai smiles, looking you up and down. "You look amazing." 

"Thank you." You whisper, looking at him in his suit, his hair slicked back. He looked so good. You almost said fuck it and dragged him into your apartment, but you have a little self control, for now. 

On the drive to the restaurant you couldn't keep your eyes off him. The way he slouched in his seat, his legs spread with one hand on the steering wheel, the other one placed on your thigh. You could feel your pussy throbbing as you pressed your legs together, trying to keep yourself together. 

"Are you okay?" He asks, his eyebrow raised, glancing over to you.  

"Yep, all good." You say. 

You knew he didn't buy it. His cologne, how his skin glowed under the moonlight, his plump lips, it was all getting to you and fast. 

** 

At the restaurant you sat across from him, throwing back your third glass of wine as Kai watched you in  amusement. "Are you sure you're okay?" He asks, his chin resting on his hands. 

"Mhmm." You say, gaining a little bit of confidence. You raise your leg under the table, gently caressing his leg with your foot, up and down a few times before you slide off your shoe and work your way up to his thigh. 

Your eyes locked as you moved your foot, you could see his face change, his eyes become darker. 

Every Time you rubbed his leg, you could feel your lips sliding together, reminding you of just how wet you truly were. 

"I'm so wet." You whisper, sticking your hand under the table, sliding it over your pussy before popping it in your mouth to suck off your juice. 

Kai's eyes went black. Right before he could say anything, the waiter came, placing your food in front of the both of you. 

"Anything else I can get for you?" He asks, Kai looks at you, you bite your lip, looking slightly needy. 

"Yeah, can we get this to go please." Kai says, his eyes never leaving yours. A smile spreads across your face as the waiter looks confused but takes your plates away anyways. 

A few minutes later he returns with your food and your bill. Kai pays quickly before placing his hand on the small of your back to guide you out. 

"Are you sure?" He asks, sliding into the driver's seat, starting the car. 

"I want you to fuck me." You moan. Kai groans as he races down the street. "Now." You whisper. 

He turns down an alley, parking in the dark between two buildings, making sure you were out of camera view. 

"Out." He growls. 

You open the door, step outside and walk to the front of the car. You watch as Kai walks around to the front of the car, unbuckling his belt and pulling it through the loops. His hand rests on your cheek as he leans in, pressing his lips to yours. He backs you up, leaning you against the car and laying you down on the hood of the car. 

He breaks the kiss and stands up. "Hands." He demands. 

You give him your hands, he puts them together and wraps his belt around them tightly. "Put them above your head."  He demands. You do as you're told, your pussy dripping as you wait for what he plans to do next. 

He brings his hand up to your neck, dragging his finger down your collarbone, past your breasts, down your stomach, stopping halfway down your thighs at the hem of your dress. 

"Spread your legs." He says, his voice deep and demanding. You do your best to spread your legs, causing your dress to ride up, exposing your red lace panties. 

Kai lifts your dress more, looking at your panties and smirking. He grabs onto them, moving them to the side, giving him a great view of your lips. 

"Oh my god." You cry, your pussy needing to be touched. 

"Quiet baby girl." He moans as he leans his body on yours. His one hand reaches in-between your thighs, moving between your lips before his thumb grazes over your throbbing clit while he inserts two fingers inside you, slowly. His body rests on yours as he pumps his fingers in and out of you, his other hand covering your mouth to muffle the sound of your moans. 

Kai whispers in your ear as you mumble your muffled cries. "That's a good girl."

As he continues to pump his fingers into you, he moves his thumb in a circle on your clit, making your arch your back. You try to cry out, but his hand catches most of the whimpers as he removes his fingers from inside you, and focuses just on rubbing your clit. 

Your eyes roll to the back of your head as you try to squeeze your legs together, your orgasm threatening to burst. 

"Cum." He growls, sending you right over the edge, your body shaking as you ride through your high. 

Kai removes his hand from your mouth while staring at you before licking his fingers with a smirk on his face. You slide down the car onto your knees, lifting up your hands so he can untie you. 

You're a bit shaky as you pull down his pants and boxers, letting his cock spring free. 

Your mouth waters as you stare at the thick, juicy, veiny cock standing straight in front of you. You wrap your hand around the shaft, pumping it a few times before Kai grabs the back of your head, forcing his cock into your mouth, making you choke. 

"Mhmm." He moans. "Choke on that cock." 

He lets you come up for air, just for a second before he shoves his cock back in your mouth and down your throat. Your eyes water as he thrusts in and out a few times before fully pulling out and standing you up. He pushes you down on your stomach against the hood of the car, making you spread your legs with his foot. 

"Ready?" He asks, but doesn't wait for an answer. Instead he grips onto your hips and slams his cock inside of you, stretching you out and giving you no time to adjust to his size. "Such a tight pussy." He groans, his hands holding onto you tighter as your hands are laid out above your head, red marks from the belt very visible but you didn't care. 

Kai never slowed his pace, he fucked you hard and he fucked you good. 

"Shit shit." You cry out as he hits your g spot with every thrust. "P..please don't stop." You cry. You can hear him grunting behind you, making you clench yourself around his cock. 

"Don't stop that." He groans, his fingertip digging into your hips. "Shit." He moans. "I'm gonna..cum." he finishes, pulling out to cum on your ass. "Fuck." He sighs, as he pumps himself a few more times, making sure he rides his high for as long as he can. 

"That was.." he begins. 

"Great." You finish, pulling down your dress. You smile at him as he zips up his pants. "Will you come home with me?" You ask, a little nervous he might say no. 

"I'd love too." He smiles, opening the car door for you. You slide in, and he closes it before running to the drivers side and backing out of the alley way. His arm rests on your thigh for the entire drive back to your apartment, making the butterflies in your stomach flutter. 

**

The next morning you wake up to feel a hand wrapped around your stomach with a face buried into your neck. You smile as you remember he came home with you last night, and you smile even harder as you feel his large friend poking you in the ass. 

With a smirk on your face you wiggle your ass against his boner, making his groan. "Tease." He mumbles as he nuzzles his face further to your neck. 

"You can always just slip it in. Cum in my pussy." You whisper, making him raise his head. He reaches down, lifting your leg to go over his, opening you up slightly before he pulls down his boxers, letting his friend free. You arch your back as he guides himself inside of you, slowly thrusting in and out. He hand reaches up and under your shirt, cupping your breast before twiddling your nipples as he pumps his hips. 

"Fuck." You moan as his hand leaves your breasts and moves up to wrap around your throat. His large hands squeeze your neck as he thrusts into you harshly. 

"Rub your clit." He says, demanding you to do so. You reach between your legs and begin playing with the throbbing bud, rubbing it in circles, your pussy tightening around his cock.

"Good girl." He breathes into your ear, his head tightening again around your neck. 

"I'm.. gonna.." you cry. 

"Cum." He demands, breathing the word heavily into your ear. Shivers send down your spine as you orgasm takes over, making you cry out, loudly. 

Kai grunts a few times before spilling his juices inside of you. "Fuck." He sighs, milking himself for everything. 

He pulls himself out of you and rolls out of bed, pulling his pants on. 

"What are you doing?" You ask, confused. 

"I thought you were going to ask me to leave." He says, shrugging his shoulders. 

"Actually." You pause. "I was going to see if you wanted to come to the store with me. I was going to make you some food." You say, sitting up in your bed. "But if you want to go.." you pause. 

"I don't want to go..it's just i'm always asked to leave after." He says. "No one asks me to stay." 

"I'm asking you to stay. Spend the day with me?" You ask. 

The smile on his face could light up an entire city, the two of you so happy in that moment, but little did you know, things wouldn't be so happy in the future. 

**

Things with you and Kai were great for the first couple of months until the two of you had gotten more serious than either of you had expected in such a short amount of time. 

It had only been nine months but you knew with everything you had in your soul that you loved this man more than anything. And you knew he loved you back, but you just couldn't get past his work. 

You knew he didn't love the women he was with, you knew it was only a job but you hated it. You hated that while you thought about him, his dick was inside someone else, making someone else cum, making another woman feel good. And that was the cause of your fights, 99% of the time. 

"Here we go again." Kai sighs, as he grabs a drink from the kitchen. "It's always the same thing." He yells. 

"Yes it is! Why can't you just stop. Stop fucking other women." You yell. 

"It's my job! I founded the company. I built it up from nothing. I can't just walk away from that Ayn. You're asking me to give up alot." He says.  

You take a deep breath. "You know you are so much more than your dick right? You're so special, the way you make people feel is indescribable. But if you only listen to the voices in your head from your past, they will always win. And if you keep doing that, then I won't ever be enough for you. So, when you decide that you’re more than just a sex object, you call me, because you are more than that business. And your business may be booming but baby, you’re dying, I can see that and I hate that you can't. I am trying to fight for more than just us. I'm trying to fight for our future. Either you want or you don't. So let me know." 

With slow steps you walk away, hoping he stops you. 

You close the door hoping he stops you. 

You walk all the way to your car. 

You waited for him to stop you. 

But he never came. 

[broadwayandnetflix]

Slow Down - Bill Hader x Reader

Warnings: Language

Theme: Fluff + 1/4 of Angst

Summary:  Hi I’ve literally been binging all of your fics and I didn’t know if you were still taking requests, but I was wondering if I could request an imagine with Bill Hader where the reader is sick and passes out at SNL and Bill helps them and takes them home

Word Count: 4.1k

A/N: Ahh thank you so much for your patience @bduchrnskei​ I really hope you enjoy this fic and it met your prompt expectations. I absolutely loved writing this one amongst all of my evil schoolwork, but what can you do? 

Living in a small-sized New York City apartment was not all that it’s cracked up to be. Whether it’s the heavy traffic and clutter of construction that never halts or the extreme temperatures during any season.

In this case, in particular, winter.

Or, more specifically, in this case, your heater broke, and it had become like an iceberg within your apartment space. As stated by your landlord, the repairmen were supposed to come on Saturday night, and as of right now, it was Thursday.

So bundling up had to do, in a way, you kind of missed the heater’s incessant rattling, as it had become a sort of a white noise these last few months.

You hadn’t been in New York City for very long, a little under a year, maybe? It wasn’t like you to pack up and move randomly to the Big Apple, but after clearing a spot as a new cast member with Saturday Night Live. It was most certainly a must.

Ever since you were little, you’d always had a knack for making others laugh or just getting to see someone smile. Saturday Night Live became your goal, and to secure it was like winning a million dollars. Even if it meant having to endure New York’s extreme seasonal changes.

This week was no different in the typical workflow; you were technically a new cast member. So the number of sketches you had been in was significantly limited. Still, you loved it nonetheless, with the lack of skits that you had been in lately allowed you to get to know your cast members more.

Specifically, your other recurring cast members like Nasim Pedrad and Jenny Slate, the three of you would often meet up for coffee on Sundays. Taking the time to decompress and discuss your favorite sketches of the week. It was nice to have a group of people you could relate to and find solace in, especially when the weeks became stressful or exhausting.

And oh boy, did your week’s become exhausting, especially on Saturdays. You shuddered at the thought of dress rehearsal as it stretched late into the night; losing sleep was worth the excitement.

You looked at the clock, it was nearing close to four in the morning, and you still had been awake at this point. Maybe it was the cold or the thousands of thoughts swirling through your mind, much like the snow accumulating outside.

Work was gonna be a bitch tomorrow.

You sneezed at the thought, sighed, and made sure to set your alarm before letting sleep take over.

-

You awoke with a headache and a blaring alarm that was erupting from your phone. Groaning, you shut the phone off and tried to ignore the incessant pain protruding from your forehead.

Swallowing some painkillers, you got dressed, grabbed your keys, and headed to work. Totally not picking up a coffee and a breakfast sandwich on the way.

“Why good morning Y/N!” Jenny chirped as you walked into the room, still rubbing the sleep out of your eyes.

“You sound oddly chipper, what happened?” you said as you put down your stuff, eyeing her curiously.

“She got some sleep, that’s what happened.” Nasim replied, nursing a cup of coffee in her hands, giving you a sleepy smile.

“Lucky duck,” you murmured, instinctively reaching for your coffee as well. It coated your throat nicely, you sighed in content.

Jenny only smirked before starting up another conversation with Nasim; you let your eyes wander across the room. Everyone in motion, working hard to make sure shit got done. That’s the thing about working at 30 Rock; no one ever really stopped moving.

One thing that you still had not gotten used to was Monday’s. The grueling and exhausting twenty-four hour stretch period of planning and concocting up sketches. It was a scary feeling, as if you could ever compare to everyone else.

Every now and then, a pitch you threw into the ball pit would get picked, the tiny butterflies in your stomach reminding you why you did what you did.

Your eyes landed on a particular figure as he strolled into the room. His hair beautifully tousled, eyes half-open, and shirt resting ever so comfortably upon his chest. You diverted your eyes quickly, only to feel yourself begin to sneeze.

Fuck, for the love of all that’s holy, please do not sneeze in front of Hader.... too late.

He looked up, meeting your widened eyes, and gave you a soft smile. It lingered for a bit until Andy swept up from behind and hugged him along by the arm. For a second, you could’ve sworn he was gonna look back, but Andy had appeared to say something.

“Bless you!” Nasim and Jenny said in unison.

You mouthed thanks and leaned back against the wall, replaying the scene over and over again.

“Thinking about Hader again?” Jenny asked, following your line of sight, as she nudged you in the side playfully.

“Jenny! Not too loud, he might hear you.” you frantically whispered, a stern look aglow in your eyes.

“Oh honey, it’s so obvious.” Nasim chimed in, Jenny nodding eagerly in response.

“Plus he’s too far away, you’re more than safe Y/N, I think it’s cute that you like him. All the more reason to make fun of you.” Jenny says quickly before she is shoved by Nasim.

“I’m joking! I’m joking! Okay maybe not fully joking.” Jenny yelps, giving you a wicked grin.

You groaned, rubbing your hands over your eyes in embarrassment. It was so bad, crushing on cast members, but man, was he handsome. Although you had denied it, a lot of your favorite sketches from the past weeks always seemed to involve Hader.

It was not like it was gonna go anywhere; you two barely spoke, and plus you’d probably be a mess if you did. Every now and then, though, you’d often find Hader sitting beside you at table reads. His laugh is always so goddamn infectious, and Jenny and Nasim eyeing you playfully like schoolgirls.

God, you were a mess, and it seemed like everyone knew it. Maybe even Hader knew; let’s hope he doesn’t.

“You know Y/N, I’ve never seen Hader as shy as he is when he’s around you. I mean the man literally sniffed my hair yesterday,” you quirk a brow, “But- but with you, he’s soft” Nasim’s voice crowds your thoughts, and you instantly look up to meet her in disbelief.

“Bullshit.” you retort, trying to ignore whatever attempt she was trying to make.

“Girl, you’ve kind of got a point. He’s not as jokey as he usually is whenever he’s around you Y/N.” Jenny adds, only to be interrupted by Lorne calling for a meeting.

Ah, how could you forget? Dress Rehearsal. While these days didn’t run as long as the others, they were equally draining and stressful. The three of you walked to Lorne’s office just in time as the rest of the cast stood beside you.

You felt yourself to begin to shiver unexpectedly, hugging yourself tightly. Since when was 30 Rock so cold? You felt Nasim look at you questioningly, and you shrugged her off.

Lorne had discussed the skits’ arrangements for the day, murmurs of excitement beginning to spread like wildfire around the room. Everyone just itches to get out and see if their sketch would succeed or bomb.

You took your seat in the audience as the sketches would come and go, meeting your cues whenever necessary. At the same time, your painkillers had seemed to wear off as your headache only seemed to get worse.

You made your way backstage to find the building’s first aid kit, only to brush past another coworker. That just so happened to be Bill Hader.

You opened your mouth, but nothing came out, slowly clamping it shut; his eyes met yours in slight confusion before softening slightly.

“Woah, hey Y/N, everything okay? You were in kind of a hurry there.” he asks; you could barely meet his eyes as they searched yours for any sort of response.

“Oh,” you gulped, “Yeah I just have this crazy headache, um I was just looking for the first aid kit.” you say, shifting the balance on your one foot to the other. 

His eyes widened before nodding quickly as if he was just reminded of something. The butterflies in your stomach crescendo as he quickly rested his palm upon your shoulder. You didn’t even know how to act, your body practically freezing at the contact.

“Actually to save you the trouble I have some painkillers upstairs in my dressing room. Not that I have like tons of drugs, but it’s no problem with me if that’ll help your headache.”

You quickly nod in response, trying to hide back a small smile before following him up several flights of stairs. God, you hated being so shy around Bill; it wasn’t like he was some mean old jerk; he was oh so genuine and thoughtful.

The two of you halt at a labeled Hader door; he looks back at you almost to check if you’re still there. Opening the door, he led you in, giving you a quick smirk, before crouching down and digging through the contents of his bag.

You had realized that this was the first time that you had ever been in a specific cast member’s dressing room. In particular, Hader’s room was neat and tidy, but you could see bits and pieces of his character sticking out. You couldn’t help but smile at it all, so caught up in the intricate details you didn’t even notice him get back up.

“Y/N, you good?” he asks; you focus your attention back on him quickly.

His hands outstretched, one holding a bottle of Advil and the other clamped tightly around a water bottle.

“Oh, um yeah. Thank you so much you have no idea how much I appreciate you for doing this.” you say rather quickly, but Hader doesn’t seem phased by your awkward nature.

You reach for the bottle and water, fingers gently brushing against his. The two of you looking down at the contact before parting ways.

Hader clears his throat, and you feel your stomach begin to tighten. Slipping two pills into your mouth, you unscrew the cap and down it carefully.

“You nervous about tomorrow?” he asks while placing the pill bottle back within his bag.

“A little I guess, I mean I tend to get nerves closer to the show. I’m sure at this point though, you’ve become an expert at staying calm.” you reply, his gaze falling towards the floor.

“Oh my god, I’m a wreck Y/N. This show is so stressful it eats at me every week, no matter what. I mean, clearly I’m doing something right and Lorne’s not gonna fire me, but, my anxiety gets so bad.” he says quickly. His eyes widened, and his posture became slightly tenser than before.

You couldn’t help but soften your gaze; you had no idea that he even went through this every week. Even now, with the buzzing tension in the air for tomorrow night, you couldn’t imagine what he was going through. Let alone the fact that he made the time to help you out.

“I wouldn’t have ever noticed,” he looks back up at you. “I mean, you’ve always just looked so...confident. I just can’t even begin to imagine what’s that like, every week constantly. I’m so sorry you have to go through that.” you quietly admit.

He shakes his head quickly, putting out a hand almost as if he was trying to stop you.

“No, no, it’s fine. Thank you though, it’s awfully sweet to hear that. Especially from someone like you.” Hader’s eyes filled with such warmth.

Was Hader blushing? Or were you losing it? Probably losing it.

“Oh about that headache, everything okay up in there?” he murmurs, stepping just a tad bit closer to you.

“It’s probably nothing, but I do appreciate the help.” you look back at the door, “We should probably get back? Right? Don’t wanna miss our dress.” you say quickly.

Hader nods within an instant, eyes widening at the realization of how long you two had been gone for. He led you to the door, giving you a quick smile before he ran out, murmuring something about a skit that had something to do with the guest host.

You giggle softly, heaving a contented sigh. It definitely was gonna be a long day, and you could’ve sworn that the temperature had just dropped.

Strange.

-

You couldn’t have stumbled into it until at least one in the morning, but sleep had been desperately calling your name. Oh, how you missed having a regular sleep schedule; it would make mornings less of a struggle.

Except this morning was different, or more so than you were used to. The headache that had arrived less than twenty-four hours earlier was now ten times worse. Your body ached, and you couldn’t decipher if the bed was too hot or too cold.

This was torture, and quite possibly the flu, not to mention, you had the show tonight, shit. You practically sprang upwards before feeling the instant aftermath of that decision settling in. It felt absolutely criminal to leave those sheets as you groaned and grimaced your way towards your kitchen cabinet. Eyes barely opened while you blindly searched for the thermometer you had kept.

One quick temperature check later, you were running a low-grade fever. Shit, shit, shit, shit. I mean, you couldn’t miss the show, right? It just didn’t seem plausible, or maybe it did?

You frantically wondered while your fingers grazed over the Google search bar whether going to work with a low-grade fever would be beneficial?

Every answer didn’t really seem to fit the unrealistic expectations that you had set for yourself. Still, one disgusting shot of Dayquil later, you were out the door.

The day went by in a haze, and the headache never really did seem to falter. It was almost like yesterday in a sense, but seeing Hader waltz into the room made you smile. He smiled back.

Of course, Jenny and Nasim knew something was up; they always did. It wasn’t like Lorne was gonna fire you for missing one show; it was the flu. Except, you had made it this far, how bad could it possibly go?

-

The lights were too bright, far too bright for you to even think properly, and your fever was sure burning up. Or maybe it wasn’t, you always had to ask others around for that sorta assistance. Except, this was the primary night of the week and you weren’t gonna ask a cast member to feel your forehead.

Imagine if Hader did, Y/N, please stop being a dork.

You found solace in a large water bottle, but it didn’t do much to help the way your body ached miserably. You looked like a mess, you felt like a mess, but this was the big leagues.

The last time you had checked, the previous performance of the musical guest had been underway. Which meant you had survived, but the exhaustion that had been ever-growing was begging for you to lay down.

The floor looked so good right now, yeah, just for a hot second, ugh why is everything burning up?

Slowly closing your eyes, you let yourself press up against the wall, except there wasn’t a wall right there, and down you went with a thud.

-

Bill had been anxious all night, of course for the show, but for you in particular. You usually always looked so put-together, but tonight something about you was just off. It was beginning to rub him the wrong way.

“Andy, do you notice anything strange about, um, Y/N over there?” he said, trying to muffle the concerned edge that rested within his voice.

“Y/N? Oh that new cast member you like?” Andy replied without much thought, earning a stern look from Hader.

“She’ll hear you, god man you sure can be loud. Whatever, she just looks kind of off man, I’m a little nervous for her.”

Andy’s gaze softened just a tad until something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye.

“I mean normally I would say that she looks fine and you’re just crushing, but I don’t think that is normal.” Bill’s gaze instantly locked onto the same thing, which was you fainting onto the floor.

His body going rigid before ultimately bolting upright, he wasn’t gonna catch you in time. Still, he definitely was gonna help if he could. Although he most definitely wasn’t the only one, other stray coworkers who happened to be backstage stood, jaws dropped.

There you went, tumbling to the ground, and Bill couldn’t help but feel his heart drop. Maybe that headache was worse than you had let up. He felt guilty for not speaking up sooner, but there was nothing he could do now.

They called a medic on the site, trying to keep it discreet as possible. It was a live show; he didn’t think it would be professional if broadcasted that shit.

He tried to fill in all of the details of how you had been acting the past few hours. It felt like he couldn’t do much to help, but he didn’t wanna leave your sight. It was odd; something about you really drew him in, leaving him reaching for more.

Plus, at this point, the last thing he had to do was go on stage while they rolled the credits. Bill was optimistic that this would count as a good reason.

He watched anxiously while the medic’s placed you upon a stretcher, his feet following without much thought. They wheeled you out to a waiting ambulance; he gulped at the thought of you having to be taken to the hospital.

Surprisingly they allowed him inside the ambulance; he was so convinced he’d be forced to wait until god knows how long. The vehicle provided seats off the side, allowing him to catch his breath and try not to worry about his current state.

That is until he saw you looking back groggily at him; now, this was definitely normal, as the medic had explained. He just didn’t see it coming; you blinked a few times, looking around at your surroundings.

-

“Hey, saw you took a little snooze there.” he teased, his gaze never leaving yours.

The ambulance rattled slightly, and you gasped a little before focusing your attention back onto him.

“Is this an ambulance? What happened?” you sat upright, feeling ten times worse, trying to piece together precisely why you and Bill Hader, of all people, were in the ambulance?

“Y/N, you fainted. The doctor’s said you’re burning up, they’re taking you to the ER.” he explained carefully, as you groaned in frustration.

He cocked his head slightly, clearly not expecting that response.

“About that, yeah I think I have the flu, I had a low-grade fever this morning.” you admitted sheepishly, not even daring to meet his gaze.

“I’m sorry what?” he exclaimed, his eyes as wide as literal saucers. “Lemme get this straight, you went to work, with the flu?” you nodded, and he ran his hands over his face.

“Listen, I didn’t wanna disappoint Lorne. I mean it’s the night of all nights.” the words came out softer than you had intended; Hader practically melted.

“Oh, did you really think that Lorne’s gonna get pissed at you for having the flu? Oh sweetie, you know your health comes first right?” his words falling ever so sweetly off his lips.

You could barely look at the man, let alone control the multitude of butterflies that jolted in your already queasy stomach. Not to mention that he even thought to tag along, you nodded, not saying a word, focusing on his blue eyes like they were a safety net. Until you closed them, letting sleep overtake you.

-

You awoke once more to the sounds of machines beeping, people going from room to room, and an incessant tapping of one’s shoe.

This was most definitely the emergency room, your eyes scanning its surroundings until they landed on one person in particular. He looked exhausted, more so than you did, and you felt awful given the time it was at night. In fact, it was practically morning.

“You’re still here,” he sat upright, rubbing his eyes, “Thanks for sticking it out, Bill.” you tried to give him the most genuine smile you could possibly muster.

“Of course, I mean I overheard the doctor anyway. You’re cleared to go when you wake up, and definitely have to get some rest. I already spoke to Lorne.” you gaped, but he only stood up.

“Bill, what did he say?” you whisper.

“That you should listen to the doctor, and me.” you raised a brow. “Okay maybe he didn’t say me, but you get the point?” he exclaimed as he helped you get out of the bed.

The two of you walking towards the desk in which you had to sign out some papers, the pen unsteadily perched upon your fingers. Bill’s hand holding securely upon your back, in hopes you wouldn’t stumble. In reality, just being near him set your heart aflutter.

“Now I’m taking you home, but first I was thinking I could get you some soup for home. That sound good?” you could only look at the man in pure awe.

“You don’t have to do this Bill, really, I mean you’ve already done enough.” you gulped, only to see the man give you a smirk, his eyes glinting at you mischievously.

“Soup it is.” his hand clamping against yours, he led you out of the hospital and into the cold streets of New York City.

It didn’t take long for the two of you to reach the little soup shop he’d been talking about; it was cozy and apparently open twenty-four seven. Against his offer, you paid for two soups that looked the most delicious and cupped the cups while strolling back to your place.

“How do you think you got the flu?” he asked gently, looking at you with curiosity.

You had to try not to laugh; I mean, at this point, it was your fault, you subjected yourself to the tundra in your bedroom for the past few nights.

“Well, my heater has been broken for the past few nights. I assume that’s how I got it.” a smile aglow upon your face, giggling at Hader’s shocked expression.

“It better be fixed tonight when we get to your apartment complex. That’s ridiculous, Y/N.” you kept giggling, and soon he joined in with that gorgeous laugh of his.

You enjoyed your time with Hader even though internally you felt like shit; he made it so much more bearable. The air was light between the two of you, he made it easy to open up, and you wanted to know so much about him.

God, wait till you let Nasim and Jenny know about this night. They’re so gonna flip; you just knew it. Not to mention, the big looming ‘I told you so’ that was so coming your way.

“This is it.” he came to a halt, admiring the quaint little building that you happened to call home.

“You do know I’m not leaving until that heater is back on, right?” he ordered, but underneath his serious tone, you could see the concern.

“Oh come on Hader, let’s go see.”

The two of you taking the steps at a time, your body wanting to collapse, but you couldn’t let him know. He stood beside you while you inserted your keys into the lock, twisting it, before walking inside.

“What’s that rattling noise?” Hader wondered aloud.

A huge grin meeting your lips, you looked at him in pure delight, and he soon got the memo. His eyes widening before heaving a sigh of relief, only to halt.

“You call me if you need anything okay? Get some sleep, and um, stay warm. That’s an order, you hear me?” you could see his performance wavering as he tried desperately not to laugh.

“Yes, Sir.” you saluted weakly, but he only began to break instantly.

You really did love that laugh.

Thanks, Bill, for everything, really.” you said as he turned to head to the door, stepping up on your toes to give him a quick kiss on the cheek.

His face instantly turned red before trying to compose himself as he walked away. You watched while he left the residence, giving you one last smile.

-

You awoke in a drowsy stupor that next morning to a text message from an unknown number.

Unknown Number: Want me to bring you some coffee and breakfast? - btw, this is Bill. Hope this l wasn’t too creepy. I ain’t no stalker.

Maybe: Bill: ps. How do you like your coffee?

Bill: ps.s yes or no?

You fell back on the bed with such a shit-eating grin, only to groan in response to the mistake you had just made.

You: Yes