#wont admit he likes the yellow things company

[doubledudeski]

playing around with my own humanformers design for bee :)

[feelylix]

it counts

member: hyunjin x fem!reader rating: explicit word count: 3.6k warnings: none featuring: shy!reader, friends to lovers, “good girl,” oral sex (giving + receiving), “princess,” dirty talk, PRAISE, guided masturbation/JOI, squirting, soft dom!hyunjin, slight size kink, aftercare, my god he wants u bad, heavy breathing and more heavy breathing, fluff-ish, finger sucking, hyunjin has big hands and i wont let you forget it

synopsis: your good friend hyunjin comes over to help you clean, but he's not very helpful. good thing there's something else he can do.

✧ read on ao3

The weekend seems to go by too quickly. Friday’s already mostly gone when you arrive back at home, throwing yourself on the couch to fall right to sleep without even changing out of your work clothes. On Saturday, it’s a rotation of cartoons, your favorite junk food, trashy reality television, Japanese takeout, and true crime documentaries.

Sunday rolls around and you find yourself doing a deep clean of your apartment, letting your friend Hyunjin come over to keep you company. He agreed to come over as long as there was something in it for him. Going through the list of movies you’ve yet to see in your head, your arms begin to shake, exhausted from all the scrubbing and stretching. You glance at the clock: 4:34. You have about an hour of scrubbing and dusting left in you, and that leaves plenty of time to catch an evening movie. Vowing to just take a short break, you head to kitchen, removing your yellow gloves and idly washing your hands.

“I hate cleaning. We’ve been at this for hours, it’s so boring.” Hyunjin lies on the floor, blonde hair spread out around his face like rays of sunshine. You suppress a laugh at his use of “we,” thinking about how unproductive Hyunjin has been this entire day. A tiny ponytail holding half his hair sits atop his head like a platinum stem. He lies between the television and the couch, hands resting on his stomach, staring at the ceiling.

Back to him, you practically holler from the kitchen, “So why are you still here, exactly?” as you wipe the sweat from your forehead, pushing away whatever strands of hair that itch your eye. Your steel water bottle sits patiently on the kitchen counter, and after picking it up, you nearly chug the whole thing in one go, water dripping from the corners of your mouth. The droplets disappear at the swipe of the back of your hand, and swiftly, you turn around to see Hyunjin standing before you. “Jesus Christ. I nearly leapt out of my skin.”

Hyunjin leans in, craning his neck to your ear, and you let him, thinking he’ll do something funny. He pushes your hair behind your ear, as a smile full of anticipation creeps onto your face, hot breath hitting your skin as he whispers. “I haven’t left yet,” he circles around to the other ear, not needing to push his way through this time, “because I want to fuck you.”

Smile fading, you ruggedly swallow the spit collecting in your throat, heart accelerating while heat rises to your cheeks, breath becoming shallow and quick. He and you had been friends for about a year or so, finding each other through work. Both of you had admitted to the other that they were attractive, but nothing had come of it. And you were fine with that. This has to be a joke. Forcing a poorly disguised anxious giggle, you work up the nerve to reply, “Very funny, Hyunjin.”

“I’m not joking.” Hyunjin pulls away and tilts his head to the side, his ponytail wagging. No hesitation, no confusion on his face. No emotion. No, there was emotion, but it’s something else. Something that you haven’t seen on him before.

Shaking your head in disbelief, hoping that, like a snow globe, it would work to somehow help paint the scene, flesh out the whole picture, you say, “I don’t think I understand.”

“Do you want me to help you understand?”

Frozen, no words find their way to your lips. In fact, you’re not even sure they make it to your brain either. You just stand. Breathe.

Hyunjin bows his head into your neck once again, “Is that what you want me to do?” he whispers, the tip of his nose running along your ear, grazing over the skin there and sending a shiver down your spine. Still, you attempt to respond but all that comes out is hot air, so he bids for you again, “Hmm?”

A breathy “yes,” finally leaves your lips, and he pulls away from you, examining your face, which grows hotter with every second.

“So good for me already.” Satisfied with your response, his breath is on your lips, gaze captured by them before they meet with his. He takes your hands, dropping them on his shoulders and wraps his palms around your waist once you begin to dig your fingernails into him.

Hyunjin’s hands fumble with the hem of your shirt, yanking it off you, earning a whine when he breaks the kiss. Massive hands come up to hold either side of your face, his index fingers pressing into the skin behind your ears. He moans, and that alone nearly sends your eyes rolling to the back of your head.

You break the kiss, panting hitting each others’ faces, “Can we take this to the bedroom?”

He doesn’t open his eyes, “Yes,” and then presses his lips, again, to yours. Separating your lips from his, you take his hand and lead him to your bedroom. Hyunjin plops down on the bed with his feet reaching the carpet, pulling you to him. Both your knees come up to straddle either side of his thighs, and like he’s suffocating without them, his lips press to yours again desperately. Sneakily, his hands find their way to the back of your bra, and you shimmy your arms through the straps while he plucks it off of you. With no time to react, his lips are already on your nipple while the free hand massages the other tit.

“Holy fuck.” you say, impressed with his efficiency.

“I’ve never wanted anyone this bad.” he breathes against your chest, now sharing the wealth of his mouth with the other nipple. You don’t doubt it with the way he’s devouring your tits. Watching his head lightly bob on each nipple makes you ooze moans and small gasps. You never knew he had wanted you like this — had never even thought of it.

“H-Hyunjin...” at the sound of his name, he looks at you and blinks once before closing his eyes again. He hums in reply, earning another strained gasp from you. “I want to...see you.” he remains sucking for another few moments before withdrawing his mouth, placing a deep kiss to your neck, finally meeting you eye-to-eye.

“You see me now.” a hand comes up to cradle one side of your face, and he tilts his head to match yours.

“That’s not what I mean,” his eyes are running all over your face, “I want to see something el-”

“Say it, and I’ll show you.” he whispers that last part, to say it’s for your ears only.

You chew on the inside of your cheek, eyebrows pulling together in hesitation and embarrassment. You almost plead him not to be like this, not to be a tease, but you're sure your panties are already soaked, so you give in. “I want to see your cock... Please.”

He smiles appreciatively, “What a good girl.”

Your eyes flutter closed at this. Please, dear god.

Fully aware he saw your attempt to collect yourself, you embarrassedly climb off of him, and he leans away from you before shifting his weight to unzip his jeans. Gulping down the lump in your throat, you stand in front of him while he sits on the bed, awkwardly staring at your feet. “Watch me.” he invites, and once you do, he drags the boxers down his thighs, and then to his legs before discarding them to the side. His tawny cock bounces against his stomach as it’s freed, standing, eagerly awaiting. Taking in the length and girth, it’s the biggest you’ve seen in person yet. Curved slightly upwards, the tip is moist. You can’t ignore how you shake a little with anticipation.

One of his hands finds yours as you croak, “I don’t... I don’t think it’ll fit.” At the sound of this admission, his eyes fall shut for a moment. Then he spits generously into the palm of your hand, and then guides it to his cock. You fall to your knees in front of him, fingers not even wrapping all the way around him. Hyunjin sighs, leading your hand to stroke the length of his cock, and lies back on the bed, other hand supporting his weight. The hand supporting yours wavers, and then withdraws completely. The sensation of your hand moving on its own causes Hyunjin to groan loudly as he throws his head back. His eyes are closed when you decide to work up a bit of courage and lean into him, pressing your lips to the tip of his cock. His mouth falls open in a long, crude moan.

“Shit,” he says, and your hair is gathered up into a messy ponytail, allowing you to take more into your mouth. You like this more than you expected. Not having to look him directly in the eyes is doing wonders for your courage. Saliva falls from the corners of your mouth, further lubricating Hyunjin’s cock. You attempt to take more and end up nearly gagging. “You don’t have to take it all the way,” he whispers, “you’re doing so good.”

If you weren’t before, you are very sure now that your panties are soaked.

Hyunjin lets your hair fall to rid himself of his shirt, and you push whatever strands of it you can out of your face. Hyunjin calls your name, hand running up and down your arm, “Hey.”

You pull your lips off him with “pop!” and you look at each other for a brief moment, his eyes twinkling. “Can I see you?” You do a shit job of hiding your excitement, frantically removing your sweatpants, earning a chuckle from Hyunjin. You elect to leave your thong on — if he wants it off, he’ll have to put in the work.

“You wanna be a good girl for me?” he asks, drinking in the flesh of your thighs. Nodding, you bite the inside of your lip. “You’re suddenly so shy!” he laughs, pushing hair from your face. Offering him a soft smile, you’re unsure if it’s embarrassment or anticipation that’s got you acting this way. He continues on anyway, “Get on all fours, princess.”

It doesn’t take long for you to do so. The soft sheets cradle your palms and knees while you take a couple of deep breaths. Facing the wall, you could have sworn your heart was beating hard enough to make the bed vibrate. “Jesus,” he says, pushing aside your thong with his thumb to see your folds. "You’re so wet, I think I’ll drown.”

“Please,” is all you can manage, begging for him to do something, anything. You’re on all fours aching to be touched, fucked, kissed, and grabbed while he merely inspects you.

His abdomen hugs your back; he’s bent over you as he whispers in your ear, “Use your words, baby.”

“Please. Eat me out,” you whine, desperation seeping from your voice when you speak his name, “Hyunjin.”

“How could I say no when you ask so nicely?�� he kisses the back of your shoulder before making his way down to your waist, grabbing the sides of your thong and working them over the swell of your hips until you have to separately lift each knee off the bed to get them off. Wordlessly, the pads of his fingers gently push down on the skin between your shoulder blades, and you understand what he wants. You go from all fours to both palms pressed to the front of your shoulders, tits against the mattress, ass sticking up in the air. “Good girl,” he coos.

Readying yourself for what’s to come, you take in a deep breath. Hyunjin’s enormous hands come up to seize both your hips. First you feel his hot breath against your cunt, and then fire the next. No amount of deep breaths could have prepared you for this. A cry escapes from your throat, followed by a series of moans. Licking as ferociously as his wild blonde mane would have you believe him to be, the tip of his tongue juts out to tap your clit every so often, sending you whining. Like a man left in the desert to die, he laps up your juices like it’s an oasis.

“You tafe so goouh.” his words come out muffled by your folds, vibrations sending you closer to the peak of an orgasm. Your hips begin to buck into the chasm of his mouth, sending his fingernails digging into the skin on your hips. The pressure’s building, and unsure if he’s aware, you tell him you’re about to cum, so as to allow him time to pause.

“I want you to cum,” he slurps against your drooling cunt, squeezing his fingers in between your thighs to abuse your clit, and that’s enough. Hyunjin hums noisily as you finish, wet sucking noises echoing off the walls, sending lightning bolts of bliss across your body. Crying out, you carelessly push your cunt farther into him, riding both his face and your high. A string of noises leave your lips, babbling about how good his tongue feels and other things you’re unable to recall as soon as they’re spoken. The whole room is red, and your head feels heavy. Hyunjin swallows your orgasm, grunting.

He crawls up the bed to join you, and you slump to the side to face him, breathless, with heavy eyelids as you observe him finishing what’s left of you on his fingers. Spending a minute or two recovering, the twitching finally subsides, surprising yourself when you straddle him at once. Hyunjin’s hand reaches up to hold the side of your face when you dive in to kiss him after what’s felt like years, the taste of you still on his tongue. Your palms lay flat against his abdomen while his cock twitches against your ass. Fist full of your hair, he suddenly jerks you away from him, and you hiss a little from the pain, air fixed in your lungs. You don’t know how or when his hand got there, but he leaves you no time to speculate when he says, “I need to be inside of you soon or I’m gonna go insane.”

“I’m yours to take,” you inform him, feeling good that now for the first time, he is begging for you. A wicked grin flashes across his face when he flips you over, your back hitting the mattress.

“Do you have condoms?” his eyebrow lifts, and he glances down at himself.

“Top drawer of the nightstand,” you tell him, and then he retreats from the bed, propping open the drawer and pushing around all the junk you’ve thrown in there. Swallowing hard, the realization of what’s to come hits you, and you adjust against the sheets, wondering what the best angle is for getting fucked by Hyunjin. You won’t have to wonder for much longer.

Withdrawing the condom from the package, he slides it on effortlessly, leaving you curious as to how often he does this. But more importantly, your cunt aches from thinking about the amount of experience he has, especially since what he’s shown so far is impressive. He kneels in between your legs, spreading them wider, taking his wrapped cock in his hand, and you make note of how he’s able to fit his whole hand around himself. “You ready?”

“I-I think so.” you try not to let your stuttering bother you too much, but you at least hope the nervousness will come across as cute.

Hyunjin smiles tenderly at your response, and you find that the comparison of this momentary innocence to his thirsty cock waiting at your leaking pussy makes you strikingly horny.

Before he can proceed, you exclaim, “Wait!” He blinks in response at your sudden outburst, and you reach up to his head, gently tugging the elastic band out of his hair. Your hands divide the strands of hair to fall around his face, combing your fingers through his locks, unable to ignore how he’s looking at you with a combination of warmth and fervor.

He shifts himself so that he’s kneeling again, taking your hands with him, kissing the back of both palms before taking two of your fingers in his mouth. Tongue scissoring between the index and middle digits, Hyunjin watches for your reaction with clouded eyes, moaning around them. He’s now holding your one wrist with both of his hands, searing mouth swallowing around your fingers. “My god.” is all you can say, the words coming out louder than you intended.

“I’m gonna fuck that tight little pussy.” voice drenched with lust, his eyes fall closed, sucking your fingers dry before pulling them from his lips. He licks a stripe along those two fingers, guiding them to your cunt. You distribute the wetness around your folds, knowing it doesn’t need to be any wetter, but suspecting that Hyunjin wanted a fragment of himself on your cunt since he can’t leave it stuffed with cum.

The head of his cock finally pushes its way in, slowly sheathing itself inside of you. “Aa-ahh...” a broken cry leaves his lips, “Oh, fuck!” Gasping, you take him bit by bit, and when he’s all in, his entire body presses against yours. He presses a lingering kiss to your forehead, “You’re doing so well, princess.” Cunt still adjusting, you try to relax your breathing, panting from the intense pressure in your pelvis. Hyunjin hovers over you for several moments, neither of you speaking, just breathing together, eyes closed.

“Okay,” you manage to say; and he understands. He pulls out his cock entirely, and you catch a glimpse of it, wondering once again, how all that was fitting inside of you, before he slowly thrusts all the way back in once again. And then again. And again. And again. Soon enough, his cock is thrusting in and out of your sopping wet pussy at a decent pace. “Hyunjin...” you moan, barely phased when he folds both your thighs against your torso, legs sticking up in the air. Groaning, he cusses loudly as he continues to shove his cock in and out of you, this new angle only fanning the flame.

“You’re taking me so well,” he says before muttering something in Korean that you can only guess is a curse word. Both of his hands grip the back of your thighs so hard that you’re concerned they’ll bruise. “Play with it.” he commands, and mindlessly, your hand immediately comes up to play with your clit, arm finding its way between your thighs flush against your chest. Hyunjin towers above you, roughly fucking you into the mattress as his knuckles go white from clutching your skin so tightly, leaving you a moaning, whimpering mess.

Blonde locks falling into his face, pain flashes across his features while he grunts before a sending a hearty, “Goooood girl,” straight to your clit.

Both heaving, moisture slicked bodies stuck together, work in tandem, until all that is left is two beings delivering pleasure to the other. With the friction of his cock drilling into your g-spot and with the circles you’re rubbing on your clit, you cum. Hard. Your vision nearly goes white as you look down to watch yourself squirt all over Hyunjin’s stomach, a fountain of clear liquid coating him and dampening the sheets beneath. He grunts once more, eyebrows knitting themselves together, tearing his cock quickly from your hole, emptying you in more ways than one. Frantically, he rips the condom off of himself, releasing the abundance of his sweltering cum on your stomach, widened eyes fixed on your cunt. Both of you are speechless, the dry, hoarse panting speaking on its own. Your head hurts.

You rest against the mattress, feeling pressure in the crown of your head vanish gradually as you sense Hyunjin get up from the bed, hearing the condom fall in the trash. You think you doze off for a short while, waking from a warm cloth suddenly pressing against your stomach. Head lifting lazily, Hyunjin smiles, knowing you’re watching but not returning the gaze, as he wipes up what’s left of tonight’s endeavors. After, he wraps cloth around his cock and wipes your remaining dripping fluid from his torso.

Your head falls back against the sheets, exhausted, smiling.

“I didn’t know you could do that.” he declares, and turn your head to the side to watch him approach the bed, now carrying your enormous fluffy blanket. You notice some of his hair is stuck to the sides of his face, and wonder if that’s just sweat or some of your juices from earlier, too.

Your voice comes out gravelly, “I didn’t know either.”

Amused, he chuckles, the mattress shifting to one side as he puts his weight on it. Appreciative that he didn’t make you get up to properly fall asleep under the sheets, he fiddles with the blanket before it falls over you. He collapses onto his back, lying beside you, and turns his head to meet your gaze. “That was...”

“Amazing.” you announce, unable to remember when you’d enjoyed yourself that much, albeit solo player mode or otherwise.

“It was.” Hyunjin grins, smile reaching his eyes. You slither closer to him, hooking one leg over his, pressing your head to his shoulder. One arm lays across his chest, the other folded beneath you. His long arm wraps around you, chin resting against the top of your head. “I really hate cleaning.”

“You barely even cleaned...” you trail off because he shushes you before you can start, followed by a fit of laughter.

“I cleaned you up. That counts, right?” he kisses the top of your head gingerly.

But you don’t really want to fight. You want to give in. So you do.

“Fine, it counts.”

[wifeboys]

Third Time’s the Charm // Wilmon

Summary: Wilhelm kisses Simon three times before he gets the hint.

Word Count: ~2600

A/N: A little in-universe fic to tie us over. Based on prompts from this prompt list *shamelessly plugs my prompts blog @deity-prompts *. Also I haven’t written fanfiction is a while so I’m a little rusty.

gif credits: @princewilhelm

Wilhelm kisses Simon three times before he gets the hint.

The first time is at Rosh's soccer final. The pair (and Ayub) had gone to every single game of the season, rain, or shine. They stood at the side lines. The night air gripped them through their puffy coats. Flood lights illuminate their breaths. Wilhelm and Simon pressed shoulders to 'help keep them warm'.

The game is intense. The ball is sent over and back again and again. Fouls are left and right. Fights even break out. The crowd hold their breath, each moment electric. Simon is so focused on the game that he forgets where he is. He forgets who he's with and who he is. All he can concentrate on is Rosh.

The whistle blows, once, twice, three times. Rosh punches the air with a victorious scream. The crowd erupts. Everyone rushes onto the pitch. They clutch each other into hugs, exchanging "congratulations!" and kisses on the cheek. Simon sprints to Rosh, grabbing her tightly. She slaps his back and yells something he can't hear. Ayub pushes him out of the way and hugs Rosh. Simon staggers back with a laugh. Wilhelm is in front of him. His eyes sparkle with happiness and Simon can't help but smile. Before he can hug him, Wilhelm places his hands on Simons cheeks and quickly kisses him. The kiss barely lasts two seconds, but time seems to freeze. Simon short-circuits.

Before he can process or kiss him back, Wilhelm is already hugging someone else and Ayub is grabbing Simon. "SHE DID IT! FUCKING YEAH!" The night moves on. Everyone goes out to celebrate, still full of energy until they part in the early hours. As Simon celebrates, he can't help but think about Wilhelm kissing him. Did he kiss him or did he imagine it? No, it definitely happened. He can't imagine the electricity pulsing through him. He can't imagine the rush and heat he felt.

But that doesn't mean Wilhelm wanted to kiss him. It was an intense game. Everyone was celebrating. It was probably just a "hey bro, we did it! let's celebrate!" kiss. Wilhelm would've kissed anyone, Simon just happened to be there.

That's what Wilhelm is acting like. He's hugging everyone he comes across. Simons not sure if that's because Wilhelm is a hugger or because he's buzzed on celebratory drinks. Either way, he's not treating Simon any different. He's still talking to him like they're regular bros who like regular sports and other regular things.

It was nothing, Simon decides.

• ❤︎ •

The second time is at Felice's birthday party. She spares no expense. The common room is decked with streamers, balloons, and stocked with alcohol. Everyone is wearing the most extravagant outfits they have. The birthday girl has braided her hair short as a boys, and wears a purple robe that reaches her heels. Simon wears a black, glittery blazer over his bare chest with waist high black trousers. The lack of shirt was probably a good idea, considering people keep bumping into him and spilling their drinks.

The music is practically deafening. You can't walk two steps without knocking shoulders with someone. Simon keeps to the back of the room, fiddling with the hem of his blazar as the party unfolds in front of him. Sara keeps him company, chatting his ear off about something he can't hear. The only thing he can focus on is a certain prince across the room.

Simon barely notices when Sara tugs at his sleeve. "Si! I'm going to find Felice. Don't just stand here for the whole night. Go talk to someone"

She disappears into the sea of drunk teenagers. There's no way Sara was telling him to go talk to Wilhelm specifically, but that's all Simon wants to do. Actually, he wants to skip the talking and pin Wilhelm against the wall.

But Simon can't do it. He's glued with his back against a wall as people make out around him. He can't mess things up with Wilhelm. He can't scare him off. He can't lose a great friend on the tiny chance he might get a boyfriend. Simon repeats this like a mantra to the beat of the music.

None of this stops him checking out Wilhelm, the crowd acting as a safety buffer. His simple yellow shirt is plain considering the occasion. He made up for it by covering his hair with glitter that has fallen onto his face and shoulders.

He watches as an already tipsy Wilhelm finishes his drink. He's surrounded by people (probably his friends). He suddenly cracks up at some joke they say. Glitter explodes into the air with the quick movement of his head. A shiny halo illuminates his face. God, he's beautiful when he laughs.

"Simon! Simon Simon Simon" Felice nearly falls on top of him. "I'm so glad you're here- and you look amazing"

"Thanks, so do you- and happy birthday" Simon has never been good at taking compliments.

"You're too kind. I'll admit, I can't get enough of my cape. Hey, you should try it on! Purple is definitely your colour"

"Oh no I couldn't-"

"Oh yes you could. Let's swap jackets. I promise I'll give it back"

Next thing Simon knows, Felice is slipping off her cloak-y thing to reveal a white blouse and black skirt. She takes Simon's jacket, even giving him a spin. "We look stunning" she says as Simon wraps her robe around him. It looks a bit weird on him, but it's soft and smells nice. Felice sips her drink, and frowns. "My cup is empty. Can I get you a drink?"

"Uh- sure"

Felice disappears into the crowd. Simon goes back to looking for Wilhelm, but he's nowhere to be seen. He scans the crowd carefully. Wow, there's a lot of people here. A lot of bodies. The air is thick. The music is too loud. The room is too small. Simon needs to get out.

He excuses his way towards the door, not stopping until he's breathing in the night air. He leans next to the door, careful to keep Felice's robe clean. Deep breath in, deep breath out. Simon can only handle parties for a short while before he needs a break.

He stares up at the sky. Deep breath in, deep breath out. The stars are like glitter. The moon shines brightly at him. Deep breath in. He can't find Wilhelm, but at least he can spot the Man In The Moon. Deep breath out.

He's grounded again. He knows he should go home soon, but he figures a bit longer inside wont hurt. He gets up to go inside and find Felice when the door swings open. A yellow shirt stumbles into the night, glitter sparkling in the moonlight.

Simon finally found Wilhelm- or, rather, Wilhelm found him.

Wilhelm finds his footing, looking around. He finally spots Simon by the door.

"There you are!" He exclaims. There I am?

If Simon moves fast enough, he can slip back inside before Wilhelm even notices him. He can grab Sara and pretend he never came to the party. Before he can put his plan into effect, Wilhelm is cupping his face again.

Wilhelm kisses him. Simon is quicker to react this time. He kisses back, his plan to escape already forgotten. Wilhelm pulls back for a moment to tilt his head to the side. Simon holds the back of his neck, running his fingers through his hair. Glitter falls around them.

Wilhelm's hands slip behind Simon's robe, pulling him closer. Simon shivers as his hands run up and down his back. He drowns in bliss, finally getting to kiss Wilhelm the way he always wanted to.

When Wilhelm finally pulls back, his eyes stay closed. "Oh" he sighs softly. "Oh . . . I'm about to throw up. Excuse me"

Without even looking at Simon, Wilhelm turns and staggers around the corner. Simon hears retching. His escape plan kicks in. He practically runs back into the party, nearly knocking people over as he finds Felice.

He finds her giggling with Sara, who's cheeks are blushes deep red. They swap their clothes back, re-completing Felice's outfit. She truly looks stunning, tonight more than ever. Up close, her hair is woven more intricately than he realised. It's as short as his but looks ten times better.

Oh God- with the short hair and purple cloak, he probably looks just like Felice. Especially to someone who's drunk. Wilhelm didn't mean to kiss him. He meant to kiss Felice. Now Simon feels like he's going to throw up.

• ❤︎ •

The third time is after Parents Day. Simon spent the days leading up to it avoiding Wilhelm. He probably doesn't remember the kiss at all but Simon wont chance it. He won't give Wilhelm the opportunity to reject him. This doesn’t stop him from looking at him for a little too long from across the room. This doesn’t stop Wilhelm looking back.

His ingenious “if I ignore him he can’t reject me” plan fails, however, when Wilhelm sits with his family as they eat. Simon can't take his eyes off him as he chats with Simon and Felice's family. Wilhelm combs his fingers through his hair, licks his lips, laughs along to jokes. Simon soaks up every minute of it.

Dinner plates empty. Belts are loosened. Waiters come around to collect dishes and Simon starts to panic. Wilhelm has been glancing at him again and again throughout the dinner. He's definitely going to corner Simon and let him down. Tell him to forget all about the kiss (if he even remembers it). Simon pulls out his phone.

Simon I need you to pick me up

Ayub Thought you were at the parents dinner Cant ur mom take u home?

Simon I'll explain later If you pick me up right now I'll be forever grateful

Ayub I'll be outside in ten You owe me one

Simon I love you more than life itself

Simon rests his phone on the table, slightly less panicked. As soon as people start getting to their feet, he bolts. Out the door. Our of the school. He only slows when his feet crunches on the front road's gravel.

Ayub arrives right on time. Simon jumps on his bike before he can ask what's going on. It isn't until the next day that Simon comes to a shocking realisation: he left his phone at Hillerska.

• ❤︎ •

"Didn't think I'd be back here so soon" Ayub says as he drops Simon off.

"I'll be in and out, I promise. Everyone's gone home so I'll be able to find it and grab it"

"Here, call yourself on my phone. You can follow the ringing"

"Where would I be without you"

Ayub tosses his phone and gestures for Simon to go. He pushes open the doors. Hillerska feels haunted without students bustling through the halls. It's like a museum. Simon opens Ayub's phone and calls himself.

It's probably in the dining room where they ate. He walks towards it, listening intently for his ringtone. What he doesn't expect is for someone to pick up.

“Hello?”

Simon stares at the phone for a moment before pressing it to his ear. ". . . Hello?"

“Simon? That you?”

“Wille!" Perfect. The one person he was trying to not talk to. "Sorry, I didn’t recognise your voice”

"Don't worry about it, I don't think you were expecting me to answer"

"Yeah, uh, you have my phone. That's why I was calling it. I must've left it here yesterday"

"Where are you? I can drop it off"

"I'm already at Hillerska so I can just grab it. Want me to come to you?"

"Just start walking, we'll find each other"

Simon decides to go in the general direction of Wilhelm's dorms. It really does feel like a museum. Each alcove is like a display he can't touch. His footsteps echo.

“So . . . what’re you doing with my phone?” Simon asks.

“I actually didn’t know it was yours. It was left on one of the tables, so I took it in case the owner came looking for it”

“And here I am”

“And here you are”

Simon can't help but smile. He's sure he can hear Wilhelm smiling too.

Wilhelm takes a deep breath. “I’ve actually been meaning to talk to you”

“Talk to me?”

“Yeah. Um . . . it's about Felice's party"

Simon stops. Here it is. Everything has backfired and now the one thing he didn't want to talk about has come up.

"Simon? You there?"

"Yes! Uh yes I am." He rubs a hand across his face. Play it cool. "What about her party?"

"I'm sorry that I was so drunk that night. I figured I'd need some . . . liquid courage but I guess I had too much"

"Yeah. It was a uh, a wild night" Simon feels like he's choking on his own heart. He distracts himself by looking around at the hallway. He's not even sure where in the school he is. He's more focused on not throwing up.

"Do you remember that night?"

Play it cool. "Anything specific you want me to remember?"

There's a moment of silence. Simon can hear Wilhelm's footsteps through the phone. "If you want to forget that night and move on like nothing happened, we can definitely can"

Simon doesn't want to forget. It's all he can think about.

"Do you want to forget about it?" Simon asks, swallowing.

Wilhelm's walking slows as he thinks. "I don't want you to be uncomfortable"

"I don't . . . I wasn't uncomfortable"

There's a beat. "I'm glad. That-that you weren't uncomfortable"

"I'm a little uncomfortable now" Simon laughs awkwardly. His tension eases a little when Wilhelm laughs too.

"I'm sorry. I just don't know how to talk about this" Simon kicks his feet against the floor.

"I have to say, I didn't think I'd be talking to you about this over the phone"

"I didn't think you'd want to talk about this at all. I thought you were going to avoid me forever"

"Hey, you're the one who was avoiding me"

"Yeah yeah I know" Simon smiles.

Wilhelm takes a deep breath and exhales. "I really wanted to kiss you that night. That's why I got so drunk I needed a confidence boost. It uh, it didn't help that you ignored the kiss at Rosh's game"

Simon's jaw drops in a smile. "I didn't ignore it! I just panicked. I figured it was a spur of the moment celebration"

"None of it was spur of the moment. I've wanted to kiss you for a while"

"You have?"

"You didn't notice?"

"Not at all. If I did, I probably would've kissed you"

Simon hears him stop and smile. “Simon, you are the smartest idiot I ever met”

He hangs up. He hangs up? Simon looks at the phone as if it holds the answer. His brow furrow as a hand grabs his shoulder from behind. He turns, that there he is.

"Hi" they say in unison.

Wilhelm's hands are on Simon's shoulders. He holds his gaze with a smile. Simon completely forgets how to breathe. All he can think about his Wilhelm being so close to him and his lips being right there because really they're right there-

"Can I kiss you again?" Wilhelm asks. Simon nods.

Wilhelm kisses him for the third time. It's hesitant- like he's testing the waters to see if Simon is willing to swim. Before he can pull away, Simon yanks him back in. His hands thread through Wilhelm's hair as Wilhelm wraps his arms around his waist. They pull each other impossibly close. It's their third-first-kiss and it is perfect.

[romantichopelessly]

Talking to the Moon

This fic is somehow my favorite thing that I’ve ever written. It started out as a Halloween fic, and then I wanted it to be my longest one shot and aimed for 8k. Now it is so much longer and so much more and I really really hope that you guys like it.

Words: 15,400+

AO3

Summary: Logan is a man of routine. Routines are sensible. It's perfectly sensible that his routine revolves around his roommate. Virgil. Even though his roommate doesn't know that he's a vampire. Even though his roommate doesn't know that he is in love with him. (Or: Virgil and Logan are vampires. And neither of them know about the other. And they were roommates.)

Pairings: Analogical, Background Roceit and Intruality

Warnings: Blood, blood drinking mentions, kidnapping, non-graphic violence 

----

Bright fall leaves littered the cracked sidewalk as Logan made his way home from work. The satisfying crunch of them underneath his loafers was something that he would never admit to enjoying as much as he did. Past the buildings lining the city street, a soft orange hue was beginning to light up the dark sky, encapsulating what most would see as the perfect morning.

Logan glanced down at his watch. 6:53 A.M. He picked up his pace. The stop at the early morning coffee shop had been on an ill-advised whim, and though the warmth that the cup of earl gray tea radiated into the chilled skin of his palm was welcome, Logan did not want to end up regretting the indulgence by arriving at his apartment after sunrise.

An early morning breeze stirred Logan’s scarf and nipped at his nose with a bite that would cause most to shudder and hunch back into their coat. Logan, however, maintained perfect posture, completely unaffected by the temperature as he rounded the corner of the block with purpose, the door to the apartment complex that he lived in now in sight.

Long fingers fished in his pocket for a moment before hooking through his keyring. The black fuzzy keychain that his roommate had gifted him weeks ago brushed against his palm as he climbed the concrete steps and pushed open the door with force, anticipating the way that it stuck, just as it had every morning for the past year and a half.

Logan stepped inside, an unvocalized sigh of relief smothered in his chest. Behind him, the door fell shut, locking out the cold breeze and rising sun.

Logan picked his way across the lobby, keys still in hand. He paused for a moment at the mailboxes, glancing over boxes 221A and 221B. Nothing new. He hummed softly to himself and continued up to his apartment.

His keys turned with a satisfying click in the lock and Logan finally let himself breathe, a habit of relief more than a need.

A deep inhale. In through the nose. Out through the mouth.

Was that tomato soup that he smelled?

Thirst burned at the back of Logan’s throat. He swallowed it down as he toed off his shoes and deposited his keys in the bowl by the front door, the jingle alerting anyone listening to his whereabouts.

“L?”

Which, of course, was exactly what Logan wanted. A completely artificial warmth bloomed in Logan’s chest.

“Virgil.” Logan called back, an inexplicable smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. Padding down the hallway, Logan rounded the corner to the community room to see his roommate curled up on the far corner of the couch--a position that Logan had found Virgil in more times than he could possibly count.

Though he supposed that he would have had to count them had he been asked.

“Hey.” Virgil’s voice was as gruff as it always was. His legs were curled beneath him, cushioning his laptop on his lap, and his hands were curled around a mug of something deep red. Likely the soup that Logan had smelled when he entered. It reminded Logan of the cup of tea that he was still holding. He turned and headed for the connected kitchen for his add-ins before he could drink it. “How was work?” Virgil called after him.

“Satisfactory.” Logan replied, depositing the paper cup containing his earl gray on the counter before opening the fridge. “There were not many visitors at the planetarium tonight. Just the couples.” Logan wrapped his fingers around the jam jar that he was searching for. He pulled the top off of the to-go cup with one hand and rooted around in a drawer for a spoon with the other. He shoveled two or three (most definitely three) spoonfuls of the red gelled substance into his tea and stirred it quickly before closing the cup and jar both, putting the jar back in their shared refrigerator and finally turning to fully face his roommate.

“That’s good.” Virgil watched him with pensive eyes, eyes that made Logan’s mind do funny things, like imagine that Virgil’s look was a bit more fond than it really was. Logan crossed the room again and sat on the middle cushion of the couch, taking a slow sip of his tea. Virgil immediately stretched out his legs and nestled them underneath Logan’s thighs.

“What about you? How was your day?” Logan asked, politely.

Virgil shrugged with a single shoulder. “Same old, same old. Do a bit of work, read a ton of emails, get bored and listen to music and stare at the ceiling on the company dime.”

“You are self employed, Virgil.” Logan felt the need to point out.

Virgil shrugged again, this time with a coy smile on his face. “What can I say? I’m a tough boss. Sometimes you just have to stick it to the man. And by the man, I mean me. And by you, I also mean me.”

Logan watched, emotions that he could not name despite all of his years welling in his chest as Virgil leaned forward and took a long sip from his mug of soup. To suppress the sudden insatiable urge to say something stupid like ‘you look like a dream, sitting on this musty old couch with tomato soup on your upper lip’, Logan took a long sip of his own drink, hiding his wry smile at Virgil’s antics.

Despite the emotions rolling and bubbling within Logan, the silence that followed was not uncomfortable. Rather, the quiet felt full in a way. Virgil’s feet wiggled underneath Logan’s thigh, searching for a warmth that Logan wished he could provide more of. Virgil let out a quiet sigh as he leaned back against the corner of the couch that he was nestled into. Logan let the coppery twinged tea in his throat warm him for a moment, as the stresses of the day rolled off of his shoulders and evaporated, as they were wont to do when Virgil was around.

“Want to watch some Cosmos?”

Logan perked up, a slight smile on his lips. Not so wide that he would show his fangs, which had, of course, descended due to his thirst, but a small quirk of the lips that never could be pulled back in Virgil’s presence. “I’d love nothing more.”

----

P&J’s Coffee Shop was never truly busy. It was a nice coffee shop, to be sure. Virgil’s favorite, in fact. Where else in the world could he get a perfectly brewed O negative espresso?

Of course, the secret menu being absolutely sublime had nothing to do with the reception of the café, as most of the daytime customers would be appalled by the contents of the midnight drinks. Which was quite a shame for the general public, but the lack of popularity was quite the plus in Virgil’s book, especially on nights like this, when he came to the café specifically to whine to his two best friends.

“Patton isn’t going to let me give you another espresso if you finish that one too soon. I’m already on their list for allowing you four shots in the first place.” Janus was leaning against the back counter, decidedly not restocking the refrigerator like Patton had asked him to.

Virgil grumbled in response, taking another long swig of his drink out of spite.

Janus rolled his two-toned eyes. “You’re a piece of work, Noir.”

On the very rare occasions that Virgil left his apartment, P&J’s was usually his destination. The small, soft gothic inspired coffee shop fit his aesthetic perfectly. P&J’s was one of the few creature-of-the-night-friendly spots in the city that wasn’t completely overrun. This lesser-known energy was exactly what kept it from being a target of hunters as well, which was quite the blessing, even though there were less and less incidences of slayings being reported as time went on.

And while Virgil was glad to be living in such a progressive time, he still was not about to put a target on his back by heading out to the more popular vampire and werewolf bars, clubs, restaurants and coffee shops around town.

“Shut up, Janus. I’m your best customer and you know it.” Virgil paused, thinking. A sly grin formed on his face. “Except for that fae you’re always talking about, of course. But I know that you’re biased towards him.”

Were Janus a vampire, Virgil was positive that he would have hissed at that moment. As it was, Virgil could tell that Janus was just suppressing a growl. “Untrue. Shut up and drink your coffee, I no longer wish to speak with you.” Janus sniffed, turning his nose up at Virgil’s words. Despite the dramatics of the gesture, Janus somehow managed to look poised. He always did.

In Virgil’s--albeit limited--experience, it was very difficult for a werewolf to look so poised all of the time. However, Janus constantly defied those expectations. Even the three long scars that crossed the otherwise blemishless medium brown skin on the left side of his face and his left, caramel colored eye didn’t stop Janus from looking aloof at all times. Even on days like this, working in the café, with his long, dark and curly hair twisted into a loose knot at the base of his neck and a pastel yellow work apron on, Janus could make anything look as sophisticated as if he were about to attend a grand ball, and honestly, Virgil was a bit jealous.

Logan would probably be into Virgil if he took his appearance more seriously.

Janus was watching Virgil with a knowing look now, and the vampire scowled back.

“You know, Virgil.” Virgil hissed, pulling his cup closer to his chest defensively. He knew that tone. “I wouldn’t really be throwing around accusations like that. Glass houses, and all.”

Virgil’s shoulders rose up to his ears. An onlooker would say that he looked remarkably similar to an angry black cat. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh you don’t? Must be hard being so old-”

“I’m 38.”

“Let me jog your memory.”

“Physically I’m only 24.”

“Cobwebs in your head aside,” Janus plowed on, “Logan Doyle? Your current roommate who you’ve been obnoxiously pining for for the past few months? The one that you come into my café to bemoan about at least once a week? You know, the studious, oblivious, wonderful, handsome-”

“Okay! I get it!” Virgil snapped, interrupting Janus’s infuriatingly accurate imitation of his voice. “All things unholy, why do I never come in when Pat is on the clock?”

Janus shrugged, a shit eating grin on his face that almost made Virgil want to take his drink and leave. Almost. “It likely has something to do with the fact that you only come out here during Doyle’s working hours. Suspiciously sentimental, wanting to spend every moment you can with your roommate, don’t you think?”

Virgil bristled. “Stop saying stuff like that, Janus.” He knew that the barista was joking. Hell, Janus had teased Virgil about this exact subject far too many times. He really should not be so touchy about it. It was very likely that the only reason that Janus’s ribbing was rubbing him the wrong way today was the events of the night--dawn?--previous.

Logan had looked so… fetching coming home that particular early morning. The soft wool of his sweater vest looked almost irresistibly touchable. The contented look on his face as he took slow sips from his tea. The way the corners of his eyes crinkled slightly as he fought away laughter at Virgil’s not-actually-that-funny quips while they watched Cosmos.

“Ugh, are you reminiscing? Didn’t you see him less than an hour ago?” Virgil curled in on himself, glaring up at Janus’s feigned disgusted look. “Keep that out of my coffee shop.”

Virgil was about to retort when a light, melodic voice piped up from the front door. “Your coffee shop? Well darn! You should have told me that you were taking over, Jan! I wouldn’t have come in.”

Virgil turned on his stool to look at Patton, who was smiling widely, unabashedly showing their fangs for all the world to see. Behind him, Virgil could hear Janus’s amused snort.

Patton Darling was an older vampire than Virgil was, though by all other standards they were still rather young at 49. They looked younger than Virgil, and although their physical appearances only differed by three years, Virgil couldn’t help but feel like he paled in comparison to Patton. Patton had that ethereal beauty about them that all vampires were supposed to have, but on them it looked effortless and… simply put, right. Their smooth, deep brown skin and sapphire blue eyes glowed in an inhuman sort of way that could enchant any mortal, and most immortals that Patton happened to meet. This week, their hair was a pastel purple. The previous week it had been a sunflower yellow. It was like Patton wanted to call attention to themself, something that Virgil and most other vampires avoided.

Between them and Janus, Virgil wasn’t sure who was more mysteriously stunning. Had Logan been in the room, the sheer amount of beauty in the café probably would have knocked him unconscious.

“Hey, Pat.” Virgil couldn’t help but smile back at the older vampire.

“Hi, Virgil! How are you today?” Patton pat Virgil’s shoulder genially as they slipped past him to get behind the counter with Janus.

“He’s pining again.” Janus answered before Virgil could. “Also he snuck four shots of espresso when I wasn’t looking.”

Virgil glared at Janus with a renewed vigor as Patton gasped. “Virgil! You know that that isn’t good for you!” Janus nodded from behind Patton, a smug grin on his face.

“I don’t really digest it.” Virgil pointed out. He certainly was not pouting under Patton’s stern gaze.

“Hmph.” Patton looked dissatisfied with that answer, but they didn’t push it, thankfully. “Well, what did Logan do this time?”

Then again, maybe Virgil would rather they continued to chew him out for his coffee choices.

“He just-” Virgil sighed. If he had a beating heart or blood running through his veins, Virgil just knew that he would have been blushing by now. “You know.” He gestured helplessly.

“Existed in your presence?” Janus quipped.

“Exactly!”

Patton hummed sympathetically. Virgil knew that they could relate to hopeless crushes. For all the time that Virgil had known them, they had been in love with some man or another. “I’m sorry, kiddo.”

Virgil grumbled. “I look older than you.”

Patton paid no attention, but dropped the pet name. “You should really just tell him. Be honest about your feelings! What’s the worst that could happen?”

Janus and Virgil glanced at one another before leveling Patton with their best ‘are-you-actually-serious’ look.

“So many things.” Virgil could almost name them by heart by now. He had run them over in his mind so many times. “For one, he doesn’t even know that I’m a vampire. I’d have to drop that bombshell on him, and you know that he’d just be scared off. At least now I have him as a friend.”

Suddenly, Janus had turned his dubious stare away from Patton, and Virgil had both of his friends staring at him with matching looks of… amusement? Surprise? Sympathy? Virgil couldn’t tell, but he very much felt like Janus was not on his side in this conversation any longer.

“Are you kidding?” Janus’s voice held a note of high pitched incredulity that only confused Virgil further. Janus turned to Patton, unhidden laughter in his tone now. “Is he kidding? Does he not know-”

From the way that the werewolf winced, Virgil got the distinct impression that Patton had just stomped on his foot. Bewildered, Virgil turned to Patton. “Know what? Pat, what is he talking about?”

Janus looked like he was about to break into a laughing fit. “You-”

“Shh!” Patton nudged Janus, sending him a very severe pointed look. They turned back to Virgil, who felt extremely lost. “It’s nothing, V. He’s just being stupid.”

“Hey!”

“What Janus means to say is that you can’t be sure how he’ll react. You really should tell him, Virgil.” Their eyes were kind, but Virgil could not shake the distinct feeling that he was being made fun of.

Knowing that he would definitely not be following that advice, and that Janus was about two seconds away from laughing in his face for some reason, Virgil pushed away from the coffee bar and stood up, clutching his O negative espresso.

“Yeah, alright. Look, I’ve got to be going.” He gestured lamely over his shoulder.

“Oh! Okay, Virgil. Well, good night!” Patton waved as Virgil backed away from the bar towards the door. Janus looked like he was in a lot of pain. Probably because Patton was standing on his foot. “Sucks to see you go!”

Virgil turned and dashed out of the store. As the door to the café swung shut behind him, he could hear Janus break into a deafening cackle.

Weird.

----

The view of the night sky from the planetarium never ceased to amaze Logan.

Despite the fact that he had worked at the planetarium as a lecturer for approximately two years now, the sight from the observation deck would always be a sight to behold. Logan had spent many, many years under the same stars, and he had never once beheld anything as beautiful as them.

Well, perhaps there were one or two things that rivaled starshine from the heavens.

Like his roommate’s crooked smile. Or his alluring violet eyes, and how they lit up with a fond twinkle that Logan used to think could never be aimed at him. Virgil’s laugh also rivaled the constellations that Logan knew by heart--the way it dipped and fell, how it was low and gravely sometimes, stirring something deep in Logan’s stomach.

Even now, Logan was staring up at the sky--his one true love for over a century and a half--Logan found himself wishing that he were at home, sitting with Virgil on the couch, watching a sitcom.

Logan was startled out of his musings by the clearing of a throat.

Blinking, Logan tore his eyes away from the open sky. A man--a customer--stood before Logan. The first thing that Logan noticed were the sunglasses that the man was wearing. They were perched on top of his curly black hair, almost unnoticeable in the dark of the planetarium. Why on earth would anyone be wearing sunglasses in the middle of the night? Judging by the rest of the man’s outfit, a black leather jacket, a nondescript gray t-shirt and ripped jeans, Logan presumed that it was simply part of this man’s aesthetic.

Virgil would probably have approved. Or called him a try-hard. It was hard to predict Virgil’s opinions.

“Yes, sir?” Logan finally got around to responding, his polite customer service voice on.

The man smiled charmingly. It was quite unlike Virgil’s unsure smile, which often left Logan feeling as though he were the only one in the world who got to see it. This man looked like he handed out smiles to any and everyone.

There was something… familiar about him. It nagged on the back of Logan’s mind.

“I was wondering when the next lecture was.” It wasn’t a question. It was a statement of a question. Again, Logan explained it away. Many customers were entitled and downright rude to him. This certainly was not out of the norm, or even noteworthy.

Logan glanced at his watch, as if he didn’t know the planetarium’s schedule by heart. It was nearly 5:30 A.M. “I’m sorry, sir.”  Logan answered as he looked back up. The man was a bit closer than he had been before. Logan took a step back. “We are actually about to close for a couple of hours before morning tours of the museum can begin.”

That was another odd thing. Not many customers stayed around the planetarium as morning was arriving. Logan usually had the last hour or so of his shift free of customers on weekdays.

“Bummer.” The man did not sound too put out by this information. “I was really looking forward to hearing your lecture, Mr. Doyle.”

Logan felt distinctly uncomfortable now. He knew, logically, that the man could know his name for any number of reasons. It was all over the pamphlets set out around the room. It was on the badge stuck to Logan’s turtleneck. However, the way that the man said it…

“It is Doctor, but thank you.” Logan said, stiffly. “If you return another night, I’m sure that you can make it to a show.” Logan very much did not want this man to return another night.

“Do you work any day shifts?”

Logan hadn’t seen the man move, but he was closer once again. Logan took another step back, hoping that his distancing himself was not too obvious. “Sadly, no. I am here most nights, however. There are schedules on our free pamphlets.” He wished that there were not schedules on their free pamphlets.

The man was just opening his mouth to speak again when the doors to the planetarium burst open, and a young man in a pale pink sweater tumbled through.

“Came in early, Doc! Couldn’t get much sleep last night, so I thought I’d come in a few hours early and let you go! I can do the cleaning before my shift starts, and you can get home to- Oh. Hello.”

Logan held back a sigh of relief. It helped greatly that he did not need to breathe. “Hello, Dr. Picani. I was just telling this customer-”

“Nate. Nate Miller.” The man, Nate, had looked very disgruntled to be interrupted, Logan had not failed to notice. Now, however, he was smiling charmingly once again as he crossed the couple of steps between Logan and the door to shake Dr. Emile Picani’s hand.

“Nice to meet ’cha!” Emile exclaimed, sending a slightly confused look over Nate’s shoulder to Logan. Logan shook his head. No. He did not know this man. Emile, the saint that he was, stepped in gracefully, making up for his clumsiness at the door before. “Well, I can answer any questions that you have now! My friend, Logan, here is going to be going home early. You can stick around while I clean up before we close for a bit.”

Nate looked very much disgruntled with this turn of events, but Logan did not give him a chance to respond, grabbing his messenger bag as quickly as a human possibly could.

Nodding his thanks to Emile, Logan tried to maintain a neutral stature and pace as he left the planetarium, scanning out at the buzzer by the door and grabbing his keys.

He felt eyes on him all the way out.

----

When Virgil got back from P&J’s it was only 4 A.M.

Which meant that he had about three hours before Logan got back from work.

Was it odd for one to measure time by their roommate’s whereabouts? Virgil wasn’t quite sure. To be fair, he had never had a roommate that he was so attached to. Logan was… special.

Virgil shook that thought away. Logan wasn’t even home yet, and all Virgil could seem to think about was him. It was Janus and Patton’s fault. What they had said was sitting in the back of his mind and making him think all kinds of crazy things.

Like that he should possibly… maybe consider telling Logan his feelings.

Virgil bit the inside of his cheek harshly, shoving that thought as far away as he possibly could. No. Not an option. Logan was just a human who was unluckily living with a vampire. Virgil could never ruin his life like that.

Determined to distract himself, Virgil placed his phone face up on the kitchen counter and turned on some music.

Usually, around the apartment, Virgil would only listen to his music with his headphones on. Music was a very personal thing. Not to mention that blasting music that other people may not like was too much of a risk for is anxiety ridden self.

However, tonight--that morning?--Virgil needed to blast the traitorous thoughts out of his mind, and he didn’t feel like dealing with the headache that would surely come with wearing headphones on full blast. So, Virgil queued up his favorite distraction playlist of early 2000s punk songs and played it for all the empty kitchen to hear.

For the next hour or so, Virgil bobbed his head along to bands that reminded him of when he was still alive and worked on his computer. Being a web developer and consultant had its perks, the greatest among them being the lack of strict hours and the absence of human interaction.

Just after half past five, Virgil was bored. Not that his job was particularly thrilling most nights, but what Janus had said earlier was still bothering him.

What had the werewolf been insinuating? He had acted like he knew something that Virgil didn’t. And Patton hadn’t exactly proved Virgil’s suspicions wrong. In fact, they had seemed just as amused by whatever secret Janus was keeping from Virgil.

It was infuriating. His two best friends, and he couldn’t for the undead life of him figure out their angle.

Why did they want Virgil to out himself as a vampire to Logan? If it were just Patton, Virgil would simply assume that they wanted him to be happy, but Janus… Janus knew a bit more about what could happen if their secrets were outed. And yet he had still acted like Virgil keeping his blood drinking habits a secret from Logan was some sort of joke.

Virgil groaned, burying his head in his hands and pushing his computer aside.

Looked like he was going to get that headache whether he liked it or not.

Just as he was lamenting his choices in friends, the song changed and Virgil reached for his phone without thinking. With only a few taps on the screen, Virgil closed out of his current playlist and pulled up one that he had clocked many an hour listening to in the early hours of dawn, shut up in his room, curled up on his bed and hugging a pillow.

It was simply titled “Logan” with a blue heart emoji.

He never had been very creative.

Before he could think about the ramifications of his decision, Virgil had pressed the shuffle button and set his phone back down.

“Now that she’s back in the atmosphere

With drops of Jupiter in her hair

She acts like summer and walks like rain

Reminds me that there’s a time to change”

Virgil closed his eyes and let the music wash over him. It was silly. It was really, really, really silly, and Virgil knew for a fact that if Janus were here to see what Virgil was doing, Virgil would probably die for the second time.

That knowledge didn’t stop him from getting up and sliding slowly around his own dark kitchen in his socks, though.

For a good couple of songs, Virgil danced alone in the kitchen. Not really danced, just sort of swayed in place and slid around, but that didn’t matter. All the while, he thought of Logan. His roommate who wore hideously outdated, probably thrifted, sweater vests like they were the height of fashion. His roommate who watched bad documentaries with him and ate terribly sugary jelly right from the jar in the fridge. His roommate who still used that ugly black fluffy keychain that Virgil had given him as a joke weeks ago.

Maybe he should tell Logan. About his feelings or about his nature, he wasn’t quite sure. He hadn’t decided when a pair of smooth, comfortably chilled hands slipped into his and a soft voice spoke.

“Can’t say I’ve ever come home to this before.”

Virgil’s eyes flew open. He had been so deep in his own mind that he hadn’t even heard the door unlock. For the tiniest of moments, he tensed, all too aware of the type of music that was currently pouring from his phone, but he quickly relaxed.

Logan tended to have that effect on him.

Maybe he should have been more wary of that. He wasn’t.

“You’re home early.” He responded, trying to hide his burning embarrassment. It was quickly overshadowed by the sudden, all too visceral knowledge that Logan had placed one of his hands on Virgil’s waist and was now leading the two of them in a real dance.

In the middle of their dark kitchen, illuminated only by the light of the refrigerator clock and the glow from Virgil’s abandoned laptop, while the jazzy notes of Fly Me to the Moon played in the background.

He could die again happy.

Logan was nodding. “Yes. My coworker, Emile, showed up early and let me take the hour off. Something about being unable to sleep. I probably should have been more worried for him.”

Virgil couldn’t stop his lips from quirking up in a small smile. He didn’t even try to. “Lucky me. And- I mean, lucky you, of course. An hour off. That must be nice.”

Logan hummed. “It’s turning out to be, yes.”

The two of them turned slowly as the song faded out. Logan didn’t let go, so Virgil didn’t either. Feeling uncharacteristically brave, or perhaps just a bit too comfortable, Virgil leaned forward and rested his head on Logan’s shoulder.

His turtleneck was soft against Virgil’s cheek.

“I know you're somewhere out there

Somewhere far away

I want you back, I want you back

My neighbors think I'm crazy

But they don't understand

You're all I have, you're all I have

At night, when the stars light up my room

I sit by myself

Talking to the moon

Trying to get to you

In hopes you're on the other side, talking to me too

Or am I a fool, who sits alone, talking to the moon?”

They were silent as the music played. They swayed slowly. Logan led them in circles effortlessly. Distantly, Virgil wondered whether Logan had some professional training on his front. At one point, during the chorus of their second song, Logan pushed Virgil back slightly. Just as he was about to apologize for taking liberties and invading Logan’s space, though, Logan lifted their joined hands.

Virgil spun underneath, an incredulous laugh floating easily from his chest.

His fangs flashed in the laptop’s glow just as he was facing away from his roommate.

Logan caught Virgil back in his arms easily, pulling him back to their original position and rubbing his thumb along Virgil’s waist in a way that gave him goosebumps.

It dawned on Virgil as the sun dawned on the city streets.

He was desperately, irrevocably in love with Logan Doyle.

----

“I’m in love with him.”

Remus choked on his thai food, noodles still half out of his mouth. “What the fuck?”

“I am in love with him.” Logan repeated. “What did you think that I said?”

Remus spat out his noodles in a frankly disgusting display that Logan was sadly used to. “No! I heard you, I’m just flabbergasted!”

“Nice word.” Logan commented.

“You’re in- I can’t even say it! You sound like Roman! I knew that you had the hots for Virgey, but in love-” Remus fake retched.

Logan bristled, but before he could make a sarcastic remark about how much less disgusting his feelings were than Remus’s… everything, Roman stepped out from the back room.

“You know that I can hear you, right?”

Roman rounded the counter, his knee length skirt swaying against his legs. Roman and Remus were starkly different. Where Roman wore flowy, soft and stylish clothing, Remus was all hard lines and punk outfits. However, both had plenty of tattoos. Roman’s right arm was nearly covered with brightly colored tattoos that looked like a watercolor project. Remus had a similar, monochrome sleeve on his left arm.

Roman and Remus were co-owners of the tattoo parlor known as King’s Inks, named for their own last names. Logan never came in for an actual tattoo, they weren’t really his style, but the brothers were always welcoming to him. It wasn’t hard, even when living in a big city, for the creatures unknown to most humans to find one another. People like Logan… and people like Roman they stuck together. No matter if they both enjoyed tattoos or not.

Roman King and Remus King looked like normal, human twins to most. Other than Roman’s slightly pointed ears, of course. If someone was not in the know about fae or changelings, then they may just assume that it was just a part of Roman’s unique style.

“I don’t care! Lolo’s lost his mind!”

Logan scoffed. “I assure you, my mind is very much intact and in my head, thank you. Do not insert me into your arguments with your sibling.”

“Please, Rem.” Roman rolled his eyes, completely ignoring Logan, as if the conversation were not completely about him and his emotions. “Stop acting like you’re so disgusted by displays of emotion, already.”

“Acting? Bold of you to assume that I can act. You’re the acting one. Your entire existence is based on acting like me.”

Roman huffed, dramatically. “As if you weren’t waxing poetic about Patton last Thursday! Logan remembers! Don’t you, Logan?”

“I was under the impression that we were talking about me this week.”

Roman waved his hand dismissively. “He means he remembers. So cut the bull, Remus.”

Remus rolled his eyes, but did not defend himself. His mouth was full of thai food again anyway.

Roman glared at his brother for just a second longer before returning his attention to Logan. Instantly, his expression was brighter, almost giddy. “In love?! Finally you got around to admitting it! What happened? Did something happen? Was it cute?”

“We danced.” Logan answered, simply. He had long surpassed any feelings of embarrassment around the King twins.

Roman squealed. Quite literally, squealed. Logan winced and leaned away. Remus fake retched again.

“You’re not going to just say that and not tell us everything, are you?” Roman hopped up to sit on the counter across from where Logan and Remus were sitting at the small table in the waiting room.

And so Logan did. Not because Roman King was particularly good at convincing, but because, not so secretly, Logan really had just come to the tattoo shop to tell his friends everything. That was what these weekly meetings were for, after all. It wasn’t official, or anything, but it had become expected for Logan to turn up at the tattoo parlor every Thursday to chat with Roman and Remus about all manners of things.

Most particularly, their individual romantic endeavors.

As Logan recounted the events of the previous night, Roman looked more and more excited. Usually, Logan would be frightened by such a level of sheer giddy enjoyment on the fae’s face, but today Logan could feel nothing less than happy. Content.

He still didn’t really know where his own courage had come from the night before. What exactly had possessed him upon entering their apartment to find Virgil swaying alone in the kitchen to music? Why had he suddenly acquired the romantic prowess it took to lead his roommate in an impromptu dance around the linoleum floor? Was it simply love?

Did it really matter?

Apparently not, according to the twins. Even Remus looked begrudgingly moved at the end of Logan’s tale.

“So when are you going to tell him?” The human twin asked.

“What do you mean?” Logan asked, confused. He had only just discovered these feelings, why on earth did Remus believe that he should instantly confess them? Honestly, Logan was much more comfortable enjoying this discovery in private, thank you very much.

“You should tell him!” Roman nearly shouted. “Don’t tell me that you’re just… not going to.”

“That was the plan, yes.”

“Wh- Men.” Roman exclaimed, falling back dramatically to lay across the bar that he was still sitting on.

Logan huffed. “This has nothing to do with my gender, Roman.” He wasn’t really offended by the comment, of course, he was just deflecting. Roman himself was genderfluid and was quite liberal with his comments about men, whether he was using he/him pronouns at the moment or not. “I just do not plan on telling Virgil about this right now. I see no reason to.”

“The reason is that you can be happy, Logan.”

Logan blinked, turning to face Remus. The moustached twin looked shockingly somber. Serious. It was like spotting a unicorn, seeing Remus like this. “I-”

“Logan, just listen and don’t talk for once.” Logan desperately wanted to point out that coming from Remus, such a statement was frankly laughable, but he bit his tongue. “You’ve been alive for nearly two centuries.” Logan barely held back a wince at the reminder of his age. Remus continued, completely carelessly. “And how many times have you really, and I mean really let yourself fall in love and stick with it?”

Logan could feel a lump of shame forming in his throat. He swallowed around it.

Roman picked up this time. His voice was much more soothing than his brother’s, but no less stern. “You’re always working, Logan. You’re always going, and we get it. You’ve been stuck at twenty-six years old for over a hundred and fifty years. You keep moving because the world keeps moving around you.” There was something sad in Roman’s golden-green eyes for a split second, but it was quickly masked. “You have to take a chance every once in a while. You should tell Virgil about your feelings. You know that you would be saying the same thing were it either of us.”

Remus continued. “Listen to your besties for once, Logan. You’ve been coming in here and going on and on about Virgil for weeks. Months. I don’t even know, it’s been so long. But the point is that you need to tell him. It’s been long enough, even Roman is tired of it. Not to mention, I’d bet my ass he feels the same.”

There was a moment of silence. Those were few and far between in King’s Inks.

Remus broke it after a few seconds, as though continuing his thought from earlier. “And you desperately need to get laid.”

Logan wrinkled his nose, distastefully. “Honestly, Remus, can you resist being vile for longer than ten minutes?”

Remus grinned, proudly digging back into his thai food. “Nope! It’s what I’m here for.” There was a momentary pause. “No, literally. It’s why the fair folk brought me back after switching me with Ro.”

Roman rolled his eyes. “It is not. Stop talking bad about yourself, or I’m going across the street and telling Patton.”

Logan may have been mistaken, or too caught up in his own issues, but for a moment there, it looked as though Remus’s cheeks were brushed with a light shade of pink.

As the brother’s began to bicker, Logan pulled back into his own thoughts. Perhaps… Should he tell Virgil? Despite the raging swarm of butterflies that attacked the pit of Logan’s stomach at the very thought, he had to admit that letting his emotions out in the open would feel a lot better than continuing living with Virgil for however much longer, pretending that he felt nothing more than friendship for him. It was already agony just in his mind’s eye.

There were so many possible downsides, though. Logically, Logan knew that Virgil would not become angry if Logan were to confess. It was highly unlikely that Virgil would cut off all contact with Logan or kick him out of the apartment, either. In fact, after the previous night’s display…

Logan, holding Virgil against his chest as though he were something precious--because he was, of course--the two of them twirling around their tiny kitchen, as though they were the only two people in the world. Soft music playing from Virgil’s phone, the perfect songs for them luckily playing back to back, as if hand picked. Logan had had the lyrics swirling in his mind on repeat ever since. It had been… magical. Lovely. Wonderful. Everything that Logan had never known he needed.

And it was well worth the risk of mortification that he could forget in fifty years if Logan had even the slightest of chances to hold onto Virgil like that again.

“I’m going to do it.” Logan’s voice rang out, perfectly clear, over the twins’ quickly heating argument.

Roman gasped. “Really? I didn’t think we would be able to talk you into it!”

“You didn’t. I simply decided that it was a low risk, high reward situation. Statistically, I have more to lose by not attempting to tell Virgil my… discovery than I do by telling him.”

“Cut the bull, nerd.” Remus was grinning again, in a way that would have appeared almost… menacing, were Logan not so used to Remus’s odd expressions. “We all know that you did not actually calculate the statistical risk of telling Virgil you’re in-” Remus caught up to his own words and dramatically retched again, as though the very word he was about to say was an allergen.

“In love,” Roman finished for his brother, “I can’t believe you’re going to do it! Oh- You should get some flowers for him from the shop down the street! The warlock who owns it is always so perceptive about what to get for which occasion. Oh, this will be so romantic-”

Logan cleared his throat. “You do know that if- when I tell Virgil, you will not be in attendance, correct?”

Roman waved a hand dismissively. “Details.”

Remus stood and stretched, his back cracking loudly. “Alright, well if you two are about to plan the most boring pre-fuck in the world, I’m going down to the café. You two want anything?”

The vampire and the fae both shook their hands, and Remus left the tattoo parlor, the bell above the door jingling jovially over the quick chatter from Roman as the door swung shut behind him.

----

Virgil couldn’t focus on his work.

To be fair, Virgil had never been good at focusing on his job. When he wasn’t actually consulting, Virgil was a developer. Which meant that he essentially made his own schedule. Which also meant that he had no accountability for any sort of timeline.

It became especially hard when Virgil’s mind was completely occupied by Logan Doyle.

Virgil, lately, had spent quite a bit of every day thinking about Logan. But after the night before… Virgil couldn’t stop thinking about him. Every time he closed his eyes, he was there again, in the middle of the kitchen, breathing in Logan’s vanilla scented cologne. Every time he paused between keystrokes, the notes from the music that had played that night floated through his mind.

It was unbearably distracting.

Patton had texted Virgil at about 1 A.M., asking whether he would be at the café that night. At first, Virgil had considered sending back a snarky text telling them that he would not be returning to P&J’s until Janus stopped being a little shit and avoiding telling him what his little laughing fit during his last visit had been about.

Instead, however, out of his own gracious nature, Virgil held back his sarcasm.

It certainly had nothing to do with the fact that he had spent the past 20 hours feeling as though his chest were full of bubbles, imagining Logan’s hand on his waist.

Virgil: not tonight. I’ve got work to do.

What happened? Patton texted back immediately.

Virgil cursed his friend’s intuition.

Virgil: nothing! I just don’t feel like coffee.

Pat: And you do feel like work?

Virgil: no, I feel like being at home.

There was a pause. Virgil watched as a bubble indicating that Patton was typing appeared and disappeared about three times in quick succession.

Pat: Hold on. I’m moving this to the group chat.

Virgil cursed. If Janus got wind of what was happening, Virgil would never hear the end of it. Janus could sniff out Virgil’s emotional turmoil like no one else. No pun intended.

Before he could respond and tell them to not tell Janus under any circumstances, Patton had sent a text in the trio’s group chat.

Pat: What’s going on, Virgil?

Janus: Something’s up with Virgil?

Virgil: no. I just said I wasn’t coming in today.

Janus: Why not?

Virgil: I have work to do!

Pat: We’re just worried about you, honey.

Virgil groaned, but didn’t correct the pet name. Even though he didn’t like being coddled, sometimes the affection Patton put into their words wasn’t so bad. It certainly wasn’t a decision ruled by Virgil’s current good mood.

Virgil: I just wanted to stay home today. I’m fine.

Janus: That means you’re either mid depression spiral or-

Virgil softened a bit. His friends really did get him. It wouldn’t have been the first time that Virgil had fallen into a spiral since he met the two, and Janus and Patton were sadly well acquainted with Virgil’s moods. He knew that if he really were in the middle of an episode that Patton and Janus wouldn’t hesitate to close the coffee shop for the night and come keep him company.

Pat: Are you? V?

Virgil shook his head and texted back quickly.

Virgil: I’m not. Really.

Janus: Oh fuck.

Pat: ???

Janus: Are you in bed with Logan right now?

Pat: !!!

Virgil: NO.

Janus: Are you about to be?

Pat: !!!!!!!!!!!

Virgil: no.

Janus: What happened, then?

Virgil: none of your business. I just answered Pat’s text. I do not deserve to be interrogated.

Janus: This is not an interrogation. It is a series of educated guesses and negations.

Virgil: I plead the fifth, then.

Janus: Not an interrogation. You have no rights.

Virgil: didn’t you drop out of law school?

Janus: After my girlfriend nearly killed me, actually.

Pat: Boys, let’s not fight. Are you sure you’re alright, Virgil?

Virgil: yeah, I promise.

Oddly enough, Virgil was considering expanding on what was actually going on--Patton tended to have that effect on him. They were amazingly good at pulling Virgil’s deepest thoughts from him. Something about their trust and gentle concern was surprisingly convincing. Just as he was about to respond, there was a knock at the door.

Virgil instantly tensed. It was only 1 in the morning. Even on Logan’s off nights, like Virgil knew tonight was, Logan never got home before 2 or 3.

And even when he was early or late, Logan had his own key. Of course he did. With that stupid fluffy black keychain that Virgil had clipped onto his key ring weeks ago.

Had something happened?

Virgil glanced back down at his phone and sent a quick dismissal text to his two friends.

Virgil: I’ll see you guys later. Gotta go.

Janus: Chicken.

Pat: Alright! Have a good night, Virgil!

Virgil couldn’t stop the way his lips quirked up at the texts. He was still looking down at his phone as he took his first few steps towards the apartment door. There was another, slightly less polite sounding knock on the door.

“Coming!” Virgil called, clicking his phone off and sliding it into the pocket of his hoodie.

The light from the hallway outside cast a shadow that Virgil could see in the crack underneath the door. Whoever was on the other side was standing rather close to the door. Virgil couldn’t quite shake the sense that there was something off. He tried not to focus on it too much. He was in a good mood. Whoever the hell it was knocking on his door at one in the morning was probably just at the wrong door.

Any other night, Virgil would have been more cautious.

Any other night, when Virgil was in any other mood than completely besotted, Virgil may not have answered the knock at all.

As it was, Virgil opened the apartment door with little to no hesitation.

On the other side, standing in the dimly lit hallway stood a man with a nest of curly black hair and a form-fitting leather jacket, a pair of sunglasses hanging from the neck of his plain black t-shirt. If Virgil didn’t feel the hairs on the back of his neck standing up with some sort of instinctual unease, he may have thought that the man in front of him was handsome.

“Can I help you?” Anxiety seeped into Virgil’s tone. He looked the man up and down. The large boots. The perfectly straight posture. The tense shoulders. He suddenly wished very much that he had not opened the door.

The man smiled. There was something distinctly menacing about it. “Is Logan here?”

Virgil’s stomach twisted. He knew, suddenly, that he should not, under any circumstances, tell this man where Logan was. He felt his fangs poking at his lower lip, descending involuntarily. “Who are you?” His voice was gruffer than intended. The question was polite enough, but Virgil’s tone was nearly a hiss.

“I’m Nate Miller.” The man put a hand on the outside of the door. He didn’t push it open any wider than Virgil held it, but Virgil got the distinct impression that he would if Virgil made any sort of move to shut the door in his face.

“And you’re Virgil Noir, aren’t you?”

----

The warlock from the flower shop suggested that Logan go with a traditional bouquet of a dozen red roses.

Logan, however, while a traditional man of 182 years old, wanted something a bit more creative.

Roman had hovered over his shoulder for the entire exchange, offering his two cents with each choice that Logan attempted to make. His helpfulness was suffocating, but Logan didn’t let it deter him.

By the time that they were done, Logan had a beautiful, and rather pricey, bouquet picked out.

It was beautiful. It was wholly unnecessary, of course, but Logan didn’t mind getting caught up in Roman’s dramatics from time to time too much.

Virgil deserved as much.

The walk back to the apartment passed by Logan in a blur of cracked sidewalk and brisk air.

Logan had made this walk plenty of times before, but that time it felt… different. The air was full of promise, and though he was hesitant to admit it, even to himself, a sort of… hope that Logan hadn’t felt in a long, long time.

It was a breath of fresh air. Possibility.

Probability, if Logan allowed himself to make a couple of more hopeful assumptions based on that look in Virgil’s eyes the night before.

It wasn’t until he got to the door of the apartment complex that any sort of anxiety started to catch up with him. Seeing Virgil usually brought a calm over Logan. Coming back to the apartment to see his roommate was in itself like unwinding after a long day. Virgil had an uncanny ability of loosening every ward that Logan set up around himself.

But as Logan ascended the stairs--the elevator would definitely take too long right then, especially since Logan had noticed that it was descending right as he walked into the building--he took note of the fluttering sensation in the pit of his stomach.

The bats taking nest in his gut quickly fell into a pit as Logan saw the door to their apartment.

The open door to their apartment.

The bouquet fell from Logan’s hands, tumbling to the carpeted floor of the hallway.

Logan was at the door in less than a second, much faster than any human could move.

The bolt on the door was scratched, as if it had been forced open. If Logan’s heart hadn’t already stopped beating, this would have put a halt to it. He pushed the door open lightly, slowly, as though the seconds that it took to do so would stop this from happening--stop what he was seeing from being true.

Carefully, residual training from his years of being a detective when he was alive kicking in, Logan picked his way into the room so as not to disturb what was inside.

The apartment, for the most part, was exactly as he had left it. Further in, Logan could see that the living room was undisturbed.

Whatever had happened hadn’t made it past the entryway.

The entryway itself was a mess. The corkboard that Logan had hung up on the wall was crooked, the miscellaneous take-out menus and schedules were either barely hanging on by their push pins or scattered across the floor. The umbrella stand was knocked completely to the ground, as was the dish that usually held their keys. It was laying on the wood floor, shattered. Virgil’s keys underneath.

The knot in Logan’s throat that had nothing to do with thirst tightened. Finally, emotion overtook care. “Virgil?!” Logan called out into the empty apartment. His voice echoed off of the walls.

Dashing forward, past the wreckage of their entryway, Logan entered the living room. He glanced around quickly, desperately, but it was empty. “Virgil?!” He turned on his heel. So was the kitchen. Fast as he possibly could, Logan was at the door to Virgil’s bedroom, throwing it open and finding it silent and desolate. Desperate, Logan shot to the door to his own bedroom and flung it open, only to find the same thing.

Shaking, Logan was back at the kitchen in a blink. Virgil’s laptop was sitting, untouched on the counter. Just as he was about to give up, something caught the corner of Logan’s eye.

A flash of white. Instantly, Logan was back at the front door, pushing it closed.

There, pinned to the door of his and Virgil’s apartment with a silver knife was a slip of paper.

Logan felt sick. It was paper from a pad that they kept in the kitchen. Paper that he usually wrote notes for Virgil on before he left for the night.

Doyle,

I believe I have something you want. You know where to find me.

-NM

The shaking stopped. The paper nearly tore with the force that Logan was gripping it. Clutching the note in one hand, Logan reached into the side pocket of his messenger bag for his cell phone. By the time that he had dialed Remus’s number, he was already out the front door of the apartment building.

----

It was barely fifteen minutes later when they all made it to King’s Inks.

Fifteen minutes too long, in Logan’s opinion.

Roman had just barely been able to talk Logan down from taking off after Virgil.

Rationally, Logan knew that he would have done the same thing if he were in Roman’s place. If he had snatched Remus's phone from his hand and heard himself, desperate and earth shakingly angry, raving about going off alone after a hunter of unknown ability, he would have talked himself down too.

That didn’t mean that he was any less angry about it.

When Logan had reached the tattoo parlor, only one twin had been waiting for him. When Roman told Logan that Remus had gone down the street to get the owners of the local coffee shop, Logan had nearly gone off on him. Thankfully, Roman’s bullshit detector and friendship was stronger than Logan’s ferocity.

The bell above the door had jingled not too long later, and Logan had stopped his pacing to look at the new arrivals.

Remus entered the tattoo parlor followed by two rather eclectic characters that Logan could only assume were the owners of the café down the street. He barely listened through introductions, just gathering the essentials--that Patton and Janus were friends of Virgil’s and here to help.

Roman then had to pry the--for lack of any other possible description, though it made Logan sick to the stomach to think it--ransom note from Logan’s hand to pass it around to the other three.

“Who is NM?” Janus’s voice was gruff, enough so that Logan didn’t even need to register the wet dog smell to know that he was a werewolf.

“Nate Miller.” Logan hissed out. His foot tapped impatiently against the polished concrete floor of the tattoo parlor. “He approached me at my work earlier this week.”

Janus raised a single eyebrow but didn’t challenge it. If Logan were in a better state, he would have noticed the worried tilt to Janus’s mouth, or the way that his back was ramrod straight. He would have noticed that Janus was just as worried for Virgil as he was.

To Janus’s left, holding the ransom note and staring unblinkingly at it, was Patton. They were trembling, their eyes glassy. Remus was leaning over their shoulder to read the note as well. Logan barely noticed the supportive hand that the human twin had placed on the new vampire’s back.

“And there was no sign of Virgil?” Logan swallowed back the urge to snap in his reply, only because of the waver in Patton’s voice. “How long ago do you think-”

“I don’t know.” Logan clipped. “Not long before I arrived back at the apartment. It still reeked of him.” Old Spice and gunpowder. Logan could still smell the phantom of it. “I need to find him.”

Roman placed a calming hand on Logan’s shoulder. “That’s what we’re trying to do, hothead. We’re trying to get your boyfriend back, but you shouldn’t go running off after a hunter alone. Especially not one that is obviously targeting you.”

Janus nodded along. “For once, Roman is speaking sense.” Roman’s cheeks flushed a soft pink at the low-bar praise. “I thought that you were supposed to be smart?”

Logan leveled a glare at the wolf. “I’m sorry, do you know me?”

Janus shrugged. “Might as well. Virgil talks about you enough.”

“What does it mean?” Patton interrupted before Logan could respond. “‘You know where to find me.’ Do you, Logan?”

Logan nodded curtly. “The observatory. There’s nothing else that it could mean. That’s where he confronted me before.” Just thinking about it stirred up Logan’s anger again. He ran a frustrated hand through his hair, tugging on it at the ends. “I just don’t understand! Why would he take Virgil if he wants me? He’s a human! He has nothing to do with this!”

The whole room froze and went suddenly, unbearably silent.

“What?” Logan snapped. He should probably feel worse about being so harsh with his friends--and, apparently, Virgil’s friends--but at the moment he couldn’t bring himself to care.

“Are you kidding me? Still?” Remus’s voice was shrill. More shrill than usual, even.

All four of the others were staring directly at Logan, with varying looks of disbelief and resignation.

“Logan, honey.” Patton’s voice was unbearably fond, despite the fact that Logan had only really known them for a couple of minutes. “Virgil is a vampire too.”

Logan blinked. Then blinked again. For a moment, just a moment, he forgot all about where they were and what was going on. And suddenly, everything made sense. “Shit.”

The others watched him, concerned, for just a moment before Janus spoke again, redirecting them all back to the matter at hand. Logan, however, felt as though his head was spinning. Everything that he had known was suddenly turned on its head. He took a deep breath.

There would be time to deal with his revelation later. For now, he needed to focus. Virgil needed him. Virgil needed all of them.

Logan looked up, refocusing back on the others. They were talking quietly amongst themselves. Logan cleared his throat.

“We need to make a plan.”

----

The planetarium was silent when Logan arrived. Anyone would have assumed that it was deserted.

The planetarium was closed for the night, which is why it was Logan’s day off. Usually the planetarium and, specifically, the observatory was a place of comfort for him. Tonight, however, he wanted nothing more than to not have to be here.

Well, that was untrue. He did want one thing more, and Nate Miller knew it.

His footsteps echoed through the empty halls. Spinning diagrams of planets and moons that would normally have been mesmerizing hung from the ceiling. During the day, the planetarium was beautiful.

Logan had the path to the observatory memorized. He walked down the halls quickly but with caution, not using his vampire speed. There was no way of telling what Nate had been prepared for when he demanded that Logan meet him here. There could be any number of traps and Logan needed to keep his head on his shoulders, as Janus had not so politely warned before they had split up.

Despite his admirable restraint, Logan still moved more recklessly than he probably should have on his way there.

The door was cracked when Logan reached the observatory, propped open with a stopper. Logan didn’t hesitate before crossing the threshold and entering. It was just as quiet inside the observatory as the rest of the planetarium had been. The aisles of plush, fold theatre-style seats innocently lined the rounded walls and radiated inwards, completely empty. The ceiling was rolled back and open to the heavens. A clear night sky shown down on Logan and the empty rows of seats. It was beautiful, but Logan knew the implications of the sight.

It was nearing dawn now. The sun would be rising within the hour.

Behind him, the door slammed shut. Thankfully, Logan had just enough dignity and composure not to flinch at the sound, although he did turn to see that the door had in fact been closed behind him.

“Well, well, well.” The voice--Nate’s voice--seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere. The intercom system. Logan scanned the room for movement, quickly and imperceptibly. To the human eye, he would have simply appeared unmoving. Almost bored. “You actually came. Took you long enough.”

Logan’s hands clenched into fists at his sides. He had never hated anything more than he hated that voice. “I got caught up.” He responded through clenched teeth. Logan wasn’t thrilled with the concept of conversing with Nate at all, but he needed the time. “Next time you should call.”

The laugh that followed sounded like nails scraping against a chalkboard to Logan.

“Oh, but darling, you never gave me your number.”

Logan’s fingernails were digging crescent moon shaped wounds into his palm. “Enough small talk. Where is he?”

“Who?” There was laughter still in Nate’s tone. Even though Logan couldn’t see him, his stomach was boiling with rage at the audacity.

“Enough of the games!” Logan hissed, striding a few purposeful steps further into the circular room. “Where is he? Where is Virgil?”

There was a despondent sigh from above, and suddenly, Logan could hear the stage in the center of the room rising.

Logan had been on that platform many times before, giving lectures and presentations to excited audience members. He was always filled with a warm sense of anticipation and excitement before those speeches, no matter the fact that he had given them countless times before.

Now, he felt nothing but dread as he watched the stage rise up from under the floor to eye level.

The figure in the center of the stage was strapped to a chair. Logan’s heart lurched to see Virgil, slumped over and limp, but his worry was rapidly overcome by venomous fury when he saw Nate Miller, standing just behind his unconscious roommate, a wooden stake in one hand.

“The monster is alive. For now. You and I have business to attend to, Doyle. It should be coming around any moment now.”

----

Virgil’s head was pounding. The world was spinning, and he hadn’t even opened his eyes yet.

It was worse than any hangover that he had ever endured as a human. His vision was blurred as his eyes cracked open, spots of brilliant color dancing at the edges of his vision. He felt his fangs poking against his bottom lip.

Virgil twitched, raising--or at least, trying to raise--his hand to rub at his temples. His eyes shot open as he realized that he couldn’t move his hands. Chest rising and falling rapidly with breaths spurred by increasingly rising anxiety rather than an actual need to breathe, Virgil jerked against the shackles on his wrists. Matching shackles, he realized, locked his feet to the legs of the chair that he was in.

He couldn’t move at all.

“I’d stop that if I were you.” An almost bored voice spoke in Virgil’s ear. Jerking away, Virgil turned his neck to face his captor. Distantly, Virgil recognized the face.

His mind was still swimming, but he remembered it. Opening the door, half expecting Logan to be on the other side, and being met with this man. Knowing almost immediately that something was off, being forced back into his own home, barely having a chance to fight back, barely getting to call out before a sharp pain was radiating through his skull and everything was fading to black.

Virgil hissed, desperately leaning away from the man and the wooden stake that he was gripping with obvious intent.

The man’s eyes flashed, the patient facade disintegrating before Virgil’s eyes, revealing a manic sort of rage that terrified Virgil to the core.

“Virgil.”

The voice snapped Virgil out of his terror. Virgil’s eyes flew across the room, down to where Logan was standing, in the middle of an aisle--where were they?--worry and--Virgil’s heart panged with hurt--fear in his eyes.

Logan took a single step forward, but before he could move any more, the man behind Virgil was pressing the tip of the stake right against the spot where his unbeating heart was.

“Not another step, Doyle. You even try and move and this monster is dust.” The man growled the words in a way that reminded Virgil of someone barely hanging on to sanity. Virgil kept his eyes trained on Logan. The man’s voice smoothened suddenly, as though he were getting himself under thinly spread control. “We can just talk, can’t we? Just the three of us.”

Virgil sent Logan a pleading look. Logan needed to get out of there. He had to leave before this hunter--because he had to be a hunter, there was no other explanation--hurt him. Logan met the look with a determined shake of the head.

“Why don’t you introduce us all, Doyle?”

Virgil swallowed thickly, glancing back at the hunter before returning his eyes to Logan, confused. But Logan wasn’t looking at him any longer. His gaze was trained on the hunter behind him and Virgil felt as though he were missing something distinctly important.

Logan’s eyes narrowed. Virgil knew that face. Logan was biting back what he really wanted to say, and if there weren’t a stake pointed at his heart, Virgil would have wanted Logan to speak his mind and push this arrogant bastard right off of his soapbox.

Logan’s eyes flicked back to Virgil’s, and once again Virgil could see that little flicker of fear. Virgil swallowed down his own hurt.

“Virgil Noir, my roommate and… my friend.” There was something hesitant in the way Logan said it. Virgil tried desperately to focus on his anger. He had every right to be angry right now, and it had everything to do with the hunter threatening to kill him. He had no right to feel so… betrayed by Logan.

Logan, however, had every right to be scared after finding out that his roommate was a monster.

“And you are Nate Miller.” Logan continued. Virgil grimaced. Fuck Nate Miller. Virgil hated even his name. “A hunter who approached me yesterday at my place of work, and who is not targeting me. Why?”

There was a shocked, deranged sounding laugh from behind Virgil, and the hunter placed his hand on Virgil’s shoulder. Disgusted, Virgil shook it off, only to freeze when the sharpened end of the stake pressed threateningly against his chest. “Are you joking?” Nate’s voice was nearly an octave higher than it had been before. He sounded incredulous. “Don’t act like you don’t remember me, Doyle. Stupidity is unflattering for you.”

Logan’s face remained impassive. Virgil curiously looked him up and down. As someone who considered himself very good at reading Logan, Virgil could confidently say that he genuinely looked confused.

Virgil forced a laugh past his monumental anxiety. “Looks like you’re not that memorable, dude, sorry to break it to you.”

Nate grabbed a fistful of Virgil’s hair at the back of his head, tilting it back. “Shut up, bloodsucker! Don’t think I won’t put you down like the monster you are.”

Virgil gritted his teeth to hide the pain. “Do it then! By the time you turn me to dust, Logan will be gone.” Virgil looked down from where his head was still tilted at the uncomfortable angle to meet Logan’s eyes.

Logan shook his head minutely and Virgil’s brow furrowed in confusion.

Nate chuckled, breathlessly, releasing Virgil’s hair from his grasp and stepping around the chair so that Virgil could finally see him fully. Virgil’s first thought was that he was rather short, for a hunter. “Nice try. Goading me into focusing on you. I’m not an amateur. Doyle wouldn’t leave his perfect little boyfriend. That’s why he’s here, you know. For you.”

Virgil ignored the words, though they made something that wasn’t strictly fear squirm in his gut. He wasn’t going to get hope for his relationship with Logan from a hunter who was threatening to kill him. “Sounds like someone’s jealous.” He said instead, taking a vindictive sort of joy from the fury that was clearly written on Nate’s face at the statement.

“Virgil.” Logan warned, taking a single step forward.

Nate held up the stake again, menacingly. “Don’t move, Doyle.” Logan froze. “You want to pretend you don’t remember? Fine, I’ll jog your memory.” Gripping the stake tightly but lowering it, Nate took another step closer, his eyes trained solely on Logan. It made Virgil want to kick him. Luckily for the hunter, his legs were still shackled to his chair.

“We met three years ago, before you moved here. You were working at that bookshop, remember?” Virgil frowned, his eyes lobbying back and forth between Logan and Nate. He was confused. Why was a hunter so obsessed with Logan? “You were always wearing that cute little scarf. For a few weeks there, I came to the shop to see you every day.”

Logan’s eyes were widening in recognition, surprise and confusion warring on his perfectly smooth features. Virgil swallowed thickly. Logan knew this hunter.

“I remember.” Logan’s voice was low, barely there. His hands, which had been tense and balled into white fists since he first arrived at the observatory were relaxing slightly. “But- I don’t understand? If you were a hunter-”

Nate laughed, an odd mixture of pleased--likely at the fact that Logan suddenly remembered their connection--and cruel. “Please. If I had known right away what you were, I wouldn’t have wasted the time. When I found out, it was right before you moved away. I was disgusted. Wasting so much time and energy on a vampire-” Nate spat the word like a curse.

Virgil sucked in a shallow breath. A vampire? Logan? No. That couldn’t possibly be true. The hunter had to be mistaken. There was no way that Virgil would not have known that Logan was also a vampire. Except…

It did sort of make sense. Why Logan was also only ever awake at night, even on his days off. Why he was always just as cold as Virgil was. Why he kept so many jars of jam that Virgil was just realizing were definitely not full of jam. Virgil cursed himself. How had he not known-- How had he not noticed?

He remembered the other day at the café with Janus and Patton. If he got out of this alive, he was so going to kill Janus.

Then, of course, it dawned on Virgil exactly what sort of situation they were still in. If Logan was a vampire, then both of them were in danger right now. Logan had come for him, putting himself in grave danger. A hunter may spare a human, but they saw all creatures of the night as the same. Virgil’s eyes widened and he stared at Logan, trying to convey his urgency with his eyes.

Above all else, Logan had to get out of this observatory okay.

But Logan wasn’t looking at Virgil anymore.

“So you followed me?”

“I had to track you down!” The hunter cried, as if the alternative were impossible. “All you monsters are the same. I couldn’t just let you get away with tricking me-- with seducing me, masquerading as if you could possibly be normal. You’re a killer.”

Logan looked incensed. “If you’ve been watching me for so long, then you know that I haven’t killed anyone recently.”

“But you have before.” Nate spat, his eyes wild. “Don’t deny it. All of you are killers, whether you fancy yourself reformed or not. You need to pay for what you’ve done.” Nate gestured to Virgil, hatred burning in his eyes, despite the fact that he couldn’t even deign to look at him properly. “From the research I’ve done about this one, it took it three years before it managed to stop slaughtering humans. You’re all the same, no matter how much better you think that you are.”

Virgil winced. Guilt clawing at his insides. He barely remembered the three years after he was first turned. It was the darkest period in his past, and having it so gracelessly laid bare in front of Logan made him want to do nothing more than disappear. But when he managed to look back up at Logan there was something… understanding in his eyes.

And that was when Virgil knew that whatever his past, whatever this hunter said and did, Virgil would do anything in his power to get the man that he loved out of this safely.

Even if it meant putting his neck on the line by riling up a deranged hunter.

“And how many lives have you ended in the past year alone?” Virgil hissed, staring defiantly up at his captor.

Nate scoffed. “None that matter, vampire. You dare to compare the lives of you creatures to human life-”

“Say,” Virgil drawled, his voice low, “are we just here to listen to you spew your manifesto about how much more pure than us you are, or are you actually going to do something?”

“Actually, I did have something in mind.” Nate’s face was unnervingly calm again. A pit of dread settled in Virgil’s stomach. Nate nodded up at the ceiling.

The open dome of a ceiling.

Virgil looked up and couldn’t help but notice the tell-tale signs of a sunrise along the edges of the circular opening. The clear implications dawned upon him--Patton would be proud that he could manage to think a pun even in such a dire situation--quickly. His eyes slipped closed in momentary resignation.

The sun is going to rise--likely within the next few minutes--and Virgil was there, shackled to a chair just under the open ceiling. The stake in the hunter’s hand was just for show. He fully intended to burn Virgil alive, and there was nothing that Logan could possibly do about it without risking his own life.

Logan himself just seemed to be putting together the implications of Nate’s thinly-veiled threat.

And suddenly, as though a switch were flipped, Logan’s calm demeanor changed. No longer was he feigning interest in Nate’s monologue or humoring his explanations. His fists were once again balled at his sides, white with tension, and for the first time ever, Virgil could see his fangs.

All at once, Virgil knew that Logan would not be letting this go quietly. He wasn’t completely sure what tipped him off, but he knew that if it came down to it, Logan would not be leaving him to burn alone under any circumstances.

It’s a sobering realization. Logan was going to risk his own life for no reason at all--because, honestly, how would his death help anyone? Virgil was still stuck there. If Logan really was a vampire--and he obviously was--he could have been out of there and safe before Nate could even blink. Virgil could not fathom why he looked so determined to waste his life, but he already knew what he needed to do about it.

Virgil forced a laugh. It was loud in the otherwise silent observatory. “Burning me? Really? That’s the best that you could do?”

Nate looked hilariously offended by the complete lack of shaking in his boots that Virgil was doing.

Virgil continued. “No, honestly, did you sit in your sad little apartment, surrounded by cut out pictures of Logan and red string and come up with this plan? Did you rub your little hands together and laugh maniacally? Did you honestly think that using the sun as your choice of weapon was poetic or something? What are you going to tell your little hunter friends? That you tracked down your old vampire crush and just sat and watched the sun rise with him?”

Nate turned an absolutely alarming shade of red. Really, it would have been funny had it not been immediately followed by his fist colliding with Virgil’s nose.

Virgil barely had time to hold in a grunt of pain before Nate was being pulled off of him and shoved to the ground. Virgil opened his eyes to see Logan on the platform with them, his knees straddling the hunter’s chest, and his hands wrapped around his neck.

“Logan-” Virgil desperately called out, completely ignoring his throbbing nose.

Nate was resisting, thrashing against Logan’s hold, and although Logan had the upper hand with the element of surprise, Virgil could do nothing but watch as the hand that was still clutching the wooden stake rose behind Logan.

“Logan!” The scream tore it’s way out of Virgil’s throat before he could think of the consequences. Logan’s grip on Nate faltered.

Before anything life shattering could happen, the stake was kicked from Nate’s hand by a black combat boot. Virgil’s eyes snapped up to see what--who--the boot was connected to, and his eyes were met with a man dressed in quite a bit of leather that Virgil had never seen before.

His first, terrifying thought is that this was another hunter, but no, this man was very obviously not on Nate’s side.

“Not on my fucking watch.” The man growled, kicking the stake even further away now that it was out of Nate’s grasp. The man looked angry, albeit not as angry as Logan, who was still apparently attempting to choke the life out of the hunter. His wild eyes were matched by a wild nest of shaggy brown hair that had a couple of glinting silver streaks in it, and offset by what appeared to be a very carefully maintained moustache.

He was altogether the strangest looking person that Virgil had ever seen, and he hadn’t even glanced in Virgil’s direction yet.

Virgil’s eyes were pulled away from the struggle by a light touch against one of his wrists, just above the shackle.

“Patton?” Sure enough, Patton was hovering over Virgil now, their eyes kind and concerned.

“Are you okay, V?” Their voice shook a bit. “What am I saying? Of course you aren’t okay. I’m sorry, Virgil.”

“Wh- How did you-?”

Patton smiled kindly, their eyes flicking over to Logan. “Logan called us--or, well, he called Remus,” They nodded in the direction of the punk guy, “and he told Roman, who called me and Janus. We’re going to get you out of here.”

For the first time since he had been texting Janus and Patton earlier, something loosened in Virgil’s chest. Relief.

Before he could say anything to thank Patton or perhaps ask who the hell Remus and Roman were, Patton was gripping the shackle that held Virgil’s left hand in place and tearing it away as though it were nothing.

Sometimes Virgil forgot just how strong they were.

Patton quickly repeated the process with Virgil’s remaining restraints.

“Logan. Get off of him.”

Virgil craned his neck, looking over his shoulder to see what was happening. The scuffle had moved. Logan still had the upper hand, but now there were two more figures standing over him and the hunter. The first was nearly identical to the one in the combat boots, though minus the moustache and with much tidier hair. The second--

“Janus.” Virgil almost felt like smiling at the sight of his friend. Janus looked up, his two-toned eyes flashing in the light.

Right. The light. The sunlight that was quickly approaching.

“Logan.” It was the second unknown one, the one with the perfect hair, that was speaking. Virgil just noticed the pointed ears that were poking out between his curls. “You have to stop. Remus, Jan and I have this. It’s almost sunrise. You have to get out of here, Logan.”

But Logan wasn’t listening. Virgil’s chest constricted. There was something dark--something dangerous--in Logan’s eyes. Nate wasn’t fighting much anymore. Any words that Virgil might have said were stuck in his throat.

Beside him, Patton whimpered.

“Logan!” The one with the moustache snapped, reaching down and grabbing one of Logan’s biceps. “Logan, you need to get Patton and Virgil out of here.”

Something of what the human said must have registered in Logan’s mind, because his grip on Nate loosened until he was no longer strangling him. Luckily, Nate didn’t get a chance to recover, because as soon as Logan was pulling away, Janus had Nate in his grasp, his eyes flashing golden.

Virgil could breathe again. He trusted that Janus, and whoever those other two were, had this.

“Logan.” He called, breathless. His voice was still raw from screaming earlier. His nose was still gushing blood and very likely crooked, but he didn’t care in the slightest. Not when Logan looked up at him.

In an instant, Logan was across the room and pulling Virgil into his arms. And Virgil let him. He didn’t resist for even a second, willingly letting himself melt against Logan like he’s a lifeline.

And in some ways, he was.

“Are you alright?” Logan’s voice was achingly tender. So heartbreakingly tender, given what he had just been doing seconds ago. “Did he- Did he hurt you any more than-”

Virgil cut him off because that dangerous note was coming back into Logan’s tone. It shouldn’t have been as hot as it was. It shouldn’t have been hot at all. “I’m fine, L. Are you-”

“If you’re safe, I am.”

And it was terrible timing. Just feet away, his best friend and two other people who he could only assume were Logan’s friends were fighting with a hunter. Patton was still right behind him, standing just off the stage, watching. But Virgil found himself leaning just that much closer to Logan. It was as if Logan had his own gravitational pull that tugged only on Virgil. He glanced down at Logan’s lips. One was split, but otherwise they looked just the same as they had the other night, when they were safe in their apartment.

Virgil let out a shaky exhalation. When he looked back up, Logan’s eyes were trained downwards. Towards his own lips. Virgil licked his lips.

Behind him, Patton gently cleared their throat. Virgil whirled around.

“I don’t want to interrupt, kiddos, but the sun is going to rise any minute now. We need to get you home.” They didn’t speak for themselves, but Virgil knew that Patton wouldn’t be leaving without them, and he didn’t want his friend to burn alive either.

He glanced back at Logan, but Logan’s expression was shuttered once again.

“Yes, you’re correct, Patton. We need to leave now.”

Virgil glanced back at the other four one last time. They had Nate under control once again. Swallowing, Virgil turned back to Patton and Logan and nodded once. “Let’s get out of here.”

----

In the end, they did indeed make it back to their apartment before the sun rises, if just barely. Patton left them only once they were sure that Logan and Virgil were okay enough to be left alone at their apartment.

Which was perfectly fair, because they had just had a home invasion only a few hours ago.

When they were back in the apartment building and safe from the approaching dawn, the two of them began to clean the apartment in silence.

It really wasn’t that big of a mess, but both of them seemed to silently agree that they would not be able to rest until the apartment was returned to the state that it had been before. When things were safe.

Virgil’s tongue felt too big in his mouth as he helped right the entryway. Only hours ago he had been trying and failing to fend off Nate in this very spot. And, sure, things were okay now, but somehow it feels suddenly much  more real than it had when they were leaving the observatory.

As for Logan… He looked tense. It was understandable. Because Virgil had gone and got himself kidnapped like some sort of damsel in distress-

His stomach curled in on itself. He couldn’t shake the anxious thought that Logan was… angry with him for it.

And it was stupid. It was so stupid, and Virgil knew it. After everything that Logan just went through to get Virgil back, there was very very little chance that Logan would blame anyone other than Nate for this turn of events. And even if he did blame someone else, Virgil knew Logan, and he knew that if anything, he was likely blaming himself.

Which was even more stupid.

Once the entryway was presentable again, Logan cleared his throat. Virgil paused, halfway through taking his hoodie off. Usually he wore it even when inside their apartment, but right now everything that he was wearing felt… dirty.

“Are you sure that you’re alright?” Logan’s voice was soft. Quieter than usual. Almost… unsure. Which was almost unheard of for Logan.

Virgil softened, pulling his jacket the rest of the way off. “I’m… I won’t lie, Logan, I’m pretty shaken but… I’ll be fine. Are you…?”

Logan dodged the question, finally looking over at Virgil with thinly masked guilt in his eyes. “Your nose stopped bleeding.”

Virgil reached up a tentative hand to his face. To be honest, he had forgotten about it. The pain had numbed, but when he prodded it gently with a finger, he could tell that it was definitely broken. Patton would have said something if it had needed to be set, though, so Virgil wasn’t too worried. “I’m sure I’m a sight right now.” He chuckled weakly. It fell flat. There was silence in the apartment for a moment. “Logan-”

“I’m sorry.” Logan exclaimed, before Virgil could continue. “This is my fault. I… If you were hurt, I would… I never would have forgiven myself.”

“Don’t say that.” Virgil tried, stepping closer to Logan.

“It’s true.” Logan insisted. “If he had hurt you, or heaven forbid-” Logan made a little choked noise. “I couldn’t have lived with myself. You did nothing wrong. You didn’t deserve-”

“And neither did you.” Virgil’s voice was firm, pushing back against all denial. “You didn’t call this upon us, Logan. I don’t care if he thought that he knew you, or if he had hurt me any more than he did. None of it was your fault, and none of it would have been your fault. He is a hunter. I’m- We’re vampires. It could have happened at any time with any hunter.”

“But it didn’t! It was him, and he was targeting me. He only hurt you because I-”

Virgil’s mouth felt very dry as Logan cut himself off. “What matters is that we’re safe. We’re okay.” He tried to reassure Logan.

Logan closed his eyes, defeat settling over his features. “You don’t understand. He only hurt you because of how much I love you.”

The words hung in the air, heavy. They certainly weren’t how Virgil had ever imagined that they would be said for the first time. Still, a soft warmth blooms in Virgil’s chest. There were nerves there too, but he found it easy to ignore them. Mostly, he felt an overwhelming sense of rightness. Two days ago it had been impossible to consider that Logan loved him back.

But now… it was like he could see that Logan had been saying it for a long time now. He had said it earlier, when he had been so obviously terrified for Virgil. He had said it the night before, when he held Virgil close and they swayed around the kitchen. He had said it even before that, when he made sure to be quiet every evening when he left for work just after sunset, when Virgil was still holding on to sleep. He said it when he picked ocean documentaries for Virgil, even though he was not-so-secretly terrified of the ocean. He had said it countless times since they had met, even though Virgil was only just now hearing it for the first time.

Virgil took the remaining few steps forward to close the distance between them. Logan looked almost pained. Before Virgil could lose his confidence in himself--in this--he reached out and placed a hand on Logan’s cheek.

When Logan met his eyes, Virgil damn near melted into the ground. Logan’s deep, chocolate brown eyes always were a weakness of his. He wanted to say something. But, then again, Virgil never really had been the one that was good with words. That was definitely more Logan’s department. Instead, Virgil just leaned forward and closed the distance between them completely.

Logan’s lips were soft, just like the rest of him was, although he was loathe to show it. He gasped softly against Virgil’s mouth, but he didn’t even try to pull away.

Logan leaned into the kiss with an insistence that made Virgil’s still heart pirouette in his chest. Virgil exhaled, and it felt as though he had been holding his breath his entire life, despite the fact that he hadn’t needed to breathe in just over fourteen years.

Kissing Logan was like finally coming home. And though it was terribly cliché, Virgil couldn’t bother to imagine another way to describe it. Virgil couldn’t imagine ever getting tired of this sensation. From his head to his toes, he felt warm.

He felt alive.

Slowly, Virgil parted his lips under Logan’s and even though Virgil had been the one to initiate the kiss, he was surprised when Logan took his lower lip between his own. Virgil didn’t bother to hold back the low noise that arose in the back of his throat, thankful once again that he couldn’t blush.

The noise seemed to be appreciated, though, because Logan made a rather audible noise of appreciation. Right before Virgil felt a sting on his lower lip.

Logan pulled back almost immediately after, a startled--no, a shell shocked--expression on his face. His fangs were descended and Virgil knew instantly that that was what he had felt. He bit back a laugh.

Logan looked breathless. He looked breathtaking.

“I love you too.” Virgil confessed, his hand still cradling Logan’s cheek. “Of course I do. I would have done exactly the same thing if it were you.”

And Logan.

Logan laughed.

And it was the tension break that they needed after the completely awful night that they had both just experienced.

It was not a loud laugh. It was not really hysterical, either, though Virgil would have understood if Logan had lost his mind just a bit after the night that they had just had. It was a laugh of disbelief, mostly, and Virgil wholeheartedly agreed.

He couldn’t hold back a smile, and as he often couldn’t when he was with Logan. He didn’t even want to try. So instead he smiled.

Logan’s eyes turned serious. “I love you.” He repeated, this time with more conviction. He brought up a hand to cradle Virgil’s face, just as Virgil was. Virgil ran the pad of his thumb across Logan’s perfect cheekbone.

“I love you too.” Virgil replied. And after everything, that was enough.

[wiypt-writes]

Riding High

Ch17: Welcome to Miami

 Chapter Summary: Frank, Fliss and the Circle Of Truth take a Road Trip….

 Chapter Warnings: Bad Language words. SMUT (NSFW) No under 18s!!! 

Chapter Pairings:  Frank Adler x OFC Fliss Gallagher

Disclaimer: This is a pure work of fiction and classified as 18+. Please respect this and do not read if you are underage. I do not own any characters in this series bar Fliss Gallagher and the other OCs. By reading beyond this point you understand and accept the terms of this disclaimer.

Riding High Masterlist // Main Masterlist

Chapter 16

 June 2018

“How’s Fliss?” Gregg asked as Frank leaned back in his chair, hand curled round his bottle of beer.

Frank looked at his friend and took a deep breath “She says she’s ok. I think it’s the waiting that’s the worst. Knowing the board’s been held is one thing, not knowing the outcome….” “I know it’s hard and easy for me to say this but…well, even if he gets out he won’t be allowed anywhere near her. As I explained to her likely hood is he’ll be tagged and on a curfew and movements restricted to the state of Mass.” Gregg took a sip of his drink “And if it isn’t done automatically, through the appeal process I can file for further restrictions as well around him contacting her in any way, shape or form…but I’d be surprised if that isn’t a condition.”

“I know.” Frank said, “And she gets that…I think it’s more anger about the whole thing now you know?” “It sucks.” Gregg nodded “He spent so long abusing her and he’s still managing to do it in a way through all this.” Frank raised his eyebrows and took a drink of his beer, nodding to Jake and Simon as they approached their table.

 “I know I don’t need to ask but…” Frank started but Gregg raised a hand. 

“You’re right, you don’t.” he understood immediately that Frank was asking him to keep quiet, and he nodded as their two friends arrived at the table. After the greetings they all settled down reaching for a beer from the bucket that sat in the middle of them all, the conversation easy. Frank was happy to see the boys, he hadn’t in a few weeks so he’d grabbed the opportunity for a few beers happily, Fliss and Mary practically shoving him out of the door as they had some girly night in planned with Roberta consisting of popcorn, pizza, facemasks and a Marvel DVD, Fliss and Roberta assuring him whole heartedly they were watching it because it was a good film and not merely to perve on Chris Hemsworth or Evans or whoever the hell the Chris was in this particular one.

Whatever, sweetheart.

 “So…” Simon said, looking around the table “Are we still on for a weekend somewhere? 22nd to 24th June?”

 They all made noises, and Frank nodded. “Schedules cleared, baby sitter lined up…we just need to decide where we’re going.”

 “Well, I got something to suggest to y’all…” Jake grinned “Greg already knows about this, but basically, the Company we’re doing the promotional work for has offered us up to 10 each for the Miami Rocks Concert which runs that weekend....so if you’re interested.”

 “Rock music?” Simon looked at him, and Jake shook his head.

“Not just rock.” he said, leaning forward “It’s a combination of tribute acts and the real deal…and there’s different stages each with a different genre, and the main stage which contains the big acts.” “Ok, I’m interested…” Frank leaned forward.

 “So the Friday night is a rewind to the 70s, 80s and 90s… headlined by none other than Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, Mr Will Smith himself…” Frank let out a snort and looked at Simon who had started bopping in his seat, clicking his fingers.

 “That finishes about midnight and then Saturday is the big one. You got 5 Seconds of Summer, George Ezra and Liam Gallagher from Oasis headlining that night.” Jake continued “The other stages rage from all sorts. Mo-Town, Indie, Chart, Reggae…and then there’s a party after which continues until early hours, run by Hot Dub Time Machine.”

“Shut the front door!” Simon snorted “Hot Dub?”

Jake nodded.

“Dude I saw him one New Year’s Eve in New York a few years ago.” Simon said “He was brilliant!”

Frank sat and listened as his friends started to discuss the concert in more detail. He had to admit, it sounded like a pretty good idea, and just the distraction Fliss could do with.

 “Hate to be the voice of logic…” Simon said. “But if it’s only like three weeks off, wont’ we have trouble getting hotel rooms?”

“Fuck that, I’ll sleep on the back of the truck.” Frank said, causing the rest of them to laugh. “No need Frankie-boi, I got a client who works for the Hyatt Group man.” Jake shook his head “Three rooms already reserved out in the Regency, about 10 minutes’ walk if that from Bayfront Park where the concert is…just in case you fancied it. $100 a room for 2 nights, including a late checkout on the Sunday coz, well, we’re gonna need it.”

 “Three?” Frank frowned.

 “You and Fliss, Simon and Bonnie, and Me and Greg…” “What about Zara and Lisa?” he frowned “I thought this was a couple’s thing, not a boys weekend away…” 

“Well it was going to be…” Greg shrugged “But Zara’s away with the kids that weekend, decided to go back to California as her sister is being taken in for a C-section, and of course she has to be there…”

“And it’s Lisa’s idea of hell…” Jake supplied.

 “So why don’t we re-arrange?” Simon asked.

“Fuck that!” Jake snorted “I’m got a child and fiancée free pass for the weekend.” “Amen brother!” Gregg hi-fived him.

 “But you two can bring your girls, no problem…they’re cool” Jake gestured between Frank and Simon with his beer bottle. “Thanks for your permission…” Frank raised an eyebrow. 

****

Naturally, Fliss was over the moon with the promise of a music festival, especially when she looked up the acts that were on. So, when the Friday in question rolled around, after dropping Mary at school, with strict instructions she was to behave herself as Frank WOULD be checking, they set off in Fliss’ jeep, Frank driving as she lounged in the passenger seat, eyes hidden by her aviators, hair pulled into a loose side pony tail as they made the four hour down the coast and across state to Florida, stopping half way for some food at a roadside diner.

Simon and Bonnie weren’t due to arrive until just gone 5 ish, Bonnie having to finish the morning’s classes before she could leave, whilst Jake and Greg were here having come down the night before, so when they had checked in they decided to freshen up and go for a walk, Fliss eager to hit Lincoln Road Mall. They spent a few hours just walking and looking in the shops, eventually finding a Pandora one which Fliss headed into wanting a new charm for her bracelet as a memory of the weekend. She paced the shop eventually settling for a silver palm tree with a small diamond in the middle of the trunk and Frank batted her hand down when she went to pay, instead producing his card. The usual argument about who was paying ensued, which eventually Frank won by telling Fliss that he wanted to be the one that filled that bracelet for her, and she relented, smiling softly. Frank didn’t miss the relieved look on the shop assistant’s face as she finally waved the out of the store.

They met Jake and Greg in a bar not far from the hotel, and they were joined by Bonnie and Simon for a drink before the two girls announced they were heading off to get changed and ready for the evening.  Frank left it until about 20 minutes before he needed to be ready and headed up to their room, pulling on one of his infamous hideous Hawaiian shirts which he had brought especially. Fliss looked at him, shaking her head with a fond smile on her face as he innocently asked her what the problem was. She laughed and told him nothing at all, before she gave him a kiss and they headed down to meet the others.

 The walk down to the Park took them 10 minutes. Fliss was walking slightly ahead with Bonnie, her braid swinging down her back, gently brushing against the yellow off the shoulder top she was wearing. Her bottom half was dressed in denim shorts, a pair of pink converse boots on her feet. She’d certainly embraced the Festival Vibe, opting for bright colours in honour of the fact they were heading back musically a few decades. They arrived and joined the queue to exchange their tickets for wrists bands which took them about 15 minutes, and then they joined the lines to get through the main gates. That didn’t take long at all and once they were through they followed the crowd before Greg stopped, and looked around.

 “We get split up…” “We all got phones!” Jake snorted “What are you, 50?”

 “Sorry, force of habit with the kids…” Greg let out a groan as everyone laughed.

 “So the main stage is that way…” Jake said, pointing to his left “Right at the back. DJ stage is there, and the other stages are dotted about…anyone got any preference on where we go?” “Other than Will Smith I really wanna to go the 80s stage!” Fliss grinned and Bonnie Hi-Fived her.

 “Yeah we got some Duran Duran to dance to.” she agreed. “And Erasure.”

“And Wham.” “And Culture Club….” “Yeah, we get the picture…” Simon rolled his eyes.

 “Oh and I want to see the Queen and AC/DC tributes.” Fliss finished.

 “Anything else?” Frank looked at her.

“Beer.”

“Well we need tokens.” Jake said, “No cash at the bar, tokens only so…the tent is over there…”

 They all set off, Fliss and Bonnie hanging behind chatting away, but it wasn’t long before their chatter died down and Frank turned to see that, actually, it hadn’t died down, they’d disappeared. “Where the hell are the girls?”  Simon asked, looking round as he realised they were missing.

 “Knowing Fliss in some tent getting her face painted…” Frank paused, turning on the spot before he spotted them. Fliss was stood as Bonnie was sat on a stool, having some sort of Festival glitter painted around her temple and eye socket. “Yup, there you go…” Simon followed his gaze and snorted. “Fucking hell…what are they, 8?” “Leave ‘em be.” Frank said fondly “Come on, let’s go get the drinks sorted.”

 He waved at Fliss, before pointing to where they were going and she gave him a thumbs up to show she understood, before Bonnie stood up and she sat down. Frank smiled at her face as it lit up and he headed off after Simon.

 By the time they had gotten the tokens and ordered beers for them all, the girls still hadn’t joined them, and it didn’t take long to realise why. They were both in a tent which contained 2 electronic dance mats, right in the middle of a very energetic dance off.

 “It’s like having a pair of kids…” Simon mumbled the boys stood by the entrance to the tent whilst Frank simply grinned. As they watched Bonnie made a mistake, the mat flashed red, and then another one, before Fliss made one too. The two girls’ foot work was ridiculously fast as the song gathered pace and finally the routine ended. Fliss grinned and hi-fived Bonnie as their scores flashed up, Fliss winning by 60 points.

 “Yesss!” she punched the air as Bonnie shook her head and the man handed them both some really tacky bright pink beaded necklaces for taking part. 

“Re-match…” Bonnie said, looking at Fliss as they both dropped the necklaces over their heads. 

“Maybe later, I’m fucked now…” Fliss said, bending over, hands on her knees as she drew her breath “I need a drink!”

 She turned and saw the boys in the doorway, Frank raised an eyebrow and held up the beer and she grinned. 

“I knew I bought you for something.” He rolled his eyes and then Greg suggested they head off to the first stage for the start of the 80s Tribute acts. They only intended to stay for a short while but Fliss begged Frank to stay longer, and was backed up by Bonnie as the Duran-Duran band came on. Fliss told Frank if he wanted to go and meet up later he could, but truth be told he didn’t want to. This was as much a weekend for him and her as it was for him and his friends, so with that in mind Simon and Frank both decided to stay with the girls and that they would find the others later.

 And Frank was glad of his decision, as about 20 minutes later, when Hungry Like the Wolf started to play, Fliss was bouncing around like a lunatic. He knew it was one of her favourite songs, and seeing her cutting loose was making him a little horny if truth be told. He moved up behind her and grabbed her hips, swaying with her in time to the music as he dropped a kiss to her shoulder, gently singing along as she danced in front of him, occasionally brushing up against the front of his shorts, which was doing nothing to help his current situation.

 “Someone’s definitely on the hunt down…” she teased, pushing her ass back into his crotch whilst she turned her head to face him as the song morphed into Rio. He grinned and gave her a kiss.

 “Not hunting, I already got you.” “Hmm, yeah you did…” she murmured against his lips.

 The continued dancing with one another, Simon and Bonnie doing the same before the 4 of them all decided they were ready for another drink. As fate would have it, they found Greg and Jake already at the bar. They muscled their way in, grabbed another beer and then all turned to head towards one of the tall, standing tables which were dotted around not far from the bar. Frank waited for Fliss as she had ordered a bottle of water too, and the guy serving had forgotten it. When he came back, apologising, Fliss waved him off and thanked him as Frank picked the bottle up and stuck it in his pocket. He reached for Fliss’ hand, and they were making their way over to their friends when suddenly he felt Fliss yell out and she stopped dead. He turned to face her, seeing someone had bumped into her and her beer had spilt all down her top.

 “Hey, come on man…” Frank looked at the guy as Fliss pulled her hand out of his to wipe at her top “Be careful huh…” But the man wasn’t looking at him, his eyes were fixed completely on Fliss. “Yes, wouldn’t want an accident now would we, Felicity?” At the sound of her full name Frank instantly knew this had to be someone to do with her ex-husband and he reached out for Fliss as he saw her stiffen and slowly she raised her head to look at the man, her eyes widening and she swallowed.

 “Richard.” she spoke softly. 

“Fancy seeing you here. Must be nice to be free to do what you want.” “Yeah, well, making up for lost time. I didn’t exactly get a lot of chance to have fun when your brother was beating the shit out of me.” Her chin raised a little defiantly and Frank felt a surge of pride as she stood up for herself, the anger evident on her face.

 “You’re a fucking liar…” Richard said and Frank immediately stepped in.

 “Ok that’s enough…” he spoke sternly, glaring at the man “We’re not here for any trouble, we’re just out for a good time with friends, and I’d like to keep it that way. So, if you don’t mind, we’re done here.” he turned to Fliss and slid his arm round her waist, making to steer her away.

 “You need to be careful.” Richard spoke to Frank’s retreating back. “Now she’s got her claws into you, you’re done…first sign of trouble she’ll be accusing you of all sorts.”

 Frank sighed, he’d tried to be reasonable, but the anger felt like it was bubbling from his feet and he whirled round, placing himself in between the man and Fliss. “Listen, asshole, why don’t you just fuck off?” his tone was laced with venom. “Your brother is a nasty, wife beating piece of shit.”

 At that Richard stepped forward, drawing himself to full height, still a good 3 inches shorter than Frank. His fists balled as he clenched his hands at his side, his mouth curled up into a snarl.

 “She’s a liar.”  Richard pointed at Fliss, before his attention turned back to Frank. “She lied and because of her, John’s life and career is ruined…” “His life? Ruined?” Frank barked out a laugh “Your brother got nothing more than he deserved, and so will you if you don’t get the fuck outta my face.”

 “Frank…” Fliss pleaded with him, pulling on his arm and desperately looking around for help before this descended into a fight. Thankfully, she caught Jake’s eye who hit Greg on the shoulder, who in turn tapped Simon, and the three of them plus Bonnie hastily started to jog over.

 “If he was that bad why has he been considered for parole?” Richard shrugged “An appeal his lawyer is convinced he’ll win…” Richard said, taking a step back as the other men approached. “And that’s all because they finally saw through her lies…” Frank made an angry noise but Greg pushed himself in between the two men, patting Frank on the chest.

 “Come on buddy…” he said. “Whatever it is, leave it…” Jake went to grab Frank’s arm, but he jerked it out of his grip.

 “I’ll tell you this…” Frank pointed at Richard “If he gets out, you can tell him from me, he stays the fuck away from my girl, and the rest of my family, you got that? Or I’ll put him in a hospital, see how he likes it.”

 “Big man making all the threats huh?” “It ain’t a threat, it’s a god-damned promise.” Frank snarled. Richard gave a snort of a laugh before he allowed his wife to steer him away, shooting one last contemptuous glance at both him and Fliss.

 “What the fuck?” Simon turned to Frank, who completely ignored him and moved to where Fliss was stood, her arms wrapped cross her front, hugging herself, Bonnie gently talking to her.

 “You ok?” he asked her gently and she gave a nod as he took her in his arms, hugging her tightly, hand falling to the back of her head.

 Greg gave Frank a questioning look, which Frank answered with two words “His brother.” “Who’s brother?” Jake pressed, “What just happened? I’m so confused.” “To be fair that doesn’t take much…” Frank heard Greg say which earned him a “Fuck you” in response, and the two men began to bicker as Fliss stepped back from his arms. Frank looked down at her, taking her face in his hands.  “You good?”

“Yeah…” she nodded “You shouldn’t have risen to him.” “Probably not.” he shrugged “But I’m not having that piece of shit or anyone associated with him trash mouthing you.”

 “My hero…” she rolled her eyes, but the smile on her face told him he wasn’t in too much trouble. He gave a snort of a laugh and dropped a kiss to her head. “Can we go back to the dancing now please? And I need another beer, that ass hole spilt mine.” “Is it time for tequila yet?” Bonnie asked, offering Fliss a drink of her beer. Fliss took a sip, shaking her head

“I swore after last time I would never drink that shit again.”

“But that was a lie, right?” Bonnie looked at her as she passed her pint back over. 

“Yup, a very big lie…” Fliss agreed, causing the rest of the group to laugh. 

So they did their tequila. Several shots of to be intact and spent the rest of the night wandering stage to stage, lapping up the atmosphere. Frank kept a close eye on his girl who seemed none the worse for her encounter as she danced the night away with him and Bonnie, the 2 of them disappearing at one point for a walk around the various stalls that were around the outside, coming back with a packet of interlocking glow sticks which they proceeded to activate and make head wear out of. 

 Will Smith took to the stage at about 10 pm and Frank was beside himself with laughter as Fliss reverted to some kind of school kid. She seemed to know every single word to every goddamned song he had, and when it came to Men In Black she launched expertly into the dance routine that half the crowd were doing, in time to the video showing behind the stage.  Simon and Jake tried to copy her before they both gave up and when she finished she turned around and Frank raised his beer to her and she bowed, as they all laughed. Deciding that they didn’t want to stay for the after party, considering they knew it was going to be a really late one the next evening, instead they agreed to head down to the beach. They managed to find a guy who was walking round with a cool box selling beer and they bought 2 bottles each, for twice the price they should be but, whatever…

 When in Miami…

 As they walked across the sand, Frank looped his arm round Fliss’ shoulder whilst they weaved themselves through the various mini-parties which seemed to be going on as people were set up all over with small fires, beer, drinks and music playing. Frank had a sneaking suspicion half of them were probably intending on sleeping there too. Eventually they found a clear spot and flopped down onto the sand, under the illumination of one of the boardwalk lights and then Simon stood up, heading over to a group of teenagers sat a bit to their right.

“What’s he doing?” Greg asked. 

“I think he’s reverse bootlegging.” Jake said and Frank gave a snort of laughter.

“What?” Fliss frowned, “What’s that?” “Instead of selling alcohol to underage kids he’s buying it off them, look.” Frank said, nodding to him. Fliss watched as Simon slipped one of the kids a twenty and took the bottle of vodka he was offering to them, raising it up as he walked back.

 “What the fuck man?” Greg snorted “That’s…”

“Shameful.” Jake nodded before he chuckled, shaking his head. “I love it.” With a grin Simon dropped down next to Bonnie, standing the bottle of vodka up in the middle of the circle they seemed to have made as Fliss sat between Frank’s legs, leaning back against his chest. His spare hand ran up and down the outside of her thigh softly as they all sat chatting about the evening, comparing their best bits and what they were looking forward to tomorrow evening. Eventually, someone, Frank wasn’t sure who, decided that they should play Never Have I Ever, and Fliss eagerly agreed, jumping in with the first question.

 “Ok, never have I ever driven a boat…” Fliss smirked.

“What, that’s a crap one!” Frank snorted “Everyone here’s probably driven one…including you.”

“Nope…”

 “Bullshit!” he snorted “On our first date, and several times since…”

 “I sailed it Frankie, I didn’t drive it…”

 He paused for a moment and then looked up as everyone in the circle grinned.

 “She’s right man…” Simon conceded “I sailed mine too…” “And me…”

“And me…”

 “Oh fuck you!” Frank spluttered as they all laughed at him. Fliss handed him the bottle, which he took from her with a glare taking a mouthful. Fucking hell, he could tell it was cheap as it burnt like paint stripper as he swallowed, wincing. 

That was basically the way the game went. Each trying to deliberately catch everyone else out. Simon caught Jake spectacularly, forcing him to reveal a tale about how he got locked out of a hotel room, naked on the balcony and climbed down 2 storeys to go and get a spare key from reception, Simon repeatedly got Bonnie on a number of occasions before Frank caught Fliss out with the tale of how she had once called her University Lecturer “Daddy.” by mistake. 

“Ok, Never have I ever…”  Fliss paused, before a wicked grin spread on her face and she looked at Frank “Called anyone else’s name during sex.”

“Oh God…” Frank heard Bonnie mumble from where she was sat, but before he could even open his mouth to call Fliss an ass hole, he saw Greg reaching for the bottle.

“No WAY!” Fliss spluttered, looking at Greg “What? When!”

 “I was about 21…” Greg said, scrunching up his face. “I was in bed with a girl and, well, I called her mom’s name.” The entire group fell silent before Jake, Frank and Simon all let out a roar of laughter, and Fliss snorted, grinning from ear to ear.

 “That’s…impressive.” Frank nodded as Greg put the bottle down and Fliss picked it up and handed it to Frank. Everyone turned their attention to him as he narrowed his eyes and grabbed it from her.

 “Spill.” Simon pointed at him.

 “I err, well…look, it…” Frank stuttered over his words “I was…look we don’t need to discuss this…” he said, knocking back the vodka and avoiding Bonnie’s eyes, shaking his head “I plead the 5th.” There were various groans around the group but when they realised Frank wasn’t going to budge Greg shrugged, calling him a pussy, and picked the next category.

 “Never have I ever kissed someone of the same sex.” he said, with a raised eyebrow. Both Fliss and Bonnie moved for the bottle at the same time, and the boys all cheered.

“Was it each other?” Simon grinned “Please tell me it was…” “Ok,no…that…” Frank began to protest, hiccupping slightly.  “That would be weird…”

“No it wasn’t each other.” Bonnie grinned at Simon “I was 17, playing spin the bottle and had to kiss this girl called Eva…” “And that’s it?” Simon asked.

“Yeah…” she nodded, taking a drink from the bottle before she passed it to Fliss.

 “Spill…” Frank instructed her, his hand on her hip where she was still nestled in between his legs.

 “I was 19…and, yeah, well, I experimented” she shrugged. “A few times…” 

“Wait, there was…” Frank looked at her as she turned her head to grin at him “You did more than kiss?”

 “For me to know and you to find out Sailor…” she winked. Well fuck me!

 Another 15 minutes or go they’d exhausted the bottle of vodka and decided to call it a night. Bonnie was faring the worst out of them all, her and Simon walking a little behind everyone as he kept his arm round her to keep her steady. Frank noticed Fliss was remarkably with it considering what they’d drunk, but then for such a small person she did have quite a high tolerance, and she’d drunk a hell of a lot of water as well.

 At the hotel they bid everyone goodnight and headed up to their room where Fliss decided she needed to shower to get rid of all the glitter and sand and sweat from dancing. Frank was inclined to agree so let her go first, swapping over after 10 minutes or so with an exchange of a soft kiss in the bathroom doorway. By the time Frank got out of the shower Fliss was sat cross legged on the large bed dressed in a camisole and boy-shorts set which was white with multi-coloured polka dots on it. It was the set he had bought her for Valentine’s Day, along with a set of baby-pink lace underwear. He loved seeing her in lace, but there was something about the lounge sets like the one she was wearing now that gave her an innocence, made her look so comfy and so settled that he adored seeing her wearing them around the house and to bed…even if they didn’t stay on long.

 She grinned up at him as he smiled, crossing to drop a kiss on her head.

 “You raid the minibar?” he asked, nodding to the packet of chips she had ripped open.

 “Yeah.” she shrugged “Figured fuck it, why not?” “Well…”he crossed the room and opened the fridge which was under the TV unit “In for a penny…” he pulled two beers out, popped the tops and passed her one.

 “Don’t you think we’ve had enough?”

“Can you see straight?”

 “Yeah…”

“Then no.” he said and she laughed, taking it from him.

 “You’re a bad man Frank Adler.” “I try.” he quipped. She shook her head, smiling before she reached for her phone which had just gone off. Frank whipped the towel from around his waist and stepped into a clean pair of boxers before he roughly dried his hair.

 “Bonnie says her and Simon are hitting the beach during the day tomorrow…do you fancy it?” “Sure.” he nodded, dropping to the bed, laying down on his side, propping himself up on his elbow as he reached for a Dorito.

 “At least I think that’s what this message says. ‘Going to the Bitch…’ I mean that’s gotta be beach huh?” 

Frank snorted as Fliss scrunched up the empty chip bag and tossed it across the room where it settled just besides the bin. They both looked at it for a second before Fliss shrugged. ”She was trashed.”

 “I’m not surprised.” Fliss said, moving to toss her phone onto the night table before she too settled on her side, facing Frank, elbow on the pillow “Simon was deliberately asking questions in that game where he knew she’d have to drink…” “Oh and you weren’t…” he looked at Fliss who shrugged, grinning cheekily “Never have I ever called anyone else’s name during sex, I mean seriously! She was right there!”

 “I know, which is what made it so funny.” “Funny is not the word I would use…” “Oh whatever, and as if Greg has done that too!” she said, chuckling as she also settled on her side “He’s a dark horse…” “So are you…” he looked at her taking a long drink of his beer. “In fact….I think you need to tell me more about these lesbian encounters you experienced whilst experimenting aged 19."  

 "They weren't proper lesbian encounters, I was teasing you...." 

 "I don't care, make em up." He said and she let out a laugh.

 "If I do will it get me something nice?" she grinned.

 "Something very, very nice."  He raised an eyebrow suggestively.

 Fliss grinned and then launched into a clearly made up bullshit story about some girl called Candy and Frank completely zoned out. He was simply too caught up concentrating on the childish, teasing expression on her face as she spoke. Her eyes were shining in the dim light of the room as she talked and grinned in the same manner she had been doing all night. Not even the encounter with that asshole’s brother has dampened her spirit. She was just enjoying herself, freely. And so was he. She said she couldn't remember the last festival or concert she had been to, and Frank had admitted the same. It had to have been easily 10 years ago. It felt good to be recapturing that part of their lives they had both given up (albeit for very different reasons) and making new memories together that he knew would last a lifetime. 

 A lifetime...huh, how about that?

 He zoned back in just in time to hear Fliss' very risqué story telling, and dropped his head with a sight that was half laugh, half groan at her filthy tale.

 "...and her thighs were so strong, it was ridiculous, my ears were squashed so hard, I felt like my head was in a vice. Still, I managed to-"

 "Ok..." he said, taking her beer off her and setting it down on his nightstand along with his, before he leaned over Fliss, caging her with his arms "I'm getting kinda jealous...and a bit turned on...it’s very confusing.

 “You asked…” she muttered as his face dropped her hers.

“Yeah, I did…” his lips brushed against hers “And I promised you something nice…” “Very,very nice…” Fliss said, her hands sliding up his arms to his shoulder.

 “Well, I’m a man of my word…” he grinned, lips pressing to hers harder this time in a soft, deep kiss which he pulled away from and ran his nose against hers. “Turn over…”

 “What?” she looked at him, her eyes widening slightly.

“You trust me?”

“Of course I do…” “Then turn over…”

 She took a deep breath, and looked at him and he looked straight back, fully understanding what she was thinking. He’d never asked her to do that before. “Lissy, I promise I’m not gonna hurt you.” “I know you’re not…” she shook her head, before she bit her lip and he moved back so she could turn over onto her stomach. With gently finger tips he brushed her hair off her shoulders, sweeping it to one side gently dropping soft kisses down her neck as his hands traced down to her hips. He gently grasped her top and she moved to allow him to slide it up and over.

 The sheets on the bed rustled slightly as he moved downwards, pressing his lips to the small of her back, watching her reaction carefully as he saw her fingers clutching softly at the pillow. He continued his affections, lips and hands exploring every part of the soft skin on her back until he was fully led over her, thighs bracketing hers, his mouth gently sucking at that spot behind her ear that drove her wild. And right on cue she let out a low groan and he felt his groin twitch at the noise. Fliss could feel his hardness against her back and as his teeth gently grazed her ear she felt her spine arch slightly.

 He moved away, and his hand gently slid to grasp at the hem of her shorts, and she tilted her hips up slightly so he could pull them down, hurriedly departing with his own boxers before he resumed his previous position.

 “You good?” he asked her softly and she nodded in response. 

With gentle hands he reached down between her legs to finding her hot and wet for him already. At his touch she arched her back again. Frank let out a grin and moved slightly so he could part her thighs with his knee. Repositioning himself, he led flat, his arms sliding up hers so he could lace his fingers with hers, palms resting on the backs of her hands and he gently pushed into her, the pair of them giving a groan at the feeling and tightness of this angle. He gently thrust, his chest sliding up over her back, and she moved ever so slightly with him, her head tilted back slightly and she turned her face towards his where he caught her mouth in a slow, sloppy kiss. Frank continued his languid, deep movements, listening to the quickening of her breath and eventually he felt her hips beginning to rise in slow circles, her whimpers increasing.

 He gently knelt up, and pulled her hips so she was perched on her knees, pushing into her slowly, deeply, letting her get used to the position that they’d never tried before because Frank knew it wasn’t one she had good memories of but right now, her body was relaxed and she was giving him everything. His hand reached up and he traced down her spine before he leaned over and placed another soft kiss on her neck before he moved and grasped at her hips again, his pace gently quickening, a low moan escaping his mouth as Fliss pushed back onto him, wordlessly telling him she wanted more. He thrust forwards again and again, pulling her back onto him at the same time, his eyes focussed on where they were joined, the sight of him sliding in and out of her made him moan with desire.

“Don’t stop…” he heard her half pant, half whisper and he picked up the pace ever so slightly, leaning over to gently nip at the back of her neck, causing her to shudder, a deep growl rumbled in his chest as her walls briefly squeezed around him.

“Fuck, baby…” he groaned as her hands clutched at the bed sheets whilst he buried himself deep inside of her stilling for a moment.

“Frankie…” she whined and squirmed as she turned to look at him over her shoulder. Once glance at his clenched jaw and she knew he was trying to fight back his high as he picked up his previous movements, just a little bit faster. She was close, quietly moaning his name as she dropped her head back down, forehead against the pillows, her spine arching as he continued to thrust.

Frank groaned again “Come on sweetheart...” his voice deeper like it always was when he was in the throes of desire, “let go for me.” He rolled his hips forwards, five or six more times before she was done.

“Fuck, Frank, I…” she let out a broken cry as her core spasmed again and again and her entire body trembled as a loud lament spilled from her lips. He was done himself, and with a groan of her name his relief washed over him with an intensity he couldn’t even begin to describe.

Fliss collapsed forward and Frank tumbled with her, his chest onto her back, his weight crushing her in the best way possible for a second ot two before he rolled onto his side. Reaching out, his hand gently across her bare back as Fliss face, which was pressed into the pillow turned to face him.

He leaned over and gave her a soft kiss, brushing her hair off her face.

“Okay…” she mumbled, nodding at him “I’ll concede. That was very, very nice…”

******* “You behaving?” Frank asked Mary as he and Fliss lay in bed the next morning, the phone held at arms-length so they could both see her.

“Yeah, of course…” Mary rolled her eyes “Bill took me to the yard last night and Joanne helped me tack Monty up and then Bill walked round the field with us so the dogs could have a run and it was awesome!”

“When I get back we’ll do the full trail ride.” Fliss smiled at her “Takes a good hour, we can go one evening before it gets dark.”

“Cool!” Mary grinned, bending down and then suddenly Fred’s bemused face filled the screen. Frank snorted as he was instructed to say hi to Fred, which he did, before the cat settled down on Mary’s lap and she continued to chat to him about what she had done the night before…which was basically staying up until gone midnight with Bill watching Harry Potter in the movie room.

Eventually they got her to pass the phone over to Verity, who assured Frank she was no trouble, and then they cut the call and decided to get up and head down for breakfast to meet everyone.

The day was spent lazily on the beach. Fliss hardly moved at all, simply soaking up the sun as Frank and Simon continuously brought her and Bonnie a supply of drinks as the man remained by the bar at the top of the sand.

“I gotta ask…”Bonnie said, turning to look at Fliss “And tell me to shut up if I’m outta line but yesterday, that guy Frank looked like he wanted to kill…who was he? Simon says he’s never seen Frank that angry…” “Oh, err…” Fliss rubbed her head “It was my ex-husbands brother, he was being an ass hole.” “Oh.” Bonnie frowned “I take it you don’t get along…nasty break up?” “You could say that…” Fliss said, taking a sip of her drink, tapping the straw lightly on her lips. “John…my ex…he er…he used to beat me. Badly. He’s actually in prison, well, for how long we don’t know as he had his parole hearing about 4 weeks ago so..” “Oh shit…” Bonnie dropped her gaze “Sorry, I didn’t…” “It’s ok.” Fliss said, waving off the usual apologies that came when she told someone about her past.

There was a moment of silence before Bonnie sat up and looked at Fliss.

“Wanna go for a dip?”

Fliss glanced at her, then down to the ocean and grinned, nodding.

Yelling to the boys to watch their stuff they headed down to the waves, Fliss happily diving straight in, simply allowing herself to float. She was calm, relaxed, and couldn’t remember a time she’d ever felt so happy before.

Eventually, it hit 5pm and Fliss was hungry. So they decided to pack up, grab a bite from the bar and then go change ready for the evening. Fliss had to smile as she saw Frank and the rest of the boys stood at a table by the beach bar all clutching pints and laughing. He was dressed in a pink shirt, black shorts with a baseball cap on the wrong way, glasses shielding his eyes.

“I never realised what an overgrown Frat Boy I’m dating.” Fliss mumbled to Bonnie who snorted as they made their way up the wooden boardwalk, beach bags in their hand.

 “Hey pretty girl.” Frank smiled as Fliss slid under his arm, reaching for his pint. With a roll of his eyes he watched as she took a huge drink. “You know if you want one I’ll get you one…” “Tastes better when it’s someone else’s.” Fliss shrugged.

 “Yeah, why is that?” Bonnie asked.

 “Because it’s stolen.” Simon looked at her “Well known fact, forbidden fruit just tastes better.”

Fliss went again for Frank’s drink and he jerked it out of her reach “Piss off, look, here…” he said, reaching into his pocket and handing her his wallet “Go to the bar.” She grinned and dropped a kiss to his lips, turning away, Bonnie following.

 “Dude you’re so whipped.” Jake snorted at him.

 “Yeah, I don’t much care.” Frank shrugged, burping slightly as he looked at Fliss, taking in her appearance. Her hair was falling around her face and down her back in a mass of long, messy salt and sand tangled waves and she was wearing a pink crochet slip over her black bikini. He would happily admit he was well under her spell and that she could whip him all she fucking wanted to. 

They grabbed a bite to eat, headed back, changed and made their way to the park for their second night of music. It went much the same as the night before, Bonnie and Fliss taking off on their own adventures, and Frank keeping his eyes peeled for any sign of John’s fucker of a brother, but he didn’t see him.

 By the time Liam Gallagher came onto the stage, Fliss was drunk. And so was he. But it didn’t stop her from going wild. Once again she knew every single word to every single song and when he launched into Rock and Roll Star she started pogoing like a person possessed. Mind you, so was everyone else on the dance floor in front of the stage, so Frank joined in. He quite liked this song and, well, if you can’t beat ‘em join ‘em…

 He ended the set with Live Forever, Frank’s favourite song that he had done and Fliss sighed happily.

“He’s sooo good!” she said, “Why does he have to go?”

“Because his set has finished.” “But why?” “Because it has!” Frank laughed “He’s been on for almost an hour and it’s 1 am!”

“Hey, Liss, don’t worry…” Bonnie hiccupped “Hot Dub starts in 20…just enough time for a drink…” “Yes…” Fliss agreed, pointing at her. “But I think I need some water too.”

“Pussy…” Frank looked at her and she narrowed his eyes at him.

“I’ll carry on drinking beer if you want, but you’ll be clearing up my puke later.” He snorted and held his hands up, palms out “Water it is.” Hot Dub Time Machine was surreal. He was on for about an hour and took them through a load of the best party songs from the 60s right through to the present day. One minute Frank was doing the Twist and Shout with Fliss, and the next they were all in a circle air-guitaring to Immigrant Song by Led Zep.

 By the time they left the park it was almost half 2 in the morning and Fliss decided that she didn’t want to walk and insisted Frank give her a piggy back. He rolled his eyes but crouched down and she took a jump onto his back as he carried her the 10 minutes or so back to the hotel, Simon groaning at him as Bonnie kept complaining he wouldn’t carry her.

 “You’re showing me up, dude!” he glared at Frank who simply shrugged as Fliss smirked.

 “I like riding him.” She hiccupped, as everyone burst into laughter and Frank shook his head as she pressed a kiss to his cheek.

 “You’re a fucking nightmare” he sniggered and she shrugged.

 *****

 The next morning everyone was feeling the effects of a heavy weekend, and Frank was pleased that they had the late check out option. Eventually, after dragging themselves out of bed they managed to shower, pack up and head down to check out. There was another argument about who was paying for the room, this time Fliss winning as she put her foot down telling him he was paying for New York and that she really wanted to pay for this. She’d told Frank before about John never letting her have any financial control over anything and Frank knew that it meant a lot to her so he relented, and instead bought them brunch before they set off home.

 They got back in time for a roast dinner, and then they headed back to the annex to watch a film, Fliss crashing out halfway through. She left them to it and headed to bed and was flat out by the time Frank made his way upstairs.

 “I can’t believe you got the day off!” She moaned at him over breakfast on the Monday morning.

 “I can’t believe you didn’t” he shot back

“I can’t…clients and stuff.” She pouted, biting into her toast before she groaned again. “I’m too old for partying all weekend…I can’t hack it anymore.” Frank snorted and took a sip of his coffee before Fliss grinned at him. “Can we go again next year?”

 Frank laughed “The Circle Of Truth have already decided it’s going to be an annual thing from now on.” he said, standing up and with a kiss to her head he moved to the stairs yelling for Mary to get a wiggle on. She came down the stairs, Fred and Thor following before she ate her cereal and then Frank bustled her out of the door to drop her off for the last Monday of the school term. 

Wednesday lunchtime, however, their happy little bubble burst.

 Frank was actually in the sales part of the shop, discussing the benefits of different types of engines with a customer, having been asked to give some advice. He spotted Fliss’ jeep pulling up and as soon as she climbed out and turned towards him, he could tell from her face what was going on.

 “Excuse me for just one second.” He politely told the customer, and glancing at his boss he jerked his head towards Fliss. His boss, a nice enough guy called Andy, knew vaguely what was going on and nodded in understanding as Frank stepped outside.

 “Baby?” he asked tentatively as Fliss stopped in front of him.

“He did it.” she whispered softly, stepping into his arm, pressing her face into his chest.  “He made parole. They let the fucker out.”

**** Chapter 18

[kdramachitchat]

Episode 2 dives into Yohan’s past and how he became the monster he is today. The episode also adds a surprising meeting at a charity function and a bomb explosion.

The Devil Judge episode 2; The Yellow Porsche

Dinner and family gossip

The episode begins as a continuation from the last scene of the pilot episode. The 3 judges gathered together and Judge Yohan invited his colleagues for a meal. Jinjoo seem unaware with the tension between Gaon and Yohan accepted the invitation. Gaon not saying anything, Yohan mentions that he didnt have to go but eventually accepted. Back in the office, Gaon asked Jinjoo is it ok for someone to yawn while crying. After that Jinjoo added new information, she said that Yohan is basically a rich guy an heir of their family and the dinner will be a gourmet. During dinner, they get to know Yohan personally moreso on Jinjoo though and Gaon keeps quiet. Yohan mentions during dinner that he hunts. Yohan mentions that he is similar to a animal with the way he eats. Gaon says that Yohan is a pampered prince since birth then a flash back of him at his home that says otherwise. Dont judge the book by it’s cover Gaon. His late father is a loan shark and father’s his father’s footsteps.

Since they’re talking about family, Yohan mentioned about Gaon’s family who was in neck-deep with debt. Gaon is pissed that Yohan has been looking at his records. Yohan added that Gaon’s father lost his money to a con artist which led to his father committing suicide. Yohan’s father was in a money lending business and tells Gaon that everytime his debtor killed themselves he goes to confess.

The Yellow Porsche

While Gaon was walking home on the opposite side of the road we see a man driver a yellow Porsche. He was driving quite fast and was about to meet someone. While the man was driving, he talking to someone on the phone discussing something about having something set. We see homeless people out on the street eating their meals beside a truck with the Social Responsibility Foundation signage. The man continues to drive and drives into them, blinking his lights and honking at them. Driving madly he has hit a homeless man and Gaon sees the incident across the street. The man steps out of his car and does a insincere apology to the homeless man.

The porsche guy shows up yet again and on the otherside a child at backseat with the mother driving. The 2 cars got into a accident and Gaon saw it. The porsche guy does the same thing like the first time and just leaves without taking care of the victim. Gaon mentioned that he’s seen the car before and the driver gets pissed with how he doesnt like it if people get in his way. Soohyun and Gaon tries to catch the culprit, we then see Yohan driving his luxury car trying to catch him as well. Yohan eventually stopped him and damaged his car. Yohan ended him by finding stash and giving out a public transportation card after. Soohyun is shocked to witness this scene of Judge Yohan acting like this in the flesh.

The yellow Porsche guy happens to be a CEO at a food company. He did taste testing with a dislike reaction. One of the staff said that they try their best to scout top head chefs despite the lawsuit threat. He’s been trying to get the exact recipe with spending his own money but couldnt copy despite having top chefs. He’s copying someone else’ recipe but the CEO/Chairman is never satisfied. The CEO is hiding pills on his desk and his reminded by the flashback scene of him and Yohan. Once the ceo guy leaves he meets Yohan again. Yohan reminds him about his public transportation card. Yohan compares him to a fresh bait.   

President and Ministry of Justice

Both important figures were discussing the results of the 1st trial and how its a joke to have 235 years worth of imprisonment. She asked if it was a plan conducted by the President. Ms Cha pointed out Yohan’s fake crying while calling out the victim’s names but President defended Yohan and tells her it was difficult to shed a fake tear or try to act. They both also talked about how the President is leading a country who’s currently in danger. President realized something about her comment stating that the loss of Chairman Joo is a big deal for her, also adds how she was able to put countless Chairman’s behind bars. So why would she get so upset about Joo? Hmm. The President is beginning to become curious about their relationship and jokes that he used to be an actor with wild imagination. He also stated if the trial orchestrated by her but the foundation wont approve. Ms Seo didnt seem unhappy. Ms Cha then meets up with Mr Seo afterwards with Ms Jung not allowing her to enter. Ms Cha made a rude comment and eventually made her enter. Ms Cha is mad and asked why Mr Seo teamed up with Yohan behind her back. Mr Jeo says that having the public’s back may not be so bad which came to Ms Cha’s conclusion, President Heo convinced Yohan on his own. Ms Cha wont just watch as people turn their backs on her and she’ll definitely do something about it. Mr Seo then requested her to leave.

Ms Jung asked Ms Cha if the 1st trial was that bad, but the ruling party gave a 17%. Since the Ministry of Justice is the next in-line for the Presidential position, for sure many companies will be in-line to support her but why the fuss about Chairman Joo. She apologized once again for crossing the line since she’s just a mere secretary, hehe.

Gaon thinks otherwise

Gaon and Jingho talks about Yohan and how surprised Gaon was that Yohan didnt let Chairman Joo off the hook. Itll be harder to find the motive and think that there’s some deal behind it. Looks like everything went well with the trial but still they cant mess it up and Gaon will look further into it. He’s still bugged with the doctor and Yohan from the first trial. Jang Kiyoung who is a witness, Gaon asked Yohan if he trusts what he said. Gaon commented how weird it is for him to change their statement and Yohan said he must’ve have a guilty conscience. Gaon is still isnt convinced as it seemed that he had another intention. Citing an example on making the defendant deliberately look like he murdered the victim. He also added that Yohan looked happy to get along with him. He observantly noticed how different he acted then all of a sudden after that, Yohan became quiet. Flashback of the witness scene and Yohan commented howcome Gaon kept focusing on him and asked if what he’s doing is intentional. Because of the way Yohan said his words, Gaon thinks that’s the reason why the defendant changed his statement and admitted professional negligence.

Yohan answered acting like what the fuss was about because it turned out well. Yohan only cared about the trial turning out right but Gaon wants constitutionalism.  Gaon asked if there is another reason and Yohan said its like a unjust game. It looks like Gaon just wants justice for the victims (especially with his backstory) and Yohan gave him a reality check. Gaon stormed out with a recording on hand.

Soohyun starts investigating on Mr Jang Kiyoung the witness from the first trial. Then we see someone else spying on Soohyun and informing whoever he’s speaking to, eventually finding out to be Yohan. Yohan said that Gaon came to see him too. Yohan thinks to why there’s a courageous witness. Yohan also was able to find the spy device under his desk. Gaon is in trouble. She eventually calls Gaon and finds comments on online articles after searching about Mr Jang stating how Yohan is called the devil. The more they seem to be connected.

Charity Show

Gaon and Jinjoo were called at Yohan’s office, they were invited to be at the production’s and the Social Responsibility Foundation charity fashion show event. The charity will be donating millions of dollars. Another tense eye connection happens between Gaon and Yohan...Awkward... Gaon looks away and Yohan observed the reaction. Jinjoo also mentioned how the chairman of the board is famous as the nation’s advisor. Gaon being the textbook judge declined, he says that its wrong for a judge to be at a event like that while looking at Yohan. The head producer invited them because they want the public to receive a sense of hope. They arrived at the event and the host asks them a question each especially to Yohan. The host states that the public shows a strong trust with Yohan and is watching him closely. Yohan promises that he will fighting for Korea’s just society with his life on the line. Jinjoo gets introduced to Mr Seo who is acting like a disgusting prick by Ms Jung and she’s left alone with him. Yohan saves her on time.

Yohan and Ms Cha meets at the event and congratulates him despite the surprise. They both pose for the camera and Ms Cha asked if he plans to do that again.

Yohan and Ms Jung meets once again too. Ms Jung warns Yohan that the owner does not like twist and turns.

Ms Cha introduces her husband and eventually her son who is the same guy from the Porsche incident. Oops. Plot twist.

Ms Jung talks to Mr Seo and makes a observed statement. She says that Yohan is not tamed enough. You can never tame a monster.

Gaon visits a pastor

Gaon continues his investigation on Yohan starting from his past. He visits a church talking to a pastor who knew Yohan and says how different he is from others. The pastor notices how Yohan has a gloomy expression on his face and kept quiet most of the time. A flashback of a young Yohan smashed a bird on the head during class to stop it from flying around. The classmates started calling him names and a monster. They continue to treat him as a invisible classmate. The pastor calls him a devil but its nothing compared to what happens next. The classmates started treating him badly and yet they're the ones acting like a monster. An incident at school happened when the items of the upper class kids were missing and the blame was on them, Yohan was the cause of that incident. At that moment, Yohan eventually became like a devil.

After the event, Gaon went back to Yohan’s office to check on the spy device but eventually Yohan caught him. While they were talking Jisung hears a beeping sound only for Gaon to realize that its a bomb. The bomb exploded and Gaon saves the both of them.

[what-is-your-plan-today]

Riding High Ch 17: Welcome To Miami

Chapter Summary: Frank, Fliss and the Circle Of Truth take a Road Trip….

Chapter Warnings: Bad Language words. SMUT (NSFW) No under 18s!!!

Chapter Pairings:  Frank Adler x OFC Fliss Gallagher

A/N: As always, gotta thank @icanfeelastormbrewing for her help and suggestions with this!

Chapter Song:   Live Forever by Oasis

Series Masterlist  // Main Masterlist 

Maybe you're the same as me, we see things they'll never see, you and I are gonna live forever

June 2018

“How’s Fliss?” Gregg asked as Frank leaned back in his chair, hand curled round his bottle of beer. 

Frank looked at his friend and took a deep breath “She says she’s ok. I think it’s the waiting that’s the worst. Knowing the board’s been held is one thing, not knowing the outcome….” “I know it’s hard and easy for me to say this but…well, even if he gets out he won’t be allowed anywhere near her. As I explained to her likely hood is he’ll be tagged and on a curfew and movements restricted to the state of Mass.” Gregg took a sip of his drink “And if it isn’t done automatically, through the appeal process I can file for further restrictions as well around him contacting her in any way, shape or form…but I’d be surprised if that isn’t a condition.”

“I know.” Frank said, “And she gets that…I think it’s more anger about the whole thing now you know?” “It sucks.” Gregg nodded “He spent so long abusing her and he’s still managing to do it in a way through all this.” Frank raised his eyebrows and took a drink of his beer, nodding to Jake and Simon as they approached their table.

“I know I don’t need to ask but…” Frank started but Gregg raised a hand.

“You’re right, you don’t.” he said, understanding immediately that Frank was asking him to keep quiet, and he nodded as their two friends arrived at the table. After the greetings they all settled down reaching for a beer from the bucket that sat in the middle of them all, the conversation easy. Frank was happy to see the boys, he hadn’t in a few weeks so he’d grabbed the opportunity for a few beers happily, Fliss and Mary practically shoving him out of the door as they had some girly night in planned with Roberta consisting of popcorn, pizza, facemasks and a Marvel DVD, Fliss and Roberta assuring him whole heartedly they were watching it because it was a good film and not merely to perve on Chris Hemsworth or Evans or whoever the hell the Chris was in this particular one.

Whatever, sweetheart.

“So…” Simon said, looking around the table “Are we still on for a weekend somewhere? 22nd to 24th June?”

They all made noises, and Frank nodded. “Schedules cleared, baby sitter lined up…we just need to decide where we’re going.”

“Well, I got something to suggest to y’all…” Jake grinned “Greg already knows about this, but basically, the Company we’re doing the promotional work for has offered us up to 10 each for the Miami Rocks Concert which runs that weekend....so if you’re interested.”

“Rock music?” Simon looked at him, and Jake shook his head. 

“Not just rock.” he said, leaning forward “It’s a combination of tribute acts and the real deal…and there’s different stages each with a different genre, and the main stage which contains the big acts.” “Ok, I’m interested…” Frank leaned forward.

“So the Friday night is a rewind to the 70s, 80s and 90s… headlined by none other than Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, Mr Will Smith himself…” Frank let out a snort and looked at Simon who had started bopping in his seat, clicking his fingers.

“That finishes about midnight and then Saturday is the big one. You got 5 Seconds of Summer, George Ezra and Liam Gallagher from Oasis headlining that night.” Jake continued “The other stages rage from all sorts. Mo-Town, Indie, Chart, Reggae…and then there’s a party after which continues until early hours, run by Hot Dub Time Machine.”

“Shut the front door!” Simon snorted “Hot Dub?”

Jake nodded.

“Dude I saw him one New Year’s Eve in New York a few years ago.” Simon said “He was brilliant!”

Frank sat and listened as his friends started to discuss the concert in more detail. He had to admit, it sounded like a pretty good idea, and just the distraction Fliss could do with.

“Hate to be the voice of logic…” Simon said. “But if it’s only like three weeks off, wont’ we have trouble getting hotel rooms?”

“Fuck that, I’ll sleep on the back of the truck.” Frank said, causing the rest of them to laugh. “No need Frankie-boi, I work for the Hyatt Group man.” Jake shook his head “Three rooms already reserved out in the Regency, about 10 minutes’ walk if that from Bayfront Park where the concert is…just in case you fancied it. $100 a room for 2 nights, including a late checkout on the Sunday coz, well, we’re gonna need it.”

“Three?” Frank frowned.

“You and Fliss, Simon and Bonnie, and Me and Greg…” “What about Zara and Lisa?” he frowned “I thought this was a couple’s thing, not a boys weekend away…”

“Well it was going to be…” Greg shrugged “But Zara’s away with the kids that weekend, decided to go back to California as her sister is being taken in for a C-section, and of course she has to be there…”

“And it’s Lisa’s idea of hell…” Jake supplied.

“So why don’t we re-arrange?” Simon asked.

“Fuck that!” Jake snorted “I’m got a child and fiancée free pass for the weekend.” “Amen brother!” Gregg hi-fived him.

“But you two can bring your girls, no problem…they’re cool” Jake gestured between Frank and Simon with his beer bottle. “Thanks for your permission…” Frank raised an eyebrow.

****

Naturally, Fliss was over the moon with the promise of a music festival, especially when she looked up the acts that were on. So, when the Friday in question rolled around, after dropping Mary at school, with strict instructions she was to behave herself as Frank WOULD be checking, they set off in Fliss’ jeep, Frank driving as she lounged in the passenger seat, eyes hidden by her aviators, hair pulled into a loose side pony tail as they made the four hour down the coast and across state to Florida, stopping half way for some food at a roadside diner.

Given that Simon and Bonnie weren’t due to arrive until just gone 5 ish, Bonnie having to finish the morning’s classes before she could leave and that Jake and Greg were here having come down the night before, when they had checked in they decided to freshen up and go for a walk, Fliss eager to hit Lincoln Road Mall. They spent a few hours just walking and looking in the shops, eventually finding a Pandora one which Fliss headed into wanting a new charm for her bracelet as a memory of the weekend. She paced the shop eventually settling for a silver palm tree with a small diamond in the middle of the trunk and Frank batted her hand down when she went to pay, instead producing his card. The usual argument about who was paying ensued, which eventually Frank won by telling Fliss that he wanted to be the one that filled that bracelet for her, and she relented, smiling softly. Frank didn’t miss the relieved look on the shop assistant’s face as she finally waved the out of the store.

They met Jake and Greg in a bar not far from the hotel, and they were joined by Bonnie and Simon for a drink before the two girls announced they were heading off to get changed and ready for the evening.  Frank left it until about 20 minutes before he needed to be ready and headed up to their room, pulling on one of his infamous hideous Hawaiian shirts which he had brought especially. Fliss looked at him, shaking her head with a fond smile on her face as he innocently asked her what the problem was. She laughed and told him nothing at all, before she gave him a kiss and they headed down to meet the others.

The walk down to the Park took them 10 minutes. Fliss was walking slightly ahead with Bonnie, her braid swinging down her back, gently brushing against the yellow off the shoulder top she was wearing. Her bottom half was dressed in denim shorts, a pair of pink converse boots on her feet. She’d certainly embraced the Festival Vibe, opting for bright colours in honour of the fact they were heading back musically a few decades. They arrived and joined the queue to exchange their tickets for wrists bands which took them about 15 minutes, and then they joined the lines to get through the main gates. That didn’t take long at all and once they were through they followed the crowd before Greg stopped, and looked around.

“We get split up…” “We all got phones!” Jake snorted “What are you, 50?”

“Sorry, force of habit with the kids…” Greg let out a groan as everyone laughed.

“So the main stage is that way…” Jake said, pointing to his left “Right at the back. DJ stage is there, and the other stages are dotted about…anyone got any preference on where we go?” “Other than Will Smith I really wanna to go the 80s stage!” Fliss grinned and Bonnie Hi-Fived her.

“Yeah we got some Duran Duran to dance to.” she agreed. “And Erasure.”

“And Wham.” “And Culture Club….” “Yeah, we get the picture…” Simon rolled his eyes.

“Oh and I want to see the Queen and AC/DC tributes.” Fliss finished.

“Anything else?” Frank looked at her.

“Beer.” she nodded “We need beer.”

“Well we need tokens.” Jake said, “No cash at the bar, tokens only so…the tent is over there…”

They all set off, Fliss and Bonnie hanging behind chatting away, but it wasn’t long before their chatter died down and Frank turned to see that, actually, it hadn’t died down, they’d disappeared. “Where the hell are the girls?”  Simon asked, looking round as he realised they were missing.

“Knowing Fliss in some tent getting her face painted…” Frank paused, turning on the spot before he spotted them. Fliss was stood as Bonnie was sat on a stool, having some sort of Festival glitter painted around her temple and eye socket. “Yup, there you go…” Simon followed his gaze and snorted. “Fucking hell…what are they, 8?” “Leave ‘em be.” Frank said fondly “Come on, let’s go get the drinks sorted.”

He waved at Fliss, before pointing to where they were going and she gave him a thumbs up to show she understood, before Bonnie stood up and she sat down. Frank smiled at her face as it lit up and he headed off after Simon.

By the time they had gotten the tokens and ordered beers for them all, the girls still hadn’t joined them, and it didn’t take long to realise why. They were both in a tent which contained 2 electronic dance mats, right in the middle of a very energetic dance off.

“It’s like having a pair of kids…” Simon mumbled the boys stood by the entrance to the tent whilst Frank simply grinned. As they watched Bonnie made a mistake, the mat flashed red, and then another one, before Fliss made one too. The two girls’ foot work was ridiculously fast as the song gathered pace and finally the routine ended. Fliss grinned and hi-fived Bonnie as their scores flashed up, Fliss winning by 60 points.

“Yesss!” she grinned punching the air as Bonnie shook her head and the man handed them both some really tacky bright pink beaded necklaces for taking part.

“Re-match…” Bonnie said, looking at Fliss as they both dropped the necklaces over their heads.

“Maybe later, I’m fucked now…” Fliss said, bending over, hands on her knees as she drew her breath “I need a drink!”

She turned and saw the boys in the doorway, Frank raised an eyebrow and held up the beer and she grinned.

“I knew I bought you for something.” He rolled his eyes and then Greg suggested they head off to the first stage for the start of the 80s Tribute acts. They only intended to stay for a short while but Fliss begged Frank to stay longer, and was backed up by Bonnie as the Duran-Duran band came on. Fliss told Frank if he wanted to go and meet up later he could, but truth be told he didn’t want to. This was as much a weekend for him and her as it was for him and his friends, so with that in mind Simon and Frank both decided to stay with the girls and that they would find the others later.

And Frank was glad of his decision, as about 20 minutes later, when Hungry Like the Wolf started to play, Fliss was bouncing around like a lunatic. He knew it was one of her favourite songs, and seeing her cutting loose was making him a little horny if truth be told. He moved up behind her and grabbed her hips, swaying with her in time to the music as he dropped a kiss to her shoulder, gently singing along as she danced in front of him, occasionally brushing up against the front of his shorts, which was doing nothing to help his current situation.

“Someone’s definitely on the hunt down…” she teased, pushing her ass back into his crotch whilst she turned her head to face him as the song morphed into Rio. He grinned and gave her a kiss.

“Not hunting, I already got you.” “Hmm, yeah you did…” she murmured against his lips.

The continued dancing with one another, Simon and Bonnie doing the same before the 4 of them all decided they were ready for another drink. As fate would have it, they found Greg and Jake already at the bar. They muscled their way in, grabbed another beer and then all turned to head towards one of the tall, standing tables which were dotted around not far from the bar. Frank waited for Fliss as she had ordered a bottle of water too, and the guy serving had forgotten it. When he came back, apologising, Fliss waved him off and thanked him as Frank picked the bottle up and stuck it in his pocket. He reached for Fliss’ hand, and they were making their way over to their friends when suddenly he felt Fliss yell out and she stopped dead. He turned to face her, seeing someone had bumped into her and her beer had spilt all down her top.

“Hey, come on man…” Frank looked at the guy as Fliss pulled her hand out of his to wipe at her top “Be careful huh…” But the man wasn’t looking at him, his eyes were fixed completely on Fliss. “Yes, wouldn’t want an accident now would we, Felicity?” At the sound of her full name Frank instantly knew this had to be someone to do with her ex-husband and he reached out for Fliss as he saw her stiffen and slowly she raised her head to look at the man, her eyes widening and she swallowed.

“Richard.” she spoke softly.

“Fancy seeing you here. Must be nice to be free to do what you want.” “Yeah, well, making up for lost time I suppose…” she said, “I didn’t exactly get a lot of chance to have fun when your brother was beating the shit out of me.”

Her chin raised a little defiantly and Frank felt a surge of pride as she stood up for herself, the anger evident on her face.

“You’re a fucking liar…” Richard said and Frank immediately stepped in.

“Ok that’s enough…” he said sternly, looking at the man “We’re not here for any trouble, we’re just out for a good time with friends, and I’d like to keep it that way. So, if you don’t mind, we’re done here.” he turned to Fliss and slid his arm round her waist, making to steer her away.

“You need to be careful.” Richard spoke to Frank’s retreating back. “Now she’s got her claws into you, you’re done…first sign of trouble she’ll be accusing you of all sorts.”

Frank sighed, he’d tried to be reasonable, but the anger felt like it was bubbling from his feet and he whirled round, placing himself in between the man and Fliss. “Listen, asshole, why don’t you just fuck off?” he spoke, tone laced with venom. “Your brother is a nasty, wife beating, rapist piece of shit.”

At that Richard stepped forward, drawing himself to full height, still a good 3 inches shorter than Frank. His fists balled as he clenched his hands at his side, his mouth curled up into a snarl.

“She’s a liar.”  Richard pointed at Fliss, before his attention turned back to Frank. “She lied and because of her, John’s life and career is ruined…” “His life? Ruined?” Frank barked out a laugh “Your brother got nothing more than he deserved, and so will you if you don’t get the fuck outta my face.”

“Frank…” Fliss pleaded with him, pulling on his arm and desperately looking around for help before this descended into a fight. Thankfully, she caught Jake’s eye who hit Greg on the shoulder, who in turn tapped Simon, and the three of them plus Bonnie hastily started to jog over.

“If he was that bad why has he been considered for parole?” Richard shrugged “An appeal his lawyer is convinced he’ll win…” Richard said, taking a step back as the other men approached. “And that’s all because they finally saw through her lies…” Frank made an angry noise but Greg pushed himself in between the two men, patting Frank on the chest.

“Come on buddy…” he said. “Whatever it is, leave it…” Jake went to grab Frank’s arm, but he jerked it out of his grip.

“I’ll tell you this…” Frank said, pointing at Richard “If he gets out, you can tell him from me, he stays the fuck away from my girl, and the rest of my family, you got that? Or I’ll put him in a hospital, see how he likes it.”

“Big man making all the threats huh?” “It ain’t a threat, it’s a god-damned promise.” Frank snarled. Richard gave a snort of a laugh before he allowed his wife to steer him away, shooting one last contemptuous glance at both him and Fliss.

“What the fuck?” Simon turned to Frank, who completely ignored him and moved to where Fliss was stood, her arms wrapped cross her front, hugging herself, Bonnie gently talking to her.

“You ok?” he asked her gently and she gave a nod as he took her in his arms, hugging her tightly, hand falling to the back of her head.

Gregg gave Frank a questioning look, which Frank answered with two words “His brother.” Gregg’s mouth fell open and he gave a nod of understanding.

“Who’s brother?” Jake pressed, “What just happened? I’m so confused.” “To be fair that doesn’t take much…” Frank heard Gregg say which earned him a “Fuck you” in response, and the two men began to bicker as Fliss stepped back from his arms. Frank looked down at her, taking her face in his hands.  “You good?” 

“Yeah…” she nodded “You shouldn’t have risen to him.” “Probably not.” he shrugged “But I’m not having that piece of shit or anyone associated with him trash mouthing you.”

“My hero…” she rolled her eyes, but the smile on her face told him he wasn’t in too much trouble. He gave a snort of a laugh and dropped a kiss to her head. “Can we go back to the dancing now please? And I need another beer, that ass hole spilt mine.” “Is it time for tequila yet?” Bonnie asked, offering Fliss a drink of her beer. Fliss took a sip, shaking her head 

“I swore after last time I would never drink that shit again.”

“But that was a lie, right?” Bonnie looked at her as she passed her pint back over.

“Yup, a very big lie…” Fliss agreed, causing the rest of the group to laugh.

So they did their tequila. Several shots of to be intact and spent the rest of the night wandering stage to stage, lapping up the atmosphere. Frank kept a close eye on his girl who seemed none the worse for her encounter as she danced the night away with him and Bonnie, the 2 of them disappearing at one point for a walk around the various stalls that were around the outside, coming back with a packet of interlocking glow sticks which they proceeded to activate and make head wear out of.  

Will Smith took to the stage at about 10 pm and Frank was beside himself with laughter as Fliss reverted to some kind of school kid. She seemed to know every single word to every goddamned song he had, and when it came to Men In Black she launched expertly into the dance routine that half the crowd were doing, in time to the video showing behind the stage.  Simon and Jake tried to copy her before they both gave up and when she finished she turned around and Frank raised his beer to her and she bowed, as they all laughed. Deciding that they didn’t want to stay for the after party, considering they knew it was going to be a really late one the next evening, instead they agreed to head down to the beach. They managed to find a guy who was walking round with a cool box selling beer and they bought 2 bottles each, for twice the price they should be but, whatever…

When in Miami…

As they walked across the sand, Frank looped his arm round Fliss’ shoulder whilst they weaved themselves through the various mini-parties which seemed to be going on as people were set up all over with small fires, beer, drinks and music playing. Frank had a sneaking suspicion half of them were probably intending on sleeping there too. Eventually they found a clear spot and flopped down onto the sand, under the illumination of one of the boardwalk lights and then Simon stood up, heading over to a group of teenagers sat a bit to their right.

“What’s he doing?” Greg asked.

“I think he’s reverse bootlegging.” Jake said and Frank gave a snort of laughter.

“What?” Fliss frowned, “What’s that?” “Instead of selling alcohol to underage kids he’s buying it off them, look.” Frank said, nodding to him. Fliss watched as Simon slipped one of the kids a twenty and took the bottle of vodka he was offering to them, raising it up as he walked back.

“What the fuck man?” Greg snorted “That’s…”

“Shameful.” Jake nodded before he chuckled, shaking his head. “I love it.” With a grin Simon dropped down next to Bonnie, standing the bottle of vodka up in the middle of the circle they seemed to have made as Fliss sat between Frank’s legs, leaning back against his chest. His spare hand ran up and down the outside of her thigh softly as they all sat chatting about the evening, comparing their best bits and what they were looking forward to tomorrow evening. Eventually, someone, Frank wasn’t sure who, decided that they should play Never Have I Ever, and Fliss eagerly agreed, jumping in with the first question.

“Ok, never have I ever driven a boat…” Fliss smirked.

“What, that’s a crap one!” Frank snorted “Everyone here’s probably driven one…including you.”

“Nope…”

“Bullshit!” he snorted “On our first date, and several times since…”

“I sailed it Frankie, I didn’t drive it…”

He paused for a moment and then looked up as everyone in the circle grinned.

“She’s right man…” Simon conceded “I sailed mine too…” “And me…”

“And me…”

“Oh fuck you!” Frank spluttered as they all laughed at him. Fliss handed him the bottle, which he took from her with a glare taking a mouthful. Fucking hell, he could tell it was cheap as it burnt like paint stripper as he swallowed, wincing.

That was basically the way the game went. Each trying to deliberately catch everyone else out. Simon caught Jake spectacularly, forcing him to reveal a tale about how he got locked out of a hotel room, naked on the balcony and climbed down 2 storeys to go and get a spare key from reception, Simon repeatedly got Bonnie on a number of occasions before Frank caught Fliss out with the tale of how she had once called her University Lecturer “Daddy.” by mistake.

“Ok, Never have I ever…”  Fliss paused, before a wicked grin spread on her face and she looked at Frank “Called anyone else’s name during sex.”

“Oh God…” Frank heard Bonnie mumble from where she was sat, but before he could even open his mouth to call Fliss an ass hole, he saw Greg reaching for the bottle.

“No WAY!” Fliss spluttered, looking at Greg “What? When!”

“I was about 21…” Greg said, scrunching up his face. “I was in bed with a girl and, well, I called her mom’s name.” The entire group fell silent before Jake, Frank and Simon all let out a roar of laughter, and Fliss snorted, grinning from ear to ear.

“That’s…impressive.” Frank nodded as Greg put the bottle down and Fliss picked it up and handed it to Frank. Everyone turned their attention to him as he narrowed his eyes and grabbed it from her.

“Spill.” Simon pointed at him.

“I err, well…look, it…” Frank stuttered over his words “I was…look we don’t need to discuss this…” he said, knocking back the vodka and avoiding Bonnie’s eyes, shaking his head “I plead the 5th.” There were various groans around the group but when they realised Frank wasn’t going to budge Greg shrugged, calling him a pussy, and picked the next category.

“Never have I ever kissed someone of the same sex.” he said, with a raised eyebrow. Both Fliss and Bonnie moved for the bottle at the same time, and the boys all cheered. 

“Was it each other?” Simon grinned “Please tell me it was…” “Ok,no…that…” Frank began to protest, hiccupping slightly.  “That would be weird…”

“No it wasn’t each other.” Bonnie grinned at Simon “I was 17, playing spin the bottle and had to kiss this girl called Eva…” “And that’s it?” Simon asked. 

“Yeah…” she nodded, taking a drink from the bottle before she passed it to Fliss.

“Spill…” Frank instructed her, his hand on her hip where she was still nestled in between his legs.

“I was 19…and, yeah, well, I experimented” she shrugged. “A few times…”

“Wait, there was…” Frank looked at her as she turned her head to grin at him “You did more than kiss?”

“For me to know and you to find out Sailor…” she winked. Well fuck me!

Another 15 minutes or go they’d exhausted the bottle of vodka and decided to call it a night. Bonnie was faring the worst out of them all, her and Simon walking a little behind everyone as he kept his arm round her to keep her steady. Frank noticed Fliss was remarkably with it considering what they’d drunk, but then for such a small person she did have quite a high tolerance, and she’d drunk a hell of a lot of water as well.

At the hotel they bid everyone goodnight and headed up to their room where Fliss decided she needed to shower to get rid of all the glitter and sand and sweat from dancing. Frank was inclined to agree so let her go first, swapping over after 10 minutes or so with an exchange of a soft kiss in the bathroom doorway. By the time Frank got out of the shower Fliss was sat cross legged on the large bed dressed in a camisole and boy-shorts set which was white with multi-coloured polka dots on it. It was the set he had bought her for Valentine’s Day, along with a set of baby-pink lace underwear. He loved seeing her in lace, but there was something about the lounge sets like the one she was wearing now that gave her an innocence, made her look so comfy and so settled that he adored seeing her wearing them around the house and to bed…even if they didn’t stay on long.

She grinned up at him as he smiled, crossing to drop a kiss on her head.

“You raid the minibar?” he asked, nodding to the packet of chips she had ripped open.

“Yeah.” she shrugged “Figured fuck it, why not?” “Well…”he crossed the room and opened the fridge which was under the TV unit “In for a penny…” he pulled two beers out, popped the tops and passed her one.

“Don’t you think we’ve had enough?”

“Can you see straight?”

“Yeah…”

“Then no.” he said and she laughed, taking it from him.

“You’re a bad man Frank Adler.” “I try.” he quipped. She shook her head, smiling before she reached for her phone which had just gone off. Frank whipped the towel from around his waist and stepped into a clean pair of boxers before he roughly dried his hair.

“Bonnie says her and Simon are hitting the beach during the day tomorrow…do you fancy it?” “Sure.” he nodded, dropping to the bed, laying down on his side, propping himself up on his elbow as he reached for a Dorito.

“At least I think that’s what this message says. ‘Going to the Bitch…’ I mean that’s gotta be beach huh?”

Frank snorted as Fliss scrunched up the empty chip bag and tossed it across the room where it settled just besides the bin. They both looked at it for a second before Fliss shrugged. ”She was trashed.”

“I’m not surprised.” Fliss said, moving to toss her phone onto the night table before she too settled on her side, facing Frank, elbow on the pillow “Simon was deliberately asking questions in that game where he knew she’d have to drink…” “Oh and you weren’t…” he looked at Fliss who shrugged, grinning cheekily “Never have I ever called anyone else’s name during sex, I mean seriously! She was right there!”

“I know, which is what made it so funny.” “Funny is not the word I would use…” “Oh whatever, and as if Greg has done that too!” she said, chuckling as she also settled on her side “He’s a dark horse…” “So are you…” he looked at her taking a long drink of his beer. “In fact….I think you need to tell me more about these lesbian encounters you experienced whilst experimenting aged 19."  

"They weren't proper lesbian encounters, I was teasing you...."

"I don't care, make em up." He said and she let out a laugh.

"If I do will it get me something nice?" she grinned.

"Something very, very nice."  He raised an eyebrow suggestively.

Fliss grinned and then launched into a clearly made up bullshit story about some girl called Candy and Frank completely zoned out. He was simply too caught up concentrating on the childish, teasing expression on her face as she spoke. Her eyes were shining in the dim light of the room as she talked and grinned in the same manner she had been doing all night. Not even the encounter with that asshole’s brother has dampened her spirit. She was just enjoying herself, freely. And so was he. She said she couldn't remember the last festival or concert she had been to, and Frank had admitted the same. It had to have been easily 10 years ago. It felt good to be recapturing that part of their lives they had both given up (albeit for very different reasons) and making new memories together that he knew would last a lifetime.

A lifetime...huh, how about that?

He zoned back in just in time to hear Fliss' very risqué story telling, and dropped his head with a sight that was half laugh, half groan at her filthy tale.

"...and her thighs were so strong, it was ridiculous, my ears were squashed so hard, I felt like my head was in a vice. Still, I managed to-"

"Ok..." he said, taking her beer off her and setting it down on his nightstand along with his, before he leaned over Fliss, caging her with his arms "I'm getting kinda jealous...and a bit turned on...it’s kinda confusing.

“You asked…” she muttered as his face dropped her hers.

“Yeah, I did…” he said softly, his lips brushing against hers “And I promised you something nice…” “Very,very nice…” Fliss said, her hands sliding up his arms to his shoulder.

“Well, I’m a man of my word…” he grinned, lips pressing to hers harder this time in a soft, deep kiss which he pulled away from and ran his nose against hers.

“Turn over…”

“What?” she looked at him, her eyes widening slightly.

“You trust me?”

“Of course I do…” “Then turn over…”

She took a deep breath, and looked at him and he looked straight back, fully understanding what she was thinking. He’d never asked her to do that before. “Lissy, I promise I’m not gonna hurt you.” “I know you’re not…” she said, shaking her head, before she bit her lip and he moved back so she could turn over onto her stomach. With gently finger tips he brushed her hair off her shoulders, sweeping it to one side gently dropping soft kisses down her neck as his hands traced down to her hips. He gently grasped her top and she moved to allow him to slide it up and over.

The sheets on the bed rustled slightly as he moved downwards, pressing his lips to the small of her back, watching her reaction carefully as he saw her fingers clutching softly at the pillow. He continued his affections, lips and hands exploring every part of the soft skin on her back until he was fully led over her, thighs bracketing hers, his mouth gently sucking at that spot behind her ear that drove her wild. And right on cue she let out a low groan and he felt his groin twitch at the noise. Fliss could feel his hardness against her back and as his teeth gently grazed her ear she felt her spine arch slightly.

He moved away, and his hand gently slid to grasp at the hem of her shorts, and she tilted her hips up slightly so he could pull them down, hurriedly departing with his own boxers before he resumed his previous position.

“You good?” he asked her softly and she nodded in response.

With gentle hands he reached down between her legs to finding her hot and wet for him already. At his touch she arched her back again. Frank let out a grin and moved slightly so he could part her thighs with his knee. Repositioning himself, he led flat, his arms sliding up hers so he could lace his fingers with hers, palms resting on the backs of her hands and he gently pushed into her, the pair of them giving a groan at the feeling and tightness of this angle. He gently thrust, his chest sliding up over her back, and she moved ever so slightly with him, her head tilted back slightly and she turned her face towards his where he caught her mouth in a slow, sloppy kiss. Frank continued his languid, deep movements, listening to the quickening of her breath and eventually he felt her hips beginning to rise in slow circles, her whimpers increasing.

He gently knelt up, and pulled her hips so she was perched on her knees, pushing into her slowly, deeply, letting her get used to the position that they’d never tried before because Frank knew it wasn’t one she had good memories of but right now, her body was relaxed and she was giving him everything. His hand reached up and he traced down her spine before he leaned over and placed another soft kiss on her neck before he moved and grasped at her hips again, his pace gently quickening, a low moan escaping his mouth as Fliss pushed back onto him, wordlessly telling him she wanted more. He thrust forwards again and again, pulling her back onto him at the same time, his eyes focussed on where they were joined, the sight of him sliding in and out of her made him moan with desire.

“Don’t stop…” he heard her half pant, half whisper and he picked up the pace ever so slightly, leaning over to gently nip at the back of her neck, causing her to shudder, a deep growl rumbled in his chest as her walls briefly squeezed around him.

“Fuck, baby…” he groaned as her hands clutched at the bed sheets whilst he buried himself deep inside of her stilling for a moment.

“Frankie…” she whined and squirmed as she turned to look at him over her shoulder. Once glance at his clenched jaw and she knew he was trying to fight back his high as he picked up his previous movements, just a little bit faster. She was close, quietly moaning his name as she dropped her head back down, forehead against the pillows, her spine arching as he continued to thrust.

Frank groaned again “Come on sweetheart...” his voice deeper like it always was when he was in the throes of desire, “let go for me.” He rolled his hips forwards, five or six more times before she was done.

“Fuck, Frank, I…” she let out a broken cry as her core spasmed again and again and her entire body trembled as a loud lament spilled from her lips. He was done himself, and with a groan of her name his relief washed over him with an intensity he couldn’t even begin to describe.

Fliss collapsed forward and Frank tumbled with her, his chest onto her back, his weight crushing her in the best way possible for a second ot two before he rolled onto his side. Reaching out, his hand gently across her bare back as Fliss face, which was pressed into the pillow turned to face him.

He leaned over and gave her a soft kiss, brushing her hair off her face.

“OK…” she mumbled, nodding at him “I’ll concede. That was very, very nice…”

******* “You behaving?” Frank asked Mary as he and Fliss lay in bed the next morning, the phone held at arms-length so they could both see her.

“Yeah, of course…” Mary rolled her eyes “Bill took me to the yard last night and Joanne helped me tack Monty up and then Bill walked round the field with us so the dogs could have a run and it was awesome!”

“When I get back we’ll do the full trail ride.” Fliss smiled at her “Takes a good hour, we can go one evening before it gets dark.”

“Cool!” Mary grinned, bending down and then suddenly Fred’s bemused face filled the screen. Frank snorted as he was instructed to say hi to Fred, which he did, before the cat settled down on Mary’s lap and she continued to chat to him about what she had done the night before…which was basically staying up until gone midnight with Bill watching Harry Potter in the movie room.

Eventually they got her to pass the phone over to Verity, who assured Frank she was no trouble, and then they cut the call and decided to get up and head down for breakfast to meet everyone.

The day was spent lazily on the beach. Fliss hardly moved at all, simply soaking up the sun as Frank and Simon continuously brought her and Bonnie a supply of drinks as the man remained by the bar at the top of the sand.

“I gotta ask…”Bonnie said, turning to look at Fliss “And tell me to shut up if I’m outta line but yesterday, that guy Frank looked like he wanted to kill…who was he? Simon says he’s never seen Frank that angry…” “Oh, err…” Fliss rubbed her head “It was my ex-husbands brother, he was being an ass hole.” “Oh.” Bonnie frowned “I take it you don’t get along…nasty break up?” “You could say that…” Fliss said, taking a sip of her drink, tapping the straw lightly on her lips. “John…my ex…he er…he used to beat me. Badly. He’s actually in prison, well, for how long we don’t know as he had his parole hearing about 4 weeks ago so..” “Oh shit…” Bonnie dropped her gaze “Sorry, I didn’t…” “It’s ok.” Fliss said, waving off the usual apologies that came when she told someone about her past.

There was a moment of silence before Bonnie sat up and looked at Fliss.

“Wanna go for a dip?”

Fliss glanced at her, then down to the ocean and grinned, nodding.

Yelling to the boys to watch their stuff they headed down to the waves, Fliss happily diving straight in, simply allowing herself to float. She was calm, relaxed, and couldn’t remember a time she’d ever felt so happy before.

Eventually, it hit 5pm and Fliss was hungry. So they decided to pack up, grab a bite from the bar and then go change ready for the evening. Fliss had to smile as she saw Frank and the rest of the boys stood at a table by the beach bar all clutching pints and laughing. He was dressed in a pink shirt, black shorts with a baseball cap on the wrong way, glasses shielding his eyes.

“I never realised what an overgrown Frat Boy I’m dating.” Fliss mumbled to Bonnie who snorted as they made their way up the wooden boardwalk, beach bags in their hand.

“Hey pretty girl.” Frank smiled as Fliss slid under his arm, reaching for his pint. With a roll of his eyes he watched as she took a huge drink. “You know if you want one I’ll get you one…” “Tastes better when it’s someone else’s…” Fliss shrugged.

“Yeah, why is that?” Bonnie asked.

“Because it’s stolen.” Simon looked at her “Well known fact, forbidden fruit just tastes better.”

Fliss went again for Frank’s drink and he jerked it out of her reach “Piss off, look, here…” he said, reaching into his pocket and handing her his wallet “Go to the bar…” She grinned and dropped a kiss to his lips, turning away, Bonnie following.

“Dude you’re so whipped.” Jake snorted at him.

“Yeah, I don’t much care.” Frank shrugged, burping slightly as he looked at Fliss, taking in her appearance. Her hair was falling around her face and down her back in a mass of long, messy salt and sand tangled waves and she was wearing a pink crochet slip over her black bikini. He would happily admit he was well under her spell and that she could whip him all she fucking wanted to.

They grabbed a bite to eat, headed back, changed and made their way to the park for their second night of music. It went much the same as the night before, Bonnie and Fliss taking off on their own adventures, and Frank keeping his eyes peeled for any sign of John’s fucker of a brother, but he didn’t see him.

By the time Liam Gallagher came onto the stage, Fliss was drunk. And so was he. But it didn’t stop her from going wild. Once again she knew every single word to every single song and when he launched into Rock and Roll Star she started pogoing like a person possessed. Mind you, so was everyone else on the dance floor in front of the stage, so Frank joined in. He quite liked this song and, well, if you can’t beat ‘em join ‘em…

He ended the set with Live Forever, Frank’s favourite song that he had done and Fliss sighed happily.

“He’s sooo good!” she said, “Why does he have to go?”

“Because his set has finished.”

“But why?” “Because it has!” Frank laughed “He’s been on for almost an hour and it’s 1 am!”

“Hey, Liss, don’t worry…” Bonnie hiccupped “Hot Dub starts in 20…just enough time for a drink…” “Yes…” Fliss agreed, pointing at her. “But I think I need some water too.”

“Pussy…” Frank looked at her and she narrowed his eyes at him.

“I’ll carry on drinking beer if you want, but you’ll be clearing up my puke later…” He snorted and held his hands up, palms out “Water it is…” Hot Dub Time Machine was surreal. He was on for about an hour and took them through a load of the best party songs from the 60s right through to the present day. One minute Frank was doing the Twist and Shout with Fliss, and the next they were all in a circle air-guitaring to Immigrant Song by Led Zep.

By the time they left the park it was almost half 2 in the morning and Fliss decided that she didn’t want to walk and insisted Frank give her a piggy back. He rolled his eyes but crouched down and she took a jump onto his back as he carried her the 10 minutes or so back to the hotel, Simon groaning at him as Bonnie kept complaining he wouldn’t carry her.

“You’re showing me up, dude!” he glared at Frank who simply shrugged as Fliss smirked.

“I like riding him…” she hiccupped, as everyone burst into laughter and Frank shook his head as she pressed a kiss to his cheek.

“You’re a fucking nightmare” he sniggered and she shrugged.

*****

The next morning everyone was feeling the effects of a heavy weekend, and Frank was pleased that they had the late check out option. Eventually, after dragging themselves out of bed they managed to shower, pack up and head down to check out. There was another argument about who was paying for the room, this time Fliss winning as she put her foot down telling him he was paying for New York and that she really wanted to pay for this. She’d told Frank before about John never letting her have any financial control over anything and Frank knew that it meant a lot to her so he relented, and instead bought them brunch before they set off home.

They got back in time for a roast dinner, and then they headed back to the annex to watch a film, Fliss crashing out halfway through. She left them to it and headed to bed and was flat out by the time Frank made his way upstairs.

“I can’t believe you got the day off!” she moaned at him over breakfast on the Monday morning.

“I can’t believe you didn’t” he shot back

“I can’t…clients and stuff.” she pouted, biting into her toast before she groaned again. “I’m too old for partying all weekend…I can’t hack it anymore.” Frank snorted and took a sip of his coffee before Fliss grinned at him. “Can we go again next year?”

Frank laughed “The Circle Of Truth have already decided it’s going to be an annual thing from now on.” he said, standing up and with a kiss to her head he moved to the stairs yelling for Mary to get a wiggle on. She came down the stairs, Fred and Thor following before she ate her cereal and then Frank bustled her out of the door to drop her off for the last Monday of the school term.

Wednesday lunchtime, however, their happy little bubble burst.

Frank was actually in the sales part of the shop, discussing the benefits of different types of engines with a customer, having been asked to give some advice. He spotted Fliss’ jeep pulling up and as soon as she climbed out and turned towards him, he could tell from her face what was going on.

“Excuse me for just one second…” he politely told the customer, and glancing at his boss he jerked his head towards Fliss. His boss, a nice enough guy called Andy, knew vaguely what was going on and nodded in understanding as Frank stepped outside.

“Baby?” he asked tentatively as Fliss stopped in front of him.

“He did it….” she said softly, stepping into his arm, pressing her face into his chest.  “He made parole. They let the fucker out.”

[rafecameron]

I’ll find my way to you part 5 (JJ Maybank X reader)

Summary: You had never realised the way JJ’s eyes shone brighter when he was excited or dulled when he was lost in thought. You had never realised how his floppy blonde hair framed his face perfectly and glowed golden in the sun. You had never realised you were crazy in love with your best friend and everyone knew it.

A/N: JJ finally admits his feelings but you’re not sure if you feel the same way + kegger.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

✶✶✶✶✶✶✶

The storm hit hard and fast. The walls of the chateau shook with the violence of the wind and the glass of the windows sounded like they would break at any time with the rain beating down against them. You huddled in the middle of the room, the power went out early in the night and then you all just sat together under blankets, talking quietly and listening to the wind howling outside and the occasional crashing of something being blown away. You weren’t sure when exactly you drifted off but when you woke up the early morning sun was gliding across the room, casting a yellow glow across the living room. Your friends were sleeping soundly on the floor, cuddled together in a  mound of bodies and blankets.

You rose slowly, prying JJ’s arm from around your waist and stretching your arms above your head. With the sun shining into the room it was hard to imagine the events of lasts nights storm were real, but as soon as you looked out of the window you knew you hadn’t imagined it all. John B’s back yard was covered in murky boggy water, pieces of wood and rubbish strewn across the grass. A tree had come down, narrowly missing the house and landing across his drive away. You hand hovers over your mouth as you took in the destruction.

“How bad is it?” You hear Pope’s voice quietly speak out from his place on the floor.

You startle at the sudden sound, turning to look at your friend with a soft expression, “Pretty bad.” You admit quietly, you watch as Pope stands up and walks to stand beside you at the window.

“We were nearly goners!” He exclaims noticing the tree laying next to the house, you simply nod your head in reply.

“Think we should start trying to clean some of it up?” You chew your lower lip, dragging your eyes away from the mess outside to look at your sleeping friends.

“Yeah, I think so.” Pope grabs a large bag from the kitchen and you both head outside to begin the extensive clean up. You followed behind your friend, picking up pieces of wood and debris and placing them in the bag he was carrying.

You worked silently for an hour but looking around it looked like you had barely touched the mess, “This is ridiculous.” You sigh, placing one hand on your hip as your other comes to wipe your brow, “I feel like we’re not getting anywhere!”

You notice John B stood in his door way, looking out over the wreck of his garden, you were surprised at how calmly he was taking it all in, “Not as bad as last year!” He calls out to you, making his way down the steps and towards you and Pope.

“Not as bad?” You exclaim, “John B, a tree nearly ended up in your living room!”

“Well, it didn’t.” John B shrugs, “Oh man and think of how good the fishings gonna be today!” he claps Pope on the back with an excited grin.

You shake your head at your friends but follow them back inside the house, everyone else was now up as well, sat around the living room with tired expressions.

“Kegger tonight?” JJ speaks up, grinning from ear to ear, “It’s the best part of having a storm!”

“I thought the best part of having a storm was the storm nights?” you quirk your brow at him as you plop down on the couch beside him.

“Okay, so the keggers the second best part! But whatever, it’s still good.” JJ states leaning back against the couch.

“We’re heading off fishing, you guys wanna come?” John B asks the group as he returns from his room in fresh clothes.

“I should probably get home.” you reply, to which Sarah and Kie agree, standing up from where they were seated.

“I’ll come.” JJ shrugs, “I don’t care about going home, place could have fallen down for all I care.” he slumps out of the house after his friends, you part ways in his drive way - next to the tree - and promise to see them at the party later.

“I wonder what figure eight looks like.” Sarah sighs as she starts up the car, pulling away from John B’s.

You watch out of the window as Sarah drives, amazed at the destruction the storm had caused. There was debris everywhere on the roads and paths and buildings with broken roofs and windows lined the streets. People were out clearing up, talking to each other and checking up on one another. That was one thing you enjoyed about having storms. It brought people closer together if only for a little while. Neighbours would check on each other and people would meet up to help with the clean up, the towers also always went down meaning people weren’t glued to their phones for the entirety of the day. Also as JJ had mentioned, the keggers. There never seemed to be as much trouble at the parties after a storm, people probably just relieved that it’s over and everything’s okay, too happy to start meaningless fights for at least one day.

Figure eight had not come out quite as badly as the cut, the houses were sturdier and everyone had more resources to storm proof their homes and gardens. Still it looked a bit of a mess, power lines were down, bushes and trees had blown all over the place and there were puddles of murky water across the landscape.

Sarah dropped Kie off home first and then you, you agreed to be ready for the party at eight and she would come pick you up. Your parents aren’t home, they left a note on the kitchen table informing you they had gone to help clean up and would be home later. You didn’t mind, you never got on great with your parents anyway so preferred to have the house to yourself.

You cover your mouth as you yawn, making your way upstairs to your room. You knew you should really head out and help clean up but your body was slacking, you’d stayed up late last night and the storm had stopped you getting any decent rest, so you quickly changed into some comfy clothes and climbed into bed, deciding you would definitely go out to help once you had caught up on some sleep.

———————————

You flatten the skirt of your dress down as you walk towards the group of people around the growing bonfire, hoping to get some warmth from it as the storm had left a chill in the air. You found your friends close to the fire and linked your arm with Kies with a smile, “Hey guys.” You greet them, gladly accepting the red cup offered to you by Pope.

“You look nice tonight, trying to impress someone?” Kie raises her brow as she looks over your outfit.

You also look down at what you’re wearing and simply shrug your shoulders, “Not really, just felt like dressing up for a change.” you reply.

You smile over at JJ when you catch him looking at you but he quickly averts his eyes, he’s thankful that it’s dark and you can’t notice the blush creeping up his face when you noticed him staring.

“Is anyone coming to dance?” You ask, tugging on Kies arm when you receive no replies from anyone.

“I’m nowhere near drunk enough to dance yet.” Kie shakes her head.

You pout at her but once your realise she isn’t changing your mind you stop, “Fine, I’ll just have to dance on my own.” You huff and turn away from them, heading over to the group of dancers.

You join in, never one to be shy in a group not did you have to be drunk to dance and have a good time. Before long you feel hands land on your waist, expecting it to be one of your friends you turn around smiling, only to find that it’s Topper stood behind you.

“All alone?” He asks, keeping his hands firmly planted on your hips.

You shrug, “It would seem that way.” You reply, continuing to dance even with Topper having a grip on you.

“Wont mind if I join you then?” He pulls you a little closer and you can’t help but laugh.

“Be my guest.” You grin, starting to dance with the boy in front of you.

You had known Topper your whole life, his parents quite close with yours so you spent your childhoods together. He wasn’t half as bad as people made him out to be, he’s just friends with the wrong people. Not that you can blame him for that, there aren’t many decent kooks to make friends with.

You turn around, pressing your back against Topper’s chest and allowing him to wrap his arms around you, moving to the music. You finish your drink and take Topper’s from his hand, noticing whatever was in his was twice as strong as yours.

“Where are your friends?” You ask over your shoulder as you take another large sip of his drink.

“Being twats somewhere else.” Topper replies, you feel his breath on your neck and realise how close his head is to yours, “Where are yours?”

“Being boring somewhere and not dancing.” you sigh.

You continue to dance and laugh for a little longer until you feel a presence beside you, you turn to see whoever it was and find JJ glaring at you like you’d just killed his favourite pet.

“What?” You ask, moving away from Topper and crossing your arms over your chest, annoyed at the way he was looking at you.

“Why are you dancing with him?” JJ spits out, moving his glare to Topper instead.

“Because I’m better company than you, Pogue.” Topper sneers back coming up beside you.

“Topper shut up.” You shove him back and turn to shoot a glare at JJ, “Why do you care? I asked if anyone was coming to dance and you just ignored me! I can dance with whoever I want.”

“No, you can’t dance with him.” JJ states, reaching out and taking your wrist in his hand and starting to pull you away.

Topper goes to call out but you stop him, shaking your head and telling him you would handle it. You let JJ pull you away from the group of dancing people and towards the edge of the party before you finally pulled yourself out of his grip.

“What the hell is your problem?” You shout at him, rubbing on your wrist where he had held it a little too tightly.

“What the hell is your problem?” He counters, “Rubbing yourself all over Topper. Fucking Topper of all fucking people!”

“Woah! Calm the fuck down JJ.” You hold your hands out to him, a frown furrowing your brows, “Why are you shouting at me? I can dance with whoever I want to, and you know Topper’s my friend.”

JJ glares at you, his hands balled into fists against his sides, “Why are you rubbing it in my face?” He asks, you could tell by the look in his eyes that he had had a lot to drink already and was well on his way onto nursing a large hangover tomorrow.

“Rubbing what in your face?” you were sure the confusion was evident on your face as you watched JJ running his finger through his hair, starting to pace wildly.

“All of it!” He snaps, “I know I can’t have you, but you don’t have to rub it in my face! You don’t have to parade around with Topper and your other kook boyfriends in front of me all the time!”

You take a second to process what JJ was saying before suddenly reaching out and grabbing onto his arms to stop him pacing.

“JJ, what?” You ask, holding onto his arms tightly so he wouldn’t go anywhere, “What are you talking about? Topper and my kook boyfriends? What do you mean you can’t have me?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” He shouts into your face making you cringe away from him, “I like you, Y/N! A whole fucking lot! And I know you don’t feel the same but that doesn’t mean you get to be all over other guys in front of me!” 

JJ pulls out of your hands and hurries away from you, you call his name and try and catch up but even in his drunk state he’s a lot faster than you are, you give up when you know you’ll never catch him and stop, watching him walk off into the distance, disappearing into the dark.

You fall to sit in the sand, your mind still trying to process what you had just heard. JJ liked you? As in more than a friend? You couldn’t wrap your head around it, it just didn’t make sense. You had been friends for so long and never had you got the feeling that JJ was into you, what were you supposed to say to him? Did you like him back? You weren’t even sure what you were feeling at the moment.

You felt arms snake around your shoulders and Sarah’s hair fell into your face as she pulled you into a hug, “Are you okay?” she asks, stroking your shoulder softly.

You nod your head slowly, ‘“I think so.” You mumble in reply.

“What was all that about? We saw him dragging you away and then shouting in your face… He was drinking a lot and kept making comments about you dancing with Topper, I guess he wasn’t very happy.” Sarah moves away to sit in front of you in the sand.

“He said he likes me.” You reply still in shock, “But that he can’t have me, and I’m parading my kook boyfriends around.” You had to laugh at the second bit.

Sarah’s eyes widen and her mouth drops a little, “He…What?” She moves to a kneeling position, taking in the information she had just heard, “He said that?” You nod your head in reply.

“Do we need to talk about this?” She asks, bitting her lower lip lightly as you looks at you.

You think for a moment, no longer in the mood for a party you nod your head again and she grabs your hand helping you up, “We’ll grab Kie and go back to mine.” Sarah decides, pulling you back in the direction of the party.

You weren’t sure how you should react right now, you weren’t even sure how you felt about JJ. Right now all you felt towards him was anger that he had shouted in your face and accused you of having multiple kook boyfriends, but you knew you wouldn’t stay mad at him because you knew he didn’t really mean what he said. You were hoping Kie and Sarah could help you make sense of your feelings right now.

Tags: @scandalousfemale @danicarosaline @outerbankslut @wicked-laugh @haharudy @drewsephsmiles @gigi-june @teenwaywardasgardian

cross through means it wouldn’t tag, sorry!

[vulturnus]

A post explaining the levels of hell in my obey me mild horror AU

Thus far the idea of the horror AU devildom is that the brothers are far more seperated than before, while Beel and Belphegor are still close, as are Mammon (as close u can get anyway) with Levi and Lucifer. 

Beel and Belphie: Mixed Layer, the air is sulfuric, the floor is soft brown yellow grass and while there are crops everywhere, the crops are already rotten at worst or eaten by cicadas, flies, and locust at worst. After spending too much time here, the MC would begin to have trouble breathing and likely fall asleep for long periods of time. The food is nauseating, but due to the nature of the twins, its the least dangerous place to go in order to secure anything to eat. Belphegor is too lazy to bother with humans and is content watching as they’re suffering already, and Beelzebub is rather nice and at worst would eat someone on accident when he’s hungry. As one reaches the outer limits the air becomes less sulfuric, and the fruits become fresher. The Layer ends at the bushes of fresh pomegranates. 

Asmo: His layer begins at the fresh fruit barrier, with grapevines that coil around pergolas and the like. It’s supposed to look very nice and dream-like. The hair is supposed to smell like a very thick perfume. I don’t like exploring the layer, bc I dislike discussing anything of sexual nature, so lets just have it that there are numerous living statues of people that cant move because ig it gives off the idea of lust without straight up sex esp since he was described as a jewel. So like, he went from being the jewel to the celestial realm to turning people into jewels for his layer.  Asmo would probably get attached to MC and ask them to not leave as he has no one to flatter him. He’d probably at worst get frustrated and turn the MC into a living statue for the garden. There’s a pergola that marks the exit at the end of a maze, that leads to a large wasteland. 

Satan: I mentioned it before, but despite being the avatar of wrath, he’s very the opposite. His layer has this massive tower that you must pass through in order to leave as outside of it is a wasteland that has wolves which attack anything in sight. Not because Satan siccs them, but because it’s their environment and he doesn’t want to be bothered. He’s the least antagonistic directly, and if anything is curious of humans and angels alike due to being born from Lucifer and therefore not having any personal memories of the Celestial realm, so he’d rather watch as the MC explores the tower. There’s several bookshelves that move around, and while Satan can walk around and find the way out with ease, the MC can not. It’s essentially a constantly moving maze. The order to get out the maze though is either something like level 4765321 or idk. Either way it should be directly related to the brothers. As mentioned the tower is surrounded by a moat, with the water havng numerous hands that claw at each other and try and drag the MC in. The back of the tower is a beach like area and a pier. Satan will often read here so there are some books littered, but its nice (or as nice it can be when theres no light. it looks like its always about to rain). He would offer the MC a map and compass if not straight up come with them in order to reach Leviathan.

Leviathan: The sea in devildom is near endless, which is why it is vital to have a means of navigation as otherwise one would miss the small island where Leviathan lives and the bridge to Mammon’s layer. The sea itself, however, is part of Leviathan’s territory. The sea life is incredibly mutated and hungry, threatening to eat anything that falls in. My favorite idea is the jellyfish one with jellyfish whose tentacles are hands and the heads resemble human ones. The closer to the island the larger it is until the largest beast, which is a massive snake (ie. Henry but you know how that is) appears and threatens to eat the MC. The island is messy with large piles of various items from DVDs to figurines, to random weaponry, to books and photos piled high. I think a neat concept would be that some of the piles would try and mimics other areas, like the statues from Asmo’s layer, or the soft grass flooring from Belphies. He would like to be friends with the MC but if they tried to leave or take any of his things he’d immediately retaliate and attack them. That said, as a friends and if he trusts the MC he’d help them find the way to Mammon. There are numerous bridges that peter off but they’re mainly destroyed and messy because of Henry. 

Mammon: The bridge from Leviathans island is long but eventully reaches Mammon’s layer. It’s actually numerous skyscrapers that no one can see the tops of with a grated floor that no one can see whats at the bottom of. Each building’s interior is filled with light that melts anything inside which leaks gold like fluid. That said, similarly to Satan, Mammon has very little ill will to you, and if anything is surprised the MC made it this far. That said, he wont allow you to leave because 1) he likes the company even if he wont admit it but also 2) he knows Lucifer will not hesitate to kill a human. If you can appease him or convince him you can take care of yourself, he’ll let you go and face Lucifer with a gift that will protect you. I want to have it where the grate where the gold leaks into leads to Lucifer’s layer, but there’s probably a better way.

[rosaline-kei]

Request: EreMika; Mad Scientist!Eren shocks Frankenstein Monster!Mikasa with electricity to test the endurance of Mikasa's heart

Title: Franken-Kasa: Endurance of a heart.

Disclaimer:I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin / Attack on Titan nor its characters.

Fandom: Shingeki no Kyojin / Attack on Titan

Synopsis: (request from Anon tumblr user)  EreMika; Mad Scientist!Eren shocks Frankenstein Monster!Mikasa with electricity to test the endurance of Mikasa’s heart

Rated: T

Pairings: Eren Jaeger / Mikasa Ackerman

Read it also on / Leave a Review at:

Ao3 or FF net (To be uploaded there soon)

Author’s Note (PLEASE READ BEFORE READING; IMPORTANT): Okay so I’ll admit, I never really read the original Frankenstein book and I never really read a lot of Frankenstein AUs (I didn’t know they were quite popular), so this was entirely new to me. So I apologise if the writing is terrible, I tried. I don’t mind writing new things, it’s great to explore but idk. This was just hard for me.

Moreover I apologise if Eren seems very out of character, it was difficult for me to write him as a Mad Scientist because I never really saw him that way. If it had been Hanji instead, that’d be a different story.

I also apologise if this wasn’t what you wanted, anon :/ ;I’m open to re-writing it, but please PM me and tell me anything specific you want (Don’t worry, I wont disclose who you are; you can make a throwaway account if you want haha)

I know you wanted the focus to be on the electricity heart endurance test thing, but its very hard to write a lot about it since I really don’t know ;-; ahh I’m terrible, please forgive me! I hope I did place enough focus on it… Please tell me your thoughts/feedback/criticism anon ;-; (Send me a message or hmu :))

-

“Don’t worry, don’t worry…” Eren muttered quietly to one of his creations—Mikasa. That was the seven or eight foot tall girl’s name. He tightened the strap around her a little more while the raven laid on what was more or less like a hospital bed, with wires all over her body. “I know you’ll do fine for this endurance test. You have a strong heart.”

‘You have a strong heart’—that was what Mikasa wanted to believe too.

But it was because she supposedly had a weak heart that had led her to being in this situation.

She didn’t know the exact date of when it had all started. However, she remembered the day when Eren had shocked her to life, how her heart was like. How her heart had been functioning well during that time. Her heart wasn’t aching, her heart didn’t feel… weird. And as time went by, that changed. And Hanji—Eren’s mentor, another mad scientist—had noticed.

It was a week ago, on the day when Eren had given her his crimson coloured scarf when she found herself shivering. “Does that feel better?” He asked after he wrapped the red piece of fabric around her, albeit messily.

Mikasa nodded in response, and suddenly felt her heart racing, her yellow-ish pale cheeks reddening. Despite what all those articles that said about him being an insane, reckless scientist and maniac, Mikasa found it to be opposite. Admittedly, there were times when Mikasa had witnessed his mad scientist side spring out (something she believed that he inherited from Hanji, even though she wasn’t his biological mother), but she couldn’t bring herself to feel frightened. Not when they shared moments like these. Not when he gave her life, and taught her how to live. Taught her how to enjoy, and many other things that made her heart feel warm. (She didn’t understand why it felt like that, though.)

His company was just… nice.

She still remembered the day when he shocked her to this world, literally. Everything was white and bright, before she heard a laugh and saw a big grin plastered on his face, to which had greeted her. “Welcome to the world… Mikasa.” He had given her a name, too.

“I ought to buy a bigger one for you, though.” Eren commented, as he scratched the back of his head, noting how a ‘small’ scarf like that probably wouldn’t be enough to keep the tall and wide-framed Mikasa warm.

“No… its fine.” She smiled a little, and found herself clutching at her heart when she became aware of it racing.

“You have been clutching your heart a lot lately, Mikasa.” Another woman’s voice emerged into the conversation. “Is there a problem?” It was Hanji, who then proceeded to enter the room.

Hanji had doubted her student’s abilities to actually bring her to life. She recalled she had a previous colleague who struggled to do the same thing, to say the least it was a failed attempt that produced a monster. But once Eren succeeded, and once she saw that she wasn’t going to be another failure, she became just as enthusiastic and crazy over this project and experiment.

Before Mikasa could’ve answered, there was a sudden spark in Hanji’s eyes just as she thought of something. Something ‘fun’. “Eren. I want you to test the endurance of her heart next week.” She instructed, and the smile that slowly crept to her face had startled Mikasa a little. Sure, she had been relatively kind to Mikasa too… but she wasn’t Eren, and unlike Eren, she never so much made an attempt to form a bond with her.

An experiment. That was all Hanji saw her as, as of now at least.

“Think about it…” Her smile broadened, and her eyes widened. “What if her heart is able to withstand the shocks more than an average human heart? After all when you gave her life, you did do a few alterations am I correct…? But, anyway! Imagine…! Imagine if her heart is stronger than a human then…”

Mikasa couldn’t remember the rest of their conversation. The last thing she vividly recalled was the eagerness in both their tones as they continued to talk about the heart-endurance test, and all the possibilities.

Anyway, that was what that landed her in this situation. Her eyes traced towards the heart monitor. From what little science knowledge she gained after being here for some time, it was beating normally. It was still functioning normally.

So why… did it feel so… weird sometimes? Especially when Eren…

Her mind suddenly reflected to the time when he first brought her outside, and as a result of that decision, the townsfolk saw her. They saw his creation for the first time. And things went downhill from there.

Monster. Ugly. Disgusting. Insults and remarks like that came hurling at her or whispered among some crowds. She didn’t understand why, though. She hadn’t done anything wrong. Was there something wrong with her? Was it because of her pale yellow-ish skin? How tall she was? How there were stitches all over her body?

“You’re Mikasa.” Eren had answered her worries when he brought her back to his underground lab. “Ignore those bloody bastards, they don’t know what shit they’re talking about. They’re the real monsters…”

“Oh…” Mikasa muttered, and found her eyes looking at all the stitches around her body. “…is it because of these stitches, is that why they call me ugly? “She continued to ask, even after his reassurance.

“Huh? Ugly?!” He scoffed, as he approached her. For a moment, Mikasa thought he was going to slap her when he saw his hand moving towards her cheek. But he didn’t. Instead, he cupped one side of her cheek and she found herself nuzzling a little into it sub-consciously. His hand is warm, she had thought back then. “You’re beautiful, Mikasa.” From his angered and offended tone, he sounded gentle now. She liked this side of his.

And once again, her heart began to beat fast. Even in the present, just the memory of that moment, her heart couldn’t help but race…

What… was this feeling?

“Alright. Everything’s set up.” Eren said, “Are you ready, Mikasa?” He asked, his emerald orbs focusing on her. “Yes…” She nodded, as her own eyes looked towards the wires connected all over her. She wasn’t sure how long this test would last, all she could hope was pass and not fail Hanji’s and Eren’s expectations. She didn’t want to kill their enthusiasm, his enthusiasm. She didn’t dare ask what would happen if her heart was weak, if she failed and—

“You won’t fail.” He assured, as if he had read her mind. “You’re Mikasa.” He added on, as if her name and she, herself, was the synonym of strong and strength. “On a count of three… we’ll start with level one, and end at level seven…” He spoke.

“One… two… three…” And the next thing Mikasa felt was electricity running in her veins, and everywhere else. It didn’t hurt as much as she had anticipated… then again, they were only at level one.

“Good… good…” Eren muttered as he studied the heart monitor, “Next, level two…”

By the time they reached level four, Mikasa thought she would be fine. Perhaps, she was just imagining all the weird sensations that her heart had felt. All the heart racing, the uneasiness, the palpitations… the odd butterfly feeling that’d spread from her heart to her stomach.

Maybe she was over-thinking.

That was, until she reached level five.

It wasn’t like she was doubting Eren or anything, but the jump in the intensity from level four to five was way too high it made her consider if there was an error.

The second Eren shocked her, a scream involuntarily escaped her lips, and she found herself to be sub-consciously struggling as she felt another bolt of what seemed like lightning just terrorizing her heart. She resisted the urge to voice out any form of complain, she didn’t want to disappoint Eren. Not when earlier he had worn a proud sort of look as well as something of exhilaration when she passed level four.

“This is interesting…” Eren mumbled, without a hint of any form of disappointment, “Not much reactions from level four… and yet level five seemed excruciating for you.”  He took a glance at the heart monitor and only scoffed, “What an oddity… an average human heart would’ve given up at level three…” said Eren as he bit his lip before a smirk showcased itself. “And yet you’re here at level five, still alive… with no indication of any big increase in the rate of your heartbeat at all upon shocking you…”

Because Mikasa now felt the after-effects of the shock, her eyesight wasn’t as its best state and she couldn’t tell if that was drool coming down from his lips or sweat. All she could see or rather, decipher was the look of pure thrill shining in his eyes. She knew that look. He was thinking of all sorts of possibilities that Mikasa herself would never be able to imagine.

“Let’s move on to level six!” He said as he scribbled something down on his clipboard. But stopped half-way as he looked over to Mikasa, who hadn’t said anything yet. Who he noticed looked rather… uncomfortable after that nasty shock. “Or…are you too tired—”

“Continue.” Mikasa managed to speak, cutting him off. “I… can continue.” She assured.

Eren’s smirk broadened. “Haha… Hahaha!! You’re amazing, Mikasa! On a count to three, we will enter level six!” Mikasa nodded, smiling herself when she saw that shine in his emerald orbs sparkle even more.

“One… Two… Three!”

Level six came, and the hellish shock came at her heart. She struggled to hold back her series of shrieks and any form of fidgeting or troublesome movements, but no avail. A minute passed, and she was already sweating. The pain lingered longer than it should, and she chose to focus on the sound of the sound of Eren’s pen vigorously jotting down his observations instead of the pain. She found herself gasping for air as the next level six shock came coursing through her veins to her heart.

“Ahhh!” Eren exclaimed, “You survived level six… Hanji wouldn’t believe this! I—” he stopped rambling when her panting became louder and noticeable, with her normal pale yellow-ish skin tone turning into slight red. Exhaustion.

Mad man. Heartless. Crazy. Psycho. These were the labels Hanji and Eren would often get from outsiders who couldn’t understand the mind of scientists like them, scientists like him.

What was there to gain from creating Mikasa? What was there to gain from giving her a chance to live? What was there to gain to create her? People often thought these things when word came out about Mikasa, or rather ‘monster’ as what they’d call her. The only reason why the police and council weren’t on his case was thanks to the fact that Hanji had done favours to aid them in the past. Thus, they decided not to interfere in whatever they were doing. After all, Mikasa hadn’t hurt anyone yet.

Unfortunately, people still judged. And Mikasa couldn’t hide, not when she stood seven or eight foot tall with a skin tone so yellow and pale that it wasn’t considered human-ly. Not when there were stitches all over her from Eren’s attempt on sewing—on creating her.

But Eren didn’t care. He had his reasons for creating her, reasons that Hanji didn’t full know of. As long as Eren provided her with something to quench her thirst from any form of knowledge, she was fine with it.

And because she was his creation—no, he looked at her more than just something he created. Albeit, he couldn’t identify what it was as of now. And he was just thrilled to find out what it was.

Even if he was truly mad, he had limits. “We won’t go to level seven.” He sighed, placing his clipboard down as he approached her. Before she could voice any form of protest, he placed a finger on her lips while his other hand busied itself with unbuckling the straps on her. “Shh… we won’t tell Hanji… besides, thanks to your strong heart, it just further proves that you’re a success!” He exclaimed while Mikasa sat up once the straps came off.

If that blonde had been here, he’d have been shocked. No mad scientist would halt in any of their experiments, not Eren especially. They would always see things to the end. They would always find a way to get their answers. But ever since creating Mikasa, ever since spending time with his new favourite project—no, person, he had been quite… soft. Different. A more humanly side of him had emerged.

Even Eren couldn’t identify the reason why—which all the more had made him even more excited with this journey of him and Mikasa, with future experiments and other future things.

“…Are you sure, Eren?” Mikasa finally spoke after he had removed his finger from her lips. “Hanji might scold you and… I… don’t want to ruin your—”

“Ruin?!” He gasped, and he found himself moving his face rather close to hers, with his hands now on her shoulders. “Ohhhh Mikasa! This means big things! Your heart survived past the average human expectation! You didn’t ruin anythi—”

He was cut off by the sudden increased beeping sound of the heart monitor. “That’s odd.” Eren murmured as his eyes glimpsed towards the heart monitor, to see that her heart rate had abruptly increased, before looking back at her to see her cheeks slightly redden. “Are you sick?” He queried, as he placed his hand over her forehead. Can she even get sick? Eren pondered.

“N-No… I…” He was close. Too close to her face, and Mikasa didn’t understand why this closeness made her heart beat rapidly. If it wasn’t because of a weak heart, then what was the reason?

“You… H-Have you been getting enough sleep, E-Eren?” It was an attempt to change the topic. She didn’t wish to tell him about the strange things her heart felt, albeit she didn’t know why she didn’t want to tell him. Was this what shyness felt like? Whatever it was, she wanted to know his answer to her question anyway. Upon getting a closer view of Eren’s face and his emerald orbs that never failed to captivate her, she noticed his eye-bags worsening.

“Worry about yourself once.” He responded, “Besides science waits for no man. Ahh… I can’t wait to get these results to Hanji once she returns.” He spoke as he pushed himself up onto the bed that Mikasa sat in, sitting next to her.

There was a brief silence between them, until Mikasa broke it after her eyes stared at the stitches around her body for far too long.

“…Eren, why did you create me?”

Eren flinched. It was such an out of the blue sort of question. A question he didn’t like to answer.

His expression twisted into something that was a mixture of franticness, madness and distraught. And suddenly, Mikasa wished she could take back her words.

“Why… you ask…” He mumbled, his hand reaching out, pulling onto his hair a little before he started to laugh. “It’s quite… a story—”

“Eren!” A yell from his mentor that had just returned from her trip was all it took to snap him back to reality. “I’m back! And you have a guest upstairs, waiting for you at the doooor!”

“Huh? A guest?” Eren’s expression finally relaxed, and it relieved Mikasa… but it left her with a lot of questions. “That Arlert boy! He’s at the door!” Hanji shouted.

“Ah… Armin.” He muttered before hopping off the bed. “Wait here, Mikasa. I’ll be back.” Mikasa gave a quiet nod. And without looking back, he left the room to greet his guest.

Mikasa looked towards her right, where a mirror was placed. She stood up and walked towards it, staring up and down at her entire seven or eight foot tall frame. She found her hand moving upwards to clutch her heart.

She recalled what looked like hurt and distress written on Eren’s face when she asked the reason for her existence.

“It hurts…” She sighed quietly, before glancing down to her body, to see that the wires were still plastered all over her, and remembered that there were wires all over her too when he first shocked her to life. And she found herself wondering, how had he been living before she came along?

Despite all the time she spent together with him, he never told her about it. And all this time, she assumed he was just doing experiments. But something in her gut told her otherwise.

Every mad scientist has a reason for being mad, right?

The thirst and hunger for knowledge—that was one reason, but something in her gut also told her that that wasn’t just Eren’s reason.

“I wonder what he was like…” She murmured to herself, before her mind drifted off back to when their faces were just centimetres away. She found herself clutching her heart tighter. “And I wonder…what is this…feeling…?”

[late2theshow]

Blue Does not know Gay Part 3

Yellow was not looking forward to the thought of going on a date with a guy. Blue didn’t take any of her hints that she wasn’t interested and instead went along with getting Jermaine’s number and finding out when he will be free next.  So now Yellow is sitting at a bar stool in a local bar waiting this man to come over.  She was hoping he wouldn’t show up.  But to her dismay he did. And he brought a flower.  Great.

Yellow knew she shouldn’t be rude, but she was annoyed.  She cancelled on White to see this guy and to make matters worse Blue is in some sort of mood because of this, and it was her idea in the first place!

“Uh, hi, you must be Yellow….Is that your nickname?”

She rolled her eyes. Here we go…..

“No—its my first name. I get that a lot”

“Sorry, I hope I didn’t offend?”

“You didn’t, trust me”

He seemed so casual. She felt at ease around him despite only knowing him for a few seconds.  

 Meanwhile on the other side of town Blue was sulking over not having anyone to hang out with.  Her roommate was now getting an earful on how Yellow ditched her.

 “She didn’t even call me today, like seriously? How rude is that?”

Her roommate shrugged. “Well, maybe she is excited to go on this date and forgot.  You said she hasn’t dated a boy the entire time she has been in college”

“I know, but the least I could have seen her before her date?”

Her roommate paused before answering.  It was almost as if Blue was jealous of her friend’s date.

“You know, I have a few cute boys who would go out with you.” Her roommate inquired.

Blue shook her head “I don’t want to date I just want—” Blue didn’t know what she wanted other than Yellow. But that made no sense.  Why did she only want a girl’s company and no one else.  

What does that make her?

“want what?”

“I don’t know.  I just don’t want to date any guys right now”

“But does that mean your friend shouldn’t date either?”

“No, your right.  I just miss hanging out with her”

“Blue…..it’s been only been a day since you’ve seen her”

 Back with Yellow; her and Jermaine were hitting it off.  They like the same music, sports, both hate their pre-law professor and they both go to the same bars; just not on the same nights.  Turns out Jermaine is gay and just dates girls that his friends suggest to not be judged.  

“Truthfully I was not looking forward to this date.  I was afraid I would have to go home with you” Yellow joked.  

“I would have just stuck you with the bill; I did that once and the girl told all her friends I was a scumbag and none of them bothered me again”

The two shared a laugh.

“So, what’s next?” Yellow asked

“Girl. let’s finish this martini”

“What about, what we tell everyone after tonight? I am assuming you’re not out of the closet?”

“No.  What about you?”

“I’m out but, not open. I a few women from the debate team tried to question it—But I told them I’m too focused on school”

“Same here.  Do we just tell people that we don’t connect?”

Yellow sipped her drink “It’s kind of a shame we actually do”

Jermaine chuckled “I know, right? If only you had a Y chromosome, then Yellow, you could be my soulmate”

Yellow laughed “And if only your name was Blue Sommabai; you would then be mine”

Jermaine raised an ear brow “Sommabai? You mean Diana’s roommate the Indian girl with the Irish accent? She was the one who hooked us up”

Yellow’s eyes went wide. How could she forget that Blue knew this guy?

“Yeah” Yellow looked away “I’ve been sort of…. pining for her for a few weeks now; I figured the thought was mutual but –its clearly not; since she stuck me with you.  No offense”

“Oh, none taken.  If it makes you feel better Diana tried to hook Blue up with everyone one of my roommates.  Blue didn’t take anyone up on the offer.  And I live with a ton of hot hots so—its clear she is gay”

Yellow shook her head “No—trust me she is not.  I mean she could be a little handsy, but she doesn’t even know what gay is.  She asked me to go to church with her one Sundays”

“She might be far in the closet”

“I think she might be buried in the closet”

Jermaine finished his drink “Maybe you need to dig her out.  She’s cute.  When her roommate told me about you—she made you sound like you were one hot ticket”

“What did she say?”

Jermaine laughed “You got it bad for her”

Yellow rolled her eyes “a bit, but seriously what did she say?”

 The next day

 Blue was still mad—she chose to take the day off and not go to class.   Yellow still didn’t call her.  She was getting mad over it.  Its now been 48-hours without seeing her.  Blue decided to leave and head to Yellow’s dorm.  She knew Yellow goes straight home on Tuesday’s after her business law class.  

Yellow was surprised to hear a loud knock on her door. “forget your key again?” she asked. Assuming it was her roommate. Once she opened the door she saw Blue; furious and ready to rush into the apartment to yell.  

“You could have called before you came over” Yellow stated.  Finding this slightly rude.

“Why is Jermaine here?” Blue snapped.  She was in the living room now.  Looking in to the kitchen to see if he was there.  “Did I interrupt your evening? Do you still need to make him breakfast and send him on his way?”

“Blue its 3pm and you know I get out of class at 1!  You know Jermaine still have classes.  What’s your problem?”

“You never called me! Not even before your date!”

“I was busy!”

“Too busy to call?”

“Yes!”

They never fought before but they were both on edge.  Blue was mad at her for being ignored and Yellow was mad because she and Jermaine didn’t come up with a good lie, except we’ll just be friends.

“So is he your boyfriend now?” Blue questioned.

“No, just friends”

“Just friends?”

“Yes”

Blue signed and sat down on the couch “I was so upset and worried.  What if you had a bad time? Or what if you had a really good time? I’m sorry”

“Sorry for snapping at me? or—”

“I’m sorry I don’t know how to feel”

Yellow was confused. But wanted to assume she knew what Blue was feeling.  Blue looked over to see and frowned “I thought that we were close because we were both single ladies; but the idea of you dating someone made me so mad—”

“You’re the one that made me go on this date, remember?”

“I know but—I didn’t think you would!”

“Why is that?”

“I don’t know” Blue then felt her face heat up.  I thought you would rather hang out with me”

“I would”

Blue smiled “Really?”

“Of course, I only went out with Jermaine because I knew your roommate was trying to play match maker and so were you”

“I was. I just regret it now….”

“don’t.  If it makes you feel better, I don’t want to date any other guys at all”

“You mean until after college?” Blue questioned

Yellow shook her head “No, not even after college”

“Well then when? When do you want to get married?”

Yellow shrugged “Well, I might get married; but I don’t want to marry a man”

Blue paused “Then…who would you marry?”

Yellow didn’t say anything and just looked at her; a slightly worried face.  Blue’s eyes widened “Then that means—”

She was finally going to get it.

Blue looked at her “You don’t like boys, so that means….”

Yellow nodded her head.

“Oh.”

That’s all she said was. Oh.

“You know what I’m saying right?”

“I think”

“Blue.  I’m gay.  I like women. I’d rather date a woman”

“Oh.”

“Oh? that’s it?”

“well.  I just didn’t know.  I was raised catholic, Yellow.  No one talks about these things to people.  You’re the only gay person I ever met”

Yellow grinned “Jermaine is gay.  My roommate is gay.  Heather from your accounting class is gay and your roommate Diane’s cousin is gay”

“Audrey?”

“Yes”

“How do you know?”

“I slept with Audrey”

Blue gasped.  “Oh my God! You’re the Blonde Mullet asshole who wouldn’t return her phone calls!?”

Yellow cringed. “Audrey is a bit much.  Too much for me”

Blue sat back on the couch and laughed “Wow, this whole time I thought you were shy.  Turns out you slept with every gay guy and gay girl in town”

“No, I only slept with four women and two of them happen to be our age”

“Ever slept with a man?”

“No, but I kissed one and it was terrible.  Middle school dance; Doug Parker.  We were both the highest-grade students; we had no choice”

“Did you ever think of men? In a romantic way?”

“When I was 10.  Then I grew to lose all interest in men”

Blue pondered for a moment and asked, “So you would rather date women?”

“Yes” Yellow was now worried that Blue might wish to stop being friends after this revelation.  

“Do you find all women attractive?”

“Some I do.  I really can’t say I have a type”

“Would I be one of your types? Do you find me attractive?”

Yellow felt uncomfortable; her face was getting warm.  If she says the wrong thing she could ruin the friendship.  

“Blue, I don’t want to mess up our friendship”

Blue sat closer “You wont if your honest to me?”

Yellow looked away nervously “Well, you are very attractive.  I always assumed you liked men, So I never made any action that could have been deemed inappropriate”

“Well.  I feel bad now, I’ve been clinging on to you and undressing in front of you, and I forced you into that underwear store last week. I’ve been making it inappropriate for you”

“Well, I didn’t know you knew what a lesbian was”

“I could have looked it up. I’m not stupid Yellow, I beat you in scrapple six times before”

“I let you win the first time”

“Bullshit”

“Okay, we are off topic. But seriously, I didn’t know how to bring it up, so I never did”

Blue frowned “Well, I wish you never felt you had to hide it”

“it’s okay”

Blue moved closer to Yellow. Making Yellow more uneasy about this situation.   She wanted to evade the topic now.  She couldn’t figure out what Blue was thinking.

“Well, Jermaine and I are now friends.  I might try to hook him up with my roommate.  He wants to go out next Thursday to a bar on the other side of town. I would invite you but it’s a gay bar”

“I’ll go with you”

“Really?”

“Yes really”

“I mean you might get hit on.”

“As long I get to flirt with you” Blue said that without really thinking.  But wasn’t embarrassed to admit that.  

Yellow was—she was red in the face after hearing that statement.  Blue giggled and stood up “Well I am sorry that I barged in to yell at you, but if its okay I’ll see you Thursday”

Yellow nodded “Sounds good”

Once Blue left Yellow covered her face with her hands and felt her face—completely hot; she must have been red as a beat.  Blue was okay with her being gay and wanted to go to a gay bar with her. She always hoped Blue like her like that; but how on earth would she handle babysitting Blue while keeping her own crush on her in check?

[writing-creativo]

The Other Amelia Littlebug

Note: This is a bit longer than ususal (2k) so idk if i should post things like this in parts or not but hEY i didn’t

“From: Océane Duval

23 Rue des Loups, Rouen

France

To: Amelia Littlebug

Berliner Straße, Frankfurt

Germany

 October 14th, 1947

 Dear Amy,

I hope this letter finds you well, wherever you are. I write it as an announcement.

I finally did as I promised the last time we spoke. I came back to Rouen.

But oh Bug, it is no longer the city we loved. It’s broken, injured by bullets and cannons and what didn’t crumble was left to burn. The right side of the cathedral was eaten by the flames, but they are now repairing it. Everyone is doing whatever they can to help, but perhaps we should help ourselves first.

But have no worries, your house still stands, as beautiful as ever, in the middle of the hills. From up here it’s as if I’m watching hell from above. I am not sure it was my wisest decision to come back here, but a promise is a promise. And Baptiste was so happy to see me! You should have seen his face, I had never seen him smile like that. I wouldn’t have known he was capable of such emotions.

I wish you were here too darling, it all feels empty without you.

Yours always,

Océane”

 Amelia Littlebug read the letter twice. And then twice again. The wrinkly paper, yellowed by time, sat on the kitchen table, side by side with a bunch of bills invoices.

How could it be that someone was writing directly to her, from the year 1947? Was it lost mail? Did someone find a letter directed to somebody with an equally amusing name, and decided to pull a prank?

They were all logical questions and equally reasonable responses to the situation, but none of them crossed Amelia’s head. It was not the type of thing that would ever cross Amelia’s head, particularly known for illogical and equally unreasonable thoughts. However, she was deeply fascinated by who this Océane was. Why she went back. What promises she made. Was she helping rebuild the city as well? Was Baptiste a family member? The gardener, perhaps? Or the housekeeper?

She didn’t recognize anything in the letter besides her own name and address. Except that it wasn’t her name, it was yet another Amelia Littlebug, blessed with the same showstopper title.

It was clearly French though. From the ocean sounding names, to the location, and references to the war. Two mysteries solved.

The letter was illogically and unreasonably put up on the wall, as if on display, so that lovely Amelia could look at it every day.

To be fair, she didn’t have many friends to text or message her. But she now had Océane sending her a whole letter. Perhaps not sent to her, she was aware, but it was sent to her address, so she was entitled to call herself Amy Bug.

“From: Océane Duval

23 Rue des Loups, Rouen

France

To: Amelia Littlebug

Berliner Straße, Frankfurt

Germany

 November 1st, 1947

 Dear Amy,

I am not sure of what to say or what to tell you. You know I’m not the greatest with words, you have always been far better than me.

All we want is some sense of normality, a piece of our old lives. But it doesn’t seem like we will have back it any time soon.

I’m working as an accountant again, but I haven’t been charging, it wouldn’t feel right to. It feels good to be busy again but going into town is far from pleasant. Coming back home at the end of the day could be a relief, but Baptiste has been having nightmares. He cries and shouts in bed, so neither of us have been getting a lot of sleep.

I’m so tired Bug. And I miss you, still. I will always miss you.

Yours always,

Océane.”

 71 years later, a second letter sat once again on Amelia Littlebug’s table. This time, it left her disturbed. But many things left Amelia Littlebug disturbed. Shadows: long nights, loud noises, the wind blowing outside... However, it was perhaps logical for her to be distressed this time around.

She spent the whole day thinking about it. Unable to read and reread it again, like she had previously done with the first correspondence. Had Amy answered the other letter? If so, why wasn’t she receiving it too?

It wouldn’t have been the first time that Amelia Littlebug googled her own name, but this time she had a reasonable motive to do so. But no results mentioning 1947, or Ruen, or Océane Duval. Nothing that resembled anything mentioned in the letters.

The letter was hanged bellow its predecessor. Amelia sat and stared at them a lot, not reading, just staring. Was it just her imagination again? Was she seeing things, hearing things? Had she started reading things now? The thought made her laugh a little. The voices had done a lot to her, but they had never kept her company. But deep down, she was enjoying receiving messages from the past. What if is she really was Amy Bug? What if the letters were properly addressed and Océane was writing to her, with seven decades of delay? Could she see and hear things too? Where was she now? was she still alive?

 “From: Océane Duval

23 Rue des Loups, Rouen

France

To: Amelia Littlebug

Berliner Straße, Frankfurt

Germany

 November 10th, 1947

 Dear Amy,

As you may know, today is my birthday. I am offended you didn’t even get me a card!

Baptiste bought me chocolate cake and a bracelet, which I know was expensive, but he won’t admit it. I don’t like it when he does these things. I know he enjoys my company, but I have been enjoying my loneliness more lately.

Things are moving slowly at work, but I already have more costumers. Some of them even remember me from before! They sometimes ask about you as well, but I don’t quite know what to tell them. What do I tell them, Amy?

Yours always,

Océane”

 Océane seemed bitter and angry. Was it because of her birthday? And what about Amy, where was she, after all? Does Océane not know it either?

It was the third letter Amelia had received. It was hanged above the first one.

She started questioning her own reason now. She promised herself she would never do that, but there she was. Were the letters even real at all? She tried clearing everything up by taking them to the post office but half way there she realised they had no stamp. They couldn’t have been delivered by regular mail.

What if it was someone mocking her? What if this was what they wanted her to think? What did they want her to do? Reasonable questions were starting to pop up in her mind. But she had never been very reasonable.

She had crossed miles and countries, so that there was no one to mock or prank her. She had left everything and ran away so she could be herself by herself. No one talking about the silly things she said or pocking fun of the things she talked about. They had ever believed her. They wouldn’t believe her now. But they weren’t here now. So who would pull a prank on a girl nobody knew?

“From: Océane Duval

23 Rue des Loups, Rouen

France

To: Amelia Littlebug

Berliner Straße, Frankfurt

Germany

 December 25th, 1947

 Dear Amy,

I write to wish you a Merry Christmas, surrounded by the best people and things.

I didn’t want to celebrate Christmas this year, I wasn’t quite sure what there was to celebrate, but Baptiste was very much against it. He put up all the lights and decorations by himself while I was at work. I barely knew which house was ours when I arrived.

I had forgotten how much Baptiste used to love this time of the year but, to be quite honest, his joy is contagious. He keeps telling stories of all the Christmases we spent together and all the pranks he used to pull on us (As if we were ever bothered!) but then he stops and cries. He just cries. I know he can’t help it, but he is such a crier now, Bug. I miss it when he was always grumpy and angry at us.

I know I haven’t written you in a while, but I think it’s better when I don’t. So don’t just sit around and wait for my letters, alright?

Yours always,

Océane”

 It was all clear now. Baptiste, Océane and Amy were family. Or perhaps family friends. He isn’t the gardener, the house is probably his too! But why did Océane stop writing? Why wont she write anymore? She seems angrier and angrier by the letter.

And now Amelia had no more space on her wall to put it up. She left it in a drawer instead, but it didn’t leave her thought.

Who would deliver mail on Christmas day? Who would be home, alone and ready to receive it? She was. But neither made sense. Nothing made sense.

So if nothing made sense anymore, Amelia Littlebug decided to do a senseless thing. She drove herself to France, Rue des Loupes in Rouen.

On that same morning she grabbed the letters, packed some food and water, and drove 6 long hours to Paris, and 2 hours more to Rouen. It was insane, of course it was. But it wouldn’t be the first time Amelia was called insane. Not even by herself.

As she arrived, she saw the towers of the churches standout in the middle of the trees. One of them was the cathedral Océane had mentioned, probably completely rebuilt by now. She had pictured a war thorn town, completely alienated from 21st century, forgetting her own reality.

Only when she realised that she was all alone in a country she didn’t know, in a city she never visited, not knowing how to say a full sentence in French, did she understand the absurdness of her insanity. It was self-sabotage, as it had always been.

She stopped, parked her car, and took a deep breath. The world wasn’t that big after all, was it? I mean, she was receiving letters from 1947 Rouen.

Amelia walked out into the street and then into a small coffee shop. She sat in the back, listening, for quite some time.

-Do you speak English? German? - She asked the cashier.

-Little bit, yes! – The old man laughed and she smiled in return, while handing him a paper.

-I’m looking for that address, do you know where it is? I didn’t bring my phone with me, or I would have… – It was a sudden realisation. Illogical. Unreasonable.

Luckily, the man did know where it was. And he carefully explained it to her, so well that it was no effort driving there. It was as if someone else had their hands on the wheel. As if a voice was telling her where to go, which turn to take.

After about 10 minutes of driving, she stopped at an old house. At an old street, to be precise. It didn’t seem like anyone was there, nobody lived there.

The number 6 looked beautiful in style and architecture. Or she imagined it would have once looked, because now the windows were broken, covered in concrete. The front door was ripped apart, barely standing.

It was not where she imagined her prankster pen pal would live. Where anyone would live. But she took the liberty to walk inside. And it didn’t take much effort to get rid of the last stripes of wood blocking the way in.

The house was empty, but Amelia had never felt so full, so whole. And she heard it so clearly now, the voice. She told her to leave, please, to walk away. And if Amelia Littlebug had ever been good at something, it was at doing what she was told.

So she walked out. Staring at the old building again. It all felt pointless. The letters, coming here… All to be told to leave. But she didn’t get in the car right away. She could hear them, the other ones.

She walked down the street, into an old rusty gate. It was a cemetery. Amelia got in, without the fear or reluctance a logical and reasonable person would feel. She felt herself being guided. She knew where she was going even though she couldn’t tell you if you asked. And then she stopped.

She sat down next to a grave, her eyes watering a bit. Her fingers touched the engraved letters on stone.

“Amelia Littlebug

1926-1945

Victime des bombardements de ‘44”

No French skills were needed to know what that meant. Amelia got up. The living Amelia.

And she walked a bit further. Now she understood. It was simpler than she had made it out to be, it always is.

“Océane Duval

1925-1947”

  “From: Amelia Littlebug

Berliner Straße, Frankfurt

Germany

To: Océane Duval

23 Rue des Loups, Rouen

France

  December 27th, 2018

 Dear Océane,

I hope this letter finds you well, wherever you are.

I write to tell you that I appreciated your letters, very much. And that I have delivered them safely. I left them to her with a couple of flowers (she mentioned she liked sunflowers) and I know she’ll find them so don’t worry about it. I know how much you loved and cared about her, she told me that too.

However, I beg you to please stop corresponding with me. I am Amelia Claire Littlebug from London, now living in Frankfurt, not your Amy Bug.

Yours Sincerely,

The Other Amelia Littlebug”

[lubdubsworld]

Give me some Sugar ( Daddy)

Warnings ; Adult Content. 

Jimin xOC / 19+

Chapter 1 / Chapter 2

The club that jimin asked me to come to was somewhere in the deeper streets of Hongdae, tucked in between a tattoo parlor and a fine dining restaurant , with the entrance small and unassuming, leading down a flight of stairs to a bigger , glamorous doorway. The inside of the hallway, leading deeper into the club was lit with strobe lights and a bunch of people stood around , girls in tiny skirts and fitting blouses, men in black leather and with piercings glinting . 

I wasn’t particularly intimidated , but the scent of sweaty bodies and cheap smoke made me retch a little bit , as i followed the tall bouncer who had offered to take me to Jimin. We walked a few more minutes, past a couple of dance floors and then into another hallway, this one more deserted and lit more demurely, tones of red and gold lighting up bits of the  passageway and throwing other parts into sharp darkness. 

The stairs opened into a lounge, which was worlds away from the messy confusion downstairs , done up in gold and yellow with mild , soothing jazz music and dozens of well-dressed beautiful patrons. I felt suddenly relieved that I’d picked a relatively nice dress, turquoise blue with an uneven hem and a wrap around bodice . I’d borrowed it from Seulgi ages ago and she had refused to take it back, saying something along the lines of ‘ ugh...i hate that color just keep it will you?’ . 

It was probably her way of being generous without acting like a good person. 

I caught sight of Jimin even before the man next to me pointed him out. Jimin sat in an enclosed booth, tucked away in a corner of the loungue and he stood up the moment he saw me, hand reaching up to run through his hair as he offered me a bright smile. 

He was so attractive it made my lips wobble. 

“How did you get here?” He said with a bright smile, after pulling the chair out for me and i stared at him for a second, suddenly aware that he was a lot taller than i remembered. 

“Uh.. I.. uh.. walked? i mean from the bus stop. I took the bus and then i got down at the bus stop and ..yeah.. i walked here.” i laughed nervously , mentally kicking myself for forgetting how to formulate words. 

Jimin didn’t comment on my word -vomit and instead he just. very casually brushed the hair away from the nape of my neck and kissed the edge of my cheek. 

“ I’m sorry if it was a long commute. i wanted to send someone to pick you up but i wasn’t sure if it would make you uncomfortable” . He smiled again, drawing back, seemingly un-bothered by the fact that his kiss had wiped my brain clean of all thoughts.  

“Oh..uh. Thanks.” I said , sitting down with my heart thudding around in my ribcage. 

“And before i forget.. here you go... “ He slid my phone across the table and i grabbed it quickly, slipping it into my purse. 

“Thank you so much..i’m so sorry for being a bother...honestly.. and Jimin ssi... about what you said.. i don’t think it’s a good idea.”

“Let’s have dinner first, Y/N and then we can talk about...other things. this place serves really good continental stuff and I’m actually friends with the chef... Would you like me to order for you?” He smiled, reaching out and touching the back of my palm.

“Yes, please.”

“Excellent.” 

I stared around the dining area some more while Jimin called the waiter over and ordered food and wine. Once he was done, he laughed a little and gave me an abashed look, ducking his head down.

“You probably think i’m being a bit too pretentious...bringing you out here ...” He said softly. “ i actually prefer less fancy places in general but i thought this would give us some privacy...”

i didn’t say anything feeling jittery and nervous. 

“So, uh.. tell me about yourself, Y/N...”

“Me? uh... I’m actually a creative English major and I have a minor in interior designing as well.... I have a sister and mother and i work quite a lot of odd jobs. “i laughed awkwardly.

He nodded thoughtfully.

“I’m assuming you’re running low on cash then...” He said sounding vaguely sympathetic.

“Uh..yeah..that’s kind of a problem because , there’s this academy that my sister is trying to get into. a Ballet school. And well, i need to pay them a lot of money upfront...”

I stopped, not sure why it was so easy to just blurt this information out to him. It was stup;id but for some reason, Jimin didn’t feel like a stranger, at all. 

“I understand. Have you done this thing before? With other men?”

I briefly considered lying.

“No.” I admitted after a few seconds. “ No, i haven’t.”

He hummed a bit thoughtfully.

“I figured as much. Have you changed your mind about doing it ? Or are you still looking to find a... benefactor?”

I flinched.

“jimin ssi...”

“I’m only asking because i don’t want to force you into anything you’re not interested in. If you tell me that you’ve given up on getting yourself a rich guy, I’ll back off. For real.” He held both his palms up, multiple rings glinting in the dusky glow of the restaurant. 

I stared at him.

“And what if I want a guy but not you.” i said bluntly.

Jimin raised an eyebrow. 

“I’m sure I can find myself another girl.”

Chastised, i looked down at my knees.

“it’s just...” i stopped, before taking a deep breath. “ You’re really famous. i don’t want to get into any trouble.” 

Jimin gave me an even look.

“i’ll protect you. I can promise you that.”

I felt my heart turn over at the phrase.

“Jimin ssi...”

“i mean it. Honestly, what i’m looking for isn’t just something...physical. i wouldn’t be pursuing you if it were. I need someone i can be friends with. Someone i can have dinners with, someone i can talk to and generally have a relationship with.... And i felt that connection with you.... You and i... we could be good together... i can feel it in my bones, Y/N. that’s why i want you to give this a chance.” 

“A realtionship?” i said confused.

He hesitated before staring down at his glass.

“Well, certain aspects of a relationship. Without the emotional baggage. Sex, companionship, laughter and good times. Without any drama or unnecessary feelings involved.” 

I stared at him, feeling like i was getting in way over my head. i couldn’t quite understand what he meant. 

“I’ll be your boyfriend. We’ll be lovers. I’ll introduce you to my friends. We’ll all hang out together. i want all of it.” He said softly.

 i want all of it.

there was something off about that phrase. But before i could ponder on his words, he was reaching out and lightly gripping my palm. his fingers felt smooth and warm around my own, the blunt tips tracing heated circles on my skin , the gesture arousing in a way that was unfair. 

“I like you. A lot. I know a lot of really good Dance companies. I’ll get your sister into the best one, i promise. in fact, I’m going to do that, even if you refuse me. I looked her up , you know. She really is good. She deserves a spot in any of those Academies.” He said warmly.

 i looked her up...

 He had looked her up?! Why.... 

“I... I’m still not sure  how...” 

“I have a proper contract for us to sign. I have it with me right now and if you like, we can go over it at my apartment. Well, technically our apartment , if you agree to the terms .”

I squeaked in disbelief.

“our apartment?” 

he shrugged.

“It wouldn’t be practical for us to live miles away from each other. I’d rather we co habit. It would be easier for me especially, seeing as i have a jam packed schedule. i’d like to be able to see you anytime i’m home.” He smiled widely and I blushed harder. Why one earth was he so charming? and why was it working so well on me?

why did this whole thing sound appealing , rather than outrageous. What on earth was wrong with me?!

“So, you want me to move in with you?” I said, throat dry. 

“Yes. I have a personal chauffeur who can drop you off at college and then pick you back up. So you don’t have to worry about that.”

College had been the last of my worries.

“Okay... i mean... I’d like to hear more about this contract.” i said softly.

He hummed.

“Of course. Hang on, i’ll pay the bill and then we can drive down home.”

 Home.

oh, God, what was i getting myself into.

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

“it’s not much but i think it should be fine for just the two of us...” Jimin said casually holding the door open and i stepped into a wide , open-plan apartment with beautiful blue and white inetriors. The place was rather impersonal but it looked cozy as well. 

“it’s beautiful.” I said honestly and jimin smiled in obvious relief.

“i wanted to come pick a nice place out with you, you know after you agreed but then i saw this place and i really didn’t want to risk losing it...” He said apologetically and I smiled weakly. 

“That’s alright... it’s really nice.” I said awkwardly.

“We can still go pick out some paintings and other stuff, together. if you like. I don’t know a lot about interior decoration and stuff but you mentioned you were majoring in it...so you can try and decorate this place. If you like...” He offered and I nodded absently, trailing my fingers over the back of the couch. everything looked so beautiful.

“This here’s the bedroom.” he held a door open. I didn’t think too much, walking over to peer into the room, taking note of the plain pale blue walls and the satin sheets on the huge bed. 

He moved to pull the curtains open and i felt my eyes go wide as i noticed that it overlooked the river.

“We can watch the sunrise every morning from our bed.” Jimin laughed.

I froze .

 our bed.

 “What about the kitchen?” i blurted out quickly and jimin hesitated before smiling a little.

“You don’t have to be so terrified around me. I wont throw you on the bed and ravish you. We can wait and get to know each other a bit before we become intimate.” He smiled.

I cringed.

“i’m sorry..it’s just... all so new to me..”

“i understand. You can back out anytime you like.” He held the door open again.” The kitchen is over there.” 

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

Two weeks later after my midterms and after I had pretty much spent all my nights losing sleep, I signed the contract. 

Most of the terms were simple . 

 i had to always be reachable over phone. i had to respond to texts and calls. i had to keep him informed of my whereabouts. i had to go on a minimum of three dinner dates every week. i also had to make an active effort to be ‘ cordial’ with his friends. He would provide me with outfits, pay for my expenses and also generally ‘ support’ me in an ‘ appropriate ‘ way. 

Jimin gave me a phone , a new one that i would be able to use to talk to him. it was one of those new fancy phones, the kind that required your fingerprint to open and stuff and he also gave me two credit cards.

“There’s no limit. You can spend as much as you like.” He had said brightly.

I hadn’t plucked up the courage to use them yet, of course.

The day after i signed the contract, I was walking to the bus stop, ready to drive home when my phone buzzed.

It was jimin.

“Hey sweetheart. Are you packed?” He said cheerfully.

I blinked in confusion.

“packed?” 

“Well, you’re supposed to be moving in with me, remember?” 

I hadn’t remembered , at all.

“oh, God...i’m so sorry... Jimin ssi...”

He was silent for a second .

“Are you having second thoughts, baby?” He said softly. 

I blushed a bright red, immensely grateful that he wasn’t in front of me.

“Uh..no. Of course not.”

“okay. Good girl. Can you do something for me?” He asked gently, tone low and mellow.

“Uh huh...”

“Take a taxi to our apartment. The password is your birthday . Let yourself in. i’ve left an outfit out on the bed. Wear it and make yourself look pretty for me. Can you do that?” 

I stopped walking because my heart was starting to pound.

“Oh..uh...sure.”

“Especially the stuff in the small red box, okay. I’ll check later if you’re really wearing them... “ He said teasingly. 

“okay.” i breathed out.

After he hung up, i had to count to twenty, just to get my head on straight.

It took me a few minutes to hail a cab and another twenty minutes before i reached the apartment and let myself in. 

i kicked my shoes off and rushed to the bedroom, not even bothering to drop my bag off.

i stopped short as i stared at the bed. 

There was a tiny black dress , with beautiful midnight black pumps and a small velvet box with jewelry. I stared at the outfit in awe, heart lurching when I saw the familiar name.

 Chanel.

Then i saw the box he had mentioned and opened it with trembling fingers.

My entire body felt like it had been set on fire.

I stared in mortification at the tiny thong style panties and the transparent lacy bra. 

 i’ll check later if you’re really wearing them. 

Apparently, Park Jimin wasn’t as vanilla as he looked.

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

“You look beautiful.” Jimin said casually, pouring me some wine as we sat in an expensive restaurant , overlooking the Seoul skyline.

“Thank you. How was your day?” i said with a smile and he sighed. He had picked me up at eight and for all his heavy, suggestive words about my outfit he hadn’t acted on them. He’d been the perfect gentleman, leading me to the table with minimal physical contact and if it weren’t for the foreign sensation of silky lace against my inner thighs, I’d almost forget that he had bought me something like that. 

“a bit tiring, honestly. there’s a particular dance move that i’m trying to work on and it’s giving me a bit of trouble. it’s for our next tour. What about you... ? How’s college.” 

i told him a bit about my day and then as we ate dinner with playful banter and a lot of laughs, i found myself relaxing and genuinely enjoying myself.

it wasn’t till we started dessert that it started to take a turn.

“So..” Jimin said causally and i looked up curious, expecting another remark about his work or my study, “ Are you wearing it?” 

I fought to keep my expression neutral. 

“Uh...yes.” i said glancing down at my food as a wave of hot blood rushed up into my face. 

“Good girl. Did you like it?” He was smiling now, eyes heavy with fondness and lips quirking a little.

I bit my lips in embarrassment. 

“Yes. i mean... yeah. they’re nice. Thank you.” 

Jimin hummed. 

“Bet the lace feels real good against you, right?”

I couldn’t bring myself to respond. 

“Won’t beat the feel of my tongue but... guess you’ll have to make do. at least till we get back home.” 

i choked on nothing, coughing. 

“Cute. “ He laughed and then he reached out and stroked my cheek with the back of his palm. “ Will you do something for me?”

I leaned helplessly into his touch.

“uh huh...”

“Take your panties off.”

i lurched in shock, nearly knocking over the glass of wine.

“I...what.” 

He was still smiling, looking like a perfect angel, hair ruffled , gaze warm and bright. 

“You heard me baby. Come on... “ He smiled.

i shook my head instinctively.

“Jimin...please... “

“No one’s going to know baby.... i promise. it’s why i bought you that tiny dress. it’s easy. just slip your hand up your skirt, hook your finger on the string and yank your panties down.... it’s not hard.... come on.... do it...”

I shut my eyes tightly, making a mental note to spend a shit-ton of money tomorrow with his credit card. 

I bent a little, hunching over the table as I slipped my fingers underneath following his instructions and nearly having a heart attack by the time I crumpled the tiny fabric and shoved it into my purse. 

“I’m done.” i whispered.

“You’re amazing. Let’s go home then. ” He smiled. “ Waiter, check please.” 

[fixxofvixx]

Stay With Me -Demon Leo AU- Chapter 5

Hello! I have another update for you! Like I said in the previous post, its lengthy because i couldn’t stop writing..lol.  But, apparently, thats ok with a few of you~~

Anyway, I hope you enjoy!  Ravi’s chapter will most likely be up next~

Please, please let me know what you think! I love hearing from you guys!! <3

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

Leo’s arms tightened around you as you felt the all too familiar feeling of your feet leaving the ground. You squeezed your eyes shut, not knowing where he was taking you this time. You refused to open them again. Partly from embarrassment and partly for fear of what you’d see if you did.

“I’m going to let go if you don’t open your eyes.” His lips touched your ear and you shuddered.

Knowing he would definitely follow through on his threat, you cracked one eye open. Sure enough, you were no longer in the room he had gifted you. Curiousity getting the better of you, you opened both eyes fully. You instantly wished you hadn’t.

Apparently, he thought you’d like the view from the roof. Your heart sputtered from being up so high. It wasn’t as high as the tree he’d put you in yesterday but it was still at least 3 or 4 stories high.

“Why did you bring me up here? You know I hate heights.” Your voice was muffled since your face was buried in his chest.

“I wanted you to see something. I come up here a lot and wanted to show you. Come on, turn around. You wont fall.” He placed his hands on your shoulders and gently turned you away from the safety of his chest. You were watching your feet so you wouldn’t slip. The roof had just a slight angle but flattened out towards the edges.

You decided it was at least safer than a tree branch and relaxed slightly. A glow began to take over the forest and you looked up. You inhaled sharply at the beautiful sight before you. Right outside the house was a lovely meadow with a sparkling pond. Reflected in the water was a beautiful sunrise. The reds, oranges, and yellows took over the trees. Everything glowed.

“What do you think? Maybe heights aren’t so bad sometimes?”

“No, heights still suck but I will admit, its so beautiful. I don’t usually get to see the sunrise.” You were saddened a bit by what you’d missed all these years. Mornings spent cleaning and cooking followed by more chores and then trips into town for supplies. You never had time for things like this.

“I can bring you up here every morning if you want. Well, maybe not during the winter. I don’t feel the cold but I assume you would freeze.”

You still couldn’t understand fully why he was so accepting of your company. But the feeling of someone wanting you around was making your heart cave in. He had put so much thought into making you comfortable here.

“Can I really stay here?”

“Of course you can. Who else is going to use that room down there?” He chuckled and you smiled.

“There’s no statues in my room that move, right?”

“No, there isn’t. And those three had it coming.” He whispered behind you.

You turned your head to look at him. He shrugged his shoulders and winked. The smirk on his face told you that he didn’t regret his actions. Perhaps one day you would gather enough courage to want to hear the story.

“So you’ll stay?”

You nodded and turned back towards the sunrise. The glow had dimmed and the magic was gone. Once again, you were faced with the fact that you were on the roof.

“Can I get off the roof now?”

“Yeah, sure.” He chuckled.

You waited for him to blink you back to your new room but nothing happened. Whipping around, you found that he was no longer there. He had completely deserted you. Your legs gave way and you landed, hard, on the roof.

“Leo?” Your voice was shaking and you searched desperately for the demon. “Come on, this isn’t funny.”

You scooted back until you were flush againt the large stone chimney that stood high towards the edge of the roof. It served its purpose in blocking your view of the ground. You brought your knees up to your chest and waited.

“You know,” You jumped at the sound of his voice. “We need to work on some things. You are far too accepting of people being mean to you.”

“Is that why you left me on the roof?”

“It was an experiment. I just wanted to see what you would do. You are fearless when it comes to saving foxes in traps but you curl into yourself and take it when you are picked on.”

“I…” You honestly had no idea what to say. You had never thought about it in that way before. You supposed he was right. Unless you were really backed into a corner, you just let things be.

“Come on, let’s get you back on the ground, yeah?” He stuck his hand out and you instantly took it, desperately wanting off the roof. He pulled you up beside him and wrapped an arm around your waist. He leaned down a bit and put his other arm under your knees, securing you against his chest.

You screamed loudly when he leapt off the roof. You threw your arms around his neck and squeezed. He landed on the ground after what seemed like forever but you made no effort to move. He lowered your feet to the ground but kept his arm around your waist.

“You’re back on the ground now.”

“Did you have to JUMP off the roof?!” You looked up at him and immediately moved back. His face being a bit too close to yours, causing you to blush slightly.

“You said you wanted down. You just didn’t specify the method.” He shrugged and smiled. A genuine smile that made your heart flutter. Startled by the sudden rush of emotion you stepped back a bit further. Oh, he was dangerous. That you knew for a fact.

“Um, anyway. If I’m going to be staying here, I’d like to take one more trip back to my old room and get a few things?”

“You can go where you please, Y/N. The entire forest is yours to explore. You needn’t my permission to venture out from it. I can escort you, if you’d like.” He took a step in your direction and you locked your knees to keep from backing away.

“No! I mean, thats ok. I don’t want you to have to take the risk of beeing seen. And I’m sure you have things to attend to here. It shouldn’t take long. Maybe Serix or Kona can show me the way?”

“They could. But I could just as easily take you to your room instantly.”

But then you would have to be in his arms again. And you were not exactly sure that your heart could take it right now. You needed time to think about what was going on in your brain…..and heart.

“Um, maybe we shouldn’t risk over-exposure again. I…don’t really fancy passing out again.” You laughed nervously, hoping to end the conversation.

“Ah, yes, well, I suppose you are correct. I can get Serix to go with you. Kona doesn’t like to come out during the day if he can help it.” As if on cue, Serix popped out from behind the trees and bounded over, coming to a stop at your feet.

You knelt down to scratch his ear and pat his head.

“I won’t be gone long. Perhaps when I get back, I can get a better tour?” Leo nodded in agreement and began to follow Serix away from the house. You dreaded going back to the old house but there were things there of sentimental value and feared they would be lost forever.

It took longer than you had anticipated getting to the edge of the trees that lay behind your house. The forest was bigger than you had originally thought but that excited you more than anything else. A whole new world for you to explore away from the madness of your parents suited you just fine.

You left Serix at the tree line, wanting to keep him out of harm’s way. Racing across the back yard, you prayed that your parents were in town. You climbed up to the balcony just as you had done countless times to sneak away from home. As you entered your bedroom, your heart sank. Everything had been destroyed. Your bed lay in pieces. Your closet was devoid of clothes. What was once in that closet lay strewn in shreds on the floor. You had sewn the clothes personally, proud of your work. Now, it was all useless. Panicked, you rushed to the closet to search for the things you had hidden. There was a loosened floorboard in the left side of the closet that held the things that really mattered. They were mostly heirlooms from your grandparents, given to you in secret before they died mysteriously in a fire.

Before you could lift the board, you heard the floor creak outside your bedroom. You froze, listening. You scrambled to a standing position when you saw the doorknob turn. As quietly as you could manage, you hid in the corner of the closet, pulling the door to close as best you could. Footsteps sounded in your room and you prayed that they wouldn’t venture to the closet.

“Are you sure you heard something? Everything still looks the same.” Your mother’s voice.

“I know what I heard. I guarantee that little bitch will come back. She can’t stay in those woods forever. I made a deal. We get nothing if we can’t find her.” Your ‘loving’ father sounded frustrated. Little did he know, you planned to stay in that forest for as long as you could.

“She’s probably dead by now anyway. Gus said he saw that demon run after her as soon as he’d killed his brother.”

Your heart slammed in your chest. Someone had seen you with Leo. A new fear gripped your heart now.

“You better hope not. If she’s dead, we don’t get any money. I had just sealed the deal to sell her off to Norman right before Gus came into town spouting his nonsense.”

Norman?! Your jaw went slack as you tried to make sense of what your father was saying. Norman was the town’s only lawyer and had just been accused of beating his wife to death a month ago. He had gotten cleared of all charges, of course, considering that no one would speak against him. You had always made sure to steer clear of him and the way his eyes would leer at you.

You heard the door shut again and you were once again enveloped in silence. Tears were streaming down your face as you mourned the thought of having caring parents.

Shaking your head to clear it, you knelt down, picked up the loose board and grabbed the bag that lay underneath. Carefully, you slipped out of the closet and across the floor to the balcony. You looked around to see if your parents were outside but the coast seemed clear. You swung yourself over the banister and dropped down to the ground beneath you. You looked out at the backyard and noticed Serix running at you, full speed. Not wanting him to be seen, you tried to wave him away. He was almost to you went you felt something hard hit the back of your head. The bag you had been holding flew out of your hands and landed in front of Serix.

Everything seemed to happen in slow motion as you could feel yourself falling to the ground. Before everything went black, you looked up to see your father holding a shovel in his hands.

————–

When you came to, you felt paralyzed. You tried to shake your head but that caused pain to radiate throughout your body. You wanted to hold onto your head but soon realized that your hands had been bound. You tugged on them uselessly. A foul-smelling cloth was tied over your mouth, effectively gagging you. When the fog had cleared out of your head a bit, voices filled the air. Looking around, you noticed that you were in the middle of the town square. Your hands were tied to the steel post of the announcement board in the center of town. In every direction around you stood the townspeople, shouting various profanities at you.

“Ah, nice to see that you’ve finally joined us.” You looked up to find the pock-marked face of Norman. “Imagine my surprise when I was told that you had perished in the woods at the hands of a demon, just like Gus’ poor brother. Then I find out that you had apparently become the demon’s whore, considering you are still alive.” He grabbed a handful of your hair and yanked your head back painfully, whispering into your ear. “And I paid good money for a virgin.”

Norman turned to the townspeople and spoke.

“This wretch has made deadly deals with the demon of the forest! Surely, the demon has been plotting against us. You know he has bewitched her! We have to cast out the spell! We must act now or she will be lost to us forever! Bring forth the iron!”

His last words had you pulling against your bonds. You knew exactly what he was talking about. Fire brands. Irons specially made by the blacksmith to 'burn the devil’ out of people. They had been used for many occasions. A thief had to be punished for their wrongdoings. Adultery was stamped out this way as well. They were especially handy for coaxing information from those who had a secret.

Out of the corner of your eye, you noticed the fire red tip of the iron. The blacksmith had been nice enough to place a design on the tip; a simple 'x’. This was so whoever sported the burned flesh of an 'x’ on their skin would be avoided and shunned.

The blacksmith handed the iron to Norman and then walked over to stand behind you. You pulled desperately on the ropes cutting into your wrists but they were too strong. The blacksmith placed a large, callused hand in the center of your shoulder blades and ripped the whole back part of your blouse off. You squeezed your arms together as best you could over your chest in an attempt to save your dignity. You wanted to scream at them in protest but the cloth was too tight around your mouth.

“Will you admit your wrongs? Tell us where the demon is.” Norman asked, but you didn’t respond. He must have taken that as a no as he drove the iron into the center of your back. White hot pain seared your skin. You screamed in agony but you knew no one would help you. You nearly passed out from the pain before he removed the iron and stepped back. You pulled in deep breaths through your nose but you felt as if you were slowly suffocating.

“Stand her up.” Norman commanded and the blacksmith pulled you up to stand in front of the lawyer. The ropes slid up the pole, causing them to tighten even more on your wrists. “The demon must have done a number on you if you faithfully keep his secret. I must admire your tenacity, however. Usually even the strongest men will break after one touch of the iron. Perhaps we need something a bit stronger, hmm? I wonder how many x’s we can fit on your body. Strip her.”

At his command, you flailed desperately. You tried to keep your body close to the pole but the blacksmith was pulling on your clothes relentlessly. The look on Norman’s face was disgusting as you kicked out with your legs, aimlessly trying to hit something.

Suddenly, gasps filled the crowd but Norman didn’t notice. He was still smiling and twirling the iron in his hands. You were sure you were starting to see things when tendrils of black smoke curled around Norman’s neck. Before he could react, he was plucked into the air and slammed mercilessly into a brick wall.

The black smoke grew until it parted the people in the square, forcing them to form a path. Your eyes followed the smoke until it reached the narrow entrance to the town square. Finally, a wolf emerged from the smoke, then another, and another until six black and grey beasts stood at the entrance. They continued forward, snapping and snarling at the townspeople, who were all frozen in fear. The wolves started forward and a new creature appeared from the smoke. Your heart jumped as you saw wild red hair, electric blue eyes, sharp fangs, and…..wings? You stared in awe at the demon moving towards you. Magnificent wings encased his being. Pitch black feathers that looked like the tip of each one had been dipped in bright red blood.

Tears of relief streamed down your cheeks as he finally stood in front of the platform you were on. He broke eye contact with you and turned to the blacksmith. The brute who just a moment ago was eager to hold you down, now backed away in fear. Leo’s short whistle prompted the wolves to advance on the blacksmith. They lowered their bodies down, preparing to attack. The blacksmith backed up and turned quickly, wrapping his arm around your throat. He squeezed tightly, bringing even more tears to your eyes.

“Just a minute! What the hell is going on here?!” Your father’s voice rang over the crowd as he stepped around the people. Judging by his tone, he was drunk….again. “You have no right to be here demon! Leave us to our business!”

Leo stilled. His head turned slowly to your father. By this time, Norman had regained consciousness and stood behind your father. When Leo’s gaze met theirs they shrunk slightly. His eyes were completely black again.

“Your business?” Leo’s voice was raspy with anger and his fists clenched. “You have no business with her. She’s MY business. She wandered into MY forest. She IS mine.”

“Well….if you want her, you’ll have to compensate me!! I paid a good penny for that girl!” Norman spoke up from behind your father, clearly out of his mind.

“Fine. I won’t kill you. That will be your compensation. Now,” Leo turned back to you and the blacksmith. “release her before I burn this pitiful village to the ground, starting with you.”

The blacksmith squeezed his arm around your neck even tighter and your vision darkened. You heard a growl before the blacksmith screamed, resulting in him releasing you. You felt yourself falling but didn’t quite make it to the floor. Two arms wrapped around you and pulled you upright again. You looked up to see Leo’s face next to yours. He held you with one arm as he untied your hands with his free hand. Once they were free, you immediately clutched your shirt which was threatening to fall off completely. He removed the cloth from around your mouth and you pulled fresh air into your lungs.

A large coat seemingly appeared out of nowhere and Leo wrapped it around your shoulders before hauling you into his arms, careful not to touch the burn on your back. You placed your head on his shoulder, exhausted and relieved. You hadn’t expected him to come for you.

Suddenly, a shot rang out and Leo twitched. His arms tightened around you as he grunted. It took you a moment to realize that he’d been shot. You looked around his shoulder to see your father holding a rifle.

“Leo?”

“I’m fine. Are you okay?” You nodded and he turned, walking back towards the entrance of the town square.

Once he reached the village gate the world blurred. In an instant, you were on the plush couch in Leo’s living room. His wings were gone and his eyes were back to normal. He pulled the coat off your shoulders and turned you so he could see the burn from the iron brand. You flinched when you felt his fingers touch your skin. His fingers were cool against the damaged heat of your skin. You needed a distraction.

“I….I didn’t know you had wings.”

“I don’t really use them since I can teleport. I mostly use them to scare people out of the forest.”

“I don’t think they’re scary. I-I thought they were beautiful.” Your voice was low but you knew he’d heard you.

“Yes, well, you’re a bit different, aren’t you?” The pain in your back was subsiding and you almost fell over on the couch in relief. He turned you again and placed his hands around your wrists, taking a few moments to heal them.

“I’m sorry you had to expose yourself to the town. I know you like to stay hidden.”

“Well…I couldn’t just stand around while they tortured you. Besides, I don’t feel threatened by them. I doubt they’ll follow me into the forest anyway.” He stood up for a moment and went to the front door. He bent down and picked up something but you couldn’t see what it was.

A moment later, he stood in front of you again and extended his arm. In his hand was the bag you had taken from your house. You looked up at him in surprise.

“Serix brought it back. I am sorry that it took me so long to get to you. When you were attacked, Serix went after your parents but they got him pretty good. He managed to grab the bag but it took him a while to get back here.”

“Is he okay?!” You tried to get up, but the world started to tilt and forced you to sit back down.

“Be still. He’s okay. He’s resting. You should be doing the same.” He reached for you and, this time, didn’t teleport. Instead, he turned and carried you up the steps. He came to a stop when he reached your bed and placed you on the edge of it.

“Go ahead and wash up. You should have everything you need in there. I’ll put some food in the fridge in case you feel like eating later. But get some rest first, okay?” You nodded and he disappeared. You took a shower in record time and found that Leo had decent taste in clothing. Deciding that food was more important, you slowly made your way down the stairs. The light in the kitchen was still on and you hoped Leo wouldn’t scold you for choosing food over rest.

However, all thoughts of eating vanished when you stepped into the kitchen and saw Leo lying on the floor, deathly still.

[wanderingthroughwickford]

7, 12, 45, 78, 111, for the numbers ask!

Thanks, anon! :D

120 Nancy Drew Questions Ask

7. Do you read Nancy Drew FanFiction?

Not all that often. I’ve written a little bit myself, I had this whole Hunger Games AU fic planned out at one point, but I don’t really read much beyond short drabbles. I remember going through the FanFiction.net archive as far back as, say, 2007/8ish, but all they really had were AEs that I wasn’t really interested in. Since I joined the Clue Crew fandom here, I’ve read a bit more, but most of the fics focus on romance, which, again, isn’t all that big a draw for me, especially in ND where I don’t have many ships I’m passionate about.

Though I have read some good things. now that I think about it. One of my close online friends who unfortunately deactivated here (erroneous-luka) had some great oneshots, and just last summer I read and faved a really good Katie/Jenna fic on A03. I tend to prefer fics about side characters (those who only appear in one game) than those about the main gang. 

12. What’s your favorite Nancy Drew book series? Why?

I mean … I guess the originals? Like the yellow-back ones from the 50s (which I’m aware aren’t the *originals* but I’ve never actually read those). I admit, they’re not really that well-written, and the stereotypes found in them can be really off-putting. I’m more attached to them for the nostalgia value than anything else, to be honest. But on the other hand, I haven’t read that many of the newer books, just a couple here and there that the games are based off of, like Message in a Haunted Mansion, Secret of the Scarlet Hand, and Treasure in the Royal Tower. 

45. Who’s your least favorite character in Danger on Deception Island?

Lol for some reason I just … felt like I was going to get this question? I remember scrolling through the list and thinking “I bet I’m going to get least favorite DDI character, for some reason.” Maybe it’s because I reblog a lot of DDI stuff, idk. (To be fair it’s one of my favorite games.)

Mmmm well I guess I should say Andy since he’s the villain, but you know what? I find him kind of entertaining. “Whales rule” and all that. So I’m going to go with Holt. I saw a post a little while ago like “he probably voted for Trump” and you know what? I can’t argue with that. He just seems like the kind of person who’d sit around and grumble about millennials and how much better things were in “the good old days” and how smartphones and selfies are ruining society. Plus, having Nancy arrested for bringing him the wrong gender of crab, when he specifically made her go get one? Seriously? 

78. Who’s your favorite character in Tomb of the Lost Queen? Why?

Hmm well I haven’t actually played it, per se, just watched my mom play it here and there. But I guess Jamilia seems pretty cool. It’s great that HER put in a Muslim woman who wears a hijab (at least I think that’s what it is, correct me if it’s the wrong term) and not only isn’t the villain, but is smart, educated, and independent. I only know vaguely about her backstory with this … secret order of women protecting the tomb, or something? but that seems cool. Plus, I really like the name Jamilia. So I’m going with her. 

111. Are you upset with Her Interactive for taking longer on this game than the other ones?

Ohhh boy, the inevitable MID question. I mean, like … I’ve largely tried to stay out of it but at this point I don’t even know what to feel anymore. But I’ll try to sum it up (without stepping on too many toes). And this is reaally reaallly long so feel free to skip it lol.

I’m not really all that displeased on a personal level because I still have so many games to catch up on (TMB, SPY, MED, LIE, SEA) and I get pretty much endless fun out of replaying the previous games, so if MID was potentially to never come out and we were never to get any more Nancy Drew games…? It would suck, yes. It’d be sad, in an ‘end of an era’ sort of way. But I’d be all right. Everything has to come to an end, and we’ve had a really good run. 1998-2015, for a female-led point-and-click PC game series? That’s pretty impressive. 

And, to be honest, I went through a low period back in the early 2010s when I thought I was never going to be able to play a lot of my Nancy Drews again because they wouldn’t work on more modern computers - but now that I know you can buy them on Steam and that there are ways of making older games work on modern computers and such, I know that I don’t have to worry about losing them anymore. As long as I can hold on to the ones I already have, I’ll be fine. There’s a question I’ve heard posed that’s like “If you had to choose between losing all your old memories and never being able to make new ones, what would you do?” and personally I’d definitely go with keeping all my old memories. That’s just who I am.

BUT - this is a big but - that’s all 100% personal. As in, if I was the only person in the Clue Crew, that’s how I’d look at the situation. But I know it’s not all just about me - I know there are lots of fans out there, be they young kids just getting into the series or veteran fans longing for more, who will be massively disappointed, even heartbroken, if MID does not come out. So that’s where my feelings of discontentment come into play, not necessarily for myself, but for the fandom in general. When I entered the Clue Crew in 2014, it was vibrant and thriving and I was amazed to find so many like-minded people who weren’t homeschooled 13-year-olds on the HER Boards. Now … the fandom’s really suffering, and we all know that. A lot of really popular blogs have shut down or just aren’t posting anymore. There’s been a lull in content because, really, how many new jokes or insightful posts can be made when there hasn’t been new content in 2 years? It’s saddening to see that happen, because even with the drama that has sometimes occurred, I really do love the Clue Crew. 

But here’s the thing - I don’t really want to lay the blame at anyone’s feet. I just don’t feel I’m educated enough on the situation to start pointing fingers. I know HER putting all their money/advertising towards new projects and constantly brushing off any questions about MID is annoying, but I don’t feel  can criticize them, because I don’t know the first thing about making video games or running a company. I’m embarrassed by their painful attempts to capture an older demographic by posting forced unfunny memes on their Facebook page, but at the same time … isn’t that sort of inevitable when a company run by adults attempts to appeal to teenagers? I mean, just look at the Denny’s Tumblr. And haven’t Clue Crew members been wanting HER Interactive to reach out to the young adult internet fandom and its style of humor forever? I know that the result has been underwhelming, to say the least, but, I don’t know … I’m having a hard time being mad.

And the same goes for the fandom. I’ve gotten kind of tired of the constant bitterness and negativity towards HER; I hate seeing people harass and annoy HER employees on Facebook or whatever; and even trolling the HER forums with jokes about Big Island Mike, Communism, Satanic subliminal messages, etc. was never really that funny to me in the first place (esp. because, like … the kids on these forums are super sheltered people who probably have super overprotective parents and I honestly wouldn’t have a hard time believing that if their parents see this kind of shit going down and misunderstand the context [as parents are wont to do] they might not let the kids go on the HER boards anymore.) BUT, I can see where all this stuff is coming from - a feeling of boredom, frustration, and betrayal. And I get that. So I can’t really judge any of that too harshly, either. 

I guess I’d say that in general, I’m not bothered about MID on a daily level, though when the time eventually comes that I finish all the Nancy Drews, that might very well change. But it’s when I interact with the fandom, see how stagnant it’s become, and see how hurt the longtime fans of this company are, then it starts to work me up a little more. Still, I can’t really manage anger … only disappointment. 

[mrsbenedictbridgerton]

This Unspoken Thing (2/3)

A baby mini fic.

Emma and Killian were kinda enemies. Now they are kinda friends, but there is this unspoken thing between them. A pull and a want that they haven’t yet given a name to. And stubborn Emma Swan just wont admit it…

(Inspired by GoTG 2!)

Part One

Also on AO3/FF.NET

Killian had thankfully given her a wide berth the rest of that evening.

The whole party was actually quite sedate. While they had been celebrating her brother David’s birthday, the real partying had happened the night before at their local bar, The Rabbit Hole. Everyone was, of course, feeling a little delicate. And no one questioned Emma’s quietness or how she slipped away to bed before any of the guests had left.

All of which she was thankful for, because she really she could not cope with Killian right now. She needed to wait for this whatever it was to blow over so they could go back to their usual antagonistic friendship.

Yet despite her efforts not to, she thought of him as she lay in bed that night and listened to the sounds of the ongoing celebration. His deep and distinctive voice was easy to pick out. He was always thick in the conversation with a tale or a joke. Always the life of the party. Convivial. Charming. Popular with just about everyone he met. Knowing he was there, just a wall or two away tormented her in a way she could not have anticipated.

Not that anything about her relationship with Killian Jones was predictable. Originally, they had worked for rival companies. Competing for the same jobs, they had had the occasional heated confrontation that never failed to leave her blood boiling. But then Jolly Roger Bail Bonds had been taken over by Emma’s employer and they had became co workers. It was at first hard to overcome the ingrained rivalry and on the few occasions they had been forced to work together things had been prickly, to say the least.

But slowly his dry sense of humor had grown on her as the months ticked by. And he always brought her coffee when he went to get his own. The times when they were stuck together staking out some asshat or other, he found this way to engage her in conversation that made the hours tick easily by. It ended up that if they were both in the office, they would more often than not eat lunch together. Until, after six months of being co-workers, they were something resembling friends. Which would have been just about acceptable, she supposed.

Fate had other plans. It hadn’t taken too long after that for him to figure out that her brother was a cop and then for him to wriggle himself into a friendship with David fuelled by a shared love of British soccer. The she definitely couldn’t get away from him. He melted into her friendship group as if he had always been there. Still, he was, overall, a positive presence. One she was not averse to, yet always kept at arm’s length. Never letting him peek beneath her infamous emotional walls.

(Not that she ever let anyone past those-)

But last night-

Yes, Graham had been on her mind as she had approached Killian. The handsome Irishman, with his pretty eyes and broad shoulders was certainly a joy to look at. And he was kind and polite and courteous. And boy had her brother pushed them together. “It’s my birthday, Ems, just have a drink with him.”

Already pretty drunk from multiple shots of rum, she’d tried to work up the urge to approach him. He was perfect. On paper. And she was single. Yet, instead of sidling up to the blonde where he stood at the bar, she found herself walking in the opposite direction to the table where she had earlier left Killian deep into a bottle of liquor.

She’d given him a cryptic smile as she approached the table. He’d cocked his head to the side, his lazy blue gaze penetrating even in the dark bar. Then she’d taken his hand and tugged him in the direction of the dancefloor.

There was one important fact in this moment.

Emma didn’t dance. Not in the ‘just to have fun’ kinda way.

She drunk danced, when the drinks told her that this song was, like, the best one ever and her friends tugged her into the throng in front of the band of DJ booth. She also danced when trying to catch a guy’s eye. She knew a few sexy snakes of her hip and suggestive glances could get most men hot under the collar. Not that she’d done that for a while.

Yet dancing with Killian was none of those things, she’d told herself. He was her friend. Wasn’t he?

“Emma…” he’d complained as the threaded between the dancing bodies, only becoming quiet when she had placed her palms on his shoulders and smiled.

“Just a dance, Jones,” she’d shrugged, before beginning to snake her hips to the music.

“You don’t dance.”

Emma’s fingers slipped around to the open neck of his shirt, grasping the material. “I need to let off some steam,” she sighed.

Whatever he was going to say, died upon his lips and the two began a rum fueled dance. His hands at her waist hers wrapped around his neck. It was surprisingly fun, thoughts of Graham easily slipping from her mind as she let herself enjoy the moment.

But then the poppy beats of an early Rihanna number had been replaced by the sexy chords of Santana’s ‘Smooth’ and what had started as a light hearted frolic, became a slow and teasing mixture of tangled limbs and grinding hips. He’d sang the lyrics as his arms tightened around her waist and mouth had danced about her ear, his breath warm on her neck.

‘Give me your heart, make it real or just forget about it’.

She spun around, laying back, she’d pressed herself closer to him, enjoying the firmness of his chest and swaying with abandon.

It felt good to be held by him. Even through the drunken haze she knew it.

He held her like he cared, like he wanted.

And as the final beats of the song played, she allowed herself to see something she’d been hiding from for months now.

Killian wanted her.

And more worryingly, she wanted him.

This revelation seriously complicated matters in a way she was fully unprepared for. As she stumbled away from him as the song died away, her hand slowly slipped from his as their eyes lingered upon each other’s form.

Surely, if she didn’t think about it, it was nothing.

She wouldn’t think about it. She would not think about him. Or the way their bodies felt pushed together. Or all those repressed feelings trying to bubble to the surface.

If she went on as she did always, it would be fine.

There was not a thing between them.

She was sure of that.

She repeated those words as a mantra as she walked away and headed towards Graham at the bar.

/

He didn’t mention their discussion in the kitchen again.

She was silently thankful.

He understood.

It was just a dance.

(If she told herself enough times it would be true.)

And it was, until things started to happen.

/

Many times, she had been told to ditch her car. The cheerful yellow paint job of the VW Bug was the most conspicuous color possible, she would admit that much. But she had a strange sense of sentimentality for the car that was the sole reminder of her first serious relationship (or perhaps a cautionary reminder would be a more apt description). It was also great for eating, napping and generally living in when the time called for it. As it often did when faced with a long stakeout.

Two weeks had passed since the party. Killian Jones was the farthest thing from her mind. She was patently not thinking about him as she read the latest trashy novel that Ruby had handed down to her. She was not imagining herself as the naive country girl and Killian as the dashing sailor who promised to take her away from the drudgery of farm life as he ravished her upon a haystack-

Until he was there, tapping on the driver’s side window, a bag of takeout from Granny’s diner clutched in his other hand.

After almost jumping out of her skin, she rolled down the window and gave him a confused look.

“Lunch?” he said, his grin almost contagious.

She schooled her expression into one of neutral indifference. “I have Cheetos,” she replied, pretty sure there was a half empty bag in her glove box.

He rolled his eyes. “Leroy said you’ve been out here since last night. I brought you a grilled cheese. And some cocoa.” He leant down and picked up one of the familiar styrofoam cups and her stomach gurgled traitorously.

“Fine,” she sighed, “give it here.”

She gestured to him to hand the food through the open window, but he had other ideas. Instead, moving around to the passenger door and after a bit of maneuvering with the items in his hand, yanking it open and sliding into the seat beside her.

“That wasn’t an invitation, Jones.”

He gave her a pointed look. “It’s bloody freezing - and I’m doing you a good deed. At least let me warm up before you send me back out onto the barren streets of Boston.”

“I can see your car parked two spaces down,” she replied in a droll tone.

He simply smiled expectantly, the delicious goodies in the paper bag making their presence known to her nostrils. Her hunger outruled her head. “Okay, you can keep me company while I eat. In case this asshole I’m tailing finally gets out of bed.”

Killian handed her the paper bag and she began to remove the contents, taking deep breaths of the familiar food smells.

“Is this another alimony case? Or is this a real criminal?”

So it seemed they were returning to their old sparring ways.

This was good.

“Hey, I can’t help it if they need to send a woman to catch a man,” she replied, shoving a hunk of cheesy bread into her mouth, quickly chewing. “But since you asked, he’s an embezzler. Skipped bail, living here with an ex. So predictable.”

“Aren’t they all?”

“Men?” she shrugged. “Yeah.”

“Ouch,” he hissed. “That smacks of bitterness. Things not going well with your boyfriend?”

“What?” she asked, giving him a confused look in the rear-view mirror.

“Graham. Since you, you know, fancy him and all that, I’d assumed you’d made it official.”

Emma licked her lips. “Please, what I do - or do not do - with my personal life is none of your business.” She rolled her eyes and took another large bite of the sandwich, not letting herself dwell on his digging into her love life.

There was a second of silence as Killian straightened himself up in the passenger seat. “Ah yes, because there is no ‘thing’ between us.”

Emma paused mid chew and then swallowed heavily. So he wasn’t letting this go.

“Exactly.”

This time their eyes met in the mirror. He stared her out for a few seconds until she felt her cheeks start to burn and she averted her gaze, focusing on the crumpled paper bag in her lap.

“So, what if I told you I had a date this weekend?”

Her heart beat seemed to slow, turning into a dull rolling thud. The sandwich sat heavily in her stomach. She knew he dated - he was a very handsome guy. This was nothing new.

She didn’t care.

“I’d be thrilled for you,” she insisted, before adding, “And feeling a little sorry for the girl.”

“Hmmm,” he purred, annoyingly ignoring her quip. “She’s quite the catch. Blonde. Blue eyes, fantastic legs-”

Emma felt her irritation rise. She tossed the rest of the sandwich back into the container.

“I really don’t care, Jones,” she seethed.

“Is that so? Even if she has a masters in business and two bachelor’s degrees-”

That was it. She spun in her seat until they were eye to eye. “I’m confused, why are you telling me this?”

He shrugged. “Why Swan, because we’re friends.”

“Friends don’t need to share everything,” she replied, narrowing her eyes and wishing he would just go away.

“So you admit it, we are friends?”

Wordlessly, Emma raised her hands. If she were honest, right now she didn’t know what they were. “Of a type?”

And then the teasing facade slipped a little, the hesitancy crept into his voice. “Not the romantic type?”

“Killian-” she whined, scrunching her eyes shut. Free lunches from Granny’s for a year wouldn’t be worth this torment.

Then she felt his hand on her shoulder. “Just kidding, love,” he said in a soft tone. He ran his thumb over her collarbone. She felt the motion keenly, even through her thick leather jacket.

Pulling away, he smiled briefly. “Better be off, a date to plan and all.”

“Good luck with that,” she snipped as he reached for the door handle.

He simply nodded and left.

/

She spent the best part of the next six hours staring blindly at the dumb romance novel as she re-ran the conversation over and over in her head. She imagined this mysterious, sexy, intelligent date of his. She pictured him dancing with this faceless woman and kissing her and-

God, so much more.

She was almost thankful when Leroy called and said her skip had been caught during a road traffic stop. She had no idea how he had gotten out of the apartment without her seeing, but it gave her an excuse to drive home and work on that bottle of rum in the kitchen.

It was a pity the damn stuff just reminded her of him.