#while vi gets. a day chosen for how much it would annoy her. which also only carries significance on like

[mantisgodsdomain]

Emerging briefly from our self-induced solitude (fucking busy and not on tumblr dot com because of it) to announce that we have decided Vi's birthday is August 22nd. This will be relevant for nothing, because our reasoning behind this is basically just a bunch of looking at what the astrology guys are doing and picking the fire sign date that is closest to the end of summer and beginning of autumn, but you can know about it now.

[catboymingi]

knight in shining armour - veninder chap. 1

navi/masterlist

story masterlist

pairing: mingi x reader

genre: crack, angst?? ish??, fluff; eventual best friends to lovers

word count: 6.4k

warnings: language

det har været et problem siden vi blev alene / at din’ veninder, de vil hævne sig - it’s been a problem ever since we were alone / that your girlfriends want to get revenge

if you were honest, you’d never really liked your friends much. maybe that made you sound like an asshole, but they were superficial, rude, and ignored everyone they didn’t deem worthy. the problem was just that they were also in all but two of your courses, so you knew that if you tried to end your friendship you’d have to make it very clear. just ghosting them wouldn’t work. so you just accepted that you were part of their group, and it did have its benefits, as well, it’s not like it was all around awful. you did a lot of fun things together and their popularity had rubbed off on you. you just didn’t like their attitude.

one of the fun things was a party at some rich kid you didn’t even know the name of’s house that weekend, which obviously meant meeting up at least an hour earlier to make sure you all looked as good as possible. you usually didn’t really care, but parties like these were one of the few occasions where you did want to look good. and they always managed to make you look not only good, but amazing. and the moments you spent by yourselves actually were nice more often than not; another thing that made it hard to cut them off.

“i think it won’t get any better than this”, one of them laughed, you others quickly joining in before deciding that it was now time to leave.

//

when you arrived at the party a lot of people were already there, but that only meant more people to turn their heads as you came in. you were secretly convinced that was your friends’ plan for every single party, but you’d be lying if you said you didn’t like the stares you got. but you didn’t need them the way your friends seemed to, so while they were still basking in the attention you decided to just check your phone for a message (not that you were expecting one), in all honesty kind of annoyed how they always made their arrival a show rather than just going in like any normal person would. but they always made up for it by organising you a ride home when you inevitably left earlier than them, knowing that unlike them you couldn’t afford to just take a taxi.

the party proceeded like any other, skipping from room to room, making smalltalk with people you knew none of you would remember the names of the next day. but it was fun, you liked meeting new people, even if it was only a rather short acquaintanceship. but it got more… exciting when one of your friends spotted a group of boys that you all found to be of extreme interest. and before long, the dibs-calling started.

“i want that one!” you took a look to see who had been chosen with such dedication in her voice, and you had to admit she had good taste. of course she did. even from your distance you could see that he was handsome, tall, lean, and his hair was a bright red colour, which made him stand out even more.

“no way! that one’s mine!” the bickering continued, turned into arguing, and you decided that you’d had enough of that party.

“i’m leaving”, you informed them, but they were still arguing, no one paying attention to you as you realised that it was either to stay or to see how you got home by yourself. and you refused to expose yourself to even one more minute of arguing over whose dibs were more important, so you just left without getting so much as a goodbye.

problem was just, you didn’t even know where the party was, in the first place. maps told you the address, but the area didn’t ring any bells at all. so it was to guess and just walk, hoping you’d arrive home before the night was over. stupid as you were you hadn’t even brought your wallet - you usually didn’t need to, so bringing it was more of a risk since someone could steal it than it was of any use. but now you came to regret that decision. you came to regret even going to the party at all in the first place. you knew you were being melodramatic - you knew you very much did have fun until their stupid arguing started -, but it felt like you’d never enjoyed even a single party they’d dragged you to. and now you had to find your way back home, and your phone was at… 13%. fuck. your steps quickened, you knew you had to at least reach an area you knew before your phone died or you’d be screwed. but you gave up that hope when you zoomed out on the map a little, seeing that you were pretty much on the other end of the city.

“fuck! fucking shit hell!” you had no choice but to go back. but you knew you wouldn’t spend the rest of the night with your friends, who with a very high probability were still arguing about how to divide the boys they’d spotted. no way. and that decision was cemented when it started raining and you quickly looked like a mess, trying very hard to avoid being noticed when you slid back into whatever his name was’s house.

“you need a jacket.” step one: failed. but luckily you didn’t know the guy who’d found your sorry excuse of a being, though you faintly remembered that he was part of the group your friends had been gawking at.

“it’s not like it’s gonna help me now”, you replied, voice a little aggressive, but he laughed understandingly.

“fair. so what drove you outside in this weather?”

“for starters, when i was driven outside, the weather had not been any reason for concern yet. i just wanted to take a walk.”

“i get it. you’re here alone?” you nodded, might as well be with how little your friends had been paying attention to you, not even noticing you left at all.

“wanna join us? my friends and me, i mean.”

“why not?” it wasn���t like you had anything to lose, you were stuck here either way and he seemed nice enough. so you followed him, desperately trying to hide just how pathetic you looked, soaking wet and freezing.

“someone didn’t read the weather forecast”, one of the boys said instead of a greeting, though it didn’t seem malicious at all, so you decided to let it slip.

“seems so”, the one who was at fault for you being stared at by six curious pairs of eyes replied, before starting to introduce you. it was first when he tried to tell your name to the others that you both realised you hadn’t actually exchanged names yet.

“y/n.” the boys introduced themselves, a cacophony of names that you already knew you wouldn’t be able to remember the next day.

“you look cold”, another giant said (you knew it wasn’t the same one because this one’s hair wasn’t as bright red as the hair you’d seen earlier), and it seemed like he was genuinely concerned.

“i am. nothing to be done about that, though.” you shrugged, but it seemed like the boys thought differently, shuffling to make room for you between them so that you could sit down, and handing you whatever items of clothing they could spare, which resulted in you being buried underneath a mountain of jackets and sweatshirts they’d worn over their t-shirts.

“should be better now. where’s mingi?”, the one who found you asked, and you first now realised that mister redhead hadn’t been sitting with them when you arrived.

“toilet.” even though you weren’t looking you could tell that whoever spoke was grinning. “had some little girl business to do.”

“hey! i’m a big girl!” you looked up at the unknown voice and saw who you assumed to be mingi pout angrily at the group, though probably at the one who’d decided to call him ‘little girl’. then he realised that there was someone there that he was pretty sure hadn’t been there yet when he’d left for his big girl business.

“who’s that?”

“a sorry excuse of a being that probably stole your seat”, you replied and he grinned at you.

“nice to meet you, sorry excuse of a being. i’m the one who left his seat free to be stolen while i had big girl business to do.” now you were laughing, as were the others.

“y/n.”

“mingi.”

“really, though, this is your seat. sorry”, you said while getting up, trying to keep the way too large amount of donated clothes from dropping to the probably beer-drenched floor.

“you don’t have to get up!”, he tried to convince you, but there was no way you’d have him stand when you were already drenching everyone’s clothes.

“i’m not gonna sit while you’re standing”, you insisted. and after reading in your expression that you were serious, he decided to give in. or so you thought.

“fine.” and he moved to sit where you’d previously been sitting, his ass probably starting to soak up the water you’d left there. definitely soaking up the water, you corrected yourself at his disgusted expression. but he wasn’t going to have you stand, either.

“come here.” patting his lap to let you know where ‘here’ was.

“you know i’m gonna leave you drenched, right?”

“at least people won’t think i pissed my pants when i’m wet all over”, he joked and you couldn’t help but laugh.

“i guess it’s a good deed, then.” and you settled on his lap, feeling the heat that radiated off him (though you weren’t sure if he was actually extraordinarily warm - in your state anything above 5 degrees celsius would’ve felt like a sauna) while he winced at the sudden cold wetness that, as promised - or maybe as threatened -, was now leaving him somewhat soaking as well. his friends laughed at the two of you, but it didn’t seem like mingi took it to heart, even laughing along with them at the predicaments he found himself in. that, however, almost sent you to the beer-drenched floor, and he quickly wrapped his arms around you before you could meet your fate. you’d let out some kind of shriek either way though, convinced that your face would be acquainted with the floor sooner than you’d like it to, and several people near you turned to stare at the sudden noise. among them… your friends. and by the expressions on their faces you could tell the group chat would be heated. but in that moment you didn’t want to care, didn’t have the energy to, so you just pretended you hadn’t seen them.

you spent the night like that, joking with the boys who you found were much better company than the one you usually found yourself in, and they decided to adopt you. or, hongjoong and seonghwa (you were starting to learn their names by how much they shouted at each other in exasperation) had decided that, telling you that you now had, as they called it, ‘six dumbass brothers, congratulations’. then you were forcibly added to a group chat wooyoung had decided to make in that exact moment, called ‘hyung hate club’, his way to get back at the ‘dumbass brothers’ comment. you loved the way they interacted with each other, lots of playful teasing, but no one ever seemed to take it to heart, and they knew not to go too far. maybe that was why you felt comfortable enough to give out your phone number, and why you stayed where you were even though you could feel your friends kill you with their eyes.

you had no idea how long you’d stayed there with them, but it must have been pretty long, seeing how you were somewhat dry again when they told you that they were going to leave now since it was ‘bedtime for the little ones’, which ironically only included people taller than hongjoong.

“but we’ll message you!”, san promised, to which you replied, laughing, that that was the point of a group chat. but this reminded you of the sorry state your phone battery had been in the last time you’d checked, which made you check again. dead. of course. but you didn’t want to ask any of them to somehow get you home - you’d just met them and how were they even supposed to do that, anyway?

they left and you were certain none of them had noticed the way you were looking at your phone, but you were once more surprised by how nice the boys were when you found mingi waiting for you in front of the house.

“you know how to get home?”, he asked, and added as an explanation for his concern: “i saw the way you looked at your phone earlier.”

deciding that there was no use in lying (and also just not wanting to have to figure out how to get home by yourself, without money or a phone to use) you told him that you didn’t.

“where do you live?”

“way too far away”, you whined. “other end of the city.”

“oh.” he looked surprised and apologetic, and you knew right there that he wouldn’t be able to help you. so, wanting to save yourself and him the embarrassment of him having to tell you that you were on your own with that one, you said: “yeah, so i should get going now.”

“mm. or...” he seemed hesitant to finish his sentence and you looked at him questioningly.

“or?”

“i mean. if you’d be comfortable with that, i guess you could sleep at our place? we have a couch and i know the others wouldn’t mind, and you’d be able to charge your phone and you wouldn’t have to go home at night, and it’s much closer, so i thought i’d offer? i don’t know.” he was rambling and you were, in all honesty, quite taken aback, but you weren’t opposed to the idea. especially not when you remembered the other option. so your decision was an easy one.

“sure. thank you.” you sent a grateful smile his way which he reciprocated before he got going, turning around to see if you were coming along.

the first couple hundred metres were spent in silence, in part because you tried very hard to keep yourself from bibbering, and talking wasn’t on your list of priorities. he noticed, though, handing you his jacket without saying anything. was there anything he didn’t notice?

“you’ll be cold”, you protested, but he didn’t care, putting it on your shoulders himself and walking on as if the cold had no effect on him at all. and while you did feel a little guilty about him giving you his jacket you had to admit that it really helped.

the next time either of you spoke again was when he told you that you were almost there. he’d been right, they lived much closer than you, keeping the torturously cold journey shorter than anticipated.

“you can borrow some clothes”, he informed you. “i’ll get them for you as soon as we’re there.” you didn’t protest this time. you assumed that he did in fact have enough clothes to spare one shirt and one pair of pants for the night, and your outfit wasn’t just still damp but also incredibly uncomfortable to sleep in in general.

“thank you.” he turned to smile at you, his eyes turning into little half moons as he did so, and you smiled back. then, maybe a minute later, he stopped in front of a tall apartment building and opened the door through which you quickly slid in, letting out a content sigh when you felt the warmth surrounding you. mingi let out a short laugh at that which earned him a pout from you.

“you try spending an entire night in semi-wet clothes, i bet you’d be happy about the warmth too!” he raised his hands defensively, still laughing, before going over to the elevator and pressing the button to call it down to you. it was already on your floor, though, so you didn’t have to wait, and before long you were in front of his - or rather, their - apartment door.

“i think the others might already be asleep, so we should probably be quiet”, he told you before letting you both in, using his phone flashlight to light the way to his room after you’d taken off your shoes.

“i’ll just get you some clothes, then i’m on the couch”, he explained, but you protested, whispering angrily that no way was he going to sleep on the couch in his home.

“well you’re not going to, either”, he whispered back, “so unless you want to spend the night with my snores disrupting your beauty sleep i’ll be on the couch.”

“you will not sleep on the couch” was all you said to that, and he sighed, defeated, realising that you were at least as stubborn as him.

“i’ll still let you get changed first, though. let me know when you’re done.” you grinned a victorious grin as you took the clothes from him, knowing that you’d won. then, after he’d left the room with his own change of clothes, you quickly got changed, enjoying the way his clothes were big and soft and warm rather than tight and sticky and cold like what you’d been wearing previously.

“you can come in”, you let him know once you were done, head peeking out of his bedroom door as if you were scared to get caught. and he came back into his room smiling, then erupting into laughter he tried to keep quiet as he saw you in his clothes, feet entirely covered by the excess fabric of his pants and hands hidden by the sleeves of his sweater. you looked incredibly tiny and really cute, not at all like the party animal he’d met you as. you just huffed, walking over to the bed and sitting down on it more dramatically than mingi had thought possible for that action to be.

“if you don’t stop laughing i’m throwing this cup at you”, you threatened, pointing to one of the empty mugs on his bedside table. he didn’t entirely stop, but calmed down a little, coming over as well - his old clothes had been discarded on the desk chair, which you could easily tell was the chair, the chair that made a laundry basket unnecessary - and settling next to you.

“wall or room?”, he asked, and it took you a moment to realise what he was talking about.

“wall?” it sounded like a question, even though he had clearly left the choice to you. he moved the blanket to the side in reply, motioning for you to lay down, and you did, him following suit once you seemed comfortable.

“feel free to kick me if i snore”, he told you. “it won’t wake me up, but maybe it helps with your frustration.”

“noted”, you laughed before turning to face the wall.

“goodnight, mingi. and thank you for letting me stay over.”

“no problem. goodnight.” and a comfortable silence settled between you two, the only sounds when either of you shuffled slightly.

“you’re stealing the blanket”, he suddenly complained, and it sounded like that was the only thing still keeping him awake, his deep voice even deeper from how tired he was.

“sorry. i’m still kinda cold. i can sleep on the couch though”, you apologised. he’d been so nice to you, even let you sleep in his bed, and here you were, stealing his blanket.

“mm”, he hummed, but it was more one of acknowledgement rather than one of agreement. then you felt him shuffle behind you and before you knew it he’d wrapped his arm around your waist, pulling you into his chest before letting go for a moment to move the blanket so that it now once more was covering the both of you, at which point he wrapped his arm back around you.

“better?”

this time it was your turn to hum, not really sure what to make of this whole situation. but you were warmer now, you were comfortable, and most of all, you were tired as shit. so you decided that was something for tomorrow you to overthink about, and began drifting off to sleep.

the next morning - or noon, more accurately - came sooner than hoped for, when yunho walked into mingi’s room, waking you up.

“hey, mingi”, he said loudly, trying to wake him up but obviously unaware of the fact that the boy in question wasn’t alone. “i didn’t hear you come home last night, so i wanted to check if you’re alright.” then his eyes fell upon you, whom he had managed to wake up, unlike mingi, who was still clinging on to you, face all but buried in your hair.

“oh, sorry”, he quickly apologised, “i didn’t know he brought you.”

“my phone was empty and i didn’t know how else to get home”, you explained.

“knight in shining armour, huh? usually he’s the damsel in distress.” you both laughed, and you were glad that he didn’t make a big deal out of you having spent the night in mingi’s bed. then he came over, shaking his friend to make him wake up, which, due to the sleepyhead’s arm that was still wrapped around you, had you shaken up just as much.

“mingi, wake up!”, yunho tried again, and you did as well, turning to face the two and gently hitting the boy’s chest. but he was right when he said he probably wouldn’t wake up even if you kicked him; it seemed near impossible to wake him up. so you accepted your fate (which was getting late breakfast with the boys and not having mingi there to answer the awkward ‘but why are you here right now’ questions), removing his arm from your waist and sitting up, ready to get up. but mingi wasn’t as asleep as he seemed, grabbing your wrist and mumbling “just a bit more”.

“get up or stay in bed alone, i’m getting up”, you told him, and finally, finally he opened his eyes, stretching his illegally long limbs before sitting up as well.

“you have to teach me how you did that”, the other boy said with a mix of amusement and respect at your achievement in his voice, which made you laugh loudly.

“he’s not usually that easy to convince?”, you asked.

“you don’t even know. i have to threaten him with a bucket of water at least once a week.”

“that’s because you suck”, was the explanation given, and you had to laugh once more, both at the pout on yunho’s face and how absolutely tired mingi sounded.

“i’ll remember that next time i try to save you some pancakes.”

“i’m sorry!”, the one sitting next to you yelped so loudly that you flinched slightly, but you were smiling. it was incredibly nice to see their mutual teasing, the way they interacted without trying to actually hurt each other.

“just come when you’re done, i think breakfast should be ready”, was all he got for an answer, but both the boys were grinning at each other. then yunho left, and you and mingi were stuck in awkward silence.

“i don’t think you want to put your party clothes back on, but if you’d like to change again i can lend you some more”, he offered after a couple embarrassingly quiet seconds, but you declined - you didn’t want to be even more of a hassle, and you’d only worn these for a few hours in which you didn’t do anything but sleep, so it was fine. actually, you didn’t even want to get breakfast with them, feeling like you’d already taken advantage of their hospitality more than enough. but when you tried to tell him that he quickly shut you down, telling you that he’d not let you leave with an empty stomach, plus you’d both forgotten to charge your phone overnight so that you wouldn’t even know the way. sadly, he had a point.

when you entered the living room after you’d finally put your phone to charge no one seemed particularly surprised to see you there, so you assumed they’d already been informed about the sudden guest. still, they sent what you assumed to be both teasing and curious looks in mingi’s direction, and really, you could understand them. this wasn’t the most common thing to do after having met the night before, but you still felt like there hadn’t really been any other polite option for him, and any other even half as good one for you. so you decided that if they were to say something you’d back him up; you owed him.

and, of course, the dreaded kind of comments came sooner than you’d hoped. you’d just sat down at the table with the others before wooyoung attempted to wiggle his eyebrows at you and asked: “so, you and mingi? kind of disappointed you didn’t choose me”, to which san hit his arm playfully with a fake pout on his face as he told him that he ‘thought we had something special’. you couldn’t help but laugh, even though you were kind of embarrassed anyway. but everyone was incredibly nice as you ate, and you soon noticed that their teasing was always playful, never crossing over into genuinely harmful territory, and that it never was about looks or other things that one’s control over was limited if not nonexistent. it was so different from what you were used to, but you liked this way of interacting much better. everyone had fun, not just the one making the joke, and no one got hurt.

after what mingi had labelled brunch because ‘it sounds better than breakfast at 2pm’ you insisted on helping with doing the dishes, which seonghwa appreciated.

“finally someone with manners”, which was very obviously a jab at his friend group who did not seem eager at all to help. then he left to the kitchen, you following suit, both of you carrying the plates that had been used. you started doing the dishes in silence, seonghwa cleaning them and you drying them and building a small plate tower because you didn’t know where to put them and it’d be easier to just put them all away at once. it was a comfortable silence though, being silent because there was nothing to be said, not because you didn’t dare to say anything.

when you returned to the living room you informed everyone that you were heading off now, and asked mingi where to put his clothes after you got changed.

“just keep them on”, he told you, “i’m sure this wasn’t the last time we ever saw each other, and i’m not that desperate.” you nodded, secretly glad you didn’t have to make your way back in your party outfit - it really wasn’t the warmest or most comfortable when you had to walk at least one hour home. then he followed you to his room where you grabbed your phone first thing, turning it on and checking the notifications for how much trouble you were in. based on the number of notifications and missed calls, and the fact that several of your friends had messaged not only the group chat, but also you individually, you were in a lot of trouble. and even more so when you accidentally clicked on a notification, which meant now the messages were marked as read. as if they’d been waiting for that, your phone started ringing maybe 10 seconds later, and you knew that not picking up would only make it worse. so you motioned at mingi, letting him know that you had to pick up.

“yeah?”

“where the fuck have you been!”, came yelling from the other end.

“my phone was dead, and i didn’t have a chance to charge it.”

“why not? why wouldn’t you be able to charge your phone?!” now you knew you were in deep trouble. there was no good excuse for that that didn’t require you to give away that you hadn’t spent the night at your place.

“i wasn’t home.” you decided to just deal with the worst now so it was over, at least.

“and where were you?”

“kind of had a sleepover.” you could see the boy grin at that, but you didn’t feel like laughing at all.

“sleepover, uh huh. just say you fucked one of the guys and go.”

“i didn’t.”

“oh come on, y/n, we all saw you on that dude’s lap. don’t play innocent.” this made you angry, because you’d never lied to your friends before, and you weren’t lying now, either. plus, even if you had slept with any of them, it wouldn’t have been a reason to get angry like this.

“i didn’t fuck anyone and have no intention of doing so, thank you very much”, you snapped, louder than you’d intentioned to be. then you hung up, not wanting to deal with this when you still had to figure out how you’d get home without having to ruin your feet, because of course you hadn’t worn functional shoes when you left last night. and now you had something else to deal with as well, you noticed when you looked away from your phone and over to your sleepover companion, who looked quite surprised by your outburst.

“sorry”, you apologised. “i’ll go now.” and you grabbed your clothes from the floor, making your way through the living room to the door, where you grabbed your shoes with your free hand (you’d decided walking barefoot was probably still better for your feet than wearing your monster heels) and turned around to the boys who, by the looks of it, had heard your declaration of having remained celibate as well.

“thank you for letting me stay here, but i’ll leave now”, you informed them as well, leaving the door before any of them had regained enough composure to reply.

to your dismay, however, the elevator took a while to reach your floor, and in the time you spent waiting for the doors to open mingi had caught up with you.

“what?”, you asked, confusion and upset - though that wasn’t directed at him - apparent in your voice.

“doesn’t look like you’re fit to go home like that.” he motioned to your shoes in your hand, then to your bare feet.

“and what do you intend to do about that?” you felt bad for snapping, but you were just really frustrated at everything and everyone right now, and he was the only one there to deal with it. but he didn’t seem to get angry, instead grinning at you before informing you that he intended to bring you home while you entered the elevator.

“i’ll carry you if i have to. but i won’t have to because there’s a train station nearby.”

“i didn’t bring my wallet”, you let him know, disappointed at the fact that you wouldn’t be able to take the train which would without doubt be much more comfortable.

“my treat.” he was still grinning, and you couldn’t help but smile back. he was saving your ass for the second time in less than 24 hours. you really owed him.

“thank you”, you replied, and he could tell you were less tense and upset now, which already felt like an achievement to him.

“i’m still not letting you walk around barefoot, though”, he informed you before swiftly picking you up, causing you to almost drop everything as he started honeymoon carrying you.

“let me down!”, you protested, but you were laughing so he knew he’d still make it home alive if he didn’t. and he knew that the risk of you stepping into glass was just too high, so he kept carrying you until you reached the train station where he bought you your ticket. he surprised you, however, when he entered your train with you.

“i got a monthly pass”, he grinned at you as he saw your questioning expression. that didn’t explain why he joined you, but you decided to just leave it be for now, tensing up again as you felt your phone vibrate repeatedly. he heard as well, unsure if he should ask about the call from earlier or not, but decided to go with it.

“what was up earlier? you know, in my room.” yeah, you knew. sadly. you sighed loudly before unlocking your phone, checking the message preview to see if your suspicions about its content were confirmed. and of course they were, the latest message reading ‘whats up? ashamed abt the gang bang?’, so you showed mingi rather than explaining. his eyes widened at that, having noticed that the contact name was ‘model contract when???’, so the person was probably a friend of yours, but the way they talked to you didn’t seem like it at all.

“what the fuck?” he couldn’t stop himself, but he also couldn’t even imagine his friends ever talking to him that way, no matter what he did. and he could vouch for the fact that you hadn’t done anything to warrant being talked to like that, if there even was a reason to talk like that ever. you didn’t seem upset at his reaction though, letting out a dry chuckle because you knew this was not the way to talk to anyone at all, but you couldn’t change it. and you’d known your friends talked like that when they were upset, you’d just never given them a reason to talk to you that way yet, so it was more that it was a new thing for them to act like this towards you rather than that it was shocking you in general.

“it’s not a big deal”, you shrugged, “i think i’ll just avoid parties for a little and then they’ll calm down.”

“hm.” he didn’t seem convinced, but he knew it wasn’t his place to speak. “how about pyjama parties though, are those banned as well?”, he then asked at an attempt to lighten up the mood.

“hm?” you didn’t yet understand what he was trying to ask, but were a little curious nonetheless.

“if we invited you for a pyjama party, would you come?”

you looked over at him and he seemed genuinely excited at the prospect of a pyjama party, beaming at you, and while you’d noticed before that he was objectively handsome you now noticed that he had an individual, kind of unusual charm to him as well, being surprisingly cute for his height. and while you weren’t usually very affected by handsome men his adorable behaviour made you want to say yes. and before you could stop yourself, that ’yes’ had slipped. it was worth it, though, because he looked so happy at your reply that you half expected him to get up and jump up and down like a child. but instead he grabbed his phone, fingers moving quickly as he typed up his message.

just a few seconds later your phone buzzed again, causing you to flinch, but he smiled at you and told you it was just him. and while you weren’t sure how he had your number you decided to check either way, the notification on your phone reminding you that ‘hyung hate club’ existed, which was also how he had your number. of course wooyoung had added all of them, you’d quite honestly just forgotten about the group chat entirely. but here it was, being filled with enthusiastic replies to whatever mingi had sent, the others’ messages being so many that the original one was no longer visible even in the extended preview. so you clicked on the chat, curious to see just what had caused them to act like this.

the message in question was ‘pyjama party this weekend n y/ns coming’, and you couldn’t help but grin at how a simple pyjama party had made them so excited. you found yourself comparing them to your regular friends and found that the more you saw of how their friendship worked, the less you liked yours. but it seemed like they were genuinely adopting you and letting you be part of their group, and that made you weirdly happy, considering how little you actually knew them - but they’d made you feel more welcome than your friends ever had. so, while you’d dread it if your friends invited you to another party, you actually found yourself a little excited about the one mingi had just invited you to.

you reached your stop shortly after, and even though you insisted you’d be fine the boy joined you, picking you up again as soon as you left the train station, but this time he gave you a piggyback ride, asking you for directions and carrying you all the way home. it wasn’t awfully far, but you still appreciated the gesture, very aware of the fact that this was definitely the better option for your feet.

he let you down once you reached your dorm, and first then did it occur to him to ask where you even studied. you told him and his eyes widened slightly before he beamed at you again, letting you know that they were all studying there as well (which wasn’t that surprising, really, it was the biggest uni in city) and that you were now legally obligated to sit with them during lunch. when you tried to protest he cut you off, reminding you that you owed him, to which you could only nod with a defeated sigh, but you were smiling as well.

“see you at lunch then!”, he beamed at you, making sure you had your keys and wouldn’t be left locked out before leaving with a wave.

“see you”, you smiled back, waving after him with your shoes still in hand before you finally entered your home, and even though you had slept quite well that night you wanted nothing more than to nap. so you dropped everything to the floor and put your still frequently buzzing phone on silent before moving into bed, falling asleep almost immediately.

[dareinfernum2]

･ﾟﾟ･｡ ( ester exposito, cis female, she/her ) — 𝒉𝒐𝒈𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒘𝒆𝒍𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒉𝒐𝒎𝒆 ALECTO CARROW, the NINTH year SLYTHERIN student ! i hear that the NINETEEN year old is known to be BEGUILING and AMBITIOUS and also very SADISTIC and DUPLICITOUS. however, if you ask me, the fact that they are a PUREBLOOD and leaning towards the side of the DEATH EATERS is a lot more telling.

disclaimer: names & details may change slightly but the end product remains the same so here we go. also the headcanons are all included from my application.

links.

biography.

statistics.

connections.

pinterest.

recap.

alecto was born and raised with the purpose to continue pure bloodlines. her childhood was filled with the finer things in life; galas, dinners and not to mention the never ending etiquette and dance lessons. she was taught to be attentive and intelligent enough, but not to show off.

it really hasn’t worked out for her parents the way they had planned. not because alecto doesn’t care about bloodlines. but, because she hates playing dumb for the benefit of someone else’s ego.

to top it off she thinks there are other ways, better ways, for her to ensure bloodlines in the wizarding community remain pure that don’t involve becoming a housewife and popping out children for a husband decided for her.

alecto has had a fascination with fire since she was eight years old and accidentally, somewhat on purpose, set her mother’s greenhouse on fire because she was told she was no longer allowed in there.

it extends further, and she wants to work with dragons.

personality wise alecto is pretty cold. she prefers solitude and her cat over rambunctious parties. but at the same time she is also very caring in a more gentle and intimate setting. she cares for a few and when she does her care goes deep.

she is unpredictable and chaotic, keen to set things on fire when distressed or upset about something, throwing things around and breaking whatever she can get her hands on when she falls into her fits of rage.

so while she seems calm and almost apathetic a lot of the time it is preferable to the opposite, because no matter what when alecto shows any feeling it is extreme.

alecto does not have the dark mark, yet, she is intrigued by it though and could very easily be convinced to get it now rather than wait longer.

connections.

just suggestions and highly wanted, all come from the connections page linked earlier in the post.

betrothal ;; her parents tried once before with a poor fellow from france. this time they've looked closer to home in hopes that alecto won't find a way to chase them off; they're betting on their own social circles to be enough to control her. 

best friends ;; a partner in crime, the ying to the yang. the pair or more that are typically attached by the hip, consult each other, and couldn’t live without one another.

childhood friends ;; friends since the diaper days, could be a brother/sister or sister/sister type connection. may or may not still be friends.

frenemies ;; they’re nice to each others faces and act like friends but are constantly talking badly about each other.

friends with benefits ;; friends who hook up and either have or haven’t blurred the lines between the physical and emotional connection.

on again, off again ;; (ariana’s voice) make up, break up, total waste of time. this is basically a couple that you’d get whiplash from on whether or not they are together.

exes with lingering feelings ;; exes that broke up but still have feelings towards each other and can’t help but feel jealous/hurt seeing the other with someone else.

headcanons.

i. theodosia carrow - cat.

at sixteen years of age alecto walked through diagon alley a young woman on a mission. it was no mission most other people would not have found it as important as she did. but alecto carrow was about to buy her first cat, the first pet belonging to only her and not in any way any other family member. this wasn’t the owl bringing their mail she affectionately fed treats at the kitchen table only to get a light nip in return.

walking into the store alecto looked around at the cats, a small bengal kitten perking up at the sight of her, curious eyes staring into her own bringing a smile to her lips. after that there was no question about who was coming home with her, and moments later alecto carried the kitten in her arms as she made her way home.

alecto named the cat theodosia and since she came home with her they have barely been separated. the feline has chosen alecto over anyone else, often climbing up on her shoulders to wrap around her, purring softly in the crook of her neck as alecto reads in the common room. when alecto is distressed theo curls into her, meowing and pawing at the teenager to get her attention, refusing to stop fussing until she can feel alecto calm.

ii. herbology.

ever since she was a little girl life and death has intrigued alecto. she looks at the flowers blooming in spring before slowly decaying as the cold comes during the autumn months. when she was young she spent countless hours in the gardens around the carrow manor, she planted seeds of flowers and made sure they got attention, they got water and sunshine. alecto learned about life and death from plants, she learned how she had the power to keep them alive, but also how some of them had the power to take hers. she found beauty in all of it, and it’s been close to her heart ever since. even when she started school and it became about books and essays rather than lying in the gardens at the manor.

iii. fire.

if you play with fire you’ll get burned. alecto knows this, in part because she has literally played with fire and gotten herself burned more times than she can count on two hands before the age of thirteen. but, she understands it metaphorically as well. alecto understands that when people say fire they are referring to a chaotic event capable of ruining something good happening to people, something of your doing which can turn the world upside down.

alecto has always liked chaos. she has liked turning the world upside down. but more than anything she has liked fire. it’s been made obvious since she was eight and set her mother’s greenhouses on fire after the woman told her she was no longer allowed in them. in a fit of white hot fury alecto lost control of her magic and before she could react the buildings were in flames. instead of screaming alecto had smiled, she stood serenely watching the flames with a calm smile on her lips as if she was just watching a sunrise.

since then that’s the way it’s been, fire calms her. watching the flames dance and the smoke billow, watching how it can transform almost everything to ashes, she loves it.

iv. althea carrow - mother.

like any teenage girl alecto has had her fights with her mother. they have fought since she was a child. they have fought about alecto’s attitude, how she came home with ripped clothes and dirty elbows, how she didn’t speak to her elders with enough respect, how she didn’t speak to her peers with enough respect. then there was the potential fiancé from france, she definitely got in a fight with her mother about how she spoke to him. the fight they had after alecto scared him off is the angriest she has ever seen her mother.

but they love each other all the same. at least alecto knows she loves althea, at times she is unsure whether or not her mother actually returns the sentiment. it was her mother who introduced her to the art of herbology, her mother who taught her which fork to use at the dinner table, who reminded her of her posture, who protected her when she had a bad dream and checked for monsters inside her closet.

so yeah, over the years they have fought and when they do it is explosive. but alecto loves her mother. it is that love which has caused her to rebel so many times because, when alecto got older her mum stopped checking for monsters and stopped reading to her. the one thing that didn’t stop was pointing out her flaws so alecto makes sure her mother sees how flawed she is, that way she doesn’t loose her completely.

v. father - nicolas carrow.

when alecto was a little girl she had a tradition with her dad. while he was reading the newspaper she would sit underneath the table and once he had finished one section he would hand it to her, she would read it and fold it together before her gave her the next. it was their thing. she was his daughter and they read together every morning. until they didn’t.

alecto couldn’t understand when her dad suddenly appeared to stop caring about her. nicolas carrow didn’t look at her the way he once had, when she was six and came home with scraped knees crying he comforted her. when she was twelve he didn’t look her way beyond a disdainful glare. she was a disappointment and alecto could not even tell when it had changed, when she had started to do things all wrong in her father’s eye.

what she knows now is that she isn’t doing anything wrong. she is doing things her own way and her way isn’t compatible with the way her father wants for her. he wants her to marry, to have children, to carry on a pureblood legacy. alecto wants more than that and it’s not something her dad can come to terms with.

vi. amycus carrow - brother.

there is no one else in the world alecto thinks could ever really stand her the way amycus does. she knows she is a lot. she knows her mood swings from serene and smiling to hurricane like destruction is exhausting. she knows that her constant need to be right is annoying. she knows that it is too much when she tries to decide everything about everyone all the time. but those are things which makes alecto who she is and without her brother she knows she would be so much worse.

to alecto her brother is less of a sibling and more of an extension of herself. he knows her secrets and her flaws, he is her strengths and the sides of her that she actually likes. while alecto always wears her heart on her sleeve, she truly is terrible at hiding them, it is her brother who she actually opens her heart up to. amycus knows her and she loves him, throughout her entire life of protecting each other the only thing that has made sense is knowing they’re in it all together.

alecto looks at her brother and sees hope. she sees her ability to love and can be surprised that is even a possibility. she didn’t think she would be able to love someone like that. but, she looks at him and knows she is not a lost cause. she is not all destructive chaos, she is a person capable of opening up her heart if only to the right people and maybe someday that capability will let her fall in love as well. one thing alecto knows is if she ever does fall in love it will be because her brother taught her she is worth it.

vii. thestrals.

when alecto was thirteen years old she walked into the forbidden forest and stumbled upon a clearing. she had been upset. it was the anniversary of her grandmother’s death and she needed to get away from everyone, including her brother. so she ran, ran into the forest and hoped no one had seen her and was off to tell on her to one of the professors. they didn’t find her but she found the clearing and the winged, black, skeletal horse creatures standing there with understanding in their eyes.

her heart was captured the moment she saw them. alecto saw a beauty in their cold and harsh appearance. she saw the softness in how one of the younger ones bumped into her playfully with their head and kept doing so until she was laughing. they cheered her up and then hours later when she got back to the castle she went to the library and found out just what the creatures were - thestrals.

since that day the clearing in the forest is one of her safe spaces. when alecto needs a break she’ll go there, she’ll bring apples for the creatures and she will sit, watching them live their lives and it helps her ground herself in her own life.

viii. the future.

the future quite honestly terrifies alecto more than anything else in the world. her future has been decided for her since the day she was born. she is meant to learn how to dance and play the piano, and speak eloquently and stand up straight, know which fork to use at what point during a dinner, to take care of a home, to have children. she is meant to be the perfect wife. but since she was a little girl alecto has known that what she is meant to be and what she wants to be, have never been the same things.¨

alecto wants to go to mainland europe, or north america, she wants to work with dragons. she has read about the dragon sanctuaries, where they look after the creatures and rehabilitates them when they have been harmed by other witches and wizards. that’s what she wants to do. she wants to help these creatures that have been hurt and care for them.

[imagine-loki]

Monsters and Magic

TITLE: Monsters and Magic CHAPTER NO./ONE SHOT: 37/? AUTHOR: nekoamamori ORIGINAL IMAGINE: Imagine you’re a vampire who helps the Avengers defeat an evil seethe of other vampires, and Loki befriends you after you end up in their custody RATING: T (so far) NOTES/WARNINGS: Also on AO3 click here

    Loki’s laughter subsided as he, Thor, and Frigga rode their elevator down to the lobby. “It seems your friends care for your lady as much as you do,” Frigga told Loki warmly. She enjoyed seeing the interactions between the team and her sons.

    Loki nodded and gathered his words before he spoke “The Sergeant and my lady were trapped together in the Hydra facility, the place Father’s ravens helped us rescue her from. They managed to form a very strong bond there while they helped each other survive. The others have taken a liking to her because she is a giant ball of sunshine that seems to always brighten everyone’s day,” he told her, a fond warm smile on his face.

   ��Frigga gave him a knowing look. “And you are not jealous of this Sergeant? The man with the metal arm who was carrying your lady to bed?” she asked a bit incredulously. Loki was jealous and possessive, protective of what and who he cherished.

    Loki chuckled. “Not at all. He has made it very clear that he has no intentions or desires for my love. He is one of the few Midgardians I trust with her safety and well-being,” he told Frigga, which was impressive to say the least. Loki didn’t trust easily.

    “Our friends have all adopted Lady Y/N as a little sister. Except for Stark, of course,” Thor added helpfully, or so he thought.

    Loki nodded. “The relationship between Stark and my lady is very special. They apparently knew each other before she was even turned from Midgardian into a vampire,” Loki.

    “They did?” Frigga asked, interested. She wanted to know everything she could about the team and your relationships. She really wanted to know more about you, too, curious about the woman her beloved Loki had chosen to court.

    Loki smiled warmly. “You witnessed her intellect firsthand on Asgard, as well as her insatiable desire to help everyone around her in any way she can. I do not claim to understand the details, but Stark presented her with a large sum of money to allow her to go to a prestigious school, which she attended at a much younger age than almost all Midgardians,” he said proudly. He loved bragging about your accomplishments.

    “That seems awfully generous of a stranger,” Frigga commented, wondering at the strange behavior of Midgardians, but she shook it off as the norm. “Well, your lady is more intelligent than nearly anyone I’ve ever met. She may even give youa run for your money,” she teased Loki who just inclined his head. He wouldn’t deny your intelligence and would defend your good traits to his dying breath. Though in the same breath he’d sigh in exasperation over something you did…

    *

    When the three made it back to the tower after their adventures in Midgard, they found you and Bucky on the couch in the living room together playing Mario Kart. It was one of the usual games around the tower, since everyone seemed to enjoy it.

    Loki came over when they returned and kissed the top of your head. “Having fun, darling?” he asked you warmly, glad to see you enjoying an activity that kept you relatively relaxing and healing.

    You paused the game and grinned up at him. “Lots,” you told him warmly. “He’s much better at this than chess,” you stuck your tongue out at Bucky, teasing him.

    Bucky glared at you. “I believe he is better at anything besides chess,” Loki teased with a laugh, earning a glare from Bucky for himself.

    “He won’t play chess with me anymore,” you pouted at Loki while Bucky just glared harder at you, though was unwilling to do anything rude in front of Frigga. Frigga was laughing, enjoying seeing her son have friends. “Did you three have fun?” you asked them.

    “I believe we did. Mother?” Loki asked, and you saw the hope that the entertainments they had chosen had pleased her.

    “Spending time with my sons is always enjoyable,” she replied warmly as you finally got off the couch to hug your Loki. He wrapped his arms around you automatically and kissed the top of your head. “It was very interesting to see the animals of Midgard and the evidence of Midgardian history,” she added and the three told you about their trip to the zoo and museum.

    Loki kissed the top of your head. “Did you get any rest while we were gone, sweetheart?” he asked you after they’d told you about their day.

    You rolled your eyes in exasperation at your overprotective love. “Yes, Bucky made me rest after breakfast. And I ate something, with Bucky watching to make sure I ate something, and then took a nap this afternoon. I’ve only been up for, like, an hour,” you told Loki quickly, whining about having Bucky sicced on you to make sure you drank blood. “I got us reservations at The Precinct, it’s a fancy restaurant, you’ll love it,” you reassured Loki quickly. “And I’ll drive,” you added quickly. Thor wasn’t allowed and while Loki could he really preferred not to.

    “That sounds perfect, darling,” Loki told you warmly.

    You stood up on your toes to kiss his cheek. “Then I’m going to go get dressed in something more appropriate for dinner than my pajamas,” you added a bit sheepishly. You hadn’t bothered dressing properly when you weren’t leaving the tower. You turned your attention to Frigga. “If you’d like to freshen up before dinner, there’s a guest room set up for you on the same floor as Loki’s,” you explained, not advertising the fact that your room was on the same floor. You had helped Tony decorate the room for the queen and it was beautiful and plushly decorated.

    “I can show you to your room is if you wish, Mother,” Loki jumped to offer. You smiled at your adorable mama’s boy.

    “That would be appreciated,” Frigga replied and took Loki’s arm while Thor plopped ungracefully down on the couch to pick up your abandoned controller to continue the game of Mario Kart. Loki offered you his other arm, which you immediately took and the three of you headed upstairs. You dropped Loki’s arm when you reached your room and kissed his cheek.

    “My room is here,” you said for Frigga’s benefit. “The guest room is that one,” you pointed to the room on the other side of Loki’s, unsure if Loki had noticed which room was being decorated for Frigga.

    Loki kissed your cheek. “I will be in my room when you are ready,” he told you and proceeded to walk Frigga to the guest suite that was set aside for her. You ducked into your room and actually put on a dress for the occasion. And heels.

    You slipped across the hall when you were dressed and ready, not bothering to knock. You did, however, wisely announce your presence. Daggers tended to come flying if you didn’t. “Hey Looks,” you told him brightly as you slipped into the room.

    Loki looked up from the book he was reading. “You look beautiful, darling,”

    You gave him a warm smile for the compliment. “Thank you, Loki,” you told him warmly. He stood to give you a kiss.

    Quite a few kisses and Frigga knocking on Loki’s door later, you headed down to the common room to find Thor and head to dinner. Thor was in the common room waiting for you, wearing a suit and looking like Clint had forced him into said suit. He didn’t look particularly happy about it either. Frigga told both of her sons how wonderful they looked in Midgardian attire.

    Loki in particular preened under his mother’s praise. He escorted you to the car while Thor escorted Frigga, though he groaned and huffed about having to dress up just for dinner. You summoned your keys and Loki walked you to the driver’s side of your usual borrow car of Stark’s. “Before you argue, Thor, your Mother gets shotgun,” you reminded Thor firmly of the rules of shotgun. Mothers always won. No matter what. Loki only let you drive because you were more experience at it than he was. Thor huffed that he knew how shotgun worked and held the passenger’s door open for Frigga while Loki held your door open for you. Frigga raised polite boys.

    After the boys were seated in the back, you carefully drove them to the fancy restaurant. Frigga looked impressed the entire way. The car impressed her as it was nothing like the flying boats of Asgard, and was faster than traveling by horse.

    When you parked at the restaurant, Loki and Thor moved at the same time to open your car door and Frigga’s, and Loki offered you his hand gracefully to help you from the car. You took his hand with a bright smile and stepped out of the car. You leaned up to kiss his cheek, the distance shorter than usual due to the fact you were wearing heels. The four of you walked into the restaurant. You took the lead here to interact with the humans. “Hello, we have a table for four under Tony Stark,” you greeted the host politely. He looked incredulous until he recognized Thor and Loki and realized that Stark must have just called in the reservation for your strange group. You were led to your table and the boys pulled out your chairs and seated you before they sat themselves. Loki kissed your cheek as he seated you.

    You smiled and thanked him and opened your menu. “Ignore the prices,” you told them all. “Stark’s paying,” you added with a smirk at Loki.

    “Well, in that case…” Loki started to look for the most expensive thing on the menu, just to annoy Stark. You had to reassure Frigga that you meant what you said and reassured her that he was as rich as royalty and wished for Frigga’s visit to be pleasant.

    “And he’s just glad you’re getting me out of the tower. He has a soft spot for me for some reason,” you added as you browsed the menu for something that sounded good instead of the most expensive thing.

    “So, what adventures do you three get up to on Midgard?” Frigga asked after the orders were taken while you were waiting for your meals to arrive. She knew her sons well and knew they were always up to something.

    “Mostly missions, helping the team fighting villains and monsters and defending Midgard. I have also been teaching my lady more magic since she knows so little,” Loki explained what they were up to in a way that would be satisfactory to his mother.

    “There are things your lady does not already know?” Frigga teased kindly, making you all laugh. “I’m sure you are a wonderful teacher, darling,” she told Loki warmly once the laughter died down. Thor told her about some of their adventures as well. You explained overly modestly about how you didn’t go out on missions with the team, but worked in the lab helping the team out a little with their equipment. Loki rolled his eyes and insisted that you were being too modest and explained what you did with pride.

    “Stark is going to kill you,” you giggled at Loki when your food arrived. He’d ordered so much of the most expensive things on the menu. You burst into more giggles as you took a picture for evidence later when Stark demanded why dinner was so expensive.

    He chuckled. “Well, I might as well enjoy it now,” he told you brightly and began to eat his giant meal with glee and enthusiasm. You laughed even harder and Thor smiled, seeming to appreciate that you appeared truly happy for the first time since they brought you home from Asgard.

    As per usual you had to order all of the desserts because it was mandatory to try them all, especially when you were in the presence of a sweets-loving trickster god. You nearly blew a gasket at the bill when it came. “I take no responsibility for this,” you informed Loki as you handed over Stark’s credit card. Loki just laughed in reply.

    *

    At dawn the next morning, Thor bangs loudly on the door to your room where you and Loki were currently sleeping. “Brother! Get up!” he announced as he barged in. “Mother is leaving soon and you need to come say goodbye.”

    Loki jumped up from the bed and rushed to the door. “Mother is leaving already?” he demanded sad and worried over why her visit was so short.

    “Father is as overprotective as you are and would only allow her to stay off-world without a full escort for a day, at least this time,” Thor explained as you groggily got to your feet too. You’d all been up late telling stories with Frigga last night.

    Loki growled under his breath at the Allfather’s antics but he moved and wrapped an arm around you to help keep you on your feet.

    “I’m ok,” you insisted as convincingly as you could.

    “I would believe that if you could stand on your own,” he told you dryly

    “I can~” you protested, huffing at him. You weren’t thatweak.

    “Of course you can,” he told you dryly with a sigh of exasperation and kept his arm firmly around you as the three of you headed down to the dining room where Frigga was having breakfast with the team. Clint had made French Toast for her. It was another of Loki’s favorites. When they arrived, Frigga was just finishing her breakfast and praising Clint on his skills, making him blush.

    Frigga stood and touched Loki’s cheek. “I’m sorry I cant stay longer. You know how your father is…” she tells him, truly sad that this was such a short visit, but Odin already hated that she had come to Midgard without him.

    Loki gave her a fond warm smile. “I understand, mother. Though it is sad to see you return home after such a short visit,”

    “He worries, darling, as would you if your lady were to leave the realm without you as escort,” she reminded him. He nodded sadly, but knew there was no choice. You said goodbye to Frigga before she and her boys headed downstairs. It was after sunrise and you were safer inside the tower. She kissed your cheek before she went with her sons.

    Before Thor called the Bifrost, Frigga pulled Loki aside to have a quiet word with him. She turned so Thor wouldn’t read her lips to see what they were discussing and her words were quiet enough that Loki had to concentrate in order to hear her. “I may have found something that will help or potentially cure your lady of her affliction”

[mechaspirit]

Sanctuary

Author’s note: This is the idea I have for a while, and it involves three drabbles from three different books, but the theme is the same. Consider this as an early Valentine gift for you guys.

And by the way, in the It Lives in the Woods drabble, MC allow Noah to sacrifice himself to Mr. Red, which is a contrast to the other fanfic I’ve recently written. Hope you enjoy

Disclaimer: Definitely do not own any of the Choices books down below. Those are rightfully owned by Pixelberry.

Rated: T

List of Choices books appeared in this order: The Royal Romance, It Lives in the Woods, and Endless Summer.

Pairings: MCxLiam, MCxAndy, MCxJake

Summary: Everyone has their own sanctuary. Whether it’s at a certain place, or through the people they care about. In the end, we sought our own sanctuary in times of trouble...

“Finding a sanctuary, a place apart from time, is not so different from finding a faith.”

― Pico Iyer

In the World of Modern Royalty

Night has fallen at the garden of Cordonia, and many people who had come for drinks, singing, and/or dancing had. But few others had chosen to stay behind, wanting to enjoy this wonderful even a bit longer before the next, important event comes up for the kingdom.

Liam never thought he would feel this happy again. After the scandal that force to tear him and Riley apart and making him choose Madeleine as a future queen and wife, the king intolerably had to go through with balancing his duties and wedding plans (that actually sounds worse than execution) while trying to find evidence to clear Riley’s name. Lucky for her, Liam sent their friends out to help her out, and they accepted the tasks without any hesitation.

It was painful to deal with because they have to be separated from each other at arm's length as much as possible. Riley was pretty much one of the few people who made Liam really happy, and he couldn’t stand the thought of not being able to be near her. Or worse, not being able to see her again…ever. Regard it was a necessary move since their affairs could cause even more agitation in public for both of them. Plus, Riley never wanted to put herself between anyone’s relationship, even if that kind of relationship was meant to be a political rather than a romantic one. One of the reasons why Liam loves her so much since the former waitress has a strong sense of morality and determination.

But that was over now. Liam broke off the engagement to Madeleine. Riley’s name was cleared and happily accepted the proposal from the king at the Statue of Liberty, making them officially engaged. This was one of the best moments in Liam’s life. Sometimes, he thought to himself that it was too good to be true and the whole thing was a dream, but it wasn’t. He’d finally get to be with someone he knows who is the one for him and they will forever cherish that moment, no matter what.

Soon, the party winded down and while every else took the exit out of the garden, the newly engaged couple stay behind for a tender moment. They held on to each other in an embrace, foreheads touching each other, leaning for a kiss goodnight before parting ways again. Liam knew that Riley had always been his light. He didn’t think he told her yet, but she’s was his sanctuary.

In the World of the Cursed Woods

Andy knew without the doubt the Vivian is the strongest and the bravest person in the group, even more so than him and Ava combined. However, he also knew that even the strongest person has a breaking point.

They leaned on to her whenever things get rough at school and surviving the hell load of chaos Mr. Red created for them. Yet, Vivian rarely relies on them and can be reckless sometimes, such as the time when she went to the woods to confront Mr. Red alone and made everything worse. This proved that pulling a dangerous stunt like that can be too much for one person.

Maybe that was one of the reasons why she became cold and distant after another tragic incident with the shadow demon…

The gang found out from Vivian what happened to Noah that day, and they could see her dark eyes full of regret. Despite their reassurance, she blamed herself for letting Noah sacrificing himself to set his sister free and wished it could’ve been her. Maybe what he did to them was unforgivable, but at least he was willing to do something right at the end for everyone.

PTSD had already hit Vivian, just like how it hit Dan. Perhaps it was the dying part that caused the heroine to crack. She couldn’t handle the fact that she lost someone else after Jane died. There were too many “what if’s” and “it could’ve been me” during the time she pushed her friends away once again.

Andy couldn’t stand the fact that his girlfriend would reconsider dying and taking the traitor’s place just to save all of them. The argument was set between them, with Andy pointing out that the latter would be breaking his heart and everyone else’s by leaving them behind while Vivian retorted that none of them understood what’s it like to see someone choosing to die right in front of them. It was until then that Andy had to remind himself that Vivian is still suffering from the trauma. They all are. And what she really needed was a shoulder to lean on, not any more fighting. They dealt with too much of that already in the past.

They both managed to talk things out again before sitting down on the floor against the side of Andy’s bed from exhaustion. Vivian gently rested her head against his shoulder before finally speaking out again.

“I’m sorry.”

“Me too, Vi,” Andy replied softly before giving her a gentle kiss on her forehead, “Don’t worry. We’ll get through this. I’m not going to give up on you, no matter what.”

Because he’ll be damned if he did, especially on the person who is actually his sanctuary.

In the World of a Distorted Island

The full moon had shown brightly at the bay area of the Colonnade Cove, and despite being in the island of hell, everything seems to be peaceful. But everyone knew that this peace won’t last forever. Jake learned that the hard way. Losing a best friend (who turned out to be alive and in a robotic state) and being on the run had taught him that it wasn’t easy to trust anyone anymore, and he wouldn’t let anyone else in just to avoid getting hurt again.

That all changed when he first met her back at the cockpit. Despite being attracted to her appearance, the pilot considered Yurika as one of those annoying college kids who only came to enjoy the trip. But deep down, she has the intelligence, determination, and compassion to those around her like any true leader would have. And it was thanks to her that everyone is still alive, fighting their way out on this cursed island.

But there’s something off about Yurika, lately. It was as if she’s becoming more secretive during their times on the island and is close to breaking. Jake even notice the way she was shivering and murmuring a lot in her sleep, indicating that she’s been having a lot of nightmares lately. What it was all about was still a mystery to him. All he knows was that they were still bothering her. Noticing the way her face started twitching in her sleep, he gently shook her awake, causing her to open her dark green eyes.

“You okay, Princess?” Jake asked her.

“I am now,” Yurika replied. The pilot could’ve sworn he saw relief in her eyes before giving him an apologetic look on her face, “Sorry. Did I wake you?”

“Naw. Stilling tryin’ to get some sleep myself,” Jake then looked at her in concern, “You wanna talk about what’s bothering you?”

Yurika opened her mouth to respond, but couldn’t. Seeing some kind of fear in her eyes, Jake didn’t push it. Instead, he held her close to his chest and gently ran his fingers through her long hair. “Hey, it’s okay if you don’t want to tell me now. I’m right here if you still need someone to talk to. Just try to get some sleep. We still need to look for the others.”

Yurika nodded in agreement and snuggle against the pilot before slowly falling asleep once again. The former couldn’t help but smile at the sleeping form of the woman he loved.

It’s been a long time since Jake had ever let anyone get close to him, and he was glad it was her. She was the one who convinced him that it’s okay to let those walls down once in a while, knowing that she would always be there to comfort him. It was only then until Jake realized how much she really means to him. He nearly lost Yurika once, when she fell out of the helicopter and into the ocean. But then he, along with Estela, found her again during the volcanic eruption nearly losing consciousness due to the atmosphere. By that time, he swore he would never lose her again.

He never wanted to admit this, but in a way, she was his sanctuary.

[crvdence]

something wrong? only everything ; cassius warrington character study

i. “you know? that big bloke who looks like a sloth”

cassius warrington is not deaf, and people are not exactly discreet. also, you could hear being called names a certain amount of time until it starts to get into you, until you start feeling how they become a part of you, creeping into your flesh and accommodating into your bones until you look into the mirror and see more sloth than bloke.

he was aware of the unjustified hate he was going to receive just because of being sorted at the  slytherin house, it's just, some days are better than others, even if every time he feels his spirits wavering, or his anger bubbling in his chest wanting to hex the entire gryffindor student body into tears, there's always graham montague's hand squeezing his shoulder.

ii. “eternal glory! that's what awaits the student who wins the triwizard tournament, but to do this, that student must survive three tasks. three extremely dangerous tasks."

there's this buzzing feeling inside of his chest, and looking around, he wonders if he's the only one who's feeling it. most of the people around him, seem more annoyed or bored than thrilled at the perspective of the triwizard tournament. flint is pissed, because it means no quidditch for the entire school year, montague looks uninterested and a few rows from where he is, he can see blaise zabini eyeing the beauxbaton's girls with fiery interest.

but he can't stop thinking about it, eternal glory, it sounds inviting, it sounds big, bigger than cassius warrington ever intended to be. and he fantasizes with the idea of showing all the gryffindor gits. he laughs thinking about all those stupid blokes calling him names, and looking over their shoulders, he fantasizes with the idea of having people admiring him, of people submitting to the hogwart's champion being a member of the most hated house.

cassius fantasizes and smiles to himself as if he's standing in front of the mirror of erised holding the triwizard cup, unaware of montague's eyes on him.

iii. "the champions will be chosen by an impartial selector... the goblet of fire.”

he doesn't tell anyone, as he wakes up before the dawn breaks to put his name in the goblet of fire, his fingertips are trembling when he's writing cassius warrington in a piece of parchment, and so is the rest of his body when he throws it into the goblet of fire. he still feels that flaming impulse inside of him, of wanting to be chosen, of winning, and cassius thinks this is the first time he feels anything close to pride.

he's surprised when he comes back to the dorm, and montague is sitting on his bed. his hair is sticking in every direction, his square jaw relaxed, and he's smiling at him with sleepy eyes in an almond shape, that makes him look softer than he actually is, and cassius grins back. “what will you do if you get chosen?” he says, assuming what he has done, not needing to ask any questions, and cassius just shrugs.

“showing them, i guess.” and with a proud grin, montague squeezes his shoulder again.

(by the end of the day, the rumour has spread and everyone is talking about him trying to become a hogwarts champion. gryffindors look at him with the same despective air, calling him names, but something has shifted inside the slytherin walls. flint has given him a motivational speech, as if he's ready to throw him to the tournament as if it's a quidditch match, parkinson and her gang a sly grin, crabbe and goyle a stupid thumbs up, and cassius swears that even nott, that silent and detached lad, has smiled at him)

iv. “now, let me be clear. if chosen, you stand alone."

he's nervous during the announcement of the champions, all the slytherins roar when viktor krum is chosen, and clap and whistle when fleur delacour follows him, and by then, cassius heart is beating heavily against his ribcage, so fast and so hard, he's sure that montague and bole, who are standing next to him, can listen to it clearly.

the next champion is going to be the champion of hogwarts and he feels like destiny is about to unfold in front of his eyes. there's still that burning desire inside of his chest of wanting to be chosen, so everyone has to defer to the idea of a slytherin champion, but at the same time, there's something much darker, lurking in the shadows and making his chest heavy.

cedric diggory is announced, and the disappointment falls on him like an overweight hippogriff. montague is squeezing his shoulder again, but at the same time, the goblet of fire starts bubbling up, and his eyes widened so much it's like they are going to fall from his face.

fate develops and shows itself in marvellous ways, cassius realises, and when dumbledore takes the piece of parchment out of the globet of fire, reading the name harry potter, the echo and the silence makes everyone speechless, and cassius can physically feel the rage, coming into waves from everyone's magic.

“bloody potter.” cassius can hear malfoy complain somewhere behind him, the loathe spilling like venom from the tip of his tongue.

and he still feels that heavy, dark and uncomfortable weight on his chest.

v. “that's my boy!”

in all honesty, cassius and the ninety seven percent of the slytherin students doesn't care who wins the tournament as soon as it's not harry potter, the main debate is between cedric and viktor, even if the bulgarian bonbon, has a few adepts and fans in the snake house.

cassius is a little bitter, however, during all the tournament, he feels like he could have done well in the tasks, with the dragon and then the lake. (and secretly, as he fantasized about the idea of hogwarts submitting to him as a winner, he also fantasized about saving montague from the depths of the lake).

but again, fate develops in ways cassius never imagined.

harry potter is holding a lifeless cedric diggory between his arms, and the air has changed. all the atmosphere is surreal, brutal, like time has stopped. everyone seems to be unable to move, and the only thing that pierces the heavy silence it's cedric diggory's father broken and desperate sobs.

cassius feels like his entire body is underwater, like someone has casted an imperius spell on him without noticing, and all his body is stone and grain, he feels a hand taking his, and he has the feeling he spends hours turning around, until he sees the face of graham montague, distorted in confusion, his eyes screaming: it could have been you.

and cassius nods, as if he's listening to him speak, clearly,  inside of his head; through the ruckus and the turmoil and the screams, before everyone is finally moving, and snape is trying to get all the slytherin students back to the dungeons.

his hand is still clinging to montague's, or maybe it's montague's the one who is clinging to him, until they both collapse in their dorms.

it could have been me.

(because if anyone thinks that being a slytherin means that you could be saved from the rage and the mission of the dark lord, cassius kindly invites them to the slytherin common room, to feel the tension and the silence, of draco and theo gravitating towards each other in controlled fear, knowing more than they dare to say, knowing it could be any of them soon, sooner than any of them wants to.)

vi. "cedric diggory was murdered by lord voldemort... the ministry of magic does not wish me to tell you this..."

secrets become more powerful when they start to be screamed aloud, even if people try to hush them and deny them, but it's not use when the truth it's there, exposed for everyone who is willing to see, so everything changes after cedric diggory's death. and cassius warrington can still feel the weight of graham montague's hand against his own.

hogwarts is mourning, but everything has tilted inside of the slytherin house, a turn so drastic and sudden that reality is distorted, no one seems to know what to do, where they are, where they stand and where they are supposed to be doing.

there's suspicion, and there's fear. the groups tighten and the silence intensifies, the owls come and go all the time, and people breathe out in relief when they don't stop in front of them during breakfast.

(it stops in front of theodore nott once, a letter from his father, everyone knows, and his hands are shaking so hard, it's pansy parkinson the one who has to help him to open it, before he leaves to the dorm with glistening eyes and a sick expression on his face.)

and cassius feels like he's dreaming, or having a nightmare, he's not sure. it's like his body is not quite his own, and reality passes in front of him like he's a mere spectator, he nods when people acknowledge him, he gives out curtly replies of monosyllables, but he feels the only connection which is real, tangible and important, is the warmth emanating of montague's palm when it presses against his shoulder.

vii. “remember what happened to a boy who was good, and kind, and brave, because he strayed across the path of lord voldemort. remember cedric diggory.”

“it could have been me.” he has whispered one night. “i could have be chosen, and i could have died.” back pressed against the wall and his thigh brushing against montague's, in one of those nights they are supposed to be asleep, but that no one is. “and my father would have not mourned me...” he says, with a chuckle, bitterly, and bloody angry. his father could have been there, probably, when cedric was killed, along with flint's father, and malfoy's, and nott's. “and no one would have.”

cedric became a martyr of the dark lord's mission, and while hogwarts is mourning for him, and rightfully so; cassius couldn't help to have the feeling that he would have been a true spare. no one is going to mourn a loss of something, or someone, they truly don't feel sorry about losing. no one is going to miss it.

and next to him, montague's body shivers, maybe from fear or disgust or both, and when cassius turn around to check on him, he looks so pale he thinks he's about to get sick. and this time, it's his hand the one which falls on his shoulder, squeezing it lovingly, and the tears start to pool against montague's lashes.

and time stays still again. tears are something uncommon between them, something that's private and kept in the shadows, but as a transparent trail goes from montague's eyes to his cupid's bow, cassius feel there's something sacred about them, about seeing him cry, about sharing this moment with him, and his words get stuck in his throat, unable to say anything.

“i would have.” it's what it comes out from montague's mouth, his voice heavy and hoarse for his crying, and there's a sting of guilt and shame crossing all over cassius' body.

montague's hands have always been there, the only true memory, the only thing that anchored him to reality, from the very beginning, until now.

for @snakepitnet event: obscure slytherins you can read this in ao3

[escapefromarchoncastle]

Chapter Seven - It’s All Rigged

By breakfast, last night’s excitement had worn off. Terry saw no sign of the red-haired boy in the dining hall and wondered where he’d been taken. He wasn’t the only one missing. Only about half the benches and tables had people sitting at them now. While this raised the odds of his securing a spot as Initiate, where had they gone? He listened intently, yet overheard no mention of anyone being absent. Nor had Katya made any comment. Very odd. While picking his way through a bowl of gruel the texture of wet sand, Terry listened in on Stevenus, who was explaining the process of selecting Initiates, going by stories passed down by his great-great-great-grandfather.

“Since the nineteen-seventies,” Stevenus said, “one spot always goes to a girl no matter what, so no one can accuse the organisation of being sexist. Usually it goes to the best-looking girl. It’ll be especially difficult this year, I’d imagine, considering all of you are equally stunning.”

Terry watched, bemused as Katya and the four mean girls shot each other dirty looks. He clamped his lips together to stifle a laugh. This could get interesting. He counted twenty-seven girls altogether, including them and Katya. Huh. Their first morning in the dining hall, Katya had counted nearly forty. As he tried to count the number of boys left he’d have to compete with, Stevenus continued, “A second position always goes to a member of the old guard. Of course you’re not going to find anyone willing to admit it, but no magician in his right mind is going to support any institution where their own offspring aren’t granted some form of advantage.”

Must be nice, Terry thought. He had no interest in following his parents’ footsteps. His mum was a realtor who dealt with obnoxious clients all day and his dad was involved in questionable business deals with people who were even worse. Terry’s one outstanding talent, beyond having sixteen-over-twenty vision, was reading maps and orienting himself geographically. Something GPS rendered pretty much useless. Besides learning to be a wizard he’d considered a career in journalism, an industry famous for its nepotism. No doubt the third Initiate position would also be decided by politics. So far Stevenus had yet to say either way. Stevenus was back to discussing his favourite subject, Stevenus.

“I know of three genuine rivals,” Stevenus said, keeping his voice barely above a whisper. Although he sat two tables over from him, Terry hadn’t missed a single word so far. “There’s also a forth I suspect, but I haven’t been able to identify whom, as of yet.”

Struggling to smooth the bitter edge of his voice, Terry asked, “Does anyone get chosen by merit?”

Stevenus jerked. He turned around to face Terry and cocked his head. “Of course! All spots are granted to the most deserving. Archon Castle would never fall prey to cronyism or after long enough, nothing would function properly. It’s just that ... other criteria are a deciding factor in a close race.”

Terry was about to ask what those were when Stevenus’s mouth twisted into a wry smirk. “Naturally, ‘merit’ means whoever is most skilled at toadying to superiors, right?” He elbowed the blondest mean girl and everyone at the table laughed. “This place mirrors the real world in most ways.”

Yeah, hilarious. Terry hadn’t even tried talking to any Adepts, he hadn’t dared, yet he had a sinking feeling Stevenus was right. At the very least, he should try getting into the Wizards’ good books, the way his dad did with every newly-elected politician back home. He felt suddenly stupid; other kids were excusably naïve; he should know better. He kept thinking Archon Castle would be different from the rest of the world, it was why he’d been drawn here. He bowed his face, his eyes starting to sting.

“ATTENTION EVERYONE!” Martin the Magnificent appeared by the main entrance to the dining hall, signalling it was time for all of them to assemble in the courtyard. Terry stood and braced himself against the table. This was what he’d chosen in lieu of lounging by the pool all summer, or playing video games with his friends on his new VR console. He was past the age where he should have given up on the idea he was going to learn magic. Terry shambled into the courtyard. Ms. Huston stood next to a wagon piled with brown fabric saying, “Take one outfit apiece, and leave your robe.”

They were doing something different today! Finally! He stripped off his robe, took the clothes from her and examined them. Breeches and a tunic made from rough brown cotton. He was tired of the stupid blue robe, whose sleeves were always getting caught on something. He followed the other neophytes into the bathing area where he quickly washed and changed, and set his jeans and t-shirt into one of the cubbyholes lining the far wall.

Outside again, the sun burned into his eyes and radiated onto his skin.

“EVERYONE. OVER HERE.” Ms. Huston clapped her hands together. “Today you are to learn the art of metallurgy.”

Excited whispers hissed all around, but Terry eyed the empty horse-drawn carts entering the courtyard with a heavy heart. Katya joined his side. “Let me guess: something to do with coins.”

“Coins would be nice,” Terry said, traipsing after the carts. Ms. Huston held the bridle of one of the horses, chatting to the driver as she walked alongside him. They were heading to one of the rickety barns near the garden. Terry tried to find a way of joining their conversation, but it didn’t sound as though they were speaking English to each other.

“Told you,” Katya said in a sing-song voice. “Today it’s market day in that tourist village we all passed on the way in. Archon Castle sells vegetables there and keeps all the profits. No prizes for guessing who has to work the stalls.”

“How do you know?”

“Stevenus warned me last night.”

Terry sighed in response. When she wasn’t complaining about something, she gushed about the Chosen One, great-great-great-grandson of someone or other and he couldn’t decide which was more annoying. All the girls vied for his attention, and ignored the rest of the boys. Terry was already tired of watching them moon over him. Hope was a tease, he was beginning to realise, worse than bully-boys playing keep-away with a child too young to understand what they were really doing. Just when he thought magic was in his grasp, someone tore it away and tucked it behind their back.

Two black-robed creatures hauled each of the barn doors open. Without a word of instruction necessary, all the neophytes began loading bushel baskets of onions, beets, cabbages, carrots, sweet corn and assorted herbs onto one of eleven horse-drawn carts. Crimson-robed Adepts sat in the driver’s seats and took the reins. The neophytes clambered on, sitting at the ends of the wagons with their legs dangling out or, more precariously and painfully, perched on the buckboard sides. Terry chose a spot on the very last wagon, which gave him the perfect vantage point to survey their surroundings.

Reins jangled, hooves clip-clopped, and wooden wheels clattered out through the main set of gates. The castle quickly fell away from his sight, vanishing into the forest. One thing Terry was not going to miss was the nearly constant underlying stench of sawdust, coal and horse manure. They rounded the bend and descended the gravel trail. The same creepy blackbirds were still perched along one of the sprawling branches. As they passed under a canopy of maple and oak tree trees, he tried to recover some of the sense of wonder he’d felt on his way in.

The ride grew smoother. He swept his gaze across the parking lot to where a pair of maintenance vans were parked at the far edge. At the sight of them, he stiffened. If he hopped off now, he could be in one of those vehicles, hot-wiring it and on his way back out before anyone else noticed. Provided it had been left unlocked, that is. He stayed put, feeling guilty he even knew how to do such a thing thanks to the son of his dad’s best friend. They crossed the paved lot and turned onto a trail leading through the woods. He struggled to stay alert, fighting against the lulling way the cart rocked, the gentle wheeze of cicadas and the fresh forest breeze. The perfect setting for a nap.

At last they came to the outer wall. It was far more imposing than he remembered, some fifty feet high and made of giant stone blocks as smooth as a tiled shower stall. Again he caught himself in daydreams of escape. And he wasn’t the only one. The boys next to him whispered that the Master Adepts could watch the entire perimeter from a giant crystal ball in their study. Boys who misbehaved were sent to the dungeon. Girls who misbehaved were kept in a workhouse under lock and key. While Terry had no way of knowing whether or not that was true, glass domes dotted the top of the wall. Each of them gleamed like miniature suns, blinding his eyes if he tried to look at them directly.

Elbowing the boy next to him, Terry whispered, “Were you tempted to flee when they were pulling up that drawbridge on the first day?”

“Nah,” he said, looking startled. “Stevenus said they don’t get to go home straight away. They finish their summer breaking rocks in a quarry outside one of the villages.”

The other one frowned and hunched his shoulders like a bullfrog. “I’m surprised there was anyone left who didn’t know that.”

“I forgot,” Terry said sheepishly. He leaned back against the assorted bushel baskets. The air was cool in the tunnel as they went through the wall, but it made the sun feel even hotter once they came out the other side. Steel doors rolled shut, triggered by some unseen device. Instead of turning right and following the road south down around into the valley the way he’d originally come, they turned left, up a rutted dirt lane that wound into the forest.

Without much to see besides trees and undergrowth, Terry leaned against a burlap sack of potatoes and began drifting off. Sleep was something he’d learned to snatch whenever he could. If Archon Castle was all about making money, he was going to out-sell the lot of them. Both his parents were experts at hustling people, surely some of that salesmanship had rubbed off on him.

[artificialqueens]

Art Deco // Vatya // 2-? // MotelAdore

A/N: so I made a cover for this fic, not sure if I want to keep it tho? Also, I know katya doesn’t drink but this is a AU, in which anything can happen. This is hella long btw, enjoy the chapter babes!

Warnings: (pretty graphic) smut, cursing, mention of alcohol, slight dom! Katya Pairing: Vatya, cisgirl au

Wednesday came around and Katya was smoking her third cigarette of the day as the doors of the club were opened for her. She stepped inside, music blaring but nobody was drunk just yet. The smell of whisky and expensive parfume entered her nostrils as she continued to walk past everyone.

The dress she was wearing was a dark shade of blue and made of velvet, her hair messy and wavy. Her husbands hand was on her back, but she wasn’t paying attention to him. She looked around the room, spotting some old friends, but she didn’t feel like talking. Katya just thought about Violet, about the young performer that managed to get inside her wary head and never leave. She huffed thinking about her, but the tingling sensation in her stomach didn’t lie.

Violet entered the dressing room again, the sound of music fainting as she closed the door. Tonight was exciting, she finally got a new job that actually offered what she deserved. She quickly switched her shirt and shorts for lingerie, finishing it off with fishnets and black heels.

Her makeup was darker today, but it looked good, Violet always looked good. Tonight she was a little more precise and fixated on her looks though, with the way her hair fell down her shoulders, or the way her lipstick was applied.

She knew it had to do with the Russian woman that somehow made its way into her mind and messed her up all kinds of ways. Violet tried to ignore those thoughts, they couldn’t mess up her performance no matter what. This was her life, dancing and seducing, not catching feelings.

You’re so Art Deco, out on the floor

Violet had chosen a slower song tonight, and she felt like herself again when she dropped the coat she wore to reveal her outfit. She once again swayed her hips, grabbed the pole and starting grinding against it. Innocently batting her eyelashes while scanning the room, winking at tipping men. This was her game, and she always won. No girl, or anyone for that matter, could stop Violet Chachki

Katya wasn’t in the audience that night, as she was sitting out of sight on a soft luxurious sofa with a glass of whisky in one hand and a cigarette in the other. The man next to her was bragging about some company he was working with but Katya wasn’t listening, as usual. The music coming for the other side of the room was barely audible while she entered her own little world.

Shining like gun metal, cold and unsure

Violet was disappointed, to say at least, not seeing the blonde anywhere. She was genuinely intrigued by her, and especially after her dirty thoughts that night, she couldn’t shake the woman out of her head.

The bright purple lights shining on her normally gave her confidence, but this time it felt different. She didn’t feel as good, and that angered her. How could she be so effected by someone? Violet tightened the grip on the whip she brought along with her and thanked her past self for those two shots that at least made this a bit better.

Katya’s thoughts went all the way from Russian men to lingerie shopping in Paris and of course the stupid, ‘what’s her name again?’, Violet made an appearance too. Feelings are weird, she concluded, while she imagined the young raven haired girl in front of her, with someone else. Katya got this strange possessive feeling when she realized that Violet could indeed be with some other girl, or guy, right now.

Baby, you’re so ghetto You’re looking to score

‘So I said, how funny; I already met the pig!’

The man laughed, and Katya quickly stood up, after realizing how late it was. All the other showgirls and guys must have left already, maybe including her Violet. Now or never, I guess, she thought.

'Excuse me’

Kat mumbled, putting out her cigarette and walking away from her little hiding spot. She knew what she wanted and now was the time to take matters into her own hands. Violet was about to get it, for being so damn hot and invading her thoughts late at night.

Violet was backstage, a thin layer of sweat covering her body after doing four songs. She dropped her whip and coat on the chair next to the dressing table, kicked her heels off and fell down on a slightly uncomfortable couch. She had sobered down but wasn’t that tired yet, just a bit worn out.

A knock on her door made her scoot up and she frowned, who the hell could it be? Her apparently problematic boss, or some creep wanting an one night stand? They know she doesn’t want anything from anyone after work. She stood up with a dramatic eye roll, while yelling a slightly annoyed 'come in’.

When they all say hello, You try to ignore them 'Cause you want more (why?)

The door opened with a creak and revealed the only woman capable of making her weak in the knees, and Violets heart dropped.

'Hello darling’

The blondes accent was prominent, and she looked like a gorgeous, fuckable mess. Violet quickly gathered herself in order to answer,

'What are you doing here?’

Her tone was classic Violet, bitchy and confident, somehow even right now. She wasn’t going to show that maybe she was slightly intimidated the other woman. Katya smirked, stepping into the room.

'I came to visit you, I liked your performance’

Violet rolled her eyes, 'you weren’t even there.’ She stepped forward, showing an attitude which the blonde seemed to be un effected by, and crossed her arms. Katya laughed, she had a deep raspy laugh, which made Violet slightly uncomfortable. What’s so funny?

'I saw you last week though, you put on quite the show, with that pretty little face of yours’ She moved closer to the raven haired girl, tilting her head while her eyes lingered on her dark painted lips a second too long.

'My name is Katya’

'Oh’ Violet couldn’t get much more out of her mouth, as she felt Katya breathing on her face. Her breath was warm and she was cold, giving her chills. 'Why did you come, besides for telling me something I already know’

Violet asked, looking into her eyes. She was done with this teasing bullshit, even though it just started.

You want more (why?)

Katya grabbed the younger girl’s waist softly, and once again grinned. Violet rolled her eyes, 'I asked you something’ She was eager to be fucked, or left alone. No more games unless they were hers.

'I came for this,’

She whispered, her hands lowering at a fast pace. Violet felt like she was on fire when the other woman touched her. Katya’s thoughts were everywhere again, from the club last week, to the idea of the young girl at her mercy, screaming her name, but they were blocked out as soon as she heard Violet gasp, her body burning with desire as the Russian squeezed her ass. While their lips attacked each other, Katya pushed the other girl against the wall next to them, and Violet choked for air when they let go of each other.

'And this’

Her hands moved up to grab her boobs, her fingers pushing against the thin fabric of the bra Violet was wearing. It was a dark shade of purple and covered in black lace, beautiful but Katya wanted, no needed, it off. Violet let out a soft moan as her boobs were exposed and her bra roughly thrown on the ground. She wasn’t used to this, not being the one in control.

You want more (why?)

They heard people walking in the hallway next to them, while Katya’s mouth found its way around her nipple. Her teeth grazed over it, and Violet bit her lip hard, trying to not let out too much sound. She was sure it was going to leave a bruise, but she didn’t care.

'Shh baby, you don’t want them finding us like this, do you?’

Katya said, her voice low and teasing. Violet tried to keep her cool while everything was messy and blurry and she craved Katya. She couldn’t figure out why this woman had such an effect on her, but nothing could make sense anyways, right? Not while a married Russian ex hooker was giving her hickeys after a show, at least. Katya’s lips left Violet’s neck for a second, using them to give her a quick peck on the lips.

She couldn’t help but notice how good Violets cherry lipgloss mixed with whisky tasted and she wanted to more, pushing herself up against the young girl.

She grabbed her waist, untying her corset as fast as possible and pushing her on the couch. Violet laid down and Katya crawled on top of her.

'I also really wanted this’

Katya whispered into her ear, pushing a long slender finger against Violets panties. Slowly she starting rubbing the girl’s clit through the soft material, leaving her gasping. Violet grabbed the older woman’s hair, pulling it while her other hand explored her body. She slid off her little blue dress, and Katya pullled of her underwear as quick as possible. They both wasted no time, and Violet was pleased with that If she didn’t get any action any time soon she would most definitely explode.

'Cause you want more

Violet noticed how attractive Katya once again was, with her wild hair, red smudged lipstick, while only wearing jewelry. She placed kisses all over her body, massaging her boobs while Katya murmured somethings in Russian, groaning whenever Vi sucked on a sensitive spot.

After a while though, the blonde had enough of not being in control anymore and flipped her over so she could be on top. The music in the background mixing with the sound of kisses, and they felt alive. Violet grabbed Katya’s wrist, pushing her hand towards her panties again.

'Look at you,’

Katya ripped Violets underwear off, pulling down her fishnets while doing so.

'You can’t even wait, can you? Slut’

The young girl moaned, shaking her hips to signal that she indeed didn’t want to wait. Katya stared into her eyes, her fingernails pushing into the soft skin of Violets hips.

'Look at you, you’re such a little brat, aren’t you’

Katya’s voice was low, her eyes dark. She slapped Vi’s ass before opening her legs and sitting down next to the couch on her knees. Her face wandered closer and closer to her body, her blue eyes never leaving violets face as she teased her once more. Violet couldn’t stop herself and pushed Katya’s face against her, not being able to wait. She wanted to be pleased, she wanted to be fucked hard. Katya didn’t hesitate and her tongue immediately flicked over Vi’s pussy in one long stroke, earning a squeal from Violet.

While softly sucking and kitten licking her clit, her long manicured fingers found their way inside of the performer. One, then two, eventually three and Violet shook underneath her stale grip. Sweat was dripping down her thighs and she was panting.

'Do you like being called out like that? Do you like being called a whore?’

Katya’s voice was so belittling and it turned Violet on, she was ashamed about it but she couldn’t hide her feelings when it felt so good.

The music that faintly played in the background had stopped, and the sound of people drunkenly talking got louder. This time Violet didn’t stop herself from moaning and cursing this time though, her mind was blacked out as she let the pleasure take her over. The view of the blonde between her legs, the way her tongue worked on her and the fact that this was a batshit idea, being eaten out by your boss’ wife, were enough to send her over the edge.

Violet choked on air while her eyes rolled back. The room was moving and her legs were shaking while Katya whispered dirty things in Russian with a raspy voice against her pussy. The feeling of hot breath made her squirm. Violet was so sensitive and worn out, Katya was proud of it. She stood up, sitting next to the pale girl, who was still trying to catch her breath.

'I finally made you shut up!’

She grinned and Violet was about to give a sassy remark back, when they heard a voice interrupting them.

'Who’s in there?’