#wouldn't be surprised if it changes to monday at some point

[tartrat]

September Just Dance plus batch review:

I thought that these would be uploaded around half ten gmt yesterday (when songs normally appear to be released) so even though i was sick yesterday morning so i was refreshing the wiki to see if they were uploaded and then they were sometime yesterday afternoon. I haven't done I'm an Albatraoz and Narco in forever (Like sometime in 2020).

I'm an Albatraoz: I can tell that the scoring has been improved from unlimited, i remember the two gold moves at the middle being awkward to score maybe it was just me. I also remember really liking this back on JD2016 but i don't really think about it much anymore. Like its still a really good map. Also apparently AronChupa released a sequel to this song this year. I haven't heard it but if anyone has, is it good?

Narco: What i noticed is that they removed the gold move where you get down and stretch your arm back (Maybe it'll be changed maybe not). This was really fun, i'd say its my favourite from this batch. Its really funny how Mad love has been stuck in JD2019 whilst Narco, who's coach is a member of the Mad love coaches' guards, was in unlimited when 2020 came out. That's what mad love gets for the extreme's tracking being weird on kinect (or maybe that was a me problem)

Radical: I never did this one when it was on unlimited as i never really cared for it. So after my first time doing it, meh. Like it just looks weird to me and i know that quite a few like this one. Its probably because they add some sort of brightening effect to the coaches that gives them a subtle glow that looks nice where as this one looks like they just filmed in a dark room and didn't add anything to the coach in editing because they wanted it to just look neon. Like the Dark room is noticeable here and this is the only map that i think you can tell it was shot in an empty room. Like other maps take place on empty plains that mainly have background effects (Like lush life) but the coach actually looks like they're in the game. Radical just looks awkward.

Safe and Sound: You can very much tell that this one was a collaboration with a hair care product lol. Thats all i could think about whilst playing it. I hate the word mid because i feel most people use it to say they hate something but this one is mid, like middle of the road. I'd probably do it from time to time but thats only if i remember it.

My ranking for this batch is:

1 Narco

2 I'm An Albatraoz

3 Safe and sound

4 Radical

I was kinda hoping for Love Story and both versions of Scream and Shout and Levitating in this batch. I miss Love Story even though i whacked my hand off of my wardrobe doing the spin at the end in January 2022, then i didn't do it for a few weeks because i didn't want that to happen again lol.

Also my Ubisoft username is Tartrat155 if you want to add me. Idk maybe we can compare scores. Here are mine for this batch

[miabebe]

Accidentally Kidnapping A Mafia Boss (Yoon Jeonghan)

Reverse Trope Series Installment 2

The cost of one harmless prank? The city's biggest mafia leader taking refuge in your house. And maybe that wouldn't have been such a problem if he wasn't so hot and you weren't such a coward, but apparently, fate just does things for the ✨plot ✨ sometimes...

Pairing - Yoon Jeonghan x afab!reader

Word Count - 70K 29K (please congratulate me, cutting down was the hardest thing I've ever done)

Genre - Strangers to something more I guess? Minimal crack (I had to choose between humour and sexual tension - it was painful, like choosing a favourite child), angst (just a small splash) and smut (loads of it, warnings under the cut)

Warnings - mentions of kidnapping and mafia, one scene where hands are thrown (But just to be clear, this is not like your usual mafia fics - it’s not dark or violent), mention of dub-con in OC's past

Smut warnings - there's a bunch of call girls, masturbation-almost?, voyeurism, multiple smut scenes (3 or 4 idk), exhibitionism (nobody saw them though), fingering, oral (f receiving), protected sex, unprotected sex (please don't be stupid like them), multiple orgasms, oral (male receiving), okay I hope we're done

"You're being a real pain in my ass right now."  "I don't see how it’s an issue since that’s not much of an ass."  Seokmin glared at Seungkwan. "Just because some stupid college club awarded you a silly superlative-" "-best bakery in town is not a ‘silly’ superlative-" "-like once-" "-twice. In a row-"  "-doesn't mean-"  "-absolutely does-"  "Will you two shut up?" You hissed under your breath looking around. "Are you trying to get us all caught?"  Seungkwan clicked his tongue annoyed. "You're acting like we're in the middle of a crime."  Your eyes flickered from Seokmin to Seungkwan before landing on the third guy in between them, the one who was unconscious and being held up with his arms thrown over the shoulders of his friends.  "Last I checked, kidnapping is a crime." You pointed out. Seokmin rolled his eyes. "Prank-ing your friend isn't." "That is if Soonyoung decides he wants to save your sorry ass." "Again, not much of an ass-"  "I swear to god Kwan-"  Groaning you covered your ears to shut out all the bickering.  That night when drunk Soonyoung had pushed your buttons, consequently leading to the events of tonight, you did not think it would be this hard. 

The plan was simple - on Mondays, Soonyoung was in charge of closing the BBQ shop where all 3 of your closest friends worked. His routine was fairly straightforward - first he clears and cleans all the tables, then he closes the kitchen, then changes out of his uniform and finally wraps it up by locking the main door.  That's where you would get him, right as he closed the doors. You were to take him by surprise from the back, cover his face with a black cloth bag, bring him to your apartment and tie him up leaving him immobile, blinded and helpless.  One might wonder why such cruelty when you called him a friend but you would argue that Soonyoung deserved it. After all, last night he hadn't stopped mentioning how boring you were and how your life was so uninteresting and how you didn't have a single exciting adventure while he had a shit ton of them. Well, today you were about to give yourself, and him, a story to tell.

Now things did go according to plan, for the most part. Seokmin and Seungkwan were first reluctant to be a part of this madness but that was until you brought up the prospect of Soonyoung being scared enough to hopefully piss in his pants. Intrigued by the idea, they joined and all three of you waited in the bushes, watching your friend's silhouette moving around the shop, putting things away, cleaning up. Just as he reappeared after changing, hurriedly trying to leave the shop, the three of you got to action, approaching him silently from the back, swiftly holding him by the hands and putting the bag over his face.  What you didn't take into account in this plan was just how much resistance Soonyoung would show, God knows why you didn't consider his adrenaline driven reaction, but man did he put up a fight. It was only natural you retaliate and so instinctively, you landed a smack on his head with the torch in your hand knocking him out, making him buckle into the pavement as the two other boys caught him, looking at you bewildered. That was perhaps just the beginning of your problems because now you had to very un-suspiciously drag a very unconscious man to your apartment in the dead of the night. It would have helped if this neighbourhood was even a little sketchy but being a quiet, painfully uneventful suburb meant even the smallest of things was seen with high scrutiny.  So far, the three of you had somehow managed to make it from the restaurant to your building undetected but it was getting from the first floor to your house that was the real task since the building's resident old woman decided she wanted to feed the stray cats at 2 am. 

"How much longer are we gonna have to do this?" Seungkwan groaned. "He's surprisingly not that heavy but my arm is starting to sleep." "Yeah, this joke isn't as funny anymore-"  "Will you two just keep quiet?" You turned to them annoyed. "She'll be gone in a few minutes and then we can move. Didn't you two say you wanted Soonyoung to shut up for a few days?”  Seokmin mumbled a yes under his breath while Seungkwan nodded hesitating. Hoping for some silence after this, you turned to watch the old woman stroking the cat softly as it slowly nibbled its food. Although your patience was really being tested, something told you if you didn't go through this plan, in another 40 years, you'd be exactly like that old lady - lonely, boring and feeding stray cats. Terrified by that thought, you held it together even though it took a whole 15 minutes for the scene to clear. As the three, no four of you, proceeded towards your apartment, the stray cat watched, licking its paw. 

Seungkwan and Seokmin groaned in relief as they half threw Soonyoung onto the chair you pulled to the middle, rubbing their aching shoulders. Scouring the drawers, you pulled out a rope with a soft “aha” making them turn towards your unnaturally happy self. Soonyoung stirred in his chair. “You're a little too excited about this-”  “Shhh!” You covered Seokmin's mouth with your hand, whispering. “If you talk, he'll know it's us, then it's not scary anymore.” “Frankly, I think the kidnapping and knocking him out cold must have been scary enough already.” “Not enough” You glared as Soonyoung let out a soft groan, letting you know he was coming around. “Quick, take out your phone and open one of those AI apps. We'll type what we want to say and use the bot voice - that way he'll have no idea.”  All three of you huddled, glancing at the phone as Seungkwan typed something quickly, pressing play to let the low toned automated voice echo through the room.  “I cannot wait to see Soonyoung shit his pants.” Seokmin giggled as your lips curled into a pleased smile. Oh, he was surely going to shit his pants.  “And why would I do that?” Soonyoung's voice sounded confused. “Because we-”  Seokmin looked up, freezing mid-sentence, noticing the voice did not come from the person before him.  All three of you exchanged looks realising the same before slowly turning around. Soonyoung  was standing at the entrance like he just walked in, looking bewildered.  Before any of you could process the situation, he pointed over your shoulders, frowning.

“And who's that?”

Oh. 

“And why is he wearing my clothes?” 

Oh no.

You turned back to see the man in question, slowly pull the black bag from over his head, shaking his golden tresses away from his face. Oh lord was he gorgeous.  As he blinked his eyes open, wondering where the hell he was, you were busy running your eyes all over his pretty features and suddenly, in that short span of 20 seconds, you had memorised where every single mole on his face was.  Seokmin and Seungkwan meanwhile, held your arms on either side half hiding behind you which was stupid considering you were the biggest coward in the room.  But somehow, as the man before you looked at all of you with narrowed, accusing eyes and tried to stand up, you swung your arm and smacked him right on the head with the torch again. All three boys gawked at you as the man fell back into the chair again, head rolling to the side, unconscious.  “What the hell mate-” “I'm sorry I panicked!” “Will someone tell me what's happening? Why is he wearing my clothes-” “Shut up Soonyoung.” Seungkwan turned to you looking terrified. “Do you have any idea what you've done?”  “Hey, this can't be just on me, we all thought it was Soonyoung-”  “Me???”  “-how is this only my fault-”  “Because!” Seungkwan raised his voice pointing a shaking finger. “The man you just knocked out again, that's…that's….” “That's…” Seokmin's eyes widened in realisation. “That's the city’s most infamous mafia boss, Yoon Jeonghan.” 

“They aren't picking up.” You sighed, pacing around the room. “Why aren't they picking up??” 

All three boys who were perched on the breakfast bar shrugged, continuing to munch on their chocolate bars.

“Y’all are awfully calm considering the mess we’ve landed in.” 

“The mess you landed us in.” Soonyoung, who had been filled about the situation, pointed out, licking his fingers. “If you hadn’t tried to pull that terrible prank on me-” 

“Okay Kwon, I don’t need this right now.” You rolled your eyes and Soonyoung made a mocking face before returning to his snack. Sighing, you dialed the number again, hoping for a response at least this time. 

“Voicemail. Again!” You squeezed your phone, nearly throwing it across the room, half screaming in frustration. The boys hissed, signaling you to shut up as you bit your tongue and turned towards the elephant in the room. 

Well, not a literal elephant, he was barely one sixteenth its size, the figurative elephant, Yoon Jeonghan. 

He still sat, unconscious and beautiful as ever, only his hands were now tied behind the chair, securing him in place. Seokmin insisted it was necessary considering this would be his second time attempting to try and escape. When you had expressed your confusion, Seungkwan pulled out his phone, flipped through his gallery and showed you a picture he had clicked in the city a few days ago - a poster with Jeonghan’s face on it, a text on the bottom. 

Dangerous criminal Yoon Jeonghan escaped from prison on the 15th of August. Please be cautious and if seen, call the number below. A reward of 20,000 dollars is offered for any incriminating information. 

The moment all of you finished reading, it was like a switch flipped. 

Soonyoung immediately secured Jeonghan's hands, Seokmin darkened the room, turning off all the lights and Seungkwan shut all the curtains, shoving his phone into your hands. You though, just stood frozen, watching all of them getting to work, unable to comprehend the situation. It was only when Seungkwan shook you physically telling you to call that number that you finally came to your senses, quickly dialing it. 

Since then, it had been over an hour and you had called almost 48 times unsuccessfully, much to your frustration but not so much to the boys. They simply continued to raid your snack drawer, chattering away in hushed whispers. You on the other hand wanted to pull your hair out. 

“Why do you look so distressed hon?” Soonyoung looked at you, worried.

“Why?” You raised your eyebrows. “Why?? Can you not see why? Do you not understand how risky it is keeping him here-” You shot the unconscious man a glance, whispering. “What if he wakes up?” 

“Then you knock him out again.” Seungkwan chuckled. “This is not a joke you guys.” You tried to be heard above all the reenacting and laughing. “I get that the 20k offer looks enticing but should we take a risk this big-” 

“You think this is about the money?” Seokmin looked at you almost offended. “He’s a criminal Y/n, handing him over to the cops is doing what’s right! That’s our duty as responsible citizens-” 

“Well this can’t be the only way to go about it? I’m sure there are other ways-” 

“Like what?” Seungkwan frowned curiously. 

“I don’t know.” You bit your lower lip, turning to Jeonghan, hands shaking nervously. “We could go out there and find a cop-” 

“When was the last time you even saw a cop in this vicinity?” Soonyoung raised an amused eyebrow.

“Fine, then we’ll take him to the nearest police station?” 

“That’s almost twenty five miles from here.” Soonyoung pointed out. “What if on the way he becomes un-unconscious-” 

“Conscious.” 

“-then wouldn’t we be in more danger?” 

Sighing, you buried your face in your hands, shaking your head. “Oh god, how did we get ourselves stuck in a situation this terrible-.” 

“Oh come on, it's not so bad.” Seungkwan clicked his tongue. “It's not like we're committing a crime, in fact we are doing the complete opposite of it, you should be proud of us.” 

“I prefer my sanity over pride please, thank you.” 

Soonyoung clapped his hand. “So let's get you your vanity back-”  

“Sanity.” 

“-the more we try to call that number, the sooner we manage to contact the cops and before you know it, he'll be gone and all of this will be over.”

Sighing, you handed the phone to him, gesturing that he try now, sick of hearing the voicemail message over and over again. No sooner after he reached for it, a loud ringtone began echoing in the room making all of you jump cause a. it was really loud and b. it was not coming from this phone…..

All four of you exchanged looks turning to the source of the sound - the pocket on the inside of Jeonghan’s jacket. 

Noticing how Jeonghan was starting to slightly stir, Seungkwan quickly moved closer to him, pulling out his phone, fingers moving swiftly to mute. As it continued to vibrate in his hand, the rest of you gathered around, looking at the screen over his shoulder - Assistant 1, annoying, do not pick up. But before any of you had to make the executive decision whether or not to lift the phone, thank god for the timing, the call ended, allowing you all to take a sigh of relief. 

Trying to catch your breath again, just as you almost moved back to your original position, it rang again, somehow even more loudly this time and like an idiot in his hurry, Seungkwan accidentally lifted the call, making you gasp and almost scream. 

“No, don’t-” 

“Boss.” Though it was barely audible, he sounded exasperated. “Please tell me you’re not with a girl.” 

As Seungkwan put the call on speaker, the boys looked at you, signaling you to talk. Looking lost, you stuttered. “I uh…yes, he’s with me.” 

“Of course he is.” His voice boomed in the room. “I need to talk to him.” 

You hesitated, looking at Jeonghan still sitting slumped. “I’m afraid he can’t come to the phone right now.” 

“And why not?” 

“Cause he’s tied up?” You shook your head fast, when your friends looked at you wide eyed - now was not the time for truths??? “I mean he’s tied up with some work-” 

“Oh please, there’s no need to cover up.” The man sounded amused. “I always had a feeling that this was one of his kinks.” 

You looked at the screen mortified. Did he just say kinks? “I’m sorry what???” 

“No, I’m sorry you’re stuck with that sadist of a man. If you’re free after you’re done with him, I assure you, I could show you a much better time.” 

Gasping inaudibly, you felt the heat in your cheeks rising. “I’m not a…. no, god no. He’s tied up as in, unconscious and tied up. Kidnapped, unconscious and tied up.” 

The boys’ jaws dropped in disbelief. What the hell were you blabbering? 

“Did you just say you kidnapped him?” 

Hands shivering you tried to shove the phone into someone else's hands, only for all of them to quite literally run away. 

“Woman, I’m asking you something. Did you just say you kidnapped Jeonghan? The Yoon Jeonghan?” He paused, as you moved, standing in front of the man in question, watching him carefully. “Do you even know who he is?” 

“I….yes.” You sighed, sweat rolling down your forehead. “Yes I know who he is and look, it's a long story that I can’t explain right now and I’m sorry you had to find out this way but I’m calling the cops and handing him over tonight.”

“You called me to tell me that you were handing him to the cops?” 

“Actually you called-”  

“And for what? That measly twenty k?” He scoffed. “I know what you’re doing here - I’ll give you thirty in exchange for him.” 

And suddenly, all the boys were around the phone. 

“No thank you.” You shook your head. “This isn’t about the money, it’s about doing the right thing and that is to hand him over-” 

“Wow you’re really playing that card?” He sighed. “Fine, I’ll give you fifty.” 

At this point, Seungkwan lunged for his phone, narrowly missing it as you swiftly moved your hand away, surprised. 

“Seventy five?” 

Seokmin tried to reach for it too, but you were too quick for him too, moving away, looking at them incredulously. What the hell were they doing now? 

“Final offer, a hundred thousand or I have other ways-” 

“Done.” Soonyoung, the nimblest of them all, quickly grabbed the phone from your hands talking into it. “Hundred thousand and he’s yours.” 

“Kwon-” 

Seokmin covered your mouth, holding you back. “We want it in cash.” 

“That might be an issue-” The man on the phone let out a tired breath. “-things are tight now, cash will be hard.” 

“It’s cash or he goes to the cops.” Seokmin continued, still holding you back with his strong arms, rendering your struggles pointless.

The line went quiet on the other side. The boys look at each other, worried. 

“Fine.” He finally agreed as they sighed in relief. “But I’ll need about ten days to arrange for it.” 

“We are in no hurry.” Seungkwan added. “Whenever you send the cash, we’ll send him.” 

“And till then?” 

“Till then, he’ll be here, with us.” Soonyoung confirmed, earning a protest from you that drowned out. 

“I hope you remember that the cops are actively looking for him-” 

“We do. Which is why you need to make sure the money reaches us by the tenth day.” Seungkwan pointed out. “Otherwise you know where he’s going.” 

“No don’t….” The man sighed. “There’s no need to make such hasty decisions, you’ll get your money.” 

“Good, keep in touch on this number and let us know when you have the cash ready and….that's all, okay bye.” 

Seungkwan spoke quickly before he cut the call and all the boys looked at each other amazed. When Seokmin finally released you, he shrieked as you landed a few harmless punches on him, hard and fast.

“Are you insane???” You looked around. “Are all of you insane?” 

“Hon,” Soonyoung held you by the shoulders, shaking them. “It’s a hundred thousand dollars-” 

“I thought it was not about the money.” You narrowed your eyes at him. “I thought you wanted to be a responsible citizen-” 

“Oh please it’s always about the money.” Seokmin walked over and fell back onto the couch. “A hundred thousand dollars, wow, I’ve never even heard of so much money in my life.”

“Can’t believe I’m going to be a millionaire.” Soonyoung joined him on, earning an eye roll from you. 

“How exactly?” You crossed your arms. “It’s twenty five thousand dollars a person.” 

“So you are agreeing to be a part of it!” Seungkwan clapped happily, ignoring your words of protest. “We’re all going to be so rich.” 

“Twenty five thousand dollars isn’t exactly a fortune-” 

“It might not be for you, but not all of us have dropped out of college and are running our own freelance business from the comfort of our grandmother’s apartment.” Seokmin pointed out. “We could really use the money.” 

“That’s fair but-” 

“No ‘buts’ now.” Seungkwan raised his hand to stop you. “Come on Y/n, do this for us? All we ask is for ten days. Don’t you remember when you moved to this locality, we were the only ones there for you? For 2 whole years we’ve been with you through thick and thin-” 

Thud.

Seungkwan stuttered to a stop, turning around at the sound. The rest of you shifted around too to see what happened, heartbeat rapidly rising when you realized that Jeonghan was stirring awake..... and more importantly, the knot that “believe me I'm an expert” Soonyoung had tied around his hands had come undone, the rope falling to the floor. 

Wincing, Jeonghan opened his eyes slowly as all of you froze, watching the infamous mafia boss raise his head, blinking in the darkness. 

You panicked, noticing that your one and only weapon here, your trusty torchlight, was far from you, right by his foot. Wondering if it was dark enough, considering the room was only lit by the soft and minimal glow of the streetlights pouring in, you slowly inched towards Jeonghan who still seemed like he hadn't fully come around. Just as you reached him, bending to pick up the torch, Seungkwan, who was inching back to press himself against the wall and somehow blend into it, pressed against the switches, the lights instantly turning on, illuminating the whole room. 

Jeonghan slowly looked up, eyes meeting yours, lips parting softly. 

You opened your mouth to scream or say something, you can’t remember what exactly, instead resorting to just staring at the way his hair beautifully framed his face, long eyelashes touching the curve of his cheeks as he blinked. As you continued to remain frozen, his eyes ran over the features of your face, before his lips curled into a small smile.

“I love you.” 

You snapped out of your trance in a second, jaw dropping. 

“God I really love you.” He repeated, as you quickly grabbed the torch and moved back hurriedly and Seokmin, clearly your most sensible friend, quickly got up, putting himself between you and Jeonghan.

“What did he say?” Seokmin looked at you over his shoulder, mumbling. 

“You’re….” Seungkwan took a small, careful step. “You’re not mad?” 

“My head does hurt like a bitch.” Jeonghan cocked his head at you who was half hiding behind your biggest friend. “But I would have been more mad if I was in jail compared to waking up in….” He looked around again. “.....whatever this is.” 

“My house.” You muttered, gripping the torch as Soonyoung slowly and silently walked around, kicking the rope under the sofa, before he joined you, looking casual as ever.

“Yes, jail would be bad.” He agreed. “But here, you’re totally safe, no stress at all.” 

“And why exactly?” Jeonghan frowned, eyes flickering over all of you. “Obviously you know who I am. Why aren’t you handing me to the cops?” 

“That's um…because….” Seungkwan mumbled, putting his arm around your shoulder, with a firm nod. “Because of her uncle.” 

You blinked at him. 

You had no uncle. 

“M-mine?” 

“Yes, her uncle was….unfairly arrested by the cops last year, they sort of put him away for good so uh….helping you is, in a way, our revenge against this foul legal system.” 

Jeonghan didn’t look even a little convinced. Maybe just a little when he looked at you with an eyebrow raised in question and you hesitatingly nodded. 

“Okay, y’all are clearly a weird bunch but I'm not going to question it since whatever this is, it's helping me out.” He got up, wincing as he held his head. “and now I'll get going-” 

“No!” All three boys screamed, taking both Jeonghan and you aback, ears almost ringing. 

“We mean…” Seungkwan started at a much softer tone. “You can’t go out right now, it’s not safe for you.” 

“I am aware,” Jeonghan patted his pockets as though he was searching for something. “I need to call my people and find them in the city again. Once they arrange a way for me to permanently leave the country, I'll be safe, finally-” 

“You are safe here too.” Soonyoung quipped. “There’s no place better than this neighbourhood - it’s quiet, almost thirty miles from the city, filled with senior citizens who are absolutely cut off from the world - they probably don’t even know who you are.” 

“Most importantly,” Seokmin added. “Because this place is so dull, cops don’t even come here, hell the closest police station is over twenty five miles away.” 

“Huh” Jeonghan looked thoughtful, continuing to slide his hands into all his pockets one by one, mumbling. “I can't find my phone-” 

“It probably fell when you were running around-.” Seungkwan gripped the bulge in his back pocket where Jeonghan’s phone was tucked away. “-now that you can't contact your…gang? it'll be dangerous for you to go unguided.”

“Exactly.” Soonyoung stepped up. “Say you give it some time, maybe 10 ten days or so for things in the city to cool off a little and then you can go, find your people and leave the country?” 

Jeonghan started at the floor as though he was mulling over it, each passing second feeling like almost an hour.

Finally he looked up, slowly nodding, much to everyone's relief. “I guess I could?” He held the bump on his head again, wincing in pain. “First I'm gonna need a shower and a meal.” He looked at you, lips curling into a small smile. “Is knocking people out your only talent or can you whip up a ramyeon too?”

Tearing your eyes away from his intense gaze you mumbled that you could, earning a two finger salute from him before he disappeared behind the door of the bathroom. 

As all of four of you collectively let out a sigh of relief, Seungkwan shoved Jeonghan’s phone into your hands. 

“Keep this safe and keep him safe.” He looked around at everyone. “We need to continue making him feel as though living here for 10 days is good for him, not us.”

“Agreed.” Seokmin hummed. “He cannot, at any cost, know he’s being held for ransom. God knows what he might do then.” 

“I still can’t believe it though.” Soonyoung let out a low whistle, looking around almost proud. “I can’t believe we accidentally kidnapped a mafia boss.”

“Smells fucking good.” 

You bit back a gasp hearing Jeonghan’s voice from behind you, right at the shell of your ear as you stood behind the stove, stirring his meal. Gulping you turned, regretting it immediately when you found yourself inches away from him yet again but this time, he was standing in just his towel, blonde wet hair falling into his eyes, rivets of water running down his smooth abdomen. As your eyes found their way back up again, Jeonghan smirked at you. 

“Strange.” He cocked his head at you. “On one hand you seem so meek and quiet, yet no one has ever really looked at me the way you do.” 

Please don’t say things like that. 

Feeling unnaturally hot, perhaps because you were sandwiched between a boiling pot of noodles and a man this attractive, you turned away, turning off the gas, wiping the sweat running down your neck. 

Jeonghan chuckled. “I need something to wear. Think you got anything?” 

You nodded, setting the pot down, before moving away from him (thank god) and walking into your office room. Jeonghan followed at a distance, shaking off the water in his hair, looking around confused as he stepped in. 

“Aren’t you a bit too old to play dress up?” He pointed at the mannequin in the corner donning a pretty maroon half finished dress. 

“That’s…. My work.” You confessed, going through a stack of clothes in the drawers on the far end. 

“You made that?” 

You nodded softly. “Yeah I’m sort of a freelance fashion designer.” 

“For who, the dead?” He frowned. “Who even wears clothes like these anymore?” 

Trying not to get too offended, you pulled out the pair of pajamas you were looking for and turned to him. “It’s for the main lead of the new Macbeth play. I, uh, custom make clothes for theater productions and stage plays.” 

“Ah.” He nodded looking around at the large table filled with all kinds of measuring tapes and scissors and big shelves stacked with materials of all kinds, two sewing machines lined up against the wall. “Interesting.” 

You're not really sure what he found so fascinating but you cleared your throat, trying to change the topic. 

“I only have this that might fit you.” Walking over, you handed him a neatly folded purple checkered pajama set. “I made it for my…. for someone a few years back but he didn’t like the colour so it's brand new.” 

“I love purple.” Jeonghan grinned, taking it from you, immediately slipping on the shirt. “By someone else, do you mean one of the boys?”

You shook your head. “No, I never make clothes for them, my style is a bit too…. um old fashioned?” 

“You continue to surprise me.” He looked at you thoughtfully. “Old fashioned with clothes but open minded enough to live with three men.”

You blinked stupidly. “I don't live with three men.”

“Oh they don’t live here?” Jeonghan raised an eyebrow. “You four aren't a thing?” 

 “Four? As in all four of us??.….” You looked at him wide eyed and scandalized. “Of course not! How could you even think that, w-what does that even mean-” 

“Okay relax princess.” Jeonghan took a step back, raising his hands. “Even if you were, it’s cool. I don’t judge.” 

Definitely not relaxing, you looked everywhere but at him, heat continuing to rise uncomfortably in your body. 

Jeonghan looked at you amused, biting his lip. “But I will judge if you continue to stand here and watch me wear the pants.” 

Shaking your head and apologising, you practically ran out of there, heart racing in your chest as you leaned against the kitchen counter, hands gripping the edge. The kind of things he said, the way he looked….Please please please stop it. 

Trying your best to push him out of your mind, you got back to the stove, grabbing the pot and placing it on the table. You stared at it for a bit before sighing and pulling out a few of your mom’s sides from the fridge, adding it to his meal. As you poured out a glass of juice, Jeonghan walked up, rubbing his hands, pulling the chair and sitting down. 

“You put sides and all? Sweet.” 

He grabbed the pair of chopsticks and took a large bite, humming in relief. You knew it was burning hot, but he was probably way too hungry to care because the speed made it look like he was inhaling it. 

“Sit.” He looked up mid bite. “I don’t like eating alone.” 

Although you didn't wish to be in his presence for long, you sat down, unable to say no. The entire time, Jeonghan ate quietly, tasting all the sides, drinking the juice in between, loudly smacking his lips after every bite. After devouring it all in less than five minutes, he raised the bowl to his mouth, downing all the soup, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.  “That was so delicious princess, I almost wanna stay here all my life.” He got up, stretching as he did. “But unfortunately 10 days is all we have.” 

Silently, you half nodded, gathering all the dishes he had left on the table, taking them to the sink. Jeonghan watched you, please stop looking at me, and when you returned to wipe the table, he leaned in, for the third time tonight, putting his face incredibly close to yours. “You’re a tough nut to crack, but I think I’ll have you all figured out in ten days.” As you tried to move further back, unable to breathe in the proximity, he moved closer, smirking. “Goodnight princess.” 

And with that he walked off, turning into your bedroom, closing the door behind him. 

You simply stared, rapidly blinking, heart refusing to calm down, chest heaving as you struggled to breathe.

And this was just day zero of ten. 

Day 1 of 10 

“Yoon Jeonghan has to go.” 

Soonyoung, Seungkwan and Seokmin looked up from their dinner as you slammed the restaurant door open. Immediately panicked and looking around, they pulled you to their table, shushing you with hushed voices. 

“What is wrong with you-” Seungkwan hissed as Seokmin went over to the only other people in the shop, the two old ladies sitting in the corner, trying to distract them with some free tea. “-you can’t go around screaming his name.” 

“You don’t understand.” Leaning back into the chair, you sighed. “I cannot be around him, I can’t handle it….” 

“What did he even do?” Soonyoung looked at you curiously and Seokmin returned, settling in his chair. 

And then you began to spill the details of all the events, starting from the moment he took over your bedroom last night. 

Yes you lived in a decently sized two bedroom house but with one room converted into your workspace and the other occupied by Jeonghan, you had no choice but to take the extremely uncomfortable couch in the living room. Of course you were already drifting in and out of sleep because of all the pain in your back and like that was not enough……

As though on cue, the lady who lived in the apartment above yours walked in, her pleasant expression turning almost disgusted as her eyes fell on you and you knew precisely why - because of all the obnoxiously loud moaning last night. 

Seokmin watched the two of you, eyes narrowing. “Why is she looking at you like that?” 

Voice shaking, you told them. 

“Wait wait wait.” Seungkwan interjected, jaw dropping. “You’re telling me he didn’t just sleep in your room but also…. also brought home a woman?” 

You nodded. For a hot second, last night you thought you were dreaming or imagining those sounds. As you focused, listening harder you realised they were the moans of an actual woman, coming straight from your bedroom,  followed by Jeonghan’s soft grunts. And lord, the things he was saying??

Are you even trying? Is that the best you can do?

Oh, you feel good? Where are your manners then? Be a good girl and thank me. 

You’ll do anything, won’t you? This is all you’re good for - a set of wet and wanting holes. 

“So you think he brought home a whore-” You winced at the word, making Seokmin immediately change his statement. “-a person, a professional, and had a love making session in your room? On your bed?” 

“I don’t think it, I know it.” You groaned. “And that was no love making, it was loud and-” You gulped, pressing your legs together, trying to ignore the feeling between them. “-and just disturbing.” 

“I understand it’s hard for you,” Seungkwan started. “But if it’s just that one thing-”

“Oh no no it’s not just that one thing.” You sat up, ready with a whole mentally prepared list. “That's what I slept to, guess what I woke up to? A delivery man with nearly 30 packages of all sorts of things he ordered online for his ‘ease’ because he ‘can’t live without them’ and you might wonder what the issue with that is? It is the fact that he had me pay for it and it wasn’t five or ten dollars, I paid seven thousand dollars in the morning-” All the boys' jaws dropped. “-that’s right I paid seven thousand for his things which he, by the way, made me sit and open because his ‘head hurts too much’.”

“Okay, we get it-”

“And he keeps wearing all my clothes! Not mine, I mean the ones I make-” You corrected when the boys looked at you weirdly. “This morning he wore the pure white cashmere sweater I spent hours making for the evil queen in Snow white. Now it sits in my house decorated with polka dots of ramyeon soup.”

“Oh-” 

“And he never cleans up after himself! He expects me to cook, sits and eats and then just leaves when he’s done?! He drops crumbs everywhere, he doesn't put things back in their place, I'm-”

“Breathe hon breathe,” Soonyoung rubbed your back. “He's inconvenient and it sucks, we get it but….but it’s only been a day?” He looked around, pausing as the lady above your house collected her food and walked past, face turned away from you. “What about the rest of the time? Did he bother you in any way?” 

“Not really.” You sigh. “He pretty much minds his own business. He was either sleeping or watching tv the rest of the time…and also going through all my fashion magazines, with potato chip dust on his fingers by the way-” 

“Alright, alright, we get it, he’s a pain.” Seungkwan looked at you a little pleadingly. “But you do know, given our current situation, we don’t have a choice but to house him for another 9 days.”

“Kwan, It’s still not too late to hand him over to the cops-” 

“Please.” Seungkwan pleaded, hands joined, ready to fall to his knees if needed. “We’ll give you a higher share of the ransom if you want-” 

“You think money is the issue?” 

“Of course it’s not, he’s an idiot to suggest that.” Seokmin interrupted. “It’s not about the money Y/n, just…. do it for us? Think about how you could reform the three of our lives. We could go from busting our asses waiting tables here to maybe owning our own little shop. Don’t you want that for us?” 

You stared at Seokmin’s puppy face then at Soonyoung’s big eyes then at…..whatever cute expression Seungkwan was trying and failing to make. If you could help improve the lives of the friends who were closest to you, maybe you can hang in there for a few days? 

You could not. You most definitely could not. And you realised that the moment you excitedly stepped into your house again with a generous amount of packed late night snacks. 

Clothes - Jeonghan’s and a woman’s - were strewn all over the house, right from the main door to the bedroom as though they couldn’t wait for even the five seconds it took to walk the minimal distance. As you heard a guttural moan, you shut your ears, preparing for yet another night of suffocating yourself under your pillow. 

Day 2 of 10 

“I got you some DakGalBi.” Soonyoung raised the familiar black bag of the bbq shop before him as you sighed. 

“I made the same thing for lunch.” 

“You did?” He looked surprised. “I thought you didn’t know how to.” 

“I don't, I watched a few videos; followed a cookbook.” You mumbled. “Jeonghan said he wanted to eat.” 

“Is he still bothering you?” Soonyoung asked concerned, eyes running over your tired features. By bothering if he meant taking over every aspect of your life and not giving you the freedom to breathe peacefully in your own house, then yes, Yoon Jeonghan was absolutely bothering you. Did you tell Soonyoung that though? No, because 1, just yesterday, you had told your friends that you would “hang in there” and 2, you most definitely couldn’t hang in there and were already secretly planning ways to oust Jeonghan from your house. 

The journey to making this decision started the moment you woke up. It was yet again to the sound of knocking except, it wasn’t on your door, it was coming from your home office. Wondering what in the world Jeonghan was doing there, you quickly kicked off the covers and jumped to your feet, walking over. At first glance, you didn’t spot him inside and then your eyes found a complete stranger drumming her fingers on your sewing machine. You stood frozen, fully taken aback as she looked at you, your favorite coffee mug in her hand as she sipped out of it. 

“This dress could use a deeper neck.” She pointed at the one on the mannequin and then at herself. “Like this.” 

You refused to look at her plunging neckline out of which all her….assets were spilling out. God knows why you couldn’t refuse to take her opinion on your work or tell her to get the hell out of your house. Instead, you just continued to stand frozen until you felt Jeonghan’s presence behind you. 

“What are you doing here?” He sounded like he just woke up, voice just a little deep and husky. 

“I was curious what was in here-” 

“I mean what are you still doing here?” He walked up, putting himself between the two of you. “You were supposed to leave after you were done.” 

“It was raining outside, I couldn’t go.” She muttered, looking at him hopefully. “Besides I wanted to see you in the morning before I go-” 

“I don’t.” He cut her off, pointing over his shoulder. “Get going.” 

“But-” 

“Go.” He repeated, more firmly this time. 

Looking mad, she slammed the coffee mug on the table and grabbed her bag from the floor. As she walked up to Jeonghan and tried to plant a kiss on his cheek, he turned his face away, “Don’t cross the line. Get out.” 

Huffing she left, the sound of the front door closing resounding behind her. Jeonghan turned to you, rolling his eyes, looking at you like you’ll understand. “The audacity when she can’t even deepthroat without gagging.” 

You didn’t understand. You didn’t want to understand. You just wanted him to stop saying these kind of things. Please please please shut up. 

When he walked away, yawning and stretching, you grabbed the coffee mug, nearly crying at the sight of a neat brown ring of coffee imprinted on the paper. 

Oh yeah, Yoon Jeonghan had to go. 

Now you would have told all this to the boys but you knew they would tell you to ‘adjust for a few days’ and as always, you'd give in, regardless of the fact that you wanted this man’s entire existence obliterated from your life. So you decided to handle things differently now - you would get Jeonghan out of your house without the boys realising you had a hand in it - that way you'd be free and they couldn't blame you. You weren’t quite sure how to go about this plan but that was until you went to the grocery store in the afternoon to buy some ingredients for lunch. 

The biggest drawback of this suburb was that there was barely anyone below the age of twenty who could help you out with your predicament except for the cashier's grandson, Minguk. Minguk lived in the city, but over the weekends, he came to help his grandmother, greeting you every time you crossed paths. You weren’t really close friends but he was always nice to you, helping you reach things from the higher shelves, offering to carry heavier items to your house. If anyone here could recognise Jeonghan and help you out, it had to be him. 

That’s why when you went to the shop, you told the old lady you needed a big bag of rice, twenty five kgs of it for some big rice starch cloth experiment, asking if Minguk could drop by later and bring it to your house. She agreed happily, stating she would get him to do it the moment he came in the evening and you left, waiting for said evening and said moment to arrive. 

Your prediction for the events that would follow today went somewhat like this - Minguk would come home, notice and recognise Jeonghan, ask you to get behind him while they fought and Minguk would knock down Jeonghan’s skinny ass stick figure, then make sure to hand Jeonghan to the police while you sadly told BooSeokSoon it was unfortunate that things unfolded this way. 

Now for this whole plan to be successful, you needed Soonyoung to get out of the house as soon as possible because Minguk could come any moment now. Hence you resorted to answering all of the former’s questions with short, simple replies, hoping this conversation would end fast.

“No he’s not still bothering me.”  “You sure? You-”  “Absolutely.”  “Again, we’re sorry that this-”  “No worries.”  Soonyoung frowned, confused at your curt answers. “Where is he now?” “Bathroom, showering I think.”  “What did he do before lunch?”  “Waited for lunch.”  “What did he do after lunch?”  “Nothing.” You shrugged. “Claimed he was bored, sat in my home office and watched me sketching for hours together.”  “He was…. just watching you?”  “Not the whole time, he fell asleep in between…”

You recalled how hearing his soft snores, you looked up from your work, eyes falling on him leaning back against the bean bag, drifted off in a pleasant slumber. As you glanced at him, noticing just how sharp his jaw was and how high his cheekbones sat, his lips curled into a small smile. You’re giving me that look again, princess. After that, you didn’t take your eyes off your work even once. 

“I think he fell asleep?” 

“Did you get any sleep?” Soonyoung looked over your shoulder at your bedding still on the couch. “Did he… you know, bring someone last night too?” 

You nodded, but brushed it off immediately. “It’s fine, it’s nothing I can’t handle. I promised you guys 10 days, I’ll deliver.” 

Soonyoung looked relieved, before he glanced at his watch, face morphing in worry. “It’s nearly peak hour, I gotta go back to the restaurant.” 

You agreed to him, assuring him you were fine when he asked you again, waving goodbye as you shut the door behind him. 

Minguk would be here any minute now, and if all went well, you’d finally be free again. 

Day 3 of 10 

All did not go well. 

In complete contrast to what you had imagined, here you were, yet again cooking lunch for Jeonghan, still absolutely sleep deprived and there he was, lying sprawled on your couch, going through your books, just like yesterday. Only difference was, Seokmin was on call, the sound of him chewing his apple ringing in your ears. 

As you moved around to make Kalguksu, Jeonghan’s order of the day, Seokmin spoke into your ear. “So you're saying he's not too bad to live with?” 

Bad? Bad was an understatement. Living with Yoon Jeonghan was the absolute worst. Just this morning, when you had stepped out to check your mailbox, your neighbour coincidentally returned from her morning walk, greeting you with a hard smile, asking why you looked so tired. You told her you had a lot of orders to work on, claiming you had to stay up all night to finish it and to that she said, “Yes, I think everyone in this building can tell what exactly you are doing staying up all night.” 

Never in your life before that statement did you want to be swallowed by concrete. You knew last night must’ve been particularly more noticeable because the women so far were moaners but this one….. Oh she was a screamer; so loud not even your pillow could save you. Thank god she was gone by the morning but so was a very treasured dress of yours, one you gifted by your mother. When Jeonghan woke up, he mumbled something about how her clothes tore, and she grabbed something from your cupboard before he went off to take a shower. 

“Yes, he’s not too bad.” You replied, glad Seokmin couldn't see your sarcastic expression. 

“I had a feeling he was a chill guy from the first time we saw him-” Seokmin continued to loudly chew on call. “-he seems kinda calm and knowledgeable?”

Yes, if only Seokmin heard all the 'instructions' Jeonghan loved to give his lady friends at night, he would know just how knowledgeable this man was. Although he did say something that you were thinking about for a while now…

“Min.” You slid onto the kitchen counter. “Do you think Minguk has a crush on me?” 

“Minguk as in supermart granny’s grandson Minguk?” Seokmin chuckled. “Yeah, obviously, a mega huge one.” 

“What?” You looked at your phone betrayed. “How could you not tell me?” 

“I assumed you knew and didn’t care?” Seokmin sounded nonchalant. “Since you know, he already has a girlfriend?” 

That’s what you had said too, last night when Minguk came over and all did not go well. 

Initially, it was going according to plan though. A few moments after Soonyoung left, Minguk arrived at your door, carrying a huge sack of rice, half panting as he smiled at you. Given that Jeonghan was still in the bathroom, you engaged him in casual conversation, hoping the man who usually showered in under 5 minutes, would finally come out after the two hours he had been holed up in there. Just as you were running out of stupid questions to ask, Minguk looked over your shoulder, forehead slowly pulling together in a frown as you heard footsteps behind you. Finally finally finally, please help me-

“Who is that?” He pointed, looking confused. Did he not recognise….? 

You turned, as Jeonghan approached you, your eyes widening as they landed on him - he had dyed his golden blonde hair into a dark jet black, the length of it also a lot shorter now, the pieces framing his face pushed back in a way even you could barely recognise him. You continued staring as he walked over, throwing his arm around your shoulder, glancing at Minguk.

“And who is this?” 

Tearing your eyes away from him, you looked at Minguk, almost at a loss of words, “T-this is Minguk, he works um in the supermarket nearby, he’s my friend and this is uh….” You gulped, the weight of Jeonghan’s hand heavy on your shoulder. “This is-” 

“Come on, don’t be shy.” Jeonghan laughed. “Hi….friend? I’m the boyfriend.” 

“Oh.” Minguk looked at you just as surprised as you looked at him. “I didn’t know…” 

Neither did you.

“Yeah we’ve been doing long distance for a while now, I just got back recently.” Jeonghan answered like it was a matter of fact when a few days back, you didn't even know of his existence. 

After that Minguk, who always said bye to you with a cheery wave, mumbled that he had to go and left, without sparing you a second glance.

“What an idiot.” Jeonghan chuckled as he let you go, walking into the house. “Men who don’t have the guts to be honest with the woman they like are not worth anyone’s time.” 

“I’m sorry what?” You frowned, closing the door and following him. “The woman they like?” 

Jeonghan looked at you incredulously. “You didn’t know? He was literally making heart eyes, his drool is probably outside on the floor-” 

“He has a girlfriend.” 

“So?” He shrugged. 

“So he can’t possibly like me??” 

Jeonghan looked at you amused. “You’re dense as hell princess, there’s so much I could teach you.” and with that he walked away leaving you baffled, which was not how you expected events to turn out yesterday. 

As Seokmin went on and on about how Minguk wasn’t being fair to his girlfriend, you zoned out, mind wandering on something else entirely. You needed a new, revised plan, one that was guaranteed to get Jeonghan out of your life and this time, you swore you wouldn’t fail.

Day 4 of 10 

Plan B failed just as miserably as plan A. 

You had promised yourself to get Jeonghan out of your life, but all you managed to do was get him out of the house. 

That was part of the plan though, him stepping out was vital but somehow, as though luck loved him and despised you, things worked out in his favour yet again. 

Plan B was a long and elaborate one, one that you worked on really hard, starting from last night. 

Last night, you got into your couch tired as hell, but determined not to sleep, eyes wide open in the darkness. Around 1am, you heard the sound of feet shuffling as Jeonghan’s silhouette walked past you, opening the door, letting yet another girl into your house. As the two of them moved towards your room, bodies and tongues tangled, shutting the bedroom door behind them, you immediately got up, rushing to your office room. Looking up the posters of Jeonghan on the internet, you quickly printed out a bunch of them, silently donned your jacket and a mask and left your house in the dead of the night. It took you nearly 3 hours but by the end of it you had put up those posters along all the streets of the suburb and had barely just returned and got under the covers when the bedroom door opened and Jeonghan’s companion of the night left your house. Confident that by daybreak, everyone in the neighborhood would know Jeonghan’s face and there would at least be someone smarter than Minguk who could look past the changed hair colour, you slept happily, after a long time. 

But you were rudely awakened by the sound of Jeonghan’s voice, whispering right by your ear. 

“Be honest. You don’t actually want me to leave do you?” 

Your eyes flew open only to find his face hovering above yours, inches away. You held your breath as his hand rested on your waist, fingers tracing over the sliver of skin exposed by your shirt having ridden up. 

“You’re scared of what I do to you.” He smirked, lips teasingly close to yours. “But I could do so many wonderful things to you princess.” 

You gasped as you felt his fingers slip under the waistband of your underwear, inching closer and closer to the desperate hot and wet feeling between your legs. You couldn’t bring yourself to stop him…. You didn’t want to. As he slipped a finger in, groaning about how tight you were, your eyes flew open, meeting the cracks on the ceiling above. 

Petrified, you sat up, forehead and neck drenched in sweat as though every nerve ending was on fire. Did you just have a wet dream about Yoon Jeonghan?? 

Oh he had to leave. He had to leave as soon as possible. This plan had to work. 

And you really thought it would when you were going to buy lunch (today he wanted clam chowder which was way beyond your expertise) and he insisted on following you to get it since he was getting bored at home. You thought the entire universe had finally channelised its energy into helping you get rid of him. 

You could not have been more wrong. 

Turned out that in the few hours you had spent happily sleeping, it rained cats and dogs, obliterating nearly every single piece of paper you had put up. Hours of your hard work was quite literally washed down the drain while Jeonghan happily walked out in the open right alongside dozens of people who had no idea who he was. On the contrary, they had a wilder assumption regarding who he might be - apparently your boyfriend. 

The moment you’d stepped into the restaurant, all the old women who were your grandmother’s friends and loved to strike conversation with you, absolutely ignored your existence as they caught hold of ‘your boyfriend’, insisting that the two of you eat with them. You sat across Jeonghan, watching him talking and giggling with all the old ladies as they threw all sorts of questions at him. He answered, stuffing his mouth with food, spinning the most wonderful stories of your relationship, stories that made you almost wish they were true.

After he bid them all goodbye, which was nearly two hours later, he declared he wanted to play football in the big ground where all the ladies had mentioned their visiting grandkids were playing. You took him there, sitting on the sidelines and watching this man twice their height, tackling all the little kids effortlessly, laughing - not sadistically, just happily, enjoying himself. At that moment somehow, he felt so ordinary, like any other normal person, like he could really have been your boyfriend, like this was really your life. You abandoned that thought the moment Jeonghan pulled you from the bench into the field, demanding that you play. Though you despised the idea of running around in half muddy fields, as always, you found yourself unable to say no to him, joining him and the kids in a game that was a lot more fun than you had anticipated. That was until it started pouring rain again, forcing all of you to run back to your homes, drenched from head to toe by the time you reached. The laughter in your chest fizzled out at the sight of Jeonghan shaking the wet droplets of his hair, his wet shirt sticking to his body, the outline of it unnecessarily obvious. 

But I could do so many wonderful things to you princess.

Gulping, you left to dry yourself, heart racing behind its cage, not wanting to think of the dream. The rest of the evening you refused to so much as look at him, focusing on only on the one thing you were supposed to - Plan C.

Day 5 of 10

Plan C was short and simple and it was supposed to work like a charm. 

To be honest, a part of you always had a feeling plan A and B wouldn’t work because BooSeokSoon were right - expecting anyone in this neighbourhood to know Jeonghan was stupid. So if nobody here recognised Jeonghan, you had to bring someone who recognised Jeonghan here. And that’s exactly what you did because just as you were washing the breakfast dishes and Jeonghan was asking for your help with something, there was a loud knock on the door. 

“Police, open up.” 

Finally. 

After you had gotten up in the morning, under the pretext of getting milk, you went over to the closest public phone, calling the one and only police station nearby, the one over twenty five miles away. Trying to keep the message as anonymous and vague as possible, you spoke about how it seemed like something was not right in unit 84, your own apartment. With the fear of being identified, you didn't tell them anything else but clearly your half information was taken seriously because barely half an hour later, they were here at your door. Before you could wash your soapy hands and walk over the door, Jeonghan was already there, opening it.

You held your breath, staying hidden in the kitchen, peeking from behind the wall as the two men looked at each other. The expectation was a dramatic, movie-like scene where both men confronted each other with fists, maybe even guns but the reality, much to your surprise, was the complete opposite - they were both just talking, having a conversation you could barely hear from your hiding place. Could the cop also not recognise Jeonghan? 

The answer was no, he could not. It was Jeonghan’s luck playing it’s hand once again because the moment the cop shook Jeonghan’s hand and left and the latter turned you, you noticed how the entire lower half of his face was lathered in layers of shaving foam rendering half his face completely hidden. You vaguely recalled he was asking you for help to shave, wondering what were the odds that the cop would turn up at this exact moment. Jeonghan’s luck was indeed your biggest enemy. 

Inwardly crying about the fact that not only did he just dodge your biggest weapon, but you still had to continue doing menial work for him, you followed him to the bathroom. As you prepared the razor, he sat on the edge of the bathtub, peering at you curiously in the mirror. 

“Why do you think the cop turned up at your house today?” 

Trying not to let your hands shake, you shrugged. “How would I know?....What did he say?” 

“Someone apparently called to complain about something strange going on in this house.” 

You met his eye in the reflection, thinking fast. “I mean it is a quiet neighbourhood and the people around are really old so, I guess, maybe someone complained about, you know, all the noise at night….” 

“But you don’t use the sewing machine at night?” Jeonghan frowned like he didn’t understand. 

Clearing your throat, you turned to him. “Not me, it's you…and you know all the….” Making vague hand gestures you tried to explain your point. “....when the girls come and…”

“Sex?” Jeonghan raised an eyebrow, half laughing. “What are you, a prude? You can’t say the word sex?” 

Shifting uneasily you looked away from him, mumbling. “I just don't think everything has to be said….”

Jeonghan didn't say anything to that, continuing to look at you just a little amused as you stood between his manspread, holding his jaw and tilting his head up. When his eyes met yours, a strange something flashing behind them, every cell in your body feeling hyper-alert. Gulping you slowly ran the blades along his cheek, your own cheeks heating up under his gaze, one that never left your face. 

When you did a half turn to grab a towel, feet stumbling in the process, Jeonghan’s hands flew to grab your hips, stabilizing you. He didn't let go even after you had found your footing. He didn't let go even after you finished the task at hand. 

“I'm done…” You mumbled, taking a step back and his grip on you finally loosened. Just for a second though, before he suddenly held your hand and stood up, face inches away from yours, eyes still on you the same way. 

“What’s your deal princess?” 

You gulped, looking away confused when he bent down, to your eye level, looking curious.

“You can't even bring yourself to say ‘sex��� but….” He ran his thumb across your lower lip, rubbing away a speck of foam that somehow seemed to have gotten there. “The way you look at me, there's something a lot darker behind those eyes. Which is the real you?” 

You had no idea. 

You really really had no idea.

Which is the real you?

Staring at the ceiling you pondered over Jeonghan’s question. 

Was it the you who was thoroughly scandalized by the things Jeonghan kept saying and doing? Or the you who was lying on the couch wide awake at nearly 1am, trying to pretend like you weren’t listening to the same man absolutely ruin someone in your bed. You told yourself it wasn’t that you liked it, you were simply curious. As for why you had kept your legs pressed together, you had no answer, you most definitely were not turned on, no. 

But strangely the discomfort between your legs only got worse, like a dull, desperate ache. Hesitating, you slipped your hand under the waistband of your underwear, fingers slowly inching downward, terrified of what you would discover. Your digits slid easily, given the fact that you were soaked, eyes shutting tight in embarrassment. This was so wrong and so inappropriate on so many levels….. quickly getting yourself together you rushed over to the bathroom, washing up, throwing cold water on your face to get you back into your senses. Getting it together and patting your face dry with your towel, you walked out, stepping into complete silence. 

Frowning, you turned to the clock -  usually, Jeonghan went on for hours together, giving you some peace of mind only around 3am in the morning - could they have been done already? Confused, you slowly moved towards the room door, pushing it softly, expecting to find Jeonghan fast asleep. Instead, you’re met with the sight of a woman on all fours, her head pressed into the mattress, muffling her sounds as Jeonghan railed her from behind, his hips snapping against hers at a ridiculous pace. 

Now either you should have run away from there, or screamed and then run away from there but you did neither - instead you simply froze, eyes wide and unblinking, unable to move any part of your body. It became a whole lot worse when Jeonghan, whose face was contorted with focus, suddenly lifted his head, his vision finding you by the door. The only good thing that came from this was that somehow, you found your footing again, stumbling back, loudly shutting the door. Not knowing what else to do, you grabbed your jacket from the coat rack and quickly ran out of the house, ignoring the heavy pitter patter of the rain. Thank god the boys are still sitting at the restaurant, gathered around a table, laughing away. You walked in, ready to cry out of embarrassment and dissolve in your embarrassment. 

“Okay, let’s calm down a little.” Seokmin reached for your glass, prying it out of your hands slowly, earning a glare from you. 

“I need it. I need to drown in my sorrows.” You looked over your shoulder at the lady who was sitting at the table alone, hiccuping at her fourth bottle of beer. “Like her.” 

“What’s the deal with that woman?” Seungkwan muttered looking over. “She’s been here for hours.” 

“Something about her crush being kissed by his best friend.” Soonyoung shrugged. “Apparently the other girl dared her to watch.” 

“Ouch.” You grimaced, thoroughly impressed. “God I wish I could be like that.” 

“You are like that.” Seungkwan pointed at all the bottles of soju in front of you. 

“Not her, the other one.” You clicked your tongue, not hearing the restaurant door opening behind you. “I wish I was daring like that. Gutsy enough to put people in their place, to say what’s on my mind, to tell Yoon Jeonghan to stop fucking other people in my bed-” 

“Would you rather I fuck you?” 

You turned quickly, a chill running down your spine as you found Jeonghan right behind, bent over to whisper into your ear. All three boys before you looked with their jaws hung. Turning away from him, unable to meet his eyes, you mumbled something even you didn’t understand. 

Jeonghan smiled. “Doesn’t sound like a no.” 

“I could barely recognise you.” Seokmin looked at the man before him in awe, glancing over his not so new hairdo. “Black hair looks good on you.” 

“I know.” Jeonghan agreed like it was a matter of fact before turning to you again. “The rain just stopped but looks like it might start again anytime soon, you should come home.” 

You shook your head slowly.

“I’m amazed you know how to refuse.” Jeonghan chuckled. “But now’s not the time to; come home.” 

“No.” You stood up, facing him. “I don’t want to go to your home.” 

“Not mine, yours.” 

“Oh yeah.” You looked at him spacey as Jeonghan tried to stop himself from laughing. “That’s my house. My room. My bed. What the hell are you doing there?” 

“A new woman everyday apparently.” Soonyoung muttered, purposely looking away from Jeonghan. 

“What kind of person does that?” You poked his chest, slurring. “A-and the way you talk to them? Who says things like that?” 

“Okay, we can discuss this at home. It’s 3am, get up-” 

“It’s 3???” Seungkwan quickly turned at the clock on the wall. “Fuck, fuck, fuck we have to close up.” 

The boys quickly got to their feet, one gathering the trash, the other stacking the dishes and the other ushering the only other person in the store to leave. She got up, walking towards the entrance, wantonly tripping on her own feet and holding onto Jeonghan. Something in you wanted to smack her right across the head. 

“Hi,” She fluttered her eyelashes at him. “I’m Yuri.” 

“Hi,” Jeonghan pulled his arm from her grip. “I’m not interested.” He turned to you, blatantly ignoring the other girl’s existence. “Let’s go.” 

You watched as the poor woman, looking close to tears, stormed out as you swayed and muttered. “I can’t. I can barely stand, forget walking.” 

“Get on my back.” Jeonghan offered, making you laugh. 

“Have you seen yourself?” You threw your jacket over your shoulders. “If you carry me, you’ll break. Like literally snap in half.” 

“Huh.” Jeonghan inched closer to you, tucking his hands in his pocket. “There’s so much to teach you princess. Lesson number one, size does not matter.” 

Yet again, you found yourself burning under his gaze, words lost in your mouth which was opening and closing like a fish. Sighing, Jeonghan swooped down faster than you could register his movement, grabbing you by the knees, throwing you over his shoulder. Shrieking, you protested, trying to get him to put you down but he simply ignored you, walking away as your friends watched, thoroughly shocked. 

Within minutes he had you in your house, putting you down in your bathroom, letting you sit on the edge of the bathtub as he grabbed your towel. Standing before you, he tilted your head up, softly rubbing the towel into your hair, drying it. You tried to avoid his eye, looking everywhere but him and that small amused smile on his face, only looking at him when he finally spoke. 

“What’s your name?” 

You scoffed. “You lived in my house for 5 days, ate my food, slept in my bed, and you don’t know my name?” 

“I didn’t think it was necessary.” 

“Why is it necessary now?” 

He smiled. “If you want me to fuck you, I need to know your name princess.” 

“God.” You pulled away from him. “I didn’t say I want you to… to…” 

“There we go again.” He sighed. “The celestial prude returns.” 

“I’m not a prude, don’t call me that.” You pointed an accusatory finger at him. “I’ll have you know I have….” You cleared your throat, the volume of your voice considerably lowering. “I have slept with a man before. More than once. In fact, I have also slept with two men at the same time.” 

Jeonghan raised his eyebrow like he didn’t believe it. 

“Okay fine, one of them was just watching…...” You rolled your eyes. “But there were two, my boyfriend - ex-boyfriend - and his friend-” 

“Did you agree to that?” 

Somehow Jeonghan’s voice was a lot harder now, catching you off guard. 

“Huh?” 

“I asked you if you agreed for your boyfriend’s friend to watch?” 

“I….” You stuttered, looking around. “I didn’t say no.” 

“Princess, you never say no.” Jeonghan crouched before you, looking serious. “But that doesn’t mean it's a yes.” 

You stared at him unsure what to say. That was a night you never thought about again - you always thought it was maybe because you were embarrassed but perhaps…..a part of you was trying to forget it ever happened. 

“You asked me who says the kind of things I do in bed, right? I say them because the women I’m with want me to, they enjoy it. But what you just told me,” Jeonghan shook his head. “Did you want that?” 

“I…I don’t know.” You confess. You didn’t ever question yourself like Jeonghan was. “He didn’t ask and I didn’t think I could say no-” 

“You can always say no.” Jeonghan insisted, holding your hands. “If you don’t want something, you should say no. The same way, if you want something, you should ask for it, unashamed.” 

“Then I… I want you..…” You whispered, unsure whether you should say it, not noticing the way Jeonghan's eyes darkened instantly. Taking a deep breath, you continued. “I want you…. to stop sleeping in my bed. I want you to stop wearing the clothes I design. I want you to stop making me cook for you-”

“Okay wow we’re spiraling-”

“I want you to stop making me clean after you, to stop treating me like your personal assistant, I mean what kind of man doesn’t know how to shave-” 

“The kind who’s always had people to do these things for him so he doesn’t really know how to do anything.” He muttered, sighing. “I’m sorry, I didn’t think of it too much, I should’ve been more mindful of how I was being…. but now that you told me-” He got up. “-I won’t bother you, and on the off chance that I do, and you wish for me to leave, I will do so immediately, I promise.” 

You nodded slowly, both amazed that you managed to get all of that off your chest and that he took it all really well. He continued to look at you like you were both fascinating and funny. 

“What?” 

“You still haven’t told me your name by the way.” 

Half laughing you did and he repeated it, your name rolling off his tongue in a way that made something in your stomach flip. 

“I’m going to grab whatever clothes of yours I can find.” He walked up to the door, turning to you. “Please change, you’ll fall sick if you sleep in wet clothes.” 

With that he left, and that was the last thing you remembered. 

Day 6 of 10 

Today you woke up in the bathtub. 

The twisted form that you slept in obviously resulted in stiff joints and pains all over but it was falling asleep in drenched clothes that caused the continuous sneezing that followed. Dragging yourself out of the bathroom, you slowly walked into your house, meeting a strange silence - Jeonghan wasn’t anywhere to be seen. Feeling too weak to even wonder where he was, you dragged yourself to the couch, sinking into it, eyes fluttering shut. No more than five minutes later, you were awakened by the feeling of a cold hand on your forehead, making you jump at the suddenness. Jeonghan peered at you shaking his head. 

“Great, you’ve got a fever.” He clicked his tongue. “I was gone for two minutes last night and you fell asleep in the tub.” 

“Should’ve woken me up.” 

“Believe me, I tried but you wouldn’t even budge and it wasn’t like I could just carry you out of there.” He turned away muttering as you raised your eyebrows in faux surprise. “Okay, just carrying you once almost broke my back, so yeah, I admit it, I’m weak.” 

You burst out laughing, doubling over into a coughing fit as Jeonghan handed you a bottle of water, smiling almost fondly. 

“What do you want to eat for lunch?” 

“You’re going to make lunch?” 

“Don’t get used to it, only cause you’re sick.” 

You pondered, leaning back into the pillows. “Something hot and with soup would be great actually.” 

“Can you shower and change out of those clothes in the meantime?” 

You whined, shaking your head, body drained of all its energy. 

“Come on.” Jeonghan pulled you up from the couch, struggling as he did. “Wash up.” 

Stumbling to the bathroom, you did, albeit much slower than usual but a hot shower made all the difference in the world. You didn’t want to leave the warmth and maybe you wouldn’t have if the landline wasn’t constantly ringing. Groaning you wrapped a towel around you, dragging yourself to the phone, picking it up. 

“Where the hell is your phone?” Seungkwan scolded you from the other side. “Why won’t you pick up?” 

“On silent somewhere I guess.” You mumbled, looking around. “What’s wrong?” 

“Just wanted to check if you were okay-”

“I’m okay.” 

“-and also wanted to tell you that your dream shop? It’s up for lease.” 

You immediately straightened out, tiredness suddenly vanishing. “You mean the one down two streets? The one I've been waiting to get my hands on for months?” 

“Yes and yes and the price they’ve quoted is actually manageable.” Seungkwan sounded excited. “If us boys add a few thousand each to your 25K, I think you can actually afford it.” 

Your face softened. “You… you guys would do that for me?” 

“Of course, you’re our best friend Y/n, that’s the least we can do.” Twisting the cord of your phone, you glanced at it fondly. “Besides, you're the one who Jeonghan is living with, it's only fair….”

As though on cue, Jeonghan walked in, hands filled with bags, shooting you a surprised look. You looked back at him, both happy and conflicted. While you had been trying to get rid of Jeonghan behind your friend’s backs, they were so willing to go above and beyond for you. And the Jeonghan you so desperately were trying to paint as the big pain in your life, was here, offering to cook and look after you - did that mean you were the terrible one here? 

As Seungkwan hung up citing he had to go, Jeonghan walked up to you, looking worried. 

“All good?” 

“Yeah I just…. My dream might come true and I don’t know how to react.” 

"Dream come true?"He leaned closer, whispering into your ear. “I don't recall actually agreeing to fuck you…”

He looked at your towel clad body up and down, making you gulp and quickly walk away, gripping the material tight, him laughing behind you. 

When you returned in a fresh pair of pajamas to a Jeonghan who was busy bustling away in the kitchen, singing a song softly, he asked what dream you were talking about. 

“There's this space I've wanted to own for a long time now.” You sat down at the breakfast bar, head perched on interlocked hands. “It's up for lease and I might have the money to finally own it.”

“Congratulations princess.” Jeonghan looked up from his busy stirring, shooting you a smile. “That sounds great.” 

You nodded, continuing to feel all too happy. “I still can't believe it, I think I might pass out.” 

“Yes you might after eating this too.” He looked at you frazzled, “I might have added too much spice.”

“Is it that bad….”

You trailed away when he held out a blob of the marinade on his finger, hand extended towards you. Hesitating, you leaned closer, taking his finger in your mouth, lips wrapping around his digit and pulled off with a pop. Your eyes didn't leave him the whole time, neither did his.  

Clearing your throat, you wiped your mouth with the back of your hand.

“It's fine actually, I can take it.” 

Jeonghan didn’t reply to that, simply turning back to his work silently. In the remaining 2 hours he spent cooking and flipping through the cookbook pages, he didn’t talk or so much as look at you. Even when the two of you were eating and you complimented his food, he just gave a short nod. It was only when everything was done and he cleared the table that he finally spoke, telling you to rest for a bit. You told him you were behind a lot of projects and orders and had to work, and that’s when he turned to you exasperated, 

“You’re sick, you can take a day off.” 

“There's nothing else to do anyway.” You mumbled. “And I don’t want to sleep again, I just woke up.” 

Jeonghan hummed, putting away the dishes before turning to you. “Wanna build something?” 

You watched confused as he unpacked the remaining bags he brought home earlier, pulling out boxes of Legos. 

“I wanna make a nice little space for Doljjong.” 

“Who?” You looked around, almost terrified. “Please don’t tell me you brought home a cat-” 

He pulled out a rock from his pocket, looking all too pleased. “Doljjong, my new pet.” 

“That’s a rock.” 

“And?” He looked at it, stroking the soft surface. “I found it while playing football yesterday. Even the kids agreed it was perfect.” 

You burst out laughing at his silliness as he continued to insist how it was the perfect pet and how he had found the perfect Lego sets to build it the perfect small home. 

That’s how most of the remaining day went - the two of you building Doljjong’s new residence. Actually, it was mostly Jeonghan at work, insisting that you were sick and slow and should just watch him. So that’s what you did, leaning against the couch, sipping on the hot tea he made you, munching on the snacks he bought, watching him giggle away, making his creation. 

As the sun began to set outside, you looked at him in the soft golden light, at how simple and ordinary he looked. Maybe you could bear him for another 4 days, maybe you didn’t have to feel so terrified around him. Or perhaps you should feel more scared now that you were comfortable around him…. 

Even as you sat next to him snuggling on your couch with afternoon’s leftovers warmed up for dinner, you could only think about how you kinda wished he was here for longer, which was kind of insane - just a day ago you were desperate to have him out of here but now? Now you had to admit to yourself that the only reason left on the long list of ‘Why Jeonghan Must Go’ was the way he made you feel, even when he was just sitting across you, eating and watching tv. God this was embarrassing….

When you finally put your thoughts behind you, getting ready to sleep in your usual place, Jeonghan offered that you take the bed but you refused, mumbling something about not washing the sheets. Laughing, Jeonghan sat back on his end of the couch, settling with a jacket wrapped around him. 

“You're gonna be here all night?” You looked at him surprised. 

“Yeah.” He shut his eyes, leaning back. “Just in case you need anything.”

“Why?” You glanced at him. “I mean everything today, why did you….” 

“I know what it's like to not have anyone care when you're sick.” Sighing, he turned to look at you. “I've always had people at my beck and call but they always worked for me like it was their job, because I was their boss. It never really felt like any of them cared and sometimes, that hurt. But I've come to terms with that, that's just what it's like in this job.” 

“Why….” You hesitated but decided to take a shot anyway. “Why did you choose this profession then? I mean, what compelled you…” 

“Compelled?” Jeonghan chuckled, looking away and shutting his eyes again. “If you're looking for a good-boy-forced-by-circumstances-to-go-bad kinda story I'm afraid I'm not the one for it, princess.” 

“If it wasn't a compulsion, was it your choice….” 

“I've never really been afraid to ask and get what I want.” He smiled. “Somewhere in that process this is who I became.”

“Is it that easy to just…. go for what you want?”

“It usually is when you don't care about the consequences that may follow so yeah, it has been easy for me.” He paused, like he was mulling over something. “So far.”

Before you could ask him what he meant by that, he leaned over, tucking you properly under the sheets. 

“Enough questions for today. You need rest.” He snuggled further on his end, a small smile dancing on his lips. “Goodnight Y/n.” 

“Goodnight…..Jeonghan.” 

Day 7 of 10

Of all the ways you had imagined, one would think you'd wake up to Jeonghan, this was not one of them. 

He was still fast asleep seated on his end of the couch, head leaned back, mouth slightly askew, his breathing soft and deep. Only noticeable thing was his hand on your thigh like a comforting weight - you vaguely remembered him gently patting you as you broke into a coughing fit in the middle of the night. Dragging yourself to sit up, you continued to stare at him, taking in all the beautiful features - he looked just like he did the day you first saw him. Maybe you would've given in to the temptation and run your finger across the delicate angles of his face if the landline didn't ring so loudly, both pulling you back and waking him up. 

Muttering an apology you quickly picked up the call, only to be met by the even louder voice of your mother. 

“You're sick!?”

“Hi mom, yeah, I was sick.” You mumbled frowning. “….how did you know?” 

“Why didn't you tell me? I would've come, brought you some sides, made you something to eat-” 

“Please stop screaming.” You groaned. “I can hear you just fine.” 

“Don't tell me what to do young woman. How can I not scream when I find out my sick daughter is being taken care of by a boyfriend whose existence I'm not even aware of.” 

You immediately sat up. “W-what?” 

“Yeah, imagine my surprise when Minguk's grandmother told me you weren't well but I wasn't to worry because your ‘very caring boyfriend’ is looking after you well.” 

You looked at Jeonghan who seemed to be able to hear everything given the volume your mother was talking in. 

“Mom I can explain-” 

“Save it. I'm coming home.” 

“Mom-” 

And with that she cut the call, sending your heartbeat racing.

“Fuck fuck fuck-” 

“Calm down princess.” 

“You calm down!” You snapped back stupidly, running your hands through your hair. “I'm sorry, it's just, my mom is…. a hawk. She's going to figure things out-”

“You think she’ll call the cops on me?” 

“No, no that. She hates watching the news, I'm sure she has no idea who you are but she’s definitely going to know we-” you pointed between the two of you. “-aren't a thing.”

“Hey I made your supermart boy believe it.” Jeonghan shrugged, leaning back. “And every old woman in a 2km radius.” 

“Yeah well my mother isn't one of those women. She's hella observant and nosy and most importantly, she knows me. She knows I wouldn't be with someone like you.” 

“Wow,” Jeonghan let out a low whistle. “This is starting to become offensive, princess.”

“No…” You turned to him. “No no no. What I mean is, you're not exactly the gentle, sweet boyfriend kind right? I mean… you know what I mean right?” 

Jeonghan smiled at you like he was enjoying this. “No, I don't.” 

“You do.” You muttered, knowing well that he was pushing you into a spot. “The way you’re with women, it isn’t how boyfriends are really, or at least how my mum would expect my boyfriend to be.” 

“It’s not like I’m going to talk dirty to you in front of her.” 

Feeling the heat in your cheeks rise, you looked away. “No I mean… you just seem so much more….bad boy kinds and I’ve never been the kind to date someone like you, someone who’s not-” 

“A prince wearing a shining armor on a white horse who comes to save the day?” 

Yes exactly that, as evident by the many drawings in your childhood journal but Jeonghan did not need to know that. 

“-someone who’s not very gentlemanly?” 

“So what do you want me to do? Bow to your mother, kiss her hand, ask for your hand in marriage-” 

“I said gentle, not archaic.” You rolled your eyes.

“Do you really want that though?” He turned to you, head cocked in question. “A man who is gentle?”

You tried to avoid his gaze knowing he would read your answer to that like an open book.

“Of course. I'm….I'm a suburban girl with a boring, uneventful life. I…obviously want someone who's soft and sweet and-”

“Show me.” 

You turned to him so fast and so wide eyed, you were sure a vessel had burst somewhere. 

“Show me how you want to be loved.” 

Stuttering and at an absolute loss of words, you continued staring at him stupidly. Chuckling softly, like always, Jeonghan leaned close. 

“If we need to convince your mother, then you're going to have to teach me what you like, princess.” 

Gulping you blinked at him, eyes flickering to his lips. He watched you with raised eyebrows as you hesitatingly mirrored his lean, closing the space between the two of you and gently pressed your mouth onto his. 

Uncharacteristically, Jeonghan froze. 

His sudden stiffness instantly brought you back to your senses, making you pull away, ready to apologise and banish yourself into your room forever but before a word could leave your mouth, Jeonghan quickly captured it again, sighing into the kiss, lips moving unnaturally soft. 

“Well,” He muttered as he drew back and your eyes met his. “When I said show me, I meant show me what you wanted me to do to convince your mother about us? I didn’t think this was a part of that-” 

“Good god.” You groaned, burying your face in your hands and yourself in the couch. What the hell did you just do?

“Hey.” Chuckling, Jeonghan pulled your hands away, looking at you keenly. “Be honest with me though, is this really how you like it?” 

For some reason, the question seemed rhetorical, like he knew the answer already. Not entirely honest, you nodded slowly. 

“Huh.” He leaned closer, like he was challenging your answer. “Do you want to know how I like it?” 

“Yes.” 

You’re not really sure how or why that word left your mouth so quickly but clearly, Jeonghan didn’t care. Before you knew it, he ran his hand up your thigh, pulling you onto his lap with an ease you did not expect from him. 

“Are you sure?” He whispered, tucking your hair behind your ear with one hand, gripping your waist with the other. “You don’t-” 

“Please.” You whispered back and that was all it took for him to hold your face and pull you down onto his mouth, lips ravenous against yours. As your hands fisted the material of his shirt, his slipped in your hair, gripping it in a way that surprisingly didn’t hurt. Rather it felt good, like you wanted him to guide you the way he wanted, the way he liked, in any way he needed you to submit to him. As his hand ran down your back, his tongue slipped into your mouth, tasting like a mistake, a scandal and a terrible decision all at once but somehow you couldn’t stop. Even when he pulled back to breathe, you descended upon him immediately, oxygen be damned because for the first time in forever, something in you was truly alive. Smirking against your lips Jeonghan grabbed your ass, rocking you against him, the outline of his hard length evident under you. You moaned very audibly when he broke away, placing a line of kisses down your neck while your hands, out of their own will, began unbuttoning your shirt.

“Fuck princess, I knew you had a wild side.” He muttered against your skin, tongue running along the bruise he had made. 

You had no idea. You had no idea an animal as hungry as this was inside you - the dull feeling that you had been getting between your legs all these days was turning into a terribly unbearable ache. You could not ignore it anymore. 

“I need you-” You gasped, not expecting his mouth on the swell of your breasts. “I need your help, please Jeong-” 

And perhaps he would’ve helped if not for the sound of the lock turning. 

Your mother stood outside, balancing the bags in her hand, struggling to open the door with her spare set of keys. When she had managed to unlock the door and swing it open, she was met with the sight of her child and her apparent boyfriend sitting side by side expectantly. She however did not notice the mismatched buttoning of your shirt, or Jeonghan’s red, flushed expression or your hand awkwardly covering something on your neck. 

“Mom, you’re here, what a surprise.” Smiling wide and fake, you walked up to the woman setting her bags down on the kitchen counter, frowning at you. 

“I let you know I was coming like half an hour ago.” 

“Right.” You mumbled as Jeonghan joined, standing beside you. Getting a hold of yourself, you moved to stand next to your mother putting some much needed distance between you and the man you were practically dying to jump. “This is uh, Jeonghan. He’s… he’s actually…” 

“The boyfriend.” Jeonghan and your mother answered at the same time, taking each other aback. 

“Well, well.” Your mother looked at him up and down in scrutiny before breaking into a smile. “Something tells me you and I are going to get along great, Jeonghan. I want to hear all about how the two of you met.” 

If there is anything you’ve learnt about Jeonghan today, it was that he was an excellent storyteller. Honestly, you wouldn’t have been surprised if he was one of those people who wrote fanfictions on the internet as a hobby because wow did he have the talent for it. 

As you were putting away all the things your mother bought you and he told her the apparent story of how the two of you met, you too listened in awe, stopping your work and staring at him, amazed. Your mother kept laughing, asking why you were behaving like you were listening to this story for the first time when you actually lived it. Laughing weakly you continued to listen, trying to look less awestruck.

You’re not quite sure how Jeonghan learned the idea of romance within minutes because strangely, the story he made up was nothing short of a fairytale, one that had absolutely convinced your mother. 

“Oh Hannie.” She cooed, rubbing his arm. “I’m so glad my baby found you. There could not have been anyone more perfect.” 

As she looked at you fondly over her shoulder, Jeonghan shot you a triumphant smirk. You returned their looks with a hard smile of your own. 

The rest of the day went pretty the same way - Your mother busied herself with making you some soup and dishes for lunch while Jeonghan stood nearby, entertaining her with his words and stories. Neither of them seemed to notice how you were doing. For one, you were feeling extremely hot - it was a cool day yet you were sweating like crazy, your cheeks were hot, and just the fabric of your clothes touching your skin felt weirdly uncomfortable. You were also strangely jumpy - every time Jeonghan so much as passed by you or his hand accidentally brushed any part of your skin, you would react like you were touched by a few hundred volts of electricity. The worst thing of them all was having to sit next to him during lunch - sure it was easier when you didn’t have to look at him eye to eye but the soft kisses on your cheek and forehead??? The wiping of food on the edge of your mouth??? The constant brushing of your hair away from your face?? It was all getting a little too unbearable. 

And it didn’t help that you were already incredibly wet from your little escapade earlier, your panties sticking to you uncomfortable throughout all of this, only getting wetter if that were even possible.

Jeonghan seemed to have finally noticed your situation way too late in the day. 

After lunch your mom took over the entertainment, showing Jeonghan pictures of you as a kid, telling him all your embarrassing stories. Soon, the sun set outside and usually, your mother, who liked to leave before it was too dark, insisted she wanted to have dinner with her daughter’s boyfriend. That was how the three of you found yourself in your usual bbq place with Seokmin, Seungkwan and Soonyoung, all looking at you, wide eyed. 

Perhaps it was the many hours that she spent with Jeonghan today or watching him interact with your three best friends so casually or looking at him play with the cats in the neighborhood, by the time your tipsy mother made it back to your apartment, she could not stop gushing about how Jeonghan was the best thing that ever happened to you. The praises only stopped when she finally resorted to the bathroom for a long, hot shower, leaving you standing and looking out of the balcony, finally alone, finally at peace. 

That didn’t last for long as Jeonghan stood beside you, trying to figure out what you were so intently staring at. 

“Gotta give it to you.” You scoffed. “I was worried my mom would doubt us but you’re a natural.” 

“It helped that it was you.” 

Confused, you turned to him. 

“I mean, the little demonstration of what you pretend to like and what you really like kinda helped.” He smirked.

Knowing he was trying to put you on the spot again, you looked away, “You think you know everything….” 

“I do. You think I haven’t noticed that you’ve been incredibly turned on since our little make out session?” You froze, unable to take your eyes off the empty street. “I could smell the arousal on you all day princess and quite frankly, it’s been driving me crazy.” 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” You mumbled, trying to leave only to be pulled back as Jeonghan trapped you between him and the railing before you. 

His fingers ran down your arm slowly, “Are you telling me if I were to slip my hand between your legs, I won’t find you soaking wet?” 

“Jeonghan please.” You whispered. “Y-you can’t say such things-” 

“You could admit it….or I could check for myself.” 

It was like the words were stuck in your throat, the shame not letting you say anything. To begin with it was already embarrassing enough to come to terms with the fact that you were immensely attracted to this man, you have been since you laid eyes on him, but to admit that he had you desperate for him all day and wanted him in any and all ways possible? That was entirely a whole other level of mortification. 

Jeonghan let out a breath, muttering in your ear. “I can’t help you if you won’t ask me to.” 

You gulped. “So begging really gets you off huh?” 

“Yes, but you don’t need to.” He smiled, his fingers running across the elastic of your bottoms. “You just need to say the word. Say you want this. Say you want me.”

When you didn’t respond to him despite a whole minute passing by, he let out a deep breath, stepping back with an understanding nod. Given how just that minimal distance between the two of you made your stomach drop, you finally cracked, holding him by the hand, pulling him back to press against your back. Holding your breath you dragged his hand, guiding it once again along the elastic of your pants. 

You couldn’t see but Jeonghan looked at you concerned. “Here?” 

“If you don’t touch me right now I might just cry.” You muttered, thankful you couldn’t see what you assumed would be a triumphant expression, pushing his hand further down, past the hem of your underwear. “Please Jeonghan.” 

Two very long and frustrating heartbeats later, he finally angled his hand, moving further down.

“Fuck.” He groaned as his digits met the slick between your folds. “Were you this soaked all day?” 

You nodded, whispering. “Been aching…...” 

“Trust me, not more than I have.” He moved closer to you, pressing against your back, his erection confirming his words. The thought of potentially feeling that inside you made your mouth practically water, as you pressed your legs closer, squeezing his hand in between them. 

Jeonghan’s finger grazed over your clit, making you keen and hold onto the railing for dear life. 

“Please.” That was all you could say with the way his fingers were teasing your entrance. “Please, please, please-” 

Jeonghan covered your mouth with his free hand, pulling you back against his chest, whispering gruffly. “Save the begging for next time y/n.” 

Next time? 

You gulped, body taut with anticipation, mind still reeling over his words as Jeonghan finally pushed in not one but two fingers at the same time, his thumb grazing over your clit simultaneously, your hand reflexively gripping his wrist. Maybe because you’ve been silently thirsting over this man for almost a week now, or because you have been inexplicably horny all day, or because you just realised that the two of you were quite literally doing this out in the open where anyone could catch you in the act but the moment Jeonghan’s fingers pushed all the way in and he pressed on your clit, your walls clamped around his digits, back arching against him, your moan held back by his hand against your mouth. As your orgasm washed over you in waves, you panted against him, trying to catch your breath, the stars in the night sky suddenly swarming in front of your eyes. 

“Did…” For the first time ever, Jeonghan stuttered, like he was confused. “Did you just cum?” 

Your arousal dripped down his fingers, giving him his answer. 

“That was the hottest thing I’ve ever seen.” He groaned. “or felt, rather.” 

As the pleasurable feeling began to ebb and the embarrassment took over, you tried to pry yourself away from his grip only for him to hold you more firmly, further pushing his fingers in. Overstimulated, your protests came out muffled against his hand, as you unwittingly clamped around him again. 

“Don’t.” He warned, head dipping to the crook of your neck, sighing. “God, you’d feel like heaven around me.” You smiled slightly at his words, just a little proud, making him chuckle. “You like the thought of that, don’t you?” 

Given your new found bravado, you slowly nodded and Jeonghan pulled himself back with resolve. “It’s not very gentlemanly to fuck a woman after making her come just once.” Finally taking his hand off your mouth and sadly also pulling his fingers out you, he turned you around swiftly, pushing you up against the wall behind him. “Give me another one.” He muttered against your ear. 

Although the post orgasm haze and more importantly, the post horny haze was receding and you were suddenly hyper aware that you were out in the open, Jeonghan’s deep voice, as he peppered kisses along your shoulder, “Come on, be good for me.”, made your decision.

 Oh you could be so good for him. 

Threading your fingers in his hair, you pressed yourself up against him, nodding almost too eagerly. Smiling against your skin, Jeonghan slipped his hand between your bodies, sliding his fingers past all the layers of cloth keeping you away from him. You sighed like you were drowning in ecstasy as his fingers found your hole again, wasting no time to push his fingers in, curling almost instantly. When you gasped at the feeling of him grazing that spot, Jeonghan covered your mouth with his free hand once again, pressing you against the wall. 

“Not here.” He warned but his actions seemed to be trying to do the exact opposite, fingers pumping in and out of you fast, your eyes almost rolling back in pleasure. “After this we are going inside and you’re gonna choose where you want to get railed and there, you can scream all you want.” 

You whined, both at the idea of him taking you on nearly every surface of your house and feeling everything inside you tighten once again. Jeonghan’s thumb began circling on your clit once again, making you squirm, knees almost buckling as you gripped his arm hard to steady yourself.

You could hear the sound of a plane flying high above, the beeping of a reversing car from somewhere below, the chatter from your neighbour’s television - somehow all of it exhilarated you. The thought of getting caught with Jeonghan knuckles deep inside you was weirdly, insanely hot…. until you heard the next sound - the bathroom door opening. 

Quickly pulling Jeonghan’s hand from your mouth and pushing him back much to his surprise, you harshly whispered. “My mom!” 

Jeonghan immediately pulled his hand away, giving you just enough time to adjust your pants and smoothen the crinkles on your clothes before your mother walked into the balcony looking for the two of you. 

Yet again, you were both smiling at her, abnormally and unnaturally wide. She frowned but overlooked it, announcing her decision instead. “I’ll need an extra pillow for my back, I’m staying the night.” 

Jeonghan and you exchanged looks at the unexpected news as the older woman narrowed her eyes at the two of you. “Is there a problem?” 

“No….” You tore your eyes away from Jeonghan. “I was just trying to remember where the extra bedding is….” 

“It’s at the bottom of your closet.” He muttered. “I’ll grab it.” 

Jeonghan walked out of there quickly, not meeting your mother’s eyes as she leaned against the railing, looking out, saying something about how it was going to rain like crazy tonight. 

You watched him disappear into the house and were about to turn your attention to your mother when he took a step back, catching your eye. As you raised your eyebrows in question, Jeonghan slipped two of his fingers into his mouth, yeah the two that were inside you moments ago, pulling them out with a pop. Laughing at your mortified expression, he walked away, leaving you with your heartbeat ringing in your ears. 

Tonight was far from over. 

Day 8 of 10 

Much to your disappointment, nothing else happened last night. 

Excusing yourself from your mother, the first thing you did was to shower, hoping you’d feel somewhat less filthy after your escapade in the balcony. Surprisingly, more than feeling scandalized about the madness you had indulged in, you found yourself disappointed that you didn’t get the chance to cum on Jeonghan’s fingers again. Part of you wanted to finish off in the shower by yourself but you knew after Jeonghan, there was no way you could feel the same kind of high in your own - it was him or nothing. 

By the time you had stepped out, Jeonghan had pillows and blankets piled up next to him on the couch and from the room, your mother called out to you. Shooting him a disappointed look which he returned, you retired to your room, sleeping next to her on your bed after a whole damn week. 

That was perhaps why you woke up when it was way past 11 in the morning, body well rested after so long. When you stretched, walking out of your room, you could hear Jeonghan and your mother talking over the sound of what you guessed was them making breakfast. 

“....that experience isolated my poor child.” You frowned hearing your mother’s voice. “After that she quit fashion school, moved away from everything she considered her world till that point-” 

“Mom!” Walking over quickly, you interrupted the conversation. “What are you doing?” 

“Making breakfast.” She shrugged as Jeonghan walked up to you, placing a soft kiss on your temple, rubbing your arm like he sensed you were angry. “And telling Han about that shithead Bohyun-” 

“Mom.” You spoke between gritted teeth. “There’s no need to talk about him early in the morning-” 

“It’s half past 11-” 

“Mom!” Looking at her exasperatedly, you crossed your arms. “Don’t you have to give grandma her medicines, what are you still doing here?” 

“Would you look at that Han?” She looked at Jeonghan, shaking her head. “She’s throwing her own mother out of the house.” 

“What? I’m not-” 

“The disrespect I tell you.” She continued, ignoring you. “When all I wish is the best for her. I told her. I told her back then not to date that boy. If she had listened to me things wouldn’t have been like this-” 

“Okay, that’s it, I’m done here.” Giving up, you turned away, heading to your studio and locked yourself in. You would now do what you always did every time your dreaded ex came across your mind - throw yourself into your work and forget the rest of the world.

In a way, you had to thank your mother for reminding you about that man and consequently pushing you towards your work cause god were you way behind schedule. You knew you were falling behind but you didn’t know it was this bad until you noticed all your deadlines menacingly staring at you from your calendar. Without wasting time, you got back into the mechanical pursuit of your job, the way you usually did when you had a surmount of orders. You only ever stepped out twice, once for lunch and once for dinner, settling for the food your mother had made for you, scarfing it down within minutes before returning to your designs. 

It was only when your shoulders began to miserably ache way past your bedtime that you dragged yourself to the living and found Jeonghan sitting in front of the tv. Surprisingly, you had forgotten all about him in the last many hours, a strange guilt rising in your chest as you sat beside him. Jeonghan did not turn to you as you approached. 

“Are you…” You laughed at the screen. “Are you watching Princess and the Frog?” 

He nodded.

“As a child, I never understood this movie.” You leaned back into the couch. “I always thought the prince was supposed to save the princess. Instead he turned out to be a playboy and dragged her through his miserable fate too.” 

Jeonghan hummed in response. 

“I can’t remember the last time I watched this.” You fiddled with your hands, trying to make conversation. “Seungkwan hates this movie so he never lets us watch during movie nights too.” 

Jeonghan simply hummed again. 

Sighing, you turned to him. “Are you….angry or something?” 

“I’m not angry, just thinking.” 

“About what?” 

“The things your mother told me about you and your past.” Jeonghan let out a deep breath, contemplating for a bit before finally talking. “I don’t understand when people forget themselves in a relationship. It makes no sense to lose yourself in love.” 

“That’s because you’ve never been in love.” You watched the screen as the two animated frogs ran through the forest. “That’s just how it is.” 

“If that’s love then I don’t ever want to be in it.” 

“Yeah well that’s the part that sucks.” You scoffed. “You don’t really get to choose. Love just happens.” 

Jeonghan finally turned to you. “You read too many fairy tales, princess.” 

Smiling at the familiar nickname, you leaned back into the couch. “I did, as a child. I grew up in a world of fairy tales. That’s where I met Bohyun, my ex.” 

Now Jeonghan had all his attention on you. 

“We were re-enacting Sleeping Beauty for a school play - I was Aurora and he was Prince Philip. He was my first kiss, my first love, my first of many things to be honest. We lived in the same neighbourhood, went to the same schools, had the same friends… I even enrolled into fashion school because he wanted to study fashion and I wanted to be with him.” You sighed looking at Jeonghan’s expression. “Yeah I can tell you don’t like that. Honestly, that wasn’t the worst decision I made. I actually really grew to love fashion designing, I can’t imagine myself doing anything else. It’s all the stuff after that I failed to see. Rather, I did see it all but…. I guess I was too much of a coward to do anything about it.” 

Jeonghan waited quietly for you to continue. 

“It started with him disappearing for long hours, then it became days together. On some days he would give explanations and on some days he would in turn scold me for not trusting him? All this went on till the last semester of fashion school when as my mother would have told you, I….found him cheating on me.” 

Jeonghan looked like he expected that outcome. 

“The crazier thing was, I actually begged him to leave her and come back to me. It took a while but he eventually did and I thought everything was back to normal again but something had changed. I refused to see it but he became strangely controlling. He would want to have a say in who my friends were, he didn’t like me hanging out with people he didn't get along with, he became more demanding about….” You gulped, voice dropping a little. “...sex. It was like he knew how much I needed him, like….” 

“He knew you didn’t know how to say no.” Jeonghan completed for you, and you nodded. 

“But then he cheated again, and came back again and then cheated yet again and I took him back again and it just kept going on and on until…. one day he asked me for a lot of money, to help kick start his new business.” You sighed. “Do you remember that dream space I told you about? It was originally my grandmother’s old kimbap shop, one that she gifted me, so I could open my own boutique there one day. I uh sold it, to get him the money he wanted and….he used it to buy his other girlfriend a house.” 

Jeonghan’s jaw tightened like he was mad. 

“After that blow, I quit school and moved away from that neighbourhood to this place, my grandmother’s apartment. Everyone thought I was done with him and was trying to move on but…. I was honestly running away. Because I knew if he came back….”

“You still wouldn’t be able to say no.” 

You nodded. “I am pathetic, aren’t I?” 

“Yeah, a little.” Jeonghan scoffed. “I don’t understand love, and I’ve never been in it, but one would have to be a fool to not be in love with you.” 

You looked at Jeonghan, slightly taken aback. 

“The world is harsh and cold and selfish Y/n. No one thinks about anything beyond themselves. And there’s you, putting the person you love above everything. It’s both pathetic and noble.” Jeonghan turned off the movie as the credits began rolling. “But you cannot put your self respect on the line for assholes like him, you deserve much better than that.” 

“I know.” You sighed. “I wish I knew how to.” 

“By speaking your mind.” Jeonghan stated like it was obvious. “By refusing the things you don’t want. By asking for the things you do want. By talking about how you feel…. Not just when you’re drunk but also in all your senses.” 

Recalling that drunk night in the bathroom you laughed softly. He wasn’t wrong. Things between the two of you had changed drastically since that conversation. A strange gratitude swelled in your heart towards Jeonghan and how though he had been with you for barely a week, he had understood you better than anyone had. Turning him to you, you placed a soft kiss on his mouth, muttering a heartfelt “Thank you.” 

Jeonghan, though, rolled his eyes. “Y/n, I’m not even kidding, my grandmother kisses me like this.” 

You laughed as he reached for you, attempting to pull you into his lap yet again but you beat him to it, clambering in yourself, tucking your hair behind your ear. 

Jeonghan smiled at the sight of you above him. “Hey.” 

“Hi.” 

“Is there something you want?” 

“Yes.” You whispered, taking his face in your hands and kissing him again, this time, slipping your tongue in his mouth. Jeonghan’s lips curled into a smile as he pressed back, breaking free only to softly bite on your lower lip. Sighing dreamily, you rocked your hips against his, guided by his hands. You softly mumbled, holding back a moan. “We didn’t get to finish…. whatever we were doing last night.” 

“And what was that?” 

“.....you know what.” 

“Use your words princess,” His voice went low and gruff, sending a tingle across your groin. “You were far from shy with my fingers inside you.” 

“Don’t….” 

Jeonghan’s hands sneaked under your shirt, more than pleased to not find the hooks of a bra. “Bedroom.”

You shook your head slowly, muttering. “Too far.” 

Chuckling Jeonghan leaned back. “You want me to take you right here?” 

“You said I could choose next time….” 

“I also asked you to beg next time.” He whispered, tongue running over his lower lip, hands dragging you hips along his length. “So tell me you want me to fuck you with my fingers again.” 

“Please.” You gasped. “Just fuck me…  with anything.” 

“Anything…” He repeated amused, before pulling your shirt over your head. No sooner did the material leave you, his mouth descended on your boob, pulling you in, towards him. Threading your fingers in his hair you gripped it as a moan slipped out of you - never in your life had you ever been this obscene but something about doing it with Jeonghan felt like this was the big catharsis of your life, waiting to happen. 

With a swift movement he flipped you onto your back, laying you on the couch, hovering over you. Without wasting any time, you unbuttoned his shirt, fingers moving nimbly, thank god for fashion school. Jeonghan laughed as you attempted to push the fabric off his shoulders, holding your hands by the wrists, pinning it to your chest. 

“Eager aren't we?” He looked at you in a way that could only be described as mocking. “If only you were honest with me from the start we could have been doing this for so long.” 

“I'm sorry-” 

“Shhh.” Head raised, you watched him drag his mouth down your chest, inching closer to your abdomen. “I hate apologies. You either own it or fix it.” 

“How can I fix it?” 

“By telling me what you really want.” Pulling your shorts off your legs, he hovered right above where you were aching once again. 

“I…I don’t know.” Falling back onto the couch, you stared at the ceiling. “I really don't. I just know that I’ve been weirdly winded and uneasy for a long time and it feels like you’re the only one who can help- oh my god.” 

Your eyes widened as you raised yourself on your elbows to see Jeonghan right between your legs, his mouth pressed onto your panties right there. 

“Like this?” He grinned before peppering small kisses on the inside of your thigh. 

When words refused to leave your dried up throat, you nodded slowly, not looking at him. Leaving your hands Jeonghan hooked his fingers on the elastic of your underwear, “Up.” and pulled it down your raised hips. As it joined the rest of your clothes somewhere on the floor, suddenly you were hyper aware of the fact that you were completely bare while Jeonghan was still almost entirely clothed. Reflexively, your legs tried to squeeze shut, but Jeonghan’s hands stopped them, pulling them over his shoulders instead. 

“I wish you could see yourself from my eyes Y/n.” He looked at you, eyes darkened in desire. You probably looked like a flushed, panting mess, completely missing the admiration etched on Jeonghan’s face. 

Aware of Jeonghan and his ability to tease and especially his affinity for begging, you opened your mouth to do just the same but what left it was an unholy moan as Jeonghan descended upon you like he was ravenous. As though just his mouth on your clit wasn’t making you lose your mind, his digits too slipped in, pumping slowly. He must’ve liked it when your fingers automatically threaded into his hair because his groan reverberated against your core making your back arch off the couch in pleasure. 

Oral was completely new territory - you had never gotten or given it, god knows why considering this was clearly the best thing that has ever happened to you. As discussed yesterday, you let every sound leave your mouth freely, unbothered about the neighbours or people living around. Frankly it could be the end of the world and you wouldn’t care, not with what Jeonghan’s tongue was doing inside you. He too seemed to enjoy your audible reactions and the way it told him just how you liked it, his fingers and mouth taking turns to manhandle you. 

“Jeonghan fu-fuck, right there.” You nearly sobbed as his fingers found your sweet spot, the one that made your toes quite literally curl. 

“Don’t cum Y/n, I don’t want to be done just yet.” 

Well then he should have behaved like it because seconds after he said that you felt that tightening coil in you snap as you embarrassingly loudly, came on his tongue, riding it out against his mouth. Licking his lips Jeonghan pulled himself away from your legs, hovering above you once more, kissing you again. The taste of you in his mouth felt sinful but you let yourself be carried away by it as his hand ran up your thigh seductively before grabbing your more petite hand, placing it right where he was rock hard. As your mouth practically watered at how long and heavy he felt in your hands, Jeonghan buried his face in the crook of your neck, leaving little bite marks of red. 

“I thought gentlemen didn’t make a woman cum just once.” You muttered, gripping his erection the best you could in that angle and over his sweats. 

Jeonghan hissed, his voice dropping an octave. “I thought you didn’t want anything gentle?” 

“I….I don’t.” You confessed out loud for the first time. “Do whatever you want, I can take it.” 

Jeonghan raised his eyebrows both pleased and impressed as his fingers toyed with the slick dripping between your folds. Eyes shut tight, you waited to feel him ravage you once again instead, you were met with the sound of a loud knock on your door. 

Both Jeonghan and you looked at each other wondering if that was just imagination till another knock pulled you to your senses. 

“Please don’t tell me that’s your mother again.” Jeonghan quickly sat up, hands moving to button himself up. 

“I hope not.” You got off the couch hurriedly, grabbed your clothes from the floor and quickly threw them on, smoothing out your hair. Jeonghan walked up to the door, waiting with his hand on the handle for you to look decent as you and your wobbly self tried to keep it together. The moment you pulled your shirt over your head and adjusted your shorts, Jeonghan opened the door and your heart dropped to your stomach. 

Standing at the entrance was a young woman dressed in an unbelievably tight black dress, her hair held up by a high ponytail as she blew her baby pink bubblegum. She looked up from her phone at you then at the door number as though she was confirming if she was in the right place. You knew exactly why she was here and for whom. 

Unable to comprehend how exactly to react in this situation, you grabbed your jacket from the stand and walked past Jeonghan, harshly pulling away from his attempt to hold you back. Not even glancing back, you disappeared into the night doing what you did best - running away. 

“Y/n.” 

When you opened your eyes you were met with the sight of Jeonghan’s face high above, upside down. 

“Oh my god.” You gasped slowly. “Your mouth is on your forehead and your eyes are on your chin.”

“And you’re clearly drunk. Again.” He walked around, lying down on the grass beside you. “Which means it's time for both stupidity and honesty.” 

You turned your head towards him. “Did you just call me stupid?” 

Jeonghan mirrored you. “I also called you honest.” 

“Hmm. Then I'll be honest. I don't want to talk to you.” 

“Do you want me to go then?” 

“No.” You sighed. “I don't want you to go… to her.” 

“She's gone. I sent her away the moment you left.”

“Why did it take you so long to come to me then?” You pouted as Jeonghan laughed. 

“I thought you'd be at the restaurant. I didn't expect to find you lying in the middle of the football field.” 

In all fairness, that was a valid point - you didn't want to face the boys right now so you purchased a few bottles of soju from the supermarket which were now lying empty around you. 

“Why did she come?”

“I didn’t call anyone today.” He sighed. “It’s just, the instruction was for a new one to come every night. They came the last two nights too, I sent them away, just like I did today.”

“Why?” 

“Because…. Because we,” Jeonghan cleared his throat. “I mean you and I-” 

“Why do you need a new girl every night?” 

“I'm not sure.” Jeonghan turned away, staring at the stars. “I guess I'm just…  looking for a human connection with someone.” 

“Like that?” You scoffed. “By sleeping with someone new everyday?” 

“I don’t know Y/n, I don't even know how what I’m searching for feels. Perhaps I’m just looking for someone who makes me feel….. Normal? Like I’m worthy of being cared for.” 

“Did you manage to find anyone…. who makes you feel like that?” 

Jeonghan turned to you with a small smile, eyes roaming over your features. “Yes but ironically, not by sleeping with them.” 

You hummed, pausing for a silent minute. 

“Did you never want to try and find that with me?” Eyes big and curious you turned to him. “Did you never want to sleep with me?” 

“I did. From the moment I laid my eyes on you.” Jeonghan recalled the first ever words he said to you. I love you. Maybe he didn't just say it out of relief. Maybe a part of him subconsciously knew this was it. You were it. “But you quite literally kept running away from me. Hell, you couldn't even say the word ‘sex'-”

“I want to have sex with you.” You sat up in a flash. “Jeonghan I really do want to have sex with you-” 

“You're drunk.” Jeonghan chuckled. “Sober you may not want the same thing-” 

“It does. Every me wants this. Jeonghan-” To his complete surprise, you climbed onto him, straddling him around the waist, palms planted on his chest. “-I'm serious. Didn't you say I was honest when I'm drunk?” 

“I also said you were stupid when drunk.” He tucked your hair behind your ear fondly. “It won’t be right to do anything now.” 

“Fine. I’ll be sober by the morning and ask you first thing when I wake up, do you promise to fuck me right here?” 

“Out here? Ok that’s a bit much even for me.” Jeonghan laughed. “You’re a lot wilder than I anticipated, princess.” 

“Ugh.” You groaned, lying down on his chest, eyes fluttering shut from the tiredness. “I think you bring out the worst in me.” 

“But somehow you bring out the best in me.” Jeonghan stroked your head softly. “I can't remember the last time I felt this free and happy. Strangely, I think I've grown to like this little domestic life with you. The cooking, the shopping, the grandmas, the kids, your mom…..does it all have to end in 2 days?” 

When he didn’t get a response, Jeonghan glanced down only to find you fast asleep, mouth slightly open. Laughing silently he wrapped his arms around you, holding you close against his chest as he too dozed off into a peaceful slumber.  

Day 9 of 10 

You woke up to the feeling of harsh sunlight on your face which was not unusual given you always slept next to the window. What was unusual was waking up in the middle of the football field wrapped in Jeonghan's arms.

You're fully awake in the blink of an eye, mortified by the thought of people having seen the two of you, although no one seemed to be around as far as the eye could see.

“Good morning princess.” Jeonghan yawned, slowly waking up, his arms loosening around you. Taking the chance you slid off him, mumbling a small “morning.” in reply.

Jeonghan snickered, glancing at you. “Someone's definitely sober.” 

“We should go….before someone sees us.” 

As you looked around trying to spot any unwelcome viewers, Jeonghan raised himself on his elbow, looking down at you. 

“Last night you didn't seem to care.” 

“Jeonghan….” His finger traced down your arm seductively. “Please let's go home.” 

Reading into your urgency, Jeonghan nodded, pulling you up to your feet. As the two of you walked away, his hand was still interlocked in yours. 

The streets near your house somehow looked more alive today. Suddenly everyone you knew was out on the street, waving you hi, wishing you good morning, smiling slightly at the sight of the two of you walking hand in hand. Seokmin, Seungkwan and Soonyoung, who normally only turned up in the evening for their shift after classes, were also standing outside the restaurant, looking at the two of you quizzically. As Jeonghan spotted them he let your hand go, greeting them with a nod before glancing at the convenience store. 

“I’m gonna grab breakfast.” He stepped back. “We’re going to need our energy for what’s coming.”

As he walked off with a wink and you tried to suppress your excited smile, the boys jogged up to you, gathering around. 

“Did I just see you two hold hands?” Soonyoung poked your arm with a smirk. 

“Soonyoung later.” Seungkwan shut him up. “Y/n, you have Jeonghan’s phone right?” 

“H-his phone?” You shook your head. “Not right now. It’s in the drawer of the tv cabinet…. I think?” 

“Well we gotta message that guy, assistant 1, remind him to keep the money ready.” 

You blinked like all the words he said just went over your head. 

Seungkwan looked at you pointedly, “Tomorrow is the tenth day Y/n, remember what we’re doing all this for?” 

“Are you okay?” Seokmin glanced at you lost in thought. 

No, no you did not think you were okay. 

“No.” 

That was the first word that left you the moment you entered your house and Jeonghan closed the door behind you. 

“I mean, you were right. Sober me doesn’t want the same thing.” 

Jeonghan looked at you trying not to show the surprise and confusion on his face. You, on the other hand, finally had clarity - this was Jeonghan. Mafia boss Yoon Jeonghan. The man who was on the run from the cops, the man who you were in fact holding for a ransom, the man who will be gone in a day. This wasn’t you - sleeping with a man because you couldn’t keep it in your pants. You had no idea why you were behaving like this. 

“Jeonghan, I'm a relationship kind of girl. I can’t sleep with someone who…. Who isn’t a permanent part of my life. Who’s just…. in it for one night.” 

“What?” 

“Jeonghan you’re the kind who needs a new woman every night and I’m not interested in being a part of that long list-”

“Did you not hear a word I said last night?” 

“You told me to learn how to say no.” You raised your hands. “I’ve learnt it and this is me saying no. “ You let out a deep, determined breath. “I don’t want this.” 

Jeonghan stared at you for a minute before his eyes fell to the floor. 

“If that’s what you want.” 

And with that he walked past you, finishing everything just as easily as it started. 

Strangely, the rest of the day, Jeonghan didn’t behave any differently than he usually did. You expected him to be mad or at least upset but quite frankly, he seemed unbothered. You did notice though that he ordered his own food for lunch and seemed particularly cautious about how he was around you in your personal space. Gone was the Jeonghan who liked to lean in to say the simplest of things. 

His lack of botheration though, particularly bothered you. From the things he had said and the way he had behaved, it seemed like he wanted you as much as you wanted him so how was it so easy for him to put so much distance between the two of you when it was excruciatingly painful for you to stay even a foot away from him? How was he able to be so calm and casual, like you didn’t just completely cast him aside? How did it not matter to him that you didn’t want him to be a part of your life? 

It was because of all this consistent overthinking that you could only manage to keep yourself away from Jeonghan for about five hours, till around sunset. Finding a pack of condoms in the bag of food he brought from the supermarket was probably what finally set you off. 

“What is wrong with you?” You threw the pack onto the couch beside him.

Jeonghan glanced at the pack, then at you. “Based on last night’s conversation, I assumed certain things about today, so I thought that was a sensible purchase.” 

“Exactly, why aren’t you more upset?” You crossed your arms. “I told you I wanted to last night, you even prepared for it, then in the very last second, I said no-” 

“That’s exactly why I’m not upset.” Sighing, Jeonghan stood. “Y/n, I’m glad you said no. I’m happy you learnt to say it. I couldn't care less that I’m the first victim of this newfound voice, I’m just happy you found it.” 

You blinked at him.

“I know you’re thinking about the future and that’s fair. I don’t know how long I can be here or if I will be forced to be on the run again, or what really is in store for me but I’m just happy that even if I’m not there, you will be able to respect yourself the way I do. That you won’t compromise with what you want for what others want from you-” 

Strangely overwhelmed, you pulled him by his shirt and claimed his breath with a kiss. Almost instantly, Jeonghan kissed you back, hands gripping your waist, mouth ravenously capturing yours like the five hours you were apart were unbearable for him too. 

“Wait.” He pulled back when the loss of breath somehow brought him back to his senses. “Y/n what-” 

“Fuck me Jeonghan.” 

“Didn’t you say-” 

“I take it back.” 

“Y/n.” Jeonghan pulled away, holding you at an arm's distance. “Don’t do things you’ll regret.” 

“But I want this.” You kissed him again, muttering against his mouth. “I want you.” 

Jeonghan clearly, if anything, was a man. The moment you whispered a soft please, grinding your hip against his, he smashed his lips onto yours again, refusing to break away even though the two of you could barely find footing as you stumbled to your room. He only parted when the back of his knees hit your bed, forcing him to sit down and he looked up at you between the tresses falling into his eyes. You pushed it back, running the back of your hand along his cheek. 

“I wish the world looked at me the way you do.” 

“If anyone else looked at you this way,” Jeonghan raised his eyebrows. “I’m afraid it's going to be the last thing they ever look at.” 

You laughed rolling your eyes. “A little admiration isn’t a crime.” 

“If admiration is what you want, then I shall bend the will of every man in the city into doing so.” He smirked, attempting to bite your fingers lingering by his lips. “Let me properly show you mine first.” 

As he tugged on your shirt you obediently pulled it over your head as he stripped out of his own. It wasn’t the first time the two of you were seeing each other shirtless but there was a strange charged energy rippling between you now, one that was almost impossible to ignore. As you bent down to kiss him again, his hands found the hooks of your bra, unclasping them as you quickly dragged it down your arms, tossing it somewhere. His hand ran up the insides of your thigh, a jolt running through you when his fingers grazed over your clit. As you gasped, he took the chance to pull you closer by the leg, running his mouth below your belly button. 

“Jeonghan, haven’t we had enough foreplay?” You sighed, throwing your head back as he marked your skin, slowly pulling both your shorts and underwear in one go. “We’ve been doing this for days, let’s just get to it please.” 

“To what?” Feigning innocence he smirked, running his tongue along his teeth. 

“Fucking.” You pushed him back into the bed. “Fuck me Jeonghan. Properly. Your dick inside me kinds.”

Jeonghan raised himself on his elbows, laughing. “Look at you, using your big girl words.” 

Kicking off the rest of your clothes, you attempted to straddle him when he pulled you into the mattress and in a flash, you were lying on the bed and he was towering over you instead. Sticking his hand in his pocket, he pulled out a condom and threw it at you. 

“Open it.” 

Holding the wrapper between your teeth, you ripped it open as fast as you could, earning a tutting noise from Jeonghan. 

“Y/n, you could make a hole like that.” 

You stared at him blankly, like you were supposed to understand what he was saying when he was standing there with his pants discarded, stroking himself. Your mouth was in a strange combination of being dry but also somehow almost drooling. Almost the same way you wanted him both in your mouth and rearranging your organs down under, all at once. Jeonghan chuckled at your inability to function as he gently grabbed the latex from you and rolled it over his length. You shouldn’t have expressed so much eagerness to have him fuck you - you could’ve felt every vein and ridge you were seeing in your mouth first but that thought dissipated the moment Jeonghan hovered over you, grabbing you by the jaw. Almost reflexively, your mouth opened for him, allowing him to slide his thumb in as you earnestly sucked it, hoping his smirk would turn into the hunger to feel your lips around him. As much as Jeonghan did tell you to ask for what you want, you had a feeling if you told him just how desperate you were to have him fuck your mouth, he would never let you live it down. 

“I know what you want.” Jeonghan spoke under his breath as his hand trailed down your body, slipping between your legs. “But I want this a lot more. Is that okay?” 

Okay? You nodded immediately - it was absolutely okay. You just wanted to be full of him one way or another. Jeonghan shook his head.

“Words baby.” He slid his thumb in, almost embarrassingly easily, as he stared at his finger disappear inside you. “Although this is telltale, we will do whatever you want.” He leaned over, pressing his forehead against yours. “I’ll give you whatever you want.” 

“You.” You breathed out, “However, wherever-” 

And the words died on your tongue when he swiftly pulled his finger out and immediately entered you, gently pushing in till he bottomed out. Chest heaving, you could feel yourself panting as your body tried to adjust to his girth. Jeonghan groaned into your ear as your walls fluttered around him, still getting accustomed to the stretch. 

“I knew you’d feel good.” 

“Y-yeah?”

“You feel fucking perfect.” Jeonghan pulled back just a little, his hips setting a slow rhythm. “I could be in you forever.”

Before a proud smile could even fully form on your face, Jeonghan picked up the pace, making your lips part with a moan. 

“I….Oh god.” You whined, trying to find your words in between his continuous strokes. “I….. didn’t think you were a missionary kind of guy.” 

Jeonghan chuckled as he ran his hand down your leg and pulled your knee up so he could grip your thigh. “I want to see you cum.” Sighing, he bit on your lower lip, tugging it between his teeth. “I want to see how I make you feel.” 

“So fucking good.” You muttered against his mouth, finding your hips moving against his on their own accord. You wanted to make him feel good so you wrapped your legs around his waist and ran your nails down his back and wow did that work like a charm because Jeonghan’s rhythm instantly faltered, as did his grip on your thigh, surely bruising it. 

“Oh Y/n,” He slipped his hand between your bodies, fingers finding your clit when you groaned at the touch. “I can play the game too.” 

“Whatever you do, just- fuck.” You squirmed as Jeonghan seemed to have the perfect combination of thrusts and rubbing circles. “Just don’t stop.” 

“Never.” He groaned, continuing to make you fall apart as you felt your back arch off the mattress, toes curling in pleasure. Jeonghan latched his mouth on your bared neck, muttering, “Yes, yes cum for me.” 

And you did, finally, after days of desiring to be railed by this man, you came around him, body keening under his weight, eyes nearly rolling back. As you slowly panted back to reality, Jeonghan, who had long pulled out of you and rolled off you onto his side, was looking at you intently. Embarrassed that this was not the first but the second time he managed to break you in minutes, you covered your face with your hands, earning Jeonghan’s laugh. 

“Why are you hiding?” He tried to pry your hands away, only to fail. “I didn’t think it was possible for you to look more pretty but fuck you looked so beautful when you came.” 

“Jeonghan please….”  

“Please what?” He chuckled, shifting beside you. “I’ve seen all there is to.”

You shook your head, choosing the darkness over meeting his eyes when suddenly, you felt him crawl between your legs and his mouth descend on you as he spread them apart. Considering how sensitive you were, your hands immediately flew to his head, eyes widening as he licked your arousal, looking at you victoriously. 

“I can’t….” You muttered and he pulled away, licking his lips, sitting back on his heels. Eyes running over his flushed face and body, you noticed the marks of your nail on his bicep, and also the fact that he was still hard as ever. 

“You didn’t finish.” You sat up, crossing your legs, only just realizing.

“I usually need a lot more than a few minutes to finish.” He pursed his lips but you knew he was trying to hold back a smile. A mocking one, at how easily you seemed to cum. 

“Then let’s go again.” You cocked your head. “…. On one condition.” 

“And what is that?” 

You let out a deep breath. “Take off your condom.” 

Jeonghan’s eyebrows shot up. “You can’t be serious.” 

“Considering you sleep with a new woman every night, I’m guessing you always use protection.” 

“Always, that's an unsaid rule” 

“But I’m not them, so their rules can’t apply to me.” It was your turn to smirk. “We’ll see how long you last when you fuck me raw.” 

“Look at you, challenging me.” Jeonghan smiled like he was proud. “But it's not safe Y/n-” 

“What’s life without a little recklessness?” You rolled your eyes earning Jeonghan’s laugh. “Besides, that condom probably already has a hole from my teeth so-” 

“So I’ll grab another one.” 

“Yoon Jeonghan, if you leave this bed, this ends.” You crossed your arms. “Your choice.” 

“You’re not giving me much of a choice really.” 

“I know.” You grinned. “Now might also be a good time to add that though I might not be one of your regular nightly encounters, you should know that I heard you almost every night.” You let your voice go softer. “And I liked it….. A lot.” 

Finally, finally, Jeonghan’s expression darkened the way you wanted it to. “I suspected.” 

“And I’m confirming.” You shrugged. “And by the way, I also have an IUD so I’m not sure what you’re waiting for.” 

Jeonghan paused for a minute before he finally spoke. “On your knees.” 

You shook your head, extending your hand and pulling his condom off, tossing the latex in a nearby bin. “In my mouth.” 

“I don’t think so, princess.” Jeonghan not so gently pushed you back into the mattress, your back barely hitting it before he flipped you over and pulled you onto your knees. “I prefer blowjobs as a wake up call. This time of the night, I like to prove bratty girls wrong.” 

You laughed, looking over your shoulder. “But I want to see your face when I prove you wrong.” 

Knowing exactly what you wanted, Jeonnghan sighed before lying down on his back next to you, allowing you to move over and straddle him. 

“My bet is 9 minutes.” You ran your hand down his chest. “I don’t think you can last till double digits.” 

“We both know you won’t last even half of that Y/n-” He smirked. “-given your track record.” 

Deciding to prove him wrong with actions not words, you aligned his tip under you and sank down his length with a slow, deep moan. The stretch in this new angle felt different but it also let you take him further in, deeper than you had even imagined it was possible. 

Maybe Jeonghan was right about you breaking first. Given the way he made you feel so full, the way you felt every inch of his bare length in your insides, you knew it was only a matter of time. 

Or maybe not. Evidently, this was the first time Jeonghan was ever fucking someone raw. You could tell by the way he sounded with every drag of your walls against his dick - the struggling breathy moans that he was trying not to let out as you picked up the pace. 

You knew if you chose to grind your hips against his, it would help reach those spots in you a whole lot better, sending waves of pleasure through your body but you were determined to make Jeonghan cum first. That’s why you supported yourself with your palms on his chest, moving your hips up and down along his length and momentarily, Jeonghan gripped your waist tight, encouraging you to move just like that. At least until he realised he was getting too close to cumming and too close to losing. Changing strategy, he grabbed and squeezed your boobs instead, trying to ignore his own approaching high. When you responded with a whimper, satisfied, he dragged his hand down, bringing attention to your ignored clit. 

“That’s cheating.” You panted, throwing your head back, feeling the coil tighten in your stomach. 

Jeonghan snickered, shaking his head, refusing to stop his ministrations. If there was one thing he always took pride in, it was his ability to capitalize on every woman’s weakness - her clit. 

Though you were feeling your legs shake and your arms were struggling to hold your weight, you didn’t stop, ignoring your breaths which were getting fast and shallow. 

Jeonghan however, immediately picked up on it, reaching for your wrist and pulling you, making you fall over, onto him. 

“Hey,” He tried to get a good look at your face. “You okay?” 

“Tired.” You mumbled. “I’ve never been on top.” 

“Let me.” He whispered, dropping a kiss on your cheek as you nodded. 

Grabbing your ass with both his hands he raised it, guiding your movements and snapping his hips up at the same time. You on the other hand, let him have his way with you, busying yourself, alternating leaving marks all over his neck and shoulder and moaning sweetly into his ear. Both things seemed to rile him effectively as his pace became merciless and erratic, pounding into you the way you had only dreamed of for days. With a few more rough thrusts, you felt your walls tighten around him as the coil in you finally snapped and thanks to your tight constriction around his length, Jeonghan too came inside you, ropes of white filling you as he groaned in your ear. 

As the two of you slowly came down from your high, Jeonghan wrapped his arms around you, dropping a sweet kiss in your hair. You snuggled into his neck, ignoring the feeling of your mixed releases leaking out of you. 

“That was definitely more than 9 minutes.” Jeonghan pointed out. 

“I lasted more than half.” 

“So neither of us won?” Jeonghan hummed.

You pulled yourself up, looking at him. “Or maybe…. we need round three to decide.” 

“You read my mind.” He smirked, quickly flipping you onto your back, ignoring your shriek of surprise as he hovered over you. The night was still so so young.

Day 10 of 10 

By the time you came around, the night had passed and the sun had begun to rise. No wonder it felt a whole lot warmer even though you were butt naked, covered by just a thin blanket thrown over you. It was the morning sun and also Jeonghan, who was comfortably snuggled in your arms, his breath soft against the crook of your neck. As you shifted from him just a little, trying to glance at his beautiful face, he pulled away, grumbling as he rolled onto his back, still fast asleep. Raising yourself on your elbow, you glanced at him. 

Last night was…..something. You never really admitted to yourself in the last few days that you had thought about sleeping with Jeonghan a few hundred times, but now you did and you also had to admit that it was nowhere how you thought it would have gone. Maybe rounds two, three, four and how many ever that followed did match up to that but somehow, it was round one that was playing in your mind. The unexpected softness from him, the way he was looking into your eyes….. It all felt a bit strange. Like it was something you would do. 

On the other hand, the wild person you expected Jeonghan to be, ended up coming out of you. The kinds of things you said? The kinds of things you did? It was so uncharacteristic yet….. It didn’t feel wrong. In fact, in a very long time, you were feeling strangely liberated. Like there was no fairytale ending written for you and surprisingly you didn’t mind that. 

But speaking of happy endings…..

You determinedly pulled away your blanket covering Jeonghan, glancing at how his boxers were on again. Maybe he put them on after you had promptly passed out last night, completely worn out and exhausted, just the way he seemed to have cleaned you up before tucking you in. Pulling your hair up into a bun, you got between his legs, pulling down the elastic of his underwear, taking his dick into your hands. Surprisingly, Jeonghan didn’t stir awake, or even move an inch so you promptly began stroking it, quickening your movements, especially when you slowly felt him harden under your touch. It was only when you spat in your hand and began to jerk him off more steadily that he finally came around, eyes slowly blinking open. 

“First thing in the morning?” He smiled sleepily. “You’re insatiable.” 

“Rise and shine.” You grinned. “Someone said something about a wake up call.” 

“I said I’d like your mouth.” He tucked his hand below his head looking at you with what you could only comprehend as a mix of lust and fondness. 

Smiling, you got down on your stomach, wrapping your mouth around his tip eliciting a shaky breath from him. You pulled back with a wet pop and the lick of the lips. “And it's all yours.” 

Jeonghan chuckled, whispering, “You’re going to be the end of me princess.” 

Little did he know.... you actually were. 

The warm water on your skin was much needed after an unexpectedly long morning. Actually, it was very much expected considering the way you woke Jeonghan up. It was only natural that he would return the favor to the best of his abilities and that somehow spiraled from one thing to another, causing morning to turn into afternoon. Your stomach let out a low rumble, reminding you that you were hungry and that you should have put water to boil so you could make some ramyeon for lunch. You knew Jeonghan particularly enjoyed soggy noodles and it was also the quickest meal you could have given how much energy was exhausted in the last 12 or so hours.

As you stepped out of the shower, dried yourself and slipped into a comfortable pair of clothes, conspicuously leaving the top two buttons open, you found Jeonghan standing in the kitchen behind the stove. 

“You put the water to boil?” You smiled relieved. “Thank god-” 

“You kidnapped me?” Jeonghan turned to you, eyes flashing the pain of betrayal. In his hand was his phone, the one you had safely stashed in the drawer and on the screen was a message from his assistant. One that said the money in exchange for Jeonghan was ready. “All these days, you let me stay in your house because you were holding me for ransom?” 

“Jeonghan I know what it looks like and I can explain-” 

“All this for what? To buy your grandmother’s shop again?” 

“No….” You stepped up shaking your head. “I didn’t even know about the shop till you were with me. Jeonghan, I didn’t do this for money-” 

“I should have known when your mother said she had no brother.” Jeonghan shook his head like he couldn’t believe himself. “Keeping me here as a twisted revenge for your incarcerated uncle, why did I overlook how stupid that was?”

“Okay that was a lie, but I didn’t make it up.” You tried to hold his hand, but he pulled away hurtfully. “Jeonghan, it was the boys…. I just went with whatever they told me to do. Things just turned out this way, none of us planned for it to happen and…. I wasn’t going to go through with this plan anyways, I was going to call it off today-” 

“Why?” Jeonghan looked at you impassively. “What changed in 10 days?” 

You blinked at him, words lost. “I….. I got to know you. I saw who you could be if you distanced yourself from all that crime and lived a normal life. I always believe people deserve a second chance and I thought so do you. And we didn’t even get a first chance-” 

You turned at the sound of the doorbell before glancing at the clock. A part of you wanted to ignore it and clear the air with Jeonghan but when it rang urgently again, you sighed, turning to him. 

“I think it’s the boys, I’m sorry, just give me a second.” 

Rushing, you half ran over to the door quickly opening it, shaking your head. “Guys, things are a mess-” 

But it seemed like the bigger mess had in fact just arrived. Standing before you was the one person you did not want to see, especially now - Bohyun. 

“W-what are you doing here? And how did you even find me?” 

Uninvited, Bohyun stepped in walking past you. “Your mother….” He turned to you, clearing his throat. “I assumed when you left that you had gone overseas, to Paris maybe, your dream city. But your mother said she met you and your new boyfriend so I figured you were in town and considering how your grandmother moved in with your mom, I guessed that you would be here.” He looked at you painfully. “Is… Is it true? Do you actually have a boyfriend now?” 

“Bohyun….” You ran your fingers through your hair stressed. There was too much going on at once. Your past and your potential future were at crossroads you had never imagined. “I don’t know what to tell you-” 

“Maybe try telling the truth Y/n.” Jeonghan walked out of the kitchen, his hands stuffed in his pockets. “Don’t you think it’s time?” 

“You….” Bohyun’s eyes widened as they fell on Jeonghan and he immediately stepped back, pulling you behind him. “You’re Yoon Jeonghan.” 

“Finally.” Jeonghan scoffed. “Someone knows.” 

“Y/n, I don’t know what this man has been telling you but he is a criminal.” Bohyun looked at you over his shoulder. “His posters are all over the city, he’s wanted by the cops-” 

“She knows.” Jeonghan's voice shook, just a little. “She knows exactly who I am and exactly what I’m worth.” 

“Jeonghan please-” 

“You know?” Bohyun turned to you, shocked. “You know who he is and you chose to be with him?” 

“Bohyun…. y-you have no idea what’s going on here.” 

“Oh I do.” He let out a breath like this was all ridiculous. “You’re so desperate for a man, that you would throw yourself at literally anyone-” 

And before he could ever complete that sentence, Jeonghan turned him by the shoulder and landed a hard punch straight at his jaw.

“Jeonghan!” 

As Bohyun stumbled, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth, he snarled at the other man, throwing a punch on his own, straight in his midriff, making him buckle over. As the two men furiously threw hands, bruising and bleeding, you stood frozen, unable to watch them or stop them. Before you knew it though, within minutes, Jeonghan had Bohyun on his knees, the latter struggling to keep his eyes open, just one blow away from being knocked out. As Jeonghan raised his hand, you quickly put yourself between the two men. 

“Jeonghan no.” 

“Did you not hear the way he spoke about you?” He looked uncharacteristically furious, breathing hard. “How dare he-” 

“That’s between Bohyun and I. You shouldn’t have come in between.” 

Jeonghan lowered his hand, looking at you like he was jolted. Standing up staggering, Bohyun wiped the blood from his mouth, hissing.

“You heard her. Clearly, she picks me.” He smiled victoriously. “The only place you belong is in jail, you bastard, where the fuck is my phone-” 

“Y/n, after all he’s done to you, you’re really siding with him?” 

“Jeonghan, I think you should leave.” Your voice left you in a soft whisper as he looked at you unbelievably hurt. “Please just…. it’s best that you go.” 

Tearing his eyes away from you, Jeonghan let out a shaky breath before slowly nodding. “If that’s what you want.” 

And with that, without so much as sparing you a glance, he walked past you and out of your house as you watched him disappearing from your sight. When you finally let out the breath you were holding, Bohyun put his arm around your shoulder. 

“I knew you still loved me.” He rubbed your arm. “You and I were always meant to be, sweetheart.” 

Tongue in your cheek you sighed before removing Bohyun’s arm from around you. Turning to him, with everything you had in your being, you slapped him right across the face. Bohyun stumbled at the impact, looking shell shocked. 

“The only thing you and I are, is over.” You spat, the words bitter in your mouth. “How could you even think of coming back to me?” 

“Babe-” 

“Don't call me that.” You pushed him away. “You're right. I always did choose you. I always put you above me, but you? Forget loving me, you didn't have the minimum decency to respect me.”

“Y/n, I said sorry, I really am sorry.”

“Me too.” You stood your ground. “I’m sorry to myself. I'm sorry I gave you the chance to push me around like this. I'm sorry I didn't stand up for myself sooner. But I'm done now. I won't be making the same mistakes.”

“Y/n….” Bohyun held your arm softer than he ever had in the many years you were together. “I know I was wrong. The last few months without you weren't the same, I realised how bad I was to you and how much I need you please don't do this. Please come back…..what we had was so good-” 

“Good for you Bohyun, but not good enough for me.” You pulled your arm away. “I won't take you back this time, or ever. We're done for good.” 

Bohyun stared at the floor, coming to terms with your words.

“It's because of Yoon Jeonghan isn't it?” His voice turned into a nasty snarl. “You would choose a criminal over me-”

“You still don't get it, do you?” You looked at him with disbelief. “It's not him I choose, it's myself.” 

“But-” 

“I'm done explaining. I don't owe you anymore conversation, I didn't even owe you this.” You sighed, walking up to the door, holding it open. “Get out of my house.”

Bohyun tried to meet your eye as he slowly walked up to you while you refused to so much as look at him. When he realised you were not going to change your mind, he stepped out of the house and you closed the door behind him with a resounding slam. Holding your racing heart you leaned against it, unable to believe what you just did. 

Something in you felt free yet your heart was strangely heavy - you got rid of Bohyun but you lost Jeonghan in the process. Unwilling to give him up, you quickly grabbed your jacket and phone and rushed out of the house, calling your friends. Hopefully he hadn't gotten too far. 

You needed to see him again. You needed to tell him everything truthfully.

As the night sky darkened, you walked into your apartment slowly, finding yourself alone in it after days.

You didn’t find Jeonghan anywhere. When you told the boys about all that happened, they were beyond understanding, immediately helping you look for him too. But alas, he was nowhere to be found. 

As you sank into the couch, heartbroken over how things ended between you two, Seungkwan's message popped on your phone screen. 

Y/n, I think you should see the news.

Panicking, you grabbed your remote and turned on the TV only to see your worst nightmare - Jeonghan being handcuffed and led away by the cops. 

“Mafia criminal and mastermind Yoon Jeonghan surrendered a few hours ago to the city police force after nearly 15 days of absconding. The precise reason for why he turned himself in and where he was all this while is unknown but the police are investigating the case. Yoon Jeonghan escaped prison on the 15th of August after tricking two security guards with a severe stomach ache and requesting for medical assistance…..” 

The rest of the words faded away as you watched the footage of Jeonghan being escorted away. The pain of betrayal was still flashing in his eyes. Everything was truly over.

10 days later. 

Jeonghan leaned against the wall of his cell, staring into the darkness. He knew it was well into the night but sleep wasn't coming to him as always. Every time he closed his eyes, he could only see you, every time he opened them he instinctively looked for you - you refused to get out of his head. 

When Jeonghan saw you for the first time, admittedly he thought you were incredibly beautiful but he saw you as more of a conquest - you had that sweet, innocent expression but there was something darker lingering behind your eyes. It made him want to tease it out of you, expose you for what you really were but with each day, when he saw how simple and soft you were, that desire in him died. In his world everything was as corrupt as could be and you were so good to him, Jeonghan knew that little uncommon goodness had to be preserved, remain untouched. That's why though he itched to get under your skin, he tried his best to keep his distance.

That was of course until you decided to kiss him - after that Jeonghan knew keeping his hands off you was the hardest thing he ever had to do. It wasn’t just because he was uncharacteristically attracted to you, normally it was girls in skin tight leather pants and low neck dresses that caught his attention but because he……liked you. He liked watching you work, he liked spending time with you, he liked the idea of a quiet, uneventful life with you. He had spent all his life chasing something that made him feel complete, not even knowing what it was, until those 10 days with you - that was what he wanted. 

But clearly you didn’t want him. Though he was unable to accept it at the moment, eventually, he believed you when you said it was never your intention to kidnap him. When he discovered his ringing phone in the drawer due to his assistant’s consistent calling and found out that his price was a hundred thousand dollars Jeonghan was beyond hurt. But you were right - you didn’t know about your grandmother’s shop until the last few days. His assistant too confirmed that it was more the boy's plan than yours and that it was definitely not intentional because it was so poorly made that thanks to his phone, his assistant knew Jeonghan's location the whole time - he was only letting the boys get away with it so Jeonghan had a safe place to hide till things fell in place.

Regardless of everything that happened, it still didn’t mean that you wanted him. Especially when that ex of yours came into your life yet again and you so easily asked him to leave - Jeonghan received the message loud and clear. He was not wanted. 

By you at least. The city police definitely wanted him and he knew he had to be on the run yet again but with a part of him left behind in your home, he didn’t know how he was supposed to move away and move on. All he could do was hopelessly wish that you had left a part of you with him too and didn’t always just appear before him like a figment of his imagination. Even now his eyes were playing tricks, showing him the image of you crouched outside his cell bars. You were wearing a police uniform though - Jeonghan softly chuckled. Roleplay was a new element in his imagination. 

Or not. 

Because as Jeonghan stared harder, expecting the mirage of you to disappear, you smiled at him with a small wave and the whisper of his name…..You were actually here. 

Panicking, Jeonghan quickly got to his feet rushing towards you. As his fingers touched your face, confirming your presence, he shook his head. 

“Oh no…. Y/n, what are you doing here?” 

“Hello to you too.” You chuckled. “And what do you mean? I’m here to rescue you.” 

“Rescue me?” 

You nodded. “We’re gonna break out of this prison.” 

“You’re insane.” You grinned as Jeonghan looked at you with disbelief. “You shouldn’t even be here and I can’t run away from here-” 

“You did it last time.” 

“Precisely why. The security is at an all time high, they’re not going to let the same mistake happen twice.” 

“You think I don’t know that?” You raised your eyebrows at him. “Why do you think it took me 10 days to come to you? I was doing my research and figuring out how to get you out of here, and I have found a foolproof way.” 

Jeonghan narrowed his eyes. “And what is that?”

“Just follow my lead.” You pulled out a pair of keys from your pocket, opened his cell door and thrust a package into his hand as you walked in. “Change into this quickly. We only have 17 minutes till the security footage is on loop. We need to get out of here before that.” 

As he confusedly dressed himself, you pulled out a can of spray paint from your pocket and scribbled a message on the wall, one that Jeonghan could barely read thanks to the dimness of the cell. Tossing the can aside, you too quickly stripped out of your uniform and changed into clothes similar to Jeonghan’s.

“Don’t stare, Yoon.” You smiled, pulling your hair into a bun, tucking it under the hat. “This is not the first or last time you’re gonna see me naked.” 

As Jeonghan tried to process all the information, you quickly gathered all the discarded clothes with one hand and held his hand with the other, rushing out of the cell. At the end of the corridor was a cleaning cart in which you promptly dumped all the clothes and asked him to follow you. As you led the way to the washrooms cautiously, keeping an eye on the patrolling security, Jeonghan realised the two of you were wearing the uniforms of the cleaning staff. Finally, you led him to a ladies washroom, promptly locking it behind you. 

“Y/n, what are we doing-” 

“Look, that’s the cleaning supplies closet, inside it is a door that leads to the older wing of this prison that is now undergoing renovation. This door was supposed to be locked from the other side but I already broke it open in the morning.” 

“Morning?” 

“I came in with a bunch of medical volunteers for the camp but I never left the premises - I’ve been hiding here all day. Now we’ve to get through this door and cross the construction site without being seen by the patrolling guards in-” You glanced at your watch. “-8 minutes where the boys are waiting with transport. If we don’t, the guards are gonna figure out you’re missing and security will tighten and we will never be able to get out. If you have any other questions, I promise I’ll answer all of them once we get in the car, okay?” 

Letting out an unsure breath, Jeonghan nodded, following through with your plan to the T. In all the years Jeonghan had been in crime, he had drawn up several heists and master plans but this….. This was probably the most meticulous and well thought out plan he had ever seen. It was to the point it actually both impressed and terrified him that you, the girl who was hiding behind her three friends the first time he tried to talk to you, were the one who came up with it. When the two of you finally stepped out of the last fence, Jeonghan looked back at prison in awe - he thought this time, he was back here for good but when you called out his name and he turned to you, Jeonghan knew the only place he belonged was with you. 

As the two of you trudged through the woods, hand in hand, sirens began to go off in the prison behind you, making you pick up speed, only stopping at the sight of a white car and a white bike beside the very stressed Seokmin, Seungkwan and Soonyoung. The boys sighed in relief as the two of you approached, quickly giving you two a new set of clothes to change into, ushering you into the car. As the two of you began to do so yet again, Jeonghan looked at you intently. 

“Come on Jeonghan, the faster we move from here the better.” 

“Why did you do this? Why did you save me?” 

“Why did you surrender?” 

“Because….” Jeonghan sighed. “I didn’t want your ex to have the power over you with the information that you were housing a criminal. But if I was already in their custody, they wouldn’t really care about where I was on the days I was missing.” 

You smiled at him softly. “So much from a guy who didn’t understand what it meant to put others before yourself.” 

“I told you, you bring out the best in me.” He laughed. “Evidently, I do bring out the worst in you. This was the most badass thing ever, I would’ve never imagined you would do it.” 

“Well, someone did tell me I shouldn’t be afraid to ask or go for what I want.” You leaned back against the door. “I’m done sitting and taking whatever life hands me with the hope that it will be my fairytale ending. I’m gonna take things into my own hands now.” 

“Successfully you mean.” Jeonghan smirked at you. “You had been trying to take things in your hands for quite a while. Like the first few days you tried so hard to get me arrested again?” 

“You knew about that??” 

“It was cute, how you were trying to do the right thing. I should have known you would have never held me hostage for money.” 

“I was going to tell you about it before things spiraled. I had to get you out of my house first so you were at least safe from Bohyun, even if that meant you hated me.” 

“I don’t hate you.” Jeonghan confessed. “I never can. You showed me what I truly wanted from life.” 

“As did you. Which is why I ended things with Bohyun once and for all and now I’m here with you, for whatever adventure it is that’s ahead of us.” 

“Adventure?” Jeonghan looked at you surprised. “What do you mean?” 

“I managed to track down your assistant when I received the papers that I apparently own my grandmother's shop again.” Jeonghan returned your accusatory expression with a sheepish one. “He told me that the last many days, he had been working on liquidating your assets. He also managed to arrange for you to get out of the country and go elsewhere.” You smiled at him. “And I convinced him to let me tag along with you."

“No…..” Jeonghan shook his head. “No you’re not leaving behind your life here and following me around-” 

“Jeonghan, I have no life here.” You sighed. “I always thought I was the kind who wanted something safe and secure but you made me see that deep down I’ve been craving for something more, something stimulating and exciting. I genuinely do want to go with you.” 

“Your mom?” 

“Is more than happy to learn that her daughter is going to Milan to explore her fashion dreams and that my grandmother can move back to her old apartment.” 

“You….. You’re really sure?” 

“Never been more sure.” You reached for his hand, holding it. Jeonghan stroked the back of your hand softly, a smile growing on his face. It did seem like he wanted to say something, until Soonyoung knocked on the window urgently, ushering you out. Putting on the last of your clothes, the two of you stepped out. 

“If the guards send people out to look for Jeonghan, we might get caught here.” Seokmin tapped his foot nervously. 

“Yeah, we need to leave as soon as possible.” Seungkwan added, looking equally scared. 

“Relax,” You rolled your eyes. “They’re not going to find us. They’re not even going to try to look.” 

All four boys looked at you skeptically but it was Jeonghan that spoke up, “Y/n, What did you write on that wall?” 

“Fool you once, shame on you. Fool you twice, more shame for you.” You shrugged, quoting yourself. “I basically wrote in short that if they knew what was good for them, they would keep their mouth shuts and allow the public to think you were still in their captivity rather than admit that you fooled them twice in the span of a month and they are incapable of keeping their prisoners in check. I might have also added that you will not be creating any trouble anymore, rest assured, this secret is best buried in the walls of the prison itself.” 

As your friends stared at you with hung jaws, Jeonghan laughed like he couldn’t believe his ears. “Who are you?” 

“You should’ve seen her the last 10 days.” Soonyoung mumbled. “All the planning, the plotting, she even stitched all these uniforms from scratch, it was low-key terrifying.” 

“I want to know all the details of this master plan.” Jeonghan looked proud. “Every single one of them.” 

“And you will, we have a long journey to Italy.” You clapped your hands, then held it out to Seugnkwan. “Bike keys.” 

“You don’t want the car?” 

“Bike is more fun.” You said casually, reaching for the helmets. “And I’m going to drive.” 

Jeonghan raised his eyebrow impressed, “So the princess is going to rescue me on her big white…. bike.” 

“Guess we got our fairytale ending after all.” You laughed, getting on as your friends rolled their eyes and got into the car. Pulling Jeonghan closer, you finally kissed him, before mumbling against his lips. “Or I guess this time, I’m really kidnapping a mafia boss.” 

a/n - I cannot explain how much trouble the 1000 blocks per post limit caused. I hope the spacing inconsistency was overlooked oops! Don't forget to leave you thoughts and opinions about the story! This one took a lot of time and effort to make :)

[tavolgisvist]

With A Little Help From My Friends

Monday, Sept. 14, 1964: Ringo was first off the plane. He emerged from the darkened doorway of the chartered Lockheed Electra around 4:40 p.m. and stepped into the bright sun, which highlighted his sad eyes, rakish sideburns and, of course, that glorious nose. Even from a distance, he was instantly recognizable. The world’s most famous drummer. The shrieking, which had begun long before the plane stopped, reached new heights. Thousands of teenage girls held back by the Greater Pittsburgh Airport’s snow fences squealed, screamed, shoved closed fists into their mouths, grabbed handfuls of their own hair, wept, and generally fell into fits of hysteria. Behind the crowd, a blond boy of about 12 shimmied up a light pole to see the spectacle: The four young men known throughout the civilized world as the Beatles - John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr - were invading his hometown. Ringo started down the stairway to the tarmac. Behind him stepped John, cool in sunglasses and a flashy blue-and-white polka-dot shirt. Then George and finally Paul, who paused at the top of the stairs to point at something. Ringo kept moving, five steps down, the other Beatles following close behind. Then something came flying through the air. Something red and the size of a fist. Ringo moved instinctively. He ducked, covered his head with his left arm and, less than a second later, sprang back upright as if nothing had happened.

He never paused in his descent, or changed his expression. He simply continued down and then calmly waded into a crowd of reporters, photographers, police officers and guys in work shirts and hard hats. A reporter named Al McDowell from KDKA-TV approached Ringo. “What’s that stuff they were throwing?” McDowell asked. “Looked like a tomato, to me,” Ringo responded, pronouncing it toe-mah-toe in his thick Liverpool accent. “It’s always the same, you got a couple of lunatics in a couple of thousand … .”

(The Beatles in the 'Burgh, 1964, Steve Mellon for Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

The song 'With A Little Help From My Friends' was written specifically for me, but they had one line that I wouldn't sing. It was: 'What would you do if I sang out of tune? Would you stand up and throw tomatoes at me?' I said, 'There's not a chance in hell am I going to sing rhis line,' because we still had lots of really deep memories of the kids throwing jelly beans and toys on stage; and I thought that if we ever did get out there again, I was not going to be bombarded with tomatoes.

(Ringo Starr, The Beatles Anthology, 2000)

Poking a little fun at Ringo was actually a lof of fun. ‘What would you do if I sang out of tune?’

(Paul McCartney, The Lyric, 2021)

Actually, John and I wrote this song within a vocal range that would cause no problems for Ringo, who had a style of singing different to ours. We tailored it especially for him…

(Paul McCartney, The Lyric, 2021)

…There was an unusually late start for that night’s session because the Beatles had spent the afternoon and early evening overseeing preparations for the upcoming album cover photo shoot. <…> Despite the late hour, all four Beatles were wide awake, excited by the events of the day; I remember them animatedly discussing the set that Peter Blake had built for them and talking about how much they loved their satin Pepper costumes. After hurriedly consumed cups of tea, we finally got to work. The backing track for the new song—initially called “Bad Finger Boogie” for some reason—had a real spark to it, and an inspired Ringo was really smacking his tom-toms… Ten takes were required to get a “keeper”; it was nearly dawn by that time. Richard and I watched an exhausted Ringo begin to trudge up the stairs. That was our signal, as usual, that the session was over, and we began to relax. He was at the halfway point when we heard Paul’s voice call out. “Where are you going, Ring?” he said. Ringo looked surprised. “Home, to bed.” “Nah, let’s do the vocal now.” Ringo looked to the others for support. “But I’m knackered,” he protested. To his dismay, both John and George Harrison were taking Paul’s side. “No, come on back here and do some singing for us,” John said with a grin. <…> Fortunately for all of us, Ringo got his lead vocal done relatively quickly: perhaps the shock tactic of having him sing when he was least expecting it took the nervousness away, or perhaps it was just how supportive everyone was being. All three of his compatriots gathered around him, inches behind the microphone, silently conducting and cheering him on as he gamely tackled his vocal duties. It was a touching show of unity among the four Beatles. The only problem was the song’s last high note, which Ringo had a bit of trouble hitting spot-on. For a while he lobbied to have the tape slowed down just for that one drop-in, and we tried it, but even though it allowed him to sing on pitch, it didn’t match tonally to the rest of the vocal—he sounded a bit silly, almost like one of the Goons. “No, Ring, you’ve got to do it properly,” Paul finally concluded. “It’s okay; just put your mind to it. You can do it,” George Harrison said encouragingly. Even John added some helpful—if decidedly nontechnical—advice: “Just throw yer head back and let ’er rip!” It took a few tries, but Ringo finally hit the note—and held it—without too much wavering. Amid the cheers of his bandmates and a Scotch-and Coke toast, the session finally ended.

(Geoff Emerick, Here There and Everywhere, 2007)

[daughterofcain-67]

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐖𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐩𝐭.2

CEO Jensen x Plus Size Female Reader

(masterlist)

𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: Monday has finally arrived and things are certainly smoother than expected. Jensen is certainly showing you a side you didn’t expect and it turns out that your roommate has a few surprises waiting for you.

𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: nothing that I can think of?

The weekend had been filled with nothing but a Smallville marathon with your roommate. A part of you wondered if Rhema was more excited about your new employer than you were. Well actually, there wasn't a doubt in your mind about that. It was obvious when she nearly blew up your phone with different articles about Mr. Ackles buying the previous company just to expand his own casting company.

In a way, Friday had felt like a fever dream.

Still, you wondered why on Earth he left acting just to go into a business like this. Being a celebrity seemed like it would be such a better option. He wouldn't have to worry about any of the stresses of keeping a business alive, but here he was in the metal casting industry. It was definitely a 180 from acting.

Now that Monday had arrived though, you had to get back to reality. This Jensen guy was like the boss of everything, so if you could just stay off his grid and below the radar then maybe you'd survive the week while the company makes their adjustments to everything.

Once you made it to your cubicle you set your computer bag down on your desk and placed your coffee beside the monitor only to notice there was a little sticky note in front of your keyboard.

You took your seat in the little swivel chair and picked up the note to read what it said.

Apparently it was just a note from the IT guy giving you the new temporary passwords to your computer and other accounts for work since they had to reset a number of programs over the weekend as you'd predicted. You placed the sticky note elsewhere for the time being before you grabbed the supplies you needed to start the day.

After you pulled out your laptop and plugged it into the office system you logged into everything using the new password from the note and thus, your day began.

Your email had changed to your first initial and your last name @newedencasting.com, that would surely take some getting used to when you were handling phone calls. Although New Eden Metal Casting would just be an umbrella for the other casting departments that were under the previous owner - at least that was what you were assuming at this point in time until further notice.

In your email, there had some video tutorials sent to you for how to use the new programs the office was required to use now and once you watched them and started to get a hang of everything, you were finally able to start your work. Each new order, product question, or order status request was assigned as a case through this new program and you started getting to work, luckily your screen wasn't too bad for the time being.

While you were focused on work, your phone was sitting on the night stand and the screen started lighting up with message notifications from Rhema. You tapped on the screen to see some of the previews of the messages and you weren't really surprised at some of them.

RS: Is he there yet?

RS: What's he wearing?

RS: Send me a picture! I wanna see! I bet he's even more beautiful in person!

Then you noticed she sent a GIF with an animated character that had heart shapes for eyes, which caused you to chuckle, though you picked up the phone and started to message back.

YN: I can't just take a picture without his consent. That would be both rude and unprofessional. Plus I don't really want to interact with him and be tense at my own job.

Shortly after that there was another reply.

RS: Fineeeee, I guess I'll have to just take to Google or Pinterest.

You couldn't help but to roll your eyes a little before you placed your phone on the stand once more and resumed your work. Then you started hearing some footsteps. A couple of sets of them rather than one and you heard some voices.

"When was the last times those machines have been replaced? Some of them look old." You recognized Jensen's voice now that you've binged some of his previous work.

"They've been here for about as long as I've been here. So I'd say maybe fifteen years or so. We get them inspected every year to see of they have any faults and repair accordingly but I'm not sure we've ever had them replaced." You didn't recognize the other voice but you were positive it was one of the managers in the manufacturing and production department.

You supposed Jensen wasn't going to waste any time in making changes, but if it's been a long time since the machines have been replaced, maybe it was time to make some changes, not that you really paid much attention. Although, now that you've thought about it, Some of your emails last week did have to deal with some product returns because of manufacturing errors.

As you clicked on one of the cases and began to read the email you could still hear Jensen and the other individual discussing the machines before they stepped into the office right beside your cubicle and one of them shut the door. You had almost forgotten Jensen was practically right beside you for the next five days.

As you handled more emails and closed more cases whenever they showed up on the screen, you realized that there was an email that required you to actually go and talk to the engineering department. So, you printed off a sheet that was in the email and went to the printer that was conveniently by the engineer in your department.

Once you made it to his office, you knocked on the door before calling out: "Dylan?"

Once Dylan heard his name he turned around in his chair and looked over at you, "Whatcha got?"

You smiled a little. Dylan was probably one of the nicer guys there, despite his reputation for being a little rough around the edges. When you first started working he did intimidate you but once you started learning from him, you discovered he really wasn't that bad of a guy. He was one of those hard-to-read people that doesn't tolerate a whole bunch of nonsense, but Natalie said he liked you so that was enough for you to not feel s stressed anytime you needed to ask him a question.

"I've got this rep that has a customer in the paper industry wanting to order a few gears but they go beyond the biggest size we've got. Do you know if there's gonna be some new molds coming in with gears that have a bigger circumference than we've got now?" You asked and you handed him the paper that has the blueprints from that email.

Dylan took the pages from you and looked over the part they were needing before he went to the New Eden website, which you were stunned they changed it that quickly but it looked to have the other business branches still in tact including yours. You watched as Dylan typed the gear model into the search bar and started looking into alternative options.

"I haven't heard anything about getting new molds anytime soon so for now they're gonna need to contact one of the other departments that will have a gear in the size they need. Forward that email to me and I'll do some digging to get them to the right part they need." He answered as he handed the page back to you.

"Thanks!" You grinned and he nodded a little in his typical stoic way before he went back to checking his other emails, so you left his office.

As you started walking you couldn't help but hear some of the other Customer Service members talking.

"Did you see the way he was dressed? I didn't think he'd be that casual after his first impression on Friday." One of them said but you couldn't pinpoint who it was. But you knew they were talking about Jensen.

"He seems friendly though, still want to know why he's spending an entire week here. As a CEO you'd think he'd have other people come by and just observe the place and then email him about what they think of the place. Still makes it tense just the fact that he's here." Well, you supposed it was good to know you weren't the only one nervous about working with him here.

"Well at least it's only for a week and then everything can just go back to normal." A third person said and you shrugged a little to yourself before you started making your way back to your little cubicle.

That was when an office door opened and both Jensen and the man he was talking to earlier stepped out. You nearly froze in your tracks since you didn't want to bump into either of them and sure enough, you saw the more casual way Jensen was dressed with the black long sleeved shirt and a pair of jeans. Maybe he was going to make some frequent visits to the shop floor. You supposed you could understand not wanting to get nicer clothes dirty if he was spending his time in the manufacturing area.

When the other guy left, you had assumed Jensen would follow him out of the office area but instead he stayed but before returning to his office, he turned and he caught a glimpse of you. He gave a little grin and slight wave, which you returned with a little wave back before he went to his office and shut the door again. You assumed it was for some kind of virtual meeting.

"That was awkward..." You muttered under your breath before you walked to your desk so you could forward that email to Dylan.

Jensen had just finished his third meeting of the day and he knew the company would need to buy new machines so they wouldn't have faulty parts returned to them. As soon as he found out there had been more product returns last year bleeding into this year he knew he'd have to find a way to fix that as soon as possible, and when he walked onto the shop floor that morning he noticed there were more waste with the wax parts within the first part of the casting process and that had to've been part of the reason for delayed shipment. So one of the first machines Jensen wanted to get taken care of were the was presses.

By the time noon finally came around Jensen remembered he'd told Hyden to order lunch for everyone before they'd clock out for their breaks. So he walked out of his office and realized the workers had gotten their lunches from wherever Hayden ordered from and Jensen decided to walk around, stretch his legs after those meetings.

He didn't get very far though since he saw you at your cubicle. You seemed so zoned-in with your work. If a fire alarm were to go off he wondered if you'd even pay it any attention. Then when he thought about it, he didn't think he'd heard you really speak much that morning unless you were on the phone.

Jensen walked up to your cubicle and observed the way you were typing away like there wasn't any tomorrow. He raised a brow before he cleared his throat a little before speaking.

"Y/N, right?"

He could tell you were a little thrown off since your typing had faltered.

"Yes Sir." You'd answered and wrapped up the email and sent it off before you turned in your chair and looked up at him.

"Is there.. something I can help you with?" Jensen sensed the awkwardness in your tone and he chuckled a little.

"First off you can relax. And quit with the 'Sir' stuff. Making me feel like I'm in my eighties or something." Then he noticed you break your poker face and a smile tugged at your lips even if it was subtle.

"Just wanted to see if the new program was giving you guys any problems. I know a lot of changes were made over the weekend and wanted to know how the CSR department was adjusting."

You nodded a little as he spoke and you tucked a strand of loose hair behind your ear since it must've strayed from the bun you were wearing.

"So far it's not too much of an adjustment on my end. It's similar to the program we used before but the tutorial videos that were sent this morning did help a lot." You answered and Jensen nodded a little. That had to be the most he'd ever heard you speak before, then again he hadn't been there that long.

Jensen wasn't quite sure what to make of you. You seemed to have a lot of indifference and from the looks of it, you spoke only when you were spoken to.

He glanced around your cubicle and started to observe.

"How long have you been working here?" He asked curiously and you paused as if you were trying to think about it.

"December 2nd would make four years." You replied.

"So when do you plan on moving into this place?" He recalled how plain looking it was when he peeked in your space Friday.

This question seemed to catch you by surprise and Jensen saw you look around your little area then he noticed the way you rubbed the back of your neck.

"Not sure. I guess I haven't really thought about personalizing this place. I'm sort of plain in that sense I guess." Jensen managed to get a chuckle out of you while you responded and he smiled a little.

“Well… think about it a little more. A plant could brighten this place up a bit, plus it’s supposed to help produce oxygen and everything.” Jensen said and he heard you chuckle a little.

“I’ll give it some thought.”

“Good… I’ll let you get back to it. If you need anything… you know where I’ll be.” Jensen insisted, gesturing to his temporary office before walking away from your spot and onto his next destination.

Eventually he came across Natalie's office, recalling she was the CSR lead. He may have to pocket that information for later. Who knew when he'd her. After roaming around the office and conversing with some of the other office workers, Jensen found himself out on the shop floor where everything would be manufactured.

Jensen was lucky that he remembered his safety glasses were dangling from the collar of his shirt so he put them on as he continued to walk around. All around him, he heard machines grinding and almost groaning with each step of the process of work being done.

He watched as one of the workers walked from their wax press and went over to some large metal box. When the door opened, Jensen saw the man reaching into the box and he pulled our a large, cylindrical tube that seemed to be filled with already melted wax before walking over to an older looking press. It seemed so outdated and old, making the process so much slower but on the flipped side, it sort of made Jensen nostalgic because this was the exact kind of machine he used when he first started in the casting industry as part of the manufacturing team.

Jensen remembered having to reach into some large, rectangular heated box that had similar cylindrical tubes filled with already melted wax. Jensen also remembered how he burned his hands the first couple of times because he didn't know what he was doing during the training process. Obviously it got better with time and he found out ways to install the tube into the press without burning himself.

Jensen also remembered the countless hours he spent at the press making all sorts of parts and making sure the wax parts came out just right. There was no room for error unless he wanted the metal piece to turn out terrible looking at the end of the casting process. There were so many times he had to make sure the wax was cooled off just right to handle in order to clean off the edges, but not so cold that it would easily break in his hands. It was sort of tough to learn the right techniques at fist but Jensen was glad he got the experience.

But that was all back in 2007 or so, the mid 2000s after he stopped acting and right before he went to school for business. So yeah, that machine was definitely outdated and he noticed there were two others in the factory that needed to be changed out for newer machines. One of the meetings this morning pretty much made that official and now it's a matter of finding a good deal on a few of the machines and how fast they'd be able to get them here.

Eventually, Jensen made it to the quality department and saw the quality team inspecting some of the items before they'd go off to shipping.

"How's everything looking?" Jensen asked one of them and she looked up.

This girl had bright red hair and freckles across her face, bold green eyes behind the safety glasses. When Hayden was introducing Jensen to everyone on Friday, this girl had introduced herself as Amber.

"So far everything's looking good. Had a couple of returns but the items were able to go to stock and we can resell those items. But there were a couple of other orders that were supposed to be replacement orders and some of the parts were iffy at best." She explained with a shrug before going to one of the boxes she had inspected before pulling out one of the items.

"From the looks of it, the wax process was the problem and whoever approved the parts to go to through the rest of the casting process seriously slacked off. Whoever was at press three didn't wait long enough for the was to cool down so in these metal fittings there are a couple of dents and imperfections." She explained as she handed the part to Jensen to inspect for himself.

Jensen took the part and looked at the piece, noticing what went wrong. Inside the opening of the fitting he could see there were some problems and on the outside there were little dents that looked kind of like fingerprints from where someone was having trouble getting the fitting out of the mold during the wax process.

"We're looking into getting new machines soon so this doesn't happen. Looks like some of the machines can't cool the wax fast enough. Plus whoever was on the inspection side needs to be trained better and know it's things like this to watch out for so they could have the wax station redo those parts. You said press three?" Jensen question and he got a nod from Amber.

Jensen recalled walking by that machine and it was another old one they'd be replacing at some point, preferably sooner rather than later depending on how fast they'd be able to find the right that's close by.

Just before Jensen was about to say something to Amber, his phone started to ring. So he handed the fitting back over to Amber to put back in that returned order pile before answering and started walking back towards the main office area.

"Hello?"

"Mr. Ackles, we found a company that can make sure we can get at least one new press here in about three weeks. But the other two you want to replace would be about a month and a half away." Hayden said from the other line.

"What are they asking for those machines?" Jensen asked and when Hayden told them the price they were looking for, Jensen thought about it.

"Send the company's info to me via email but let's do a little mor price checking. It doesn't have to be a local company. It does sound like a good deal to keep in mind though." Jensen said before concluding the phone call and hung up the phone. Then a few minutes later his phone lit up again with an email with the company's information from Hayden.

"Definitely a start." Jensen muttered to himself as he used his badge and pressed it against the black scanner next to the corridor leading to the main office area before entering.

Another day was finally over, but you had to admit it was a much better start to the week than you were expecting. And it was a lot better then the previous week for sure despite having to learn new programs and make sure the reps were sending their orders to the correct emails.

As you were packing up your belongings you couldn't help but hear some of the other CSR ladies talking as they were packing their things and clocking out for the day.

"He's a lot more relaxed than I thought he would be. For sure means business with the changes in the factory floor though. Those new machines will help the department a lot." One of the ladies spoke.

"Still, don't you think he's too pretty of a guy to be in this kind of business? My sister did some looking on the internet and found out he was an actor in the 90s and early 2000s. He was dreamy for sure, he should've stuck with that!" Another lady said.

You were sure a certain roommate of yours would say the same thing.

As you were walking towards the door, the ladies whom those voices belonged to were behind you and before you knew it they addressed you as well.

"Y/N, what do you think of Mr. Ackles?"

All you could really do was shrug. Frankly what happened that afternoon around lunch was the most you got out of Jensen and you were shocked that he even came to talk to you after you aimed to stay under his radar. Then again you initially failed to account for the fact that his office was practically next to your own.

"Oh come on, you have to have some kind of opinion about him, more than just a shrug at least!"

You thought about it and pursed your lips while you opened the door and the three of you started walking outside to your cars.

"I don't know really. I mean he's trying to be approachable which I think is important. Better than flaunting your authority and intimidating people on purpose." You finally replied.

“That’s a suck up’s answer. What do you really think of him. Like if he wasn’t like everybody’s boss, what do you think?”

You tried to think, really think about it. Even you had to admit he was attractive when he was younger. Sure he was definitely something to look at even now you supposed. What else would they want you to say?

“He’s… cute I guess? I really don’t know what to tell you other than he’d be just another guy outside of work.” You said and the other girls just snickered at you.

“You wouldn’t try hitting on him or anything like that if he were just another guy and you both just happened to be at a bar?” One of them asked, causing you to get a little flustered.

“Probably not.” You chuckled nervously, putting your hands in the pockets of your cardigan. It was an honest answer though; you weren’t exactly the one that would make the first move in public. Or in any situation for that matter if you were completely honest with yourself.

“Anyways… I’d better go. See you both tomorrow.” You rushed to your car before they could ask you anymore questions about the CEO. You were just ready to go home and maybe make some tea.

Once you finally made it home, you took your shoes off and hung your keys on the little key rack that was beside the door.

“Finally! You made it back! I thought you’d never get here! I got you a little surprise.” Rhema exclaimed with so much excitement in her eyes, you had to admit the suddenness took you by surprise.

“Um… a surprise? Did I miss something?” You asked and she giggled at you.

The next thing you knew, Rhema was walking out of her bedroom with a box in her hand and there was a corner of a blanket draped on the outside of it.

“No. But I figured sometimes you may need a little company on weekends where you want to stay here and when I’m covering shifts at work.” Your roommate explained, causing you to grow a little skeptical as she walked over with the box.

“Well? Take a peek!” She giggled and that was when you heard a little noise, almost like a whine or a high pitched squeak. You couldn’t exactly pinpoint the description of the sound. But it certainly caught your interest and you slowly peered into the box.

When you looked inside you saw a small, short haired, blue eyed, calico kitten that couldn’t be bigger than your own hand. You could feel your heart soften at the sight of the little creature looking around the small surroundings of the box before it looked up at you. You couldn’t help but break out into a smile when it started to make that noise again before you reached into the box to pick up the kitten.

“Oh my gosh, Rhema!” You said, stunned that there was even a kitten in the house. You weren’t expecting to come home to something like this. The kitten continued to let out those little noises as you held it in your hands.

“You need to work on your little meow. Otherwise you’ll be stuck sounding like a squeaky toy.” You said and Rhema giggled.

“Do you like her?” Rhema inquired and you looked up at your friend who seemed so eager to keep her.

“I do. She’s precious. Thank you.” You smiled and she set the box down and you gave her a little side hug since your other hand was occupied with this kitten.

“Oh I hoped you would! The landlord is already okay with us having her, the pet fee has already been taken care of. All that you need to worry about now is giving her a name.” Rhema continued as she let go of the hug.

“Sounds like you had this all planned out, huh?” You chuckled and took a seat on the couch. When you did, the little kitten started climbing up one of the sleeves of your cardigan. You snickered a little before you pried the little creature from your sleeve and set it down in your lap.

“Well… I wanted to get her for you last week since it sounded awful but I couldn’t do that. But I was able to stop by the pet store again today and lucky for us she was still there so I picked her up and brought her here!” Rhema admitted and sat down next to you, then she reached over and used her first two fingers to rub the top of the kitten’s head.

“Now all that’s left to think about now is what you’ll name her.” Rhema spoke.

You looked down at the little creature in your lap that was circling around before laying down like a little cinnamon roll. Your head tilted a little to the side as you started to pet the little kitten, slightly surprised that it seemed to be getting used to you already. After all it wasn’t like you were some sort of Disney Princess or whatever that had animal powers.

“I may have to do some thinking about that.” You admitted and you could hear the kitten purring, causing you to grin to yourself.

“I gotcha. Maybe sleep on it tonight. But don’t take too long! We can’t call it cat forever.” Rhema snickered and you grinned, nodding in agreement as you continued to pet the new little addition to the apartment.

“So… how did things go today? Still rough from last week?” Your roommate asked, so you began to list off some of the things that happened that day.

You told her about how it was a little easier than last week, how some things needed a little adjustment with everything as far as the new systems, rumors of new machines, more rumors of new vendors to sell the product for the different brands under New Eden. Then you proceeded to tell her about how Jensen actually came and talked to you a bit and even suggested to decorate your cubicle area. You still weren’t sure if you would do that or not. Then you told her about the questions your coworkers were asking you and you finally went home.

“Wait, why wouldn’t you ask him out if you didn’t work together?” Rhema asked, although you doubted that was the only question on your mind.

“That’s what you got out of that? I’m just not that kind of person and you know that. Plus I wouldn’t have been in the bar in the first place so that scenario wouldn’t have even made sense for me.” You said and Rhema scoffed a little before she rolled her eyes.

“So, you gonna decorate after all and make it more your own? I’ve been suggesting you do that for years - ever since you first started pretty much.” Your roommate said and leaned back into the couch before she grabbed the remote and turned on the TV.

“I’m not sure… wouldn’t it seem unprofessional?” You asked while Rhema turned on Smallville, returning to your binge watching since you two didn’t complete the series over the weekend.

“You’re kidding, right? The CEO even said you needed to liven the place up. No, it’s not unprofessional. Tons of people do a little decorating in their desk area. This weekend we’ll go to the store and get you some plants or something. Maybe we’ll get you some little lights to hang around the border of your cubicle.”

Smallville’s theme started playing through the speakers and you had to admit you found some moments throughout the day where that would be in your head for a while before a phone call would interrupt your thoughts. You did start to like Jensen’s character though since you and Rhema just got to the first few episodes he was in.

“As long as you don’t send me to work with pictures of Jensen to hang on my walls from his acting days, I think we’ll be good.” You laughed and Rhema giggled too.

“No but you and your coworkers should take some of those pictures and print out tiny copies to hide throughout the office for him to find. He sounds light-hearted enough to get a kick out of a little prank like that.”

“I’m sure some of them may have thought about that already. It’s just a matter of if they can print out those pictures without getting caught. Unless they have their own personal printers at home and they can print them there.”

“I really hope they do! You should suggest it to them! Gives you some sort of thing to talk with them about too!” You smiled a little.

“Yeah I suppose.” You said, still a little unsure of whether or not that would happen, and you felt the little calico kitten squirming a little in your lap, causing you to look down at her.

“I really should come up with a name for you.” You admitted.

“By the way… How do you feel about blind dates?” Rhema asked sort of out of the blue, causing you to glance over at her.

“What are you talking about? You didn’t arrange anything did you?” You questioned.

“No no, I didn’t arrange anything yet. But…. I have this coworker that has a brother as well as a friend. They are both single and supposedly cute but I’ve never seen pictures of either of them. It’s just an idea my coworker had and I told her that I had a roommate that’s single too and maybe it could be some kind of double-blind date.” Rhema said and you lifted about brow.

“Uh, no. I bet this is the real reason why she brought you home, Little Critter.” You looked down at the kitten who let out a little squeaky sound in response.

“It’s not! Can you at least think about it? I mean if not I’ll still go on the blind date but I just thought this could be something we could do together.” Rhema spoke and you looked back at Rhema, then over to the television screen.

Several thoughts were going through your mind. A blind date? Really? What if something didn’t work out? What if something went wrong and you made a fool of yourself?

“Rhema… I really don’t know…”

Rhema pouted a little before she poked at your shoulder, “Hey… if a date seems a little intimidating for you… then we don’t have to call it that. Maybe consider it like you’re going as my moral support? A chaperone even? I mean… a blind date is a scary idea for me too. I’m used to at least knowing the guy before agreeing to go out with them. I wouldn’t know if this guys is some kind of creep and if he is, I don’t exactly wanna be by myself for that.”

“Well… when you put it that way…” You trailed off as you looked at the kitten again.

“It’s not like it’s supposed to happen tomorrow, right now it’s nothing but an idea.” She told you and you nodded a little. You could tell she was trying to put your mind at ease, which you were thankful for.

“I’ll think about it. After all, I can��t hand my roommate over to a couple of kidnappers, can I?” You joked and Rhema broke out into a smile before she wrapped her arms around your shoulders and hugged you.

“Great! Let me know what you think by Wednesday. Maybe we can go out Friday night if nothing else.” Rhema insisted and you smiled a little.

“Wednesday… got it.”

Tag List:

@deans-spinster-witch @roseblue373 @nancymcl @jackles010378 @hobby27 @chriszgirl92 @lyarr24 @wirdbeimaufhebengebunden @blackcherrywhiskey @prettyinplaid94 @suckitands33 @muhahaha303 @winchesterwild78 @ladysparkles78 @stoneyggirl2 @kr804573 @bobbdylan @n-o-p-e-never

[scarletsaphire]

Danny, newly added to the cheer team (mostly) against his will, is attending his first lock in with the girls. It's a lot more fun than he expected.

--

4th fic for @phicphight, with this one going to @lavendarlily and @lonelygrayrose, with a special shout out to @hannahmanderr because she asked politely. Prompts used will be at the end!

Danny had accepted that he didn't get much control over his life. Ever since he'd died, he was getting pulled one way or another for ghost fights or school or family stuff. It really came to its worst point went he'd been more or less bullied into joining the cheer team. Sam and Tucker were not help; they thought it was hilarious.

It did mean that the already minuscule amount of free time he had was filled with practice, or games, or other team building exercises. Like right now; the annual lock in for the cheer team, hosted in Casper High one and only cafeteria. Really pulling out all the stops.

Danny had been dreading it since it was announced two weeks ago; knowing his luck, there would be some kind of ghost attack, and then he'd have to play the whole "Oh I've been here the whole time!" game. And if that didn't happen, he'd be stuck in the cafeteria with the cheer leader girls for twelve hours straight! Sure, they were nice enough, especially since he joined the team, but that didn't mean they were friends!

It had only taken an hour for Danny to change his opinion.

The parent chaperone very clearly did not care about what they got up to, provided no one broke a bone or stole something where she could see. This allowed them to roll all of the tables off the walls of the cafeteria and construct a complicated and completely unsafe obstacle course for them to run through.

The first two girls had already given it their best shot; the first one, Abigail, who Danny had never seen without bows in her hair, had made it pretty far for being the first one through, but her hair had gotten tangled in one of the wheels, and the official score keeper (who was, of course, Paulina) gave her a DNF. She was currently off to the side with Star, getting her tied back into a braid and watching the spectacle.

The second girl, Brittany, had finished, if her time was a bit sad. "I don't want a repeat of that!" she'd said while the rest of  them teased her about her terrible performance. "I just got these braids put in on Monday, and I am not spending another four hours to get them redone!"

They were going in alphabetical order, so that meant Danny was next up. He lifted his arms above his head to stretch while he analyzed the course.

They'd done a pretty good job, if he did say so himself. There were several tables that he would need to go under, several he'd need to jump, and one they'd set up to require jumping on the seats instead of on the table. A bit rudimentary, sure, but it worked for their purposes.

"So, Danny Fenton," Paulina said, holding her water bottle out towards him like a microphone. "As the only boy on the team, you have quite the reputation to try and uphold. Do you have a strategy going into this?"

Danny flashed her a grin he normally saved for when he was Phantom. "Course I do."

Paulina returned the smile, and leaned in closer. "And what would that be?"

"And spoil the surprise? Not a chance."

Paulina laughed, leaning back on her seat of backpacks, blankets, and pillows. "You're setting high expectations, Fenton. You ready?"

Danny nodded, settling into a running stance.

"Three, two, one, go!"

He started running to the cheers of his teammates.He hadn't lied; he did have a strategy, and it didn't involve any kind of ghost powers. He wouldn't need them.

Danny had spent the better part of two years dodging bullets, ray beams, fire, boomerangs, bazookas, and about a dozen other, faster, much more painful objects. Two years honing reaction speed, flexibility, and spatial awareness, all of which would help him decimate the past two times, and anyone else who wanted to race after him.

Okay, maybe the practice part did involve ghost powers, but he wouldn't be using any now.

He vaulted over the first table cleanly, chaining the momentum to roll underneath the next table in one fluid motion. He came to his feet already running, ready to vault over the next two tables. In what felt like a heartbeat, he was already at the end obstacle, where he'd have to hop back and forth on the seats without touching the table; if he touched it, that would mean an immediate disqualification.

It didn't prove to be any more difficult than any other obstacle had been, although it was significantly slower. Danny leapt off of the final seat straight into a backflip, landing perfectly on his feet.

That part wasn't required; he just felt like flexing a little.

His grand finish was met with the roaring applause of the eight girls; Abigail had even started whistling, much to Star's annoyance, as she was still trying to fix her hair.

"And that is two minutes and twenty seven seconds!" Paulina called from her makeshift chair.

"Damn!" Alysha said. "That is going to be a tough time to beat!"

"Thank you, thank you," Danny said, taking an exaggerated bow. "I'll be here all night."

Alysha shoved his shoulder even while she laughed.

Danny made his way back to the spot he'd claimed, a little bit to the side of Paulina's seat.

"I am so happy we recruited you," she said as he sat down.

"Yeah," Danny agreed. "I am too."

As surprising as it was, it was true. Maybe he'd originally gotten the spot because of his ghost fighting and powers, but it had quickly become the only (mostly) ghost free thing he had. He'd never gotten that kind of luxury at home, and while he loved Sam and Tucker to death, it was way to easy for their hangouts to become patrols or planning patrols. Or homework, but that didn't count.

There was the additional fact that being on the cheer team had made Danny's life easier at school; the teacher's were more lenient with schoolwork, he had a different group of people he could sit with if Sam and Tucker were out sick, or if they got absorbed in their infamous debates, and everyone was just so much nicer to him.

Even Dash had stopped with the bullying, and after a couple stilted conversations and an emotionally charged apology that was leagues beyond what he'd thought Dash capable of, Danny would be willing to call them friends.

Definitely just friends though. It didn't matter that Tucker had caught him staring at Dash several times during lunch or that he got all flustered whenever they ended up in the locker room together. That was a coincidence. 

Just like Danny had expected, none of the girls came even close to his time. Star got a strong second place at three minutes flat, which was very impressive on its own, but his natural talent and years of practice held him high above the rest.

"You have to tell us how you did that," Aubrey said, jutting out her bottom lip. It was the same look she gave Coach Tetslaff every time she tried to extend practice.

Unfortunately for her, it worked just as well on Danny as it did on Coach. "Yeah, sure. Right after I tell you how I handle flying so well."

"Ugh." Aubrey flopped forward into a heap on the table. "You are. So mean."

The sound of a cellphone ringing cut off whatever Danny was going to say next. The team glanced back at the chaperone, who had settled in a corner of the room with a laptop, a thermos Danny swore was full of hard liquor, and headphones. They all sat in silence as she answered the phone.

"Hello? Uhuh. Yeah, I'll be right up. Everything should already be paid for, right? Good." She hung up the phone with a snap and stood from her spot. "Pizza's here. You kids sit tight, I'll be right back."

The group stayed quiet until her footsteps disappeared down the hallway outside of the door, before everyone shared a conspiratory look. Everyone but Danny, that is.

"Uh... what did I miss?" Danny asked.

Aubrey and Abigail stood up, one moving to the window of the door, the other to the chaperone's bag. The other girls all shared the same look again. 

"Did nobody tell you?" Dakota asked.

Danny ran over the incredibly short list of things he'd been told about the lock in, which was basically just that it was a lock in, before shaking his head. "Tell me what?"

"Oh, Ms. Pachelli is a total drunk," Paulina said. "I'm sure you've noticed its not apple juice in her thermos?"

Danny nodded his head.

"Well, that's not enough to last her a whole night, even on a good day, and dealing with us is never a good day in her books." Paulina studied her fingernails while Abigail fished a bottle of whiskey out of her backpack. "So, every year we switch out her spare bottle for one of Abby's parents' old empty ones."

Sure enough, Abigail pulled out an identical bottle from Ms. Pachelli's bag.

"And... you don't get in trouble for that?"

The rest of team all giggled. "Please," Star said dismissively. "She barely cares about us to begin with, and if she tries to get us in trouble, she'd have to admit she has a problem."

"She's coming," Aubrey hissed from the door, and Abigail made a dash back to her backpack. By the time Ms. Pachelli was back in the room, three steaming pizza pies in hand, the whole team was doing a perfect imitation of teenagers who weren't up to anything.

"It'll be over here when you girls are hungry," she said, setting them down where food was normally served. "Uh. You girls and Danny." She amended when she turned around to see them all pointing at him, a habit they'd developed with Coach Tetslaff. Ms. Pachelli settled back down in her corner, taking one, long swig from her thermos, and putting her headphones back on.

The rest of the team

"She'll fall asleep soon," Dakota whispered to Danny. "That's when the real party starts."

Sure enough, it had barely passed 1 AM before Ms. Pachelli had dozed off and the team was left completely unsupervised. Brittany went to make sure she was sleep, and after fiddling with the headphones, she shot a thumbs up at the group. Abigail pulled the bottle back out to the cheers of the team.

"It's time for the real party to get started!" Dakota called.

"Don't we need to stay quiet?" Danny asked.

Star shook her head. "Nah, she's got some video playing in the background. I don't even think a ghost attack would be loud enough to wake her."

"I think its flat earth videos this time," Brittany added. "Definitely looked like it from what I saw, at least."

Danny rolled his eyes. "Why is she even here? If she sucks and also hates all of you-" he ignored whoever called out "She hates you too!" "-why does she volunteer to do it?"

"We ask for her by name," Abigail said, passing the now opened bottle to Paulina.

Paulina took a swig straight from the container before passing it on to Brittany. "That, and if she didn't volunteer for this, she'd have to actually do something at any of the other events the school hosts. She's part of the PTA." 

"Ok, but that doesn't explain why she has to be on the PTA," Danny pointed out.

"Uh, duh, she's Derreck's mom. You can't have a kid in as many extracurriculars as he's in and not be on the PTA," Star said.

"I guess," Danny agreed. He still didn't really understand, but he also didn't want to spend the whole night asking about Ms. Pachelli's life. Besides, the bottle had reached him. He took a small sip from the bottle, and pulled a face at the unexpected burn.

The girls laughed.

"First time tasting alcohol?" Audrey teased, taking the bottle from his hands.

Danny rubbed the back of his neck. "It's not the first time. I just. Didn't expect it to taste like that."

The girls all shared a look before laughing harder.

"It is going to be a fun night," Paulina said, a mischievous smile on her face.

--

Danny wasn't sure what time it was anymore. He knew that a couple of the girls had conked out, with Aubrey being the first to fall about an hour ago. He knew that he wasn't getting any sleep tonight, and from the looks of it, neither was Dakota, who was blasting music from her phone and dancing on one of the tables. She'd been the one to hog most of the bottle.

Not that Danny was complaining; he was definitely not sober, although he couldn't say whether he was tipsy or drunk or somewhere in between or another word he wasn't privy to. Either way, he was drunk enough that he'd agreed to let Paulina and Star do his makeup, something he would never have agreed to without the help of the whiskey.

"Stop moving," Star said, holding him by the shoulders and looking into his eyes, as if she could psychically control him into not moving. Jokes on her, Danny knew how mind control worked, and it was only sometimes like that. "Or else we're gonna-" she hiccoughed, then continued as if nothing had happened, "-mess up your makeup."

"Yeah," Paulina said. "And you don't want to look like a mess for Dash, do you?"

Danny snapped his head towards her, nearly poking his own eye out with the makeup applicator she was using.

"Stooop!" Star said, turning his head back towards her.

Danny obeyed, but he turned his eyes to look at Paulina. "Why would I care about what Dash thinks?"

He could just barely make out her flat stare from the corner of his vision. "Because you like him?"

"I do not!" Danny protested.

Star giggled while Paulina talked over her. "Danny, we have eyes, you know. And we've seen yours wandering to him every time he's anywhere near you."

Danny opened his mouth to protest, but Star pushed it shut. "Nuh uh. Lipstick first." He tried again, but was met with the same result. "I will smear this all over your teeth do not test me Fenton." This time, Danny obeyed.

 By the time he had finished, his initial protests had already died out. It wasn't like they were wrong; he just hadn't realized he'd been so obvious about it. "Fine. I might have a little crush."

"Well if by "little crush" you mean that you're head over heels in love with my best friend, then yeah, I know you have a little crush on him."

"Hey!" Star cried. "I thought I was your best friend?"

"Best boy friend," Paulina corrected. "But not boyfriend boyfriend. We tried dating, but he's not interested in me. Which, you know, I was insulted with originally, but he's just not into any girls, so the fact that he was into me enough to try dating is a win."

"So, he likes-"

"Boys, yeah."

"Which means you have a chance," Paulina added. "But only if you sit still and let us make you look pretty!"

Danny really didn't think he had been moving around all that much, but he made sure to sit even stiller now.

"You're gonna need to be the one who asks him out."

Star nodded. "He's worried about doing something wrong, cause he was so mean to you before." Star paused at Paulina's glare. "Oh. Was that a part I wasn't supposed to share?"

"Yes," Paulina said, annoyed. "But it's too late now."

"Wait, hold on, what?"

"Oh, he likes you too," Paulina said. "It's gotten kind of annoying, listening to him go on and on about how 'cool' you look doing flips and everything."

Danny felt his face heating up more. "I mean. I just. I don't really know how to ask someone out?"

"Oh trust me, I know," Paulina laughed. "Don't think I've forgotten all the shit you pulled during freshman year."

Danny's face burned even hotter.

"Polly, you're embarrassing him!" Star said, but she couldn't stop a giggle of her own. "We're supposed to be helping!"

"I know, I know, but I can't help it!" Paulina said, her laughter dying out.

"You two planned this?" Danny asked incredulously.

"I mean, we didn't not plan it?" Star replied.

"No, we planned it," Paulina corrected. "I think Abigail even put it on her itinerary, but she fell asleep, like a loser."

Star giggled again. "So we're taking over!"

"You've got to be more confident, flaco. You get all blushy and stutter, and give up halfway through, and while that's adorable, it's not going to work if you want results."

"We've seen you on the field, we know you can do it, so don't try to deny it," Star added.

"But that's an entirely different thing!"

"It's not that different," Paulina said.

 Star ignored her. "Then just pretend you're on the field! Put on a good show for him, and I guarantee he'll be drooling all over you. Just like he is during the games."

"He is not drooling about me during the games."

"Oh, he so is," Star countered. "You remember the game you first debuted?"

Danny nodded; while he'd done fine, the actual game had been a bit of a shit show. Casper High had lost, fourteen to nothing.

"Dash only fumbled that because he was so distracted by you," Paulina said. "Tripped right over his own feet, cost us the first points of the game, and it was all down hill from there. If you can do that when you aren't even trying, imagine what you can do to him when you are."

"I think we're done here," Star said, withdrawing from Danny.

"I think we've outdone ourselves," Paulina said, angling his face to admire their work. She grabbed a small mirror from her pocket and passed it over to him. "What do you think?"

He looked surprisingly good, much better than he expected considering the fact he was a boy and that the people doing his makeup were at least a little drunk.

"It looks good," Danny agreed.

"No," Star protested. "You look good, and you need to take that vibe with you when you ask Dash out tomorrow."

"Who said anything about tomorrow?"

"We did," Paulina said. "Because tomorrow, we're going to be dragging him with us to the park and finding a convenient excuse to leave him there alone."

"You're gonna swoop in, and you're gonna ask him out and save him from having to deal with us all day."

"Trust us. It'll be perfect."

"I don't-"

"Shh." Star put her finger over Danny's lips. "We're doing this, whether you show up or not."

"Which means we need our rest, and you need your beauty sleep."

"So shoo while we clean up."

Danny didn't really know what else to do besides walk back to his pile of stuff and get comfortable.

He guessed he was going to the park sometime tomorrow. He hadn't been planning on it, but that was ok. He was used to that.

--

Prompts:

LonelyGrayRose - "Well if by "little crush" you mean that you're head over heels in love with our best friend, then yeah, I know you have a little crush on [him/her]" lavendarlily - Who knew Danny Fenton was so agile? Paulina makes it her personal mission to get him on the cheer squad.

[natriae]

Chapter 5: Can't ya tell by the piss head

<prev | next>

masterlist

Warnings: mentions of fighting, accidents, verbal abuse

ding

The bell above the sliding door chimes as you walk in. Thank god it's a Monday night and there are only two people in the restaurant. It's not a completely normal thing to see someone walk into a restaurant with a suitcase and bookbag.

"Hi, welcome ta Onigir-y/n, right?" A cheery yet calming voice booms from behind the counter. Once he looks up it clicks why Atsumu wants to be called Atsumu. His face is softer than Atsumu's. Straigher brows, wider nose, grey eyes, and darker hair. Physically that's where the differences stop, but Osamu doesn't seem to be as energetic as the older Miya. He gives a small smile as he takes off his gloves and walks over to the counter your standing still at.

His restaurant isn't large. Which is surprising. From what you'd gathered from Atsumu you thought both twins would be eccentric. Wanting attention from everyone, but the beige walls and the small sign in the front tell differently. Walking in there's a small step where customers line their shoes at. The restaurant isn't that wide, which makes sense considering it's in a strip, but it's not stuffy. There's a bar that starts on the right side and wraps around to the back wall. Behind the bar is where Miya Osamu waits. Onigiri left behind and his attention all on you. Another thing you wouldn't expect from a Miya. For some reason he feels so inviting, like he's wise, like a mother almost.

"y-yes, y/n," you stutter out still trying to take everything in. His toothless smile gets a little wider at your response, and he tells you to wait one moment while he gets someone to watch over the shop.

To the right, above the bar, sat photos of his family. Wow, Atsumu hasn't changed very much from highschool.

This still feels like a violation. There's an unsettling urge to know more about him and his twin. Yet now there's no contract to break. You can learn as much as you want, you can call him Atsumu, but there are still his fans. You weren't built to see their comments. You take a deep breath before Osamu comes out from a beaded curtain on the back wall.

He waves his hand telling you to come over, and lifts up the trap door that divides the bar from the rest of the restaurant. "follow me," he orders softly before hold the beads to the side for you to pass through. Entering the back there are white shelves full of various ingredients, and behind you a steel table and two large sinks pushed against the wall. This must be where he preps. "Over 'ere," he points to a white door on the right, "that's ma office an' those steps over 'ere lead ta yer apartment." God, his accent is even stronger than Atsumu's.

You follow the younger Miya up the narrow steps to a small corridor. He opens the door to reveal a small genken that is surpisingly up to date. There are dark oak double doors with windows that allow you to see into the apartment.

Noticing your surpise Osamu lets in, "Atsumu 'n I learned a lotta about construction from our uncle. We like ta do it fer fun," he says with a small smile looking at the floor. He glides his foot along the tiles admiring his work.

"I wouldn't have pinned Atsumu to be that typa guy," you let out in a small voice still gawking at the fact that the twins fixed up a place, and it looks well done.

Osamu steps up and unlocks one of the double doors to allow you to step inside. "i'm his own brother 'n ion either," he laughs while jerking his head telling you to step in. It's definitely smaller then your old apartment, but you could get used to it. "I can uh take out the furniture if ya 'on wan' it," He tells you walking over to the very used couch just a few steps ahead of you, "this is where 'tsumu and i lived when we first moved out, i'm sorry," he finishes while scratching the back of his neck. Huh, his loses his accent when he needs to be serious, cute. You watch as the younger Miya walks over to a shelf and picks up a photo of one twin. Sneakily trying to take it down without you noticing.

"hey, is that you or Atsumu?" you ask, walking over to grab the picture in his hands.

"can't ya tell by the piss head, it's 'tsumu god damnit," he slightly yells with a face of disbelief. Remembering that he's supposed to make a good impression on you he tucks his lips in and looks to the ground mumbling out a small sorry. You giggle at his reaction and look back down at the picture. This photo must have been taken in highschool. Atsumu's head is resting on the lap of an older woman who you assumed to be their mom based on her eyes. She has one hand threaded through yellow hair while the other holds on to the arm of the boy. Atsumu must have been crying based on his red eyes, and the way his moms looks down at him with such love. He has both hands tucked between his thighs seemingly attempting to make himself as small as possible. Looking at the photo you feel your heart tear a little. You're supposed to be mad at him, but seeing such a big man trying to make himself as small as possible hurts you.

"why do you have this photo anyway?" you ask furrowing your brows at Osamu. By now he was in the kitchen opening and closing cabinets. His head whips around before srunching up his face at you.

"um don't tell 'tsumu I told ya this, but sunarin took that photo of 'im when we got a call our ma was in an accident. She obviously was fine, but 'tsumu freaked out. He had kept it ta remind 'imself that everything he does is for our ma. 'e's a real mama's boy," He explained, "i know yer mad at 'im right now, but he's really sorry," he tells you looking you in the eye. You nod your head looking at the ground.

"when can i move in?" you blurted out. Wanting to change the conversation because of the butterflies in your stomach, but yet you want to stick around to know more about Atsu- the twins.

~~Sunarin's place~~

"you're still messaging Kuroo?" Suna asks as he sits down on the couch. He reaches for the remote and presses play on the tv.

"'e's a dick fer what he did ta y/n," Atsumu responds while furiously typing away at his phone. It's been nine hours since Kuroo fired you. Nine hours of Atsumu messaging Kuroo. Nine hours of Atsumu not caring about how inappropriately he is texting one of his bosses. Nine hours of Atsumu feeling like a piece of shit. "ya know yer a dick to," Atsumu bites at Suna.

"I can barley understand you," Suna bites back. Lazily sipping the beer can in his right hand.

It's not that Suna doesn't care per say, he just learned from a young age not to interfere with things. When he would try and care for his mom after she had a nasty fight with his dad, his dad had no shame calling his son names and hurt his mom more. When he would press his hands to his sister's ears to drown out the noise of fighting his dad called him a "pussy of a man". When he finally got the courage to fight his father he was left with a black eye and being sent away to Hyōgo. Maybe he was a pussy now for what he was doing, but his life was going well. There's no way in hell he's gonna fuck that up.

Atsumu's typing was interrupted by a call from his brother. Stepping away into the hallway he listens to the call. While in the living room Suna's heart beats erratically in his chest. Are you okay? Why can't he man up enough to make things right? Life isn't fair. He takes a deep breath and thinks back to the breathing exercises his therapist told him.

Atsumu comes back out from the hall with his signature smile. "She's takin' the apartment!" He exclaims then goes right back to angrily messaging Kuroo.

That night Suna sits in his bed alone and scrolls though job listings for your degree. All while typing and deleting messages to you.

taglist: OPEN!

@thisbicc @lovley212 @kyowdani @jacelikespp @bubblewordsofsodapop @peppersapro @kuroosluthoe @littlemochi @bai-wuxiangs-mask

@anejuuuuoy @shotenvinsoot @msbyomimi

sorry abt the wait!!

[snippychicke]

For the Sake of a Smile (V.2) Chapter Four

Title: For the Sake of a Smile (Revised)

Overall Rating: Mature (18+)

Chapter Rating: T: Teen (starting to lead into spicy thoughts)

Trigger warnings: Nothing beyond the child abuse hinted in the series, though we do explore the consequences a bit more.

Main Pairing: Balam Shichiro/Reader

Summary: Hell on earth was your motto for your job. Granted, you were pretty sure earth really was hell, considering the shit you had seen in your life. And the fact your coworker was a child. 

A child named Suzuki Iruma, in fact. A kid who’s life was decidedly worse than yours, but yet he smiled despite everything. It wasn’t long after meeting him that you decided you’d do a lot for his smile. Including summoning a literal demon and signing your soul away.

But as it turns out, hell (The Netherworld, actually) was a lot better than living on earth. Demons were more humane than a lot of humans you knew.

And Iruma’s smile wasn’t the only one that would change your life.

Masterlist | Ao3| Mairimashitai! Simps Discord

The Sullivan mansion was lit up against the dark sky, and full of some of the demons Kalego dreaded the most. 

Iruma wasn't that bad a student, especially compared to how he could be. The boy was striving hard with his studies, and had even rallied the rest of his class around him. 

And you weren't terrible either, even if you did invade his office that one time. And despite his own reservations, Shichiro seemed to have taken a quick liking to you. The two of you were frequently texting each other to the point of distraction. He had never seen someone warm up to the other demon so quickly, especially with his quirks.

But if Shichiro trusted you, then that was enough for Kalego.

So, to be more specific, it was Lord Sullivan and Opera that were the reason Kalego hesitated at the door. His hand clenched into a fist, raised to knock, but he was having difficulty doing so.

Lord Sullivan. Opera. Facing both of them, cornered and unable to do anything but endure their torment.

He could get lucky. You could answer, and he could quickly give his assessment of Iruma and then leave before he ever saw the other two demons.

Alternatively, Opera or Lord Sullivan could answer. And then his nightmare would truly begin. He wouldn't reach home until morning. 

Kalego grinded his teeth, ashamed of his fear, and slammed his knuckles in quick succession against the door. What was he? A coward? He could face those two. He wouldn't enjoy it, but if he had survived thus far…

The demon king himself had to be smiling on him as you opened the door, looking rather surprised by his presence. "Professor Kalego? What are you doing here?"

"The Chairdemon had the wonderful idea that I should visit the Misfit class' family before the final exams," He grounded out, not unsurprised by your ignorance. Especially considering Lord Sullivan's lackadaisical nature. "What should have been a relaxing day at home has been nothing short of torture."

There was sympathy in your expression, even as you rolled eyes with an aggrieved huff. "Or for the love of… I take it that's not typical?"

"No, this would be the first year I've had to do such a thing."

"Devi," You swore, making him smile faintly. "If you want, we can discuss things back at the school come Monday. Or do you want to come in and get it over with? I promise, either way, I won't make you stay long, or drink my attempt at tea."

Despite the obvious attempt at levity, a shiver ran down the demon's spine as he recalled your attempt at tea. He wasn't sure how anyone could ruin such an easy drink, but you were now infamous for a drink that could kill a demon where he stood without a drop of poison.

He wondered if he needed to warm Shichiro about that, or let him discover that for himself….

"Let's get this over with," He sighed and stepped inside as you opened the door further and gestured for him to enter. He automatically scanned for any sign of red hair, or Sullivan's plum suit. But there was neither as you led him towards a sitting room just off the main hall. 

A small, simple sitting room. No chairdemon or his security devil to torment him.

"I could ask Opera to bring some tea," You offered, your back turned so you didn't see Kalego's eyes widen slightly at the perceived threat.

"No! There's, uh, no need," He coughed when you looked back at him, rather confused. "I would like to be quick, so I'd prefer to forgo the pleasantries."

"As you wish," You submitted, gesturing to the small couch as you sat across on the straight back chair. "So, how has Iruma been doing, truly?"

Kalego pulled the notebook from his bag, "The first half of the semester, his grades were abysmal, but-!" He froze as he looked back, and somehow Lord Sullivan had appeared beside you, squirming in place like an excited child.

"Do tell how our little Iruma-kins have been doing!" Sullivan prompted as Kalego froze. “Is he doing well? Eating well? Any bullies?”

“You know very well the answers to those questions,” Kalego growled, snapping out of his shock with a snarl. “Considering you’re the chairdemon.”

“Now, be nice, Kalego,” Opera spoke from behind Kalego, spooking the teacher out of his seat. “You know how much Lord Sullivan worries about his grandson.”

“Where did you come from?” Kalego hissed, scrambling away from the other demon.

Opera simply smiled as they offered the younger demon a cup of tea. “It would be rude if I didn’t welcome my kohai into my lord’s home.”

You muttered something under your breath that sounded like a swear, which comforted Kalego a small, tiny bit. At least he wasn’t the only reasonable adult in the room. “Professor, I apologize for the intrusion," You stated through gritted teeth. "Do you want to continue with your observations so you can continue with your evening?”

“Yes,” Kalego jumped at the chance, though relishing a sip of tea that Opera provided. He may be cautious of the red-haired demon, but their tea was often perfectly brewed and refreshing after the never-ending nightmare of a day.

Thankfully, the rest of the evening went smoothly, with you reigning Lord Sullivan in whenever he started to get too excited. It was actually amusing for Kalego to see you grab the chairdemon by the horn with a growl when Sullivan reached for the notebook he kept on Iruma.

Lord Sullivan was a Rank Teth [Nine] demon while you were a demon who was supposedly unranked and rumored to possess no magic. Yet, despite the vast difference in rank, you easily gave your alleged father such grief. Not that it wasn't undeserving, but Sullivan was said to be the most powerful demon in the realm. 

Yet you showed no hesitancy. No deference whatsoever. 

Even if Lord Sullivan was your true father, his rank demanded respect no matter how irritating the elder demon could act. Especially considering he was also one of the Three Heroes as well as chairdemon of Babyls.

Either you actually ranked equal to Lord Sullivan - which was hard to believe despite your son quickly climbing the ranks himself - or you truly had no regard for rank, which honestly made you even more dangerous. The rank system is what kept demon society together, otherwise the different clans would be at each other’s throats to prove who was most powerful.

Something, Kalego felt, was amiss. Even with Shichiro’s reassurances that you were no threat, he was more sure now than ever.  And he wouldn’t rest until he figured out what.

--+--

After the End of Terminus a few weeks later, Sullivan was happy to throw another party for Iruma passing his exams. Laughter filled the mansion between the four of you. (Even Opera had chuckled more than once due to the combined antics.)

You had sent Balam a text, thanking him for his efforts, which had led into sporadic texting through the evening. Which, really, was now typical of your budding friendship. A day hadn't passed that you hadn't talked to him in some form or another, drifting from simply discussing the difference between realms to sharing more personal stories. 

“And then, I went to tell Professor Balam,” Iruma continued his story, the salamander flower sitting on the grand table, waving its little arms. “When I told him, he was really excited for me, and even spun me around in circles before he gave me the flower! And… he also cut his hair."

You froze while teasing the adorable flower, surprised by the revelation. Opera tilted their head slightly, ears flicking with similar shock. "He actually cut his hair?"

"Uh-huh," Iruma confirmed, nodding his head. "And now it's super short."

You and Opera looked at each other before you pulled out your phone and texted the professor in question. //Iruma said you cut your hair! I want to see!//

There was a slight pause before he sent you a picture. Opera looked over your shoulder and made an odd noise before covering their mouth, but their ears and tail were twitching with amusement as they peered over your shoulder. "Oh my. Did he cut it himself?"

"Looks like it," You agreed tightly, trying not to laugh despite the fact Balam would never know. You would know, and the guilt alone would kill you. Balam was proving to be more and more of a sweetheart every day….

But that haircut. 

Both of you paused as the three dots appeared as Balam typed. //Kalego already laughed, so don't worry. Molting season begins within a few months. It'll grow out quickly then.//

You blushed, embarrassed he called you out like that without you saying a thing. Or did he just presume that based on everyone else's reaction? 

You pushed those thoughts away and typed furiously back. You didn't even really think about what you were saying, just that you were upset on his behalf and wanted to give him some kind of comfort.  //Kalego is an ass, along with whoever else may have said something! You’re still handsome.//

“That's right, it is approaching that time of year,” Opera sighed. “He’s always so miserable during his molt.”

Their words made you pause, you hadn't even noticed that sentence, so focused on the first. Molt? Did all demons do that? Or just the avian ones? And what exactly did a molt entail for a demon like Balam?

--+--

//You’re still handsome. //

Balam was surprised by your message. Him? Handsome? Surely, you were joking. Some odd human humor. 

His face felt warm as he re-read your text, that little voice reminding him you had been nothing but truthful when talking with him. 

Did you honestly find him handsome?

But then again, you hadn’t seen his face - his scar. He had uncovered it in a misguided attempt to relate to Iruma, but you had never seen him without the mask. 

'Handsome. Still handsome.'

Balam felt even more certain that he wanted to keep his scar hidden from you. 

He had quickly grown to enjoy his conversations with you. There were other academic-minded demons interested in biology and the various life forms of the Netherworld, though usually not in the same way he was. It was rare to find fellow demons who shared his interest in imaginary creatures, mainly because they believed there was ‘no purpose’ to the knowledge. 

Knowledge for simple curiosity sake wasn’t a very common demon trait.

But you loved to share things of your world, randomly through the day as you thought of them, or something of the Netherworld that reminded you of your home realm. He had already filled one notebook and started another with information you provided him.

Yet, it was more than you were finally able to give him facts about the realm he had dreamt of. You called it ‘friendship’, closely related to the notion of ‘allies’ that was far more… intimate, yet not quite mates. Like the bond between him, Kalego, and Opera. Or, the bond he had seen develop between the classmates of the Misfit Class.

Whatever it was, it caused you and Iruma to quickly become precious to him. Not just for the wealth of knowledge you held, but because you both awoke something in him. 

He had felt so much pride when Iruma announced he passed, and when the boy quickly identified the Salamander Flower. Yes, Iruma was human and thus needed protection… but he didn't expect to feel so attached to the boy. 

And you… that initial awe he felt the first time he saw you hadn't died at all. If anything it had only grown the more he talked with you, the more time he spent with you. 

He would do anything to assure you both were safe and happy. 

His phone beeped again, catching his attention. //By the way, the salamander flower is adorable! But apparently they normally breathe fire??//

Balam smiled to himself. Not only did you share your knowledge so openly, you were excited - hungry - to learn about the Netherworld. And he was all too happy to indulge. //Yes. But Suzy and I developed a way to remove their ignitor magic abilities, making them completely harmless.//

--+--

"No. No. Certainly not." Opera spoke as they kept tossing things out of the giant pack Iruma and Sullivan had packed together. They held up a giant plush creature, easily the size of Iruma himself, with an even more deadpan expression on their face than usual. "Why?"

"Well, that was the fifth toy I ever bought for Iruma," Sullivan explained like a sullen child. "I figured he should have it in case he gets lonely."

"Isn't this just a day trip?” You asked, crossing your arms. You loved the idea of Iruma going and hanging out with his friends at an amusement park like a normal teenager. 

Even if it was the Netherworld. 

Even if you weren't going along to assure he would be okay.

It was fine. Totally fine. It was obviously a class thing and you didn't want to ruin anything by being a helicopter parent. This was a good step for his independence, and for him to have a normal life.

Nevermind you had barely slept since he asked your permission and you agreed without thinking. And what sleep you did have was filled with nightmares about what could go wrong.

Devi, Iruma and the entire misfit class? Alone? In an amusement park?  You trusted Iruma not to go looking for trouble, but couldn't say the same for the rest of his class. 

Besides, you couldn't shake the feeling that trouble was constantly hunting Iruma.

"Well, yes," Sullivan agreed reluctantly. "But what if he needs his alarm clock? Or his third favorite snack? Or--"

"We…might have gotten carried away," Iruma admitted sheepishly as he grandfather continued to name off items.

"The only thing you should take is your phone, money with some held back as an emergency, and wear some good walking shoes,” You listed, ticking each one off your hand. “Oh, and make sure your ring is fully charged."

Opera nodded, "I agree completely. Between Balam, Kalego, and myself, we should be able to deal with anything unforeseen should it happen."

You paused for a moment, trying to process Opera's sentence. "Wait, what?"

"Well, I really didn't like the thought of my little grandson and his dear friends going to Walter park by themselves," Sullivan explained sheepishly, refusing to meet your gaze. "I figured they needed some kind of chaperone. And you and Opera were firm about me not tagging along, so…."

"So I offered myself and my former kohais to chaperone," Opera finished. "We should be able to keep an eye on the students, and I look forward to spending time with my kohais after so long…"

The anxiety you were trying to pretend didn't exist faded away at the realization, your shoulders slumping as you sighed. "Oh thank the devil."

"See! You were worried too!" Sullivan admonished, pointing a finger at you as if he was a child catching your red handed. "Ha!"

"Of course I was worried! Who wouldn't be letting a group of teenagers like the Misfit class alone at an amusement park!" You shot back, placing your hands on your hips. "But the pros of Iruma being allowed to do normal teenager things outweighed the cons!"

"If we went ourselves, we could assure our Iruma-kins had a fun time and that he wouldn't get into any kind of trouble."

"That's called helicopter parenting, and that is the last thing he needs."

"You guys-" Iruma interrupted the argument softly. "Please, don't fight…"

Both you and Sullivan paused before taking calming breaths. "Right, sorry," You apologized, and were quickly enveloped in a hug by the lanky elder demon.

"Oh, it's okay my little princess! I know you just want the best for our little Iruma-kins!" Sullivan quickly gushed. "You're really the best daughter and mother of my grandson! I couldn't ask for anyone better!"

You rolled your eyes, though your heart warmed at his words, and Iruma's smile. You held out a hand to the boy, who happily accepted the offer and was soon pulled into the hug.

Everything would be okay. 

--+--

After Iruma left with Opera and his class, you and Sullivan hitched a few of the other Nightmares to a secondary carriage. A day of shopping at Magic Street was waiting for you two; a sort of bonding trip for 'father and daughter' as well as distracting both of you from Iruma's trip.

And honestly, it felt nice. You weren't used to having money to spend frivolously, but Sullivan made it clear that no expense would be spared if it meant your happiness. 

Did you want the entire book set on the history of the Netherworld? It was yours. As were the books regarding the Deities that inhabited the Netherworld alongside the demons. Several advanced textbooks that students had been asking about? Consider them part of the Library of Babyls.

Some of Balam's texts on imaginary creatures? Sullivan had a glint in his eyes but said nothing as he added it to the growing pile. You pointedly ignored the look while wondering if it would be odd by demon standards to ask him to sign them. 

After you had all but bought out the bookstore - set to be delivered to the mansion later - Sullivan then dragged you into the other shops, happy to parade around his daughter.

You were grateful for the odd updates from Opera and Balam, reassuring you everything was okay. Especially when Balam informed you that apparently Iruma's phone had died, making you curse at yourself for not making sure it was fully charged.

Speaking of which, the biology professor sent you a picture of what you assumed was meant to be a penguin. Followed shortly by a text: //Are these actual creatures?//

//Yep! They're flightless birds that live in the coldest climates on earth.//

/Flightless birds? Really?//

//They're specialized to swim instead of fly. They can dive deep into oceans to catch fish. And they are so cute waddling on land.//

Sullivan caught you smiling at your phone. "Is Iruma finally sending pictures?" He asked a little too innocently, not that you noticed.

"No, I'm just talking with Balam," You answered distractedly, smiling as you watched the dots appear and disappear as he apparently typed, deleted, and retyped his reply. You could easily imagine his conflicted expression he often developed when he had a million questions and didn’t know which one to start with.

You found it so cute when he was all flustered like that.

"You seem to have grown quite close to him over the last few weeks." Sullivan hummed, his delighted tone pulling you from your thoughts. There was an impish smile on his face, automatically making you panic.

"What? No!" You answered immediately as you shoved the phone away as if it contained something other than a brief discussion of penguins. Sullivan's brows only raised higher, his smile never faltering as he caught you in your… not lie, but not truth either. "I mean, it's not like whatever you're thinking about! It's just a mutual interest in the differences between our worlds. Purely academic."

Sullivan's smile only grew as he clapped excitedly, stars in his eyes. "My little princess! You're growing up so fast."

"It's not like that!" You insisted again, but Sullivan ignored your argument, and instead threw his arms around you, not caring you were in the middle of magic street and everyone was now gawking."My g- ! Dad! Stop it!"

"I'm just so happy to see you smiling so much!" He cried. Literally. You could feel the tears falling onto your shoulders. “You’ve been so gloomy since that first month after you arrived. I thought you were happy working in the library, but now look at you! You're really blossoming!”

Despite his lanky frame, Sullivan was strong, refusing to let you go as he hugged you tightly. You gave up (and maybe gave in too) and allowed him to embrace you to his heart’s content. You hid your face in the plush fur lining of his collar, your arms wrapping around him as you tried to convince yourself you just wanted to be friends with Balam. Surely he just wanted to be friends (allies? Was that their term?) with you.

Yet, there was no denying the small attraction to the giant demon. You always had a thing for tall, broad people, and apparently that carried over to demons as well. Then there was his voice, deep and cultured, even if it was muffled by his mask. And the fact that despite being a literal demon, he was so kind and gentle, taking such care to not break things, to not accidentally injure you or Iruma, even when he was wrapped up in the excitement of a new discovery. 

Which led to the fact he was as much of a book worm as you, constantly seeking new knowledge about your realm.

And the skinship habit of his. Which didn’t help your case. At all.

Could you just blame being touch-starved for sinking into his touches? Or for being all too happy to lean into him as he mindlessly petted your head? Could you blame that for when he seemed to gravitate to your side (or maybe you to him) when you sat next to each other to go over notes?

Yet, Lord Sullivan’s frequent hugs and everything didn’t make you feel the same. Like right now, trapped in a bear-tight embrace, didn't cause your heart to beat wildly or want to melt. It made you happy, yes, and also made you feel loved and cared for, but in a completely platonic manner. Times like these were when you honestly felt like Sullivan was filling that hole your lack-of-family had caused as a child.

That was not quite true with Balam. Your heart and stomach fluttered with butterflies. His touch both caused you to feel relaxed and heated at the same time. 

Your mind kept drifting closer to having dirty ideas before you were able to reel it back into safe territory.

“Now! Come on!" Sullivan suddenly announced as he pulled away, though still gripped your hand tightly. "We need to get you some new things to really make his head turn!”

Before you knew what was going on, Sullivan was pulling you into yet another clothing shop.  Before, he had simply wanted you to find some everyday wear other than the faculty outfit you wore more often than not. But now he was encouraging you enthusiastically to try on things that were far more expensive and luxurious.

“I’m never going to have a use for this!” You protested after he and the dressmaker had convinced you into trying on an evening gown. Granted, the thing was absolutely gorgeous, with a sheen like silk, dotted with pearls and other gems. You would really feel like a princess if you ever wore it to a function.

But, you were a Librarian.  What kind of even would you even wear this to? 

“Oh, you’d be surprised,” Sullivan chuckled to himself, his eyes glimmering behind his glasses with that secretive humor of his that made you worry about what he had up his sleeve. “Besides! I’ve been spoiling my grandson, but not you! I’ve been such a neglectful parent to my princess!”

“Hardly,” You responded flatly, reflecting back to your room. The massive amounts of books that you had quickly collected because of him. Your job, which you only had because of him. And then there was the open love and affection Sullivan showered you with every morning. Or how he popped in randomly into the library with a tea tray and goodies piled high.

 It was more than you could have ever asked for, even as a child. It was definitely more than what you expected when you first summoned him, or when you signed the contract.

 All you wanted -- or rather expected -- was to be by Iruma’s side in hell. And while this was the Netherworld, it was about as far from hellish as you could have ever imagined.

“You’re my little princess and I want to spoil you while I still can before a big strong demon captures your heart and whisks you away!” Sullivan continued, making you blush as you ducked back into one of the changing rooms. Even behind the door, you could faintly hear him and the dressmaker discuss options as well as gossip about your imagined love life.

Weren’t fathers usually overly protective? But then again, you had to admit that would only have made things worse. Especially since nothing actually was going on between you and Balam.

 It was just a little crush, even if you had thought you were far past such ‘childish’ things. Maybe it was just because your life was stable and (relatively) safe that your emotions decided to go through the typical stages of adolescence that you had to skip as you had struggled to survive by yourself.

You toyed with the idea as you pulled back on your regular clothes and left the small room lined with mirrors. You expected Sullivan and the dressmaker to tackle you again with another dress, except both seemed focused on the television mounted behind the counter. It was muted, but you could read the subtitles as it showed an amusement park being devastated by three giant monsters.

//Happening now: Attack at Walter Park. Random attack by monsters, or coordinated attack?//

Your blood turned to ice. Walter Park was where Iruma was. 

Before you could even process what you were doing, you were sprinting out of the shop, no thought in your mind except that you had to reach Iruma. You had to find and protect him.

But you didn’t even know which direction Walter Park was.

Sullivan wasn’t far behind you, and easily caught up with you as you panicked in the streets, pacing the plaza in hopes of seeing some sort of sign that would lead you to the amusement park.

“He needs me!” you answered when he called your name frantically, quickly reaching you thanks to his long legs. “I have-I have to get to him! I have to protect him!”

“We will,” Sullivan soothed, trying to calm you as he placed his hands on your shoulders, making you focus on him. “But trust that Opera, Balam, and Kalego will protect him until we arrive. Blindly rushing in with no plan will only lead to further disaster. You need to calm yourself first.”

It was easier said than done, but he patiently guided you through a few deep breaths to help calm your mind. Once he was satisfied you were at least somewhat more rational, Sullivan stood to his full height, his large bat-like wings spreading wide as he offered his hand to you. “Now, let’s go save our boy.”

You took his hand, and was quickly pulled into his arms before he took to the sky, faster than you could believe.

--+- Su-Ki-Ma --+--

To be honest, you enjoyed spending time in the stables behind the mansion. You never got the opportunity in your old life to be near horses, or any other kind of animal outside the stray cat or dog.

Or dead fish. So much fish. 

Not that the Nightmares were ‘normal’ horses. They were taller than your typical racehorse, with sharp teeth, a thick coal-colored coat contrasting their equally thick white mane and tail, and of course, their blood-red eyes. 

Yet, despite how imposing and terrifying they looked at first, they proved to be gentle beasts once they realized you were happy to feed them a few of the sugar cubes that Opera would rarely give as a treat.

Though, feeding them the raw meat that constituted their main diet still made your stomach squirm. Because, of course, they were demon horses so their diet mainly consisted of raw meat that they devoured with the ferociousness of a swarm of piranhas.

Oddly, Sullivan had never actually named the nightmares, despite how much he seemed to love to spoil them, sneaking out daily to also feed them sugar cubes, or being a bit more bolder than you and feeding them raw steaks out of his hand.

 So, you decided to name the four after the Mares of Diomedes in the Greek myth, seeing how both were flesh-eating horses. Podargos (the swift), Lampon (the shining), Xanthos (the yellow) and Deinos (the terrible). Podargos and Lampon were the two that were the most behaved and easy-mannered of the four mares, nickering softly whenever you approached and having no qualms if you didn’t have a treat or not. They would lower their muzzle and allow you to pet them anytime.

Xanthos was a bit more shy, usually hanging back whether in her stall or out in the fields until you bribed her. She'd trot close, hesitant as she munched her treat and allow you a few moments of touching her soft nose before snorting and trotting away.

Deinos was an ass, and also the leader of the herd. She’d push her way to the front of the fence if the others had reached you first, not afraid of nipping and stomping her hooves to get her way. And may whatever deities that resided over the Netherworld help you if you didn’t have a treat for her, because she would happily bite your fingers off and much on them otherwise (Or so Opera said, and you still couldn’t tell if they were joking or not.)

[princesspastel8]

Chapter 32

Third POV

After Jeff left, Eboni kicked everyone out - stating that she had a long weekend and deserves some rest in her own bed. Iris and Luna didn't complain and left, wishing Eboni the best. But Taylor did. She clearly didn't like the power Jeff has over Eboni. The teen knows this as well. It was written all over Taylor's face. Does she care? Not at all. She belongs to Jeff, and nothing about that fact will change. The sooner Taylor accepts that, the better.

It's Monday. Tiffany has called Eboni to check in on her. The teen is a bit surprised that she didn't receive any text or phone calls from the woman over the weekend. Maybe she thought Eboni was out living her best life and didn't want to get in the way of that. Either way, it worked out since Eboni was stuck at that mansion.

Eboni can't take her rollerblades this time, so her only option of transportation is her bike. Her hand has gotten better as well as the bruise on the side of her ribs.

Once at the school, she chains up her bike and tightens her cast before walking through the school doors. While walking to her locker, the teen notices most of the students staring at her - whispering words to their friends or giving her a look of acknowledgment. The atmosphere of their stares doesn't seem negative in any way.

"Has to be about the Red Riders ga-"

As Eboni is opening her locker to grab her books for first period, a strong force knocks her straight into her locker, making it slame close on her injured hand. She holds back her cry, glaring at the person responsible for it.

Trisha glares down at Eboni, grabbing the girl's hair. The teen whences, glaring daggers at Trisha. This girl can never catch a break. Beth stands there, grinning like some mad woman. These two have been aching to get their hands on Eboni.

"Patience really is a virtue, huh? We tried to get Taylor to Spill on where you live, but that bitch wouldn't fess up."

"We know you got something to do with the murders of our members. Spill the beans, and we might spare you an ass kicking!" Trisha shouts in Eboni's face.

Eboni grins, spitting in Trisha's face, which earns her head slamming into the lockers and a kick to her injured ankle from Beth. Eboni falls to the ground, still refusing to release any sounds of pain. She looks at her hand, blood bleeding through the bandages.

"What's up with the busted hand and fucked up ankle huh? Get that shit while out on your killing sprees? Fess up already!" Beth demands, kicking the girl in her stomach and Trisha socks her clean in her jaw.

Eboni lands on the ground with a hard 'thud'. She slowly sits up, grinning from ear to ear. "And if I was involved...the cops has nothing on me - you wanna be gangsters bitches!"

At this point, Trisha and Beth lose their temper and begin jumping Eboni - punching and kicking her at any place their hits would land. The other students just watch, most recording and not one bothering to find a teacher.

"EBONI!!" Taylor yells, pushing the students out of her way with Iris close behind saying 'excuse me' to every person Taylor shoves.

"Don't even think about stepping in, you useless low grade!" Beth orders.

Eboni pants, blood flowing from her nose and her lip busted once again. She looks at Taylor, begging the girl to do something. What's the worst that can happen? All she wants is a break. Taylor, however, stares in anger and remorse, causing Eboni to sigh. Maybe this is one of the gangs rules- low grades have no choice but to listen to the higher ups, even if their friend is getting beaten to the ground.

She won't hold this against her, but that doesn't mean she isn't pissed off. The question is, why isn't Eboni fighting back? Well, she doesn't want to be suspended again. It seems like every time the teen fights back, she's the one to always get into trouble - it's unfair, but Eboni will hold out until a teacher shows up.

That is until Iris surprisingly steps forward. She puts on her best threatening expression, clenching her fist. Eboni's eyes widen, knowing Iris can't even bring herself to hurt a fly - what can she do against two gang members?

"L-L-L....Leave h-her alone!" Iris forces out through her trembling lips.

Trisha laughs, stepping forward. She grins down at the five foot two teen, placing her hands on her hips. "Oh yeah? And if I don't? What is a stuttering bitch like you gonna do?"

Iris is trembling as if the temperature within the halls dropped below zero. Eboni feels touched. Iris, knowing how terrifying it is, still put herself in the middle of this crossfire just to possibly save Eboni. Unfortunately, the poor trembling girl stands still - paralyzed.

"Nothing. That's what I thought." Trisha laughs before punching the girl clean in her jaw, and Iris falls to the ground.

"Iris!" Taylor calls out, rushing to the girl's side. She quickly helps her out, glaring at Trisha. "Ya' sorry son of a-"

"Finish that sentence, and I will tell the head - everything." Trisha warns, raising a brow.

Taylor's mouth slames shut as she helps Iris off the floor, not having the courage to look Eboni's way. Beth laughs, shaking her head. "Well shit. You really do have some crappy, weak friends - huh? You mur-"

Eboni is already on her feet, grabbing Beth by her hair and knees her in the nose before slamming her head against the locker. She looks boldy at Trisha, wiping the blood from her nose and spitting blood on the ground from her lip.

"Nice to see one of my friends has a set of balls." She grins, looking at Iris, who smiles back with shaky lips.

"Beth! You piece of sh-"

Trisha moves to punch Eboni in her face, but she girl dodges easily. Swing after swing - Trisha can't land a single hit. Eboni's mind is elsewhere at this point. She assumes fighting a few high-class serial killers taught her a thing or two - one lesson being speed.

"Stand. STILL!" Trisha shouts in frustration.

"Fuck - this is boring." She said, dropping down into a split which surprises everyone watching.

Eboni moves her leg, tripping Trisha to the ground. The teen quickly jumps in top of her, giving punch after brutal punch to the girl's face. At this point, Trisha is already knocked out cold, but that doesn't stop Eboni in the slightest - until she feels something smack her upside the head.

Eboni groans, ringing filling her ears. She looks up, giving Beth a sly grin. "Aw, was a few knocks to the locker not enough to keep your pathetic ass down? I hope you're more entertaining than she was." Eboni taunts while standing off of Trisha, kicking the girl in her rib for good measure.

The action angers Beth, the girl swinging her bat in Eboni's direction. She smiles wickedly, a crazed look taking over her features. Beth moves to swing the bat at her head again, but Eboni catches it in her grasp, yanking the weapon from Beth. She tosses the bat into the crowd, laughing loudly.

"A girl in a cast can still move faster than you! Come oooon, I'm sure you've had plenty of street fights! Show me what them hands can do!" Eboni said, standing with her hands on her hips.

Beth accepts her challenge, her movements being rather swift, which surprises Eboni in a delightful way. But after some time, Beth movements slow down due to her lack of stamina. It seems like the leader lacks it since her minions always get their hands dirty.

"You really are a disappointment." Eboni scoffs, punching the girl square in her nose.

She gives no time for Beth to recover, kicking the girl to the ground but grabs her hair to keep her upright. Eboni brings her fist to her face over and over again, her laughter growing louder and more maniacal. When she notices Beth slipping unconscious, Eboni leans down to whisper something into her ear.

"I have nothing to do with your petty gang's death. Buuuut I know the man that does - each one of those fuckers didn't stand a chance against him, Especially Emily." She mocks, giving the girl one last blow knocking her out cold.

"What is the meaning of this!?" Principle Webb shouts, pushing his way through the crowd with other teachers following behind him.

Eboni cracks her neck and knuckles, looking at Principle Webb with a widen smile. "Oh hey, nothing really. Just beat these bitches up for thinking they can jump me." Eboni points at the cameras in the corner of the halls. "Look at those cameras. They even punched Iris for trying to defend me."

"I-Its true..." Iris said, pulling away from Taylor.

Taylor, of course, grabs Iris and shakes her head, silently begging her to shut up. Eboni rolls her eyes, chuckling darkly. Sometimes, she really wants to kick Taylor's ass. Whatever the reason may be, Eboni knows she's trying to save her own ass. She knows these girls have some type of blackmail on her. How hippocyrtical of Taylor to still keep secrets that only Iris knows about.

"You! To my office, now!" Principle Webb orders.

Eboni rolls her eyes, walking towards his office - sparing Taylor a side eye. Once there principle Webb goes through the security cameras, watching intensely. When he sees Eboni telling the truth, he sighs, pitching the bridge of his nose.

"Suspended for the rest of the week. I will inform your parents."

"What the hell!? I didn't start it!"

"But you caused more damage! You look like you were enjoying yourself!"

"And if I was? They fucking deserved it.", Eboni said through her teeth a smile stretching her face.

Principle Webb stares at the teen in horror, getting a sense of strange deja vu. "G-Get out! My decision is final! Leave school grounds, or I will have you escorted out!" He warns.

Eboni sighs, standing from her seat and leaves his office - walking straight out of the school doors. She walks to her bike, hopping on after unchaining it and rides back home- awaiting a phone call from Tiffany.

When home, Eboni slumps in her bed, body sore from the beating she took. Eboni's phone begins to ring, Tiffany on the other end. The woman lectures her, Eboni not saying a word since she's too tired to care. After awhile of bickering, Eboni hangs up the phone mid sentence, then turns her phone on silent. A break. The girl just wants a break from everything. Letting exhaustion take over, Eboni drifts off into a light nap.

• • • •

Meanwhile, at the Slenderman mansion, BEN is scrolling through Instagram on his phone - the phone is bugged so nothing can be traced back. During his scrolling, he comes across a video that looks like a school fight. Rolling his eyes, he keeps scrolling until he comes across the same video but at a different angle. He scrolls again, but the same thing occurs. Giving up, he watches the video, his eyes widening at who's partaking in the fight.

"Holy shit is that Eboni?" BEN ask outloud, gaining Eyeless Jack's attention.

"What are you watching?" He asks, leaning over to take a look while BEN turns up the volume.

"Is she always kicking someone's a- Oh shit that was a nasty hit!"

"Play it from the beginning. See her hand? It's bleeding through her bandages."

BEN starts the video over, both of them cringing at the beating Eboni takes so willingly. "...is this what Jeff is talking about?"

"The one thing that pisses him off about Eboni? Yeah, now I understand. So why did Eboni - "

"Why did Eboni what?" Jeff questions, looming over them from behind the couch - taking a sip of his Jack Daniel's.

"Your girl got into another smack down." BEN sighs.

"Her hand looks pretty bad." EJ comments, a look of concern taking his features.

Jeff quickly snatches the phone from BEN, watching the fight from beginning to end. He's pissed, no doubt about it, but he's angry for three different reasons. One, Eboni allows them to beat her. Two, her quiet - weak friend tries to step in and fails miserably while Taylor does absolutely nothing. And Three, that was the tipping point for Eboni to fight back - to defend her friend, not herself.

Jeff tosses the phone back to BEN, frowning. "EJ, get your medical shit and follow me."

Eyeless Jack doesn't bother to argue since he wants to check on Eboni as well. He goes into his private infirmary and grabs his first aid kit, making his way back down the stairs.

"BEN, use your powers and send us there. Too tired to walk." He grumbles, dark bags clearly under his eyes - the killer didn't get much sleep last night.

BEN nods, placing his hands on their shoulders and zaps out of the mansion and zips through the forest - making it to the edge of the forest and Eboni's home. Jeff looks around, nodding his head forward once the cost is clear.

Jeff, EJ, and BEN all climb up to her window, Jeff opening the window quietly and swiftly - the three of them stepping inside. EJ and BEN are taken aback by Eboni's pink infested room, but Jeff is used to it by now. He walks over to her bed, noticing she's asleep.

The smiling killer reaches over, using his index finger to rub against her cheek. "Wake up, princess. We gotta talk."

Eboni stirs, opening her eyes. She yawns, sitting up as she rubs them. "Daddy?"

BEN zaps her lights on, waving awkwardly. "We're here too. Just needed you to know." The demon did not want to witness nor hear anything that can be avoided.

"Uh..ok?? Why are you all here anyway? Besides Da-...Jeff."

Jeff moves to sit beside her, grabbing her hand, and begins to unwrap it. He notices her busted lip and the bruises on her arms and legs. He clicks his tongue, wiping blood from her nose that begins to bleed again. He looks at her hand, shaking his head.

"EJ get started."

EJ steps forward, making Eboni flinch back. "Wait- hold on I'm -"

"Shut. Up. Just sit there and let him work. I won't tell you again." The smiling killer warns, clearly not in the best mood.

Eboni pouts, sulking against her headboard as EJ begins looking over her hand- changing the stitching and cleaning the wound. The teen looks at Jeff, noticing the dark bags under his eyes. She tilts her head but looks at BEN.

"Are you going to explain why you guys suddenly showed up?"

"You're going viral." BEN smirks, "that fight of yours is blowing up."

Eboni's eyes widen, reaching for her phone and taking it off of silent. She notices the many missed calls from Tiffany and a few messages from Iris and...A LOT from Taylor. She gets onto Instagram, noticing her fight is all over her feed. She checks her account, noticing how many followers she gained.

"....whoa-" she whispers, quickly replying to Iris to let her know she's alright but leaves Taylor on open - rolling her eyes and scoffing at her half ass apologies.

Jeff takes the phone, reading Taylor's message. His eye twitched, throwing her phone to the couch. "Man! I hate that bitch!" He shouts.

Eboni's taken aback, "Why? She didn't do anything to you -"

"But she's doing shit to you! Fuck Eboni when are you going to start defending yourself? When are you gonna start giving a shit about yourself?! Your SAFETY!? Fuck those bitches and start putting your ass first!"

The teen stares at him, a bit confused as to why he's snapping at her like this. "Where's this coming fr -"

The killer pulls away from her, standing and starts pacing her room. He pitches the bridge of his nose, trying to keep his temper under control. Yes, he's angry, but he's trying not to direct it all at Eboni even though half of his anger is because of her. He doesn't mind Iris and Luna. Though they don't agree with their...connection, they know not to overstep - not to get in the way.

But not Taylor. He refuses to believe that such a girl has Eboni's best interest at heart. He senses jealously - Envy. The way she looks at his girl is contradictoring to her words on how she cares for Eboni. Taylor's so selfish and has her head so far up her ass. No wonder she's with Masky. The two are too much alike. That's a recipe for a toxic bomb. Taylor is only looking out for herself, no matter who to hurt, to get what she wants. How she got girls like Iris and Luna to care for her is beyond Jeff's comprehension.

"She doesn't give a shit about you. Something about that bitch rubs me the wrong way. How is it that the one that looks like she'll cry at any kind of comfortation helps you - but not the one who can throw hands!?" He shouts.

"What the hell - she does care! They're blackmailing her! They have something on her head!" Eboni said defensively. These are the first friends she's ever made. Sure, Taylor has her flaws, but she will defend her. She doesn't want to lose the first and only friends she has.

Jeff laughs, shaking his head. "You think I give a shit Eboni? I'm never wrong about this shit! She's going to screw you over! That hoe is a damn narcissist!"

EJ reaches to try and place a thin bandage over Eboni's lip, but their consistent arguing is preventing it. The teen laughs, rolls her eyes, and crosses her arms over her chest. "It takes one to know one asshole!"

No one can stop it. No one sees it coming. Before EJ & BEN can take action, Jeff forces Eboni against her headboard by her throat. His grip tightens as he stares at the girl with unblinking eyes - his grin stretching from ear to ear.

"You're right princess I'm the biggest fucking narcissist out here! But you like that - you love that shit about me. It's what draws you in, makes you crave more. So don't sit here and act like you're more sane than me. You're just as fucked up as me and if you want a bitch like that to fuck you up some more - be my fucking guest!" He shouts in her face before BEN yanks him away.

Eboni coughs, hand on her throat as she tries to regulate her breathing. EJ quickly places a patch over her lip before taking a look at her neck. It'll bruise, only slightly, though. He places a reassuring hand on Eboni's shoulder before looking at Jeff - his expression in dismay.

"Tch. Fuck this. Let's go." He said, not sparing another look at Eboni.

EJ and BEN share an apologetic look towards Eboni before jumping out of the window, leaving her in a state of shock. Maybe Taylor is right, out of all the psycho killers to let fuck her - why did it have to be Jeff The Killer?

[saintsir4n]

17

thank you for 10k views 

WARNINGS: SMUT, MENTIONS OF WAR AND ABORTION

1914

THE Shelby brothers had enlisted and Eden Dawkins wanted to kill them all.

"Why?" She finally asked after being silent for five unnerving minutes.

"We wanted to do it on our terms," Tommy exclaimed, watching her nervously as she played with her fingers.

He and his brothers brought her to the nearby park where they all used to play. It was vacant but her boiling anger was suffocating them all. John sat next to her on a swing, but Arthur stood next to a cautious Tommy.

"Your terms?" Eden repeated, folding her arms.

He stiffly nodded, "Our terms."

"What's Pol said?"

"Very little."

"Ada?" Eden asked, and that's when John took a good look at her, seeing how she glowed, despite her frustration.

"Wouldn't stop cryin'" John grimaced at the memory.

"John," Arthur hissed, Tommy just sighed.

"What? She did."

"Little Finn? I know Isaiah was bawlin' his eyes at last night when he woke up they were swollen," Eden stated.

"We're tellin' 'im later tonight," Arthur informed, averting his eyes.

She turned to John, "And Martha?"

"She smacked me, then cried," the force of the slap caused his head to whip to the side full force whilst his aunt consoled his crying wife.

"She's your wife, popped out a baby for you and now you're off to war, I don't blame her," Eden muttered, and John sighed.

"Alright Eden," he didn't want to feel guiltier than he already did. He was leaving his girls for however long. But it was his decision and there was no way he or his brothers back out of it now.

Eden stared up at Tommy, with a look he couldn't read, "My dad and uncle told me the same this mornin', that they enlisted as well, my dad vows, promises to my mum, well they don't mean shit anyways."

"Thanks, Eden," John grumbled, then stormed off, leaving Arthur to follow him presumably back to the house.

Tommy appeared in front of her, "Edie, love."

She stood up and softly shook her head, "Don't, give me time to think."

She didn't sound angry anymore, just hurt, there was so much on her mind, the baby was a big factor and how was she gonna raise a child when he was shooting the enemy at war? Is there any point in telling him now? Her mother asked her if she wanted to keep the baby, as did Polly the following Monday and she instantly said yes, but it was all before this madness.

Before all the men in her life were gonna up and leave for... a few months? What a load of shite, it wouldn't be that easy, it never was. Her father would be gone, a part of her world. She wouldn't cope if she ever lost him.

"Fuck, don't shut me out," Tommy ran a hand throw his raven locks, which continued to grow.

He would have to cut it again, fuck Eden stop thinking about it all. But she couldn't. It was real, it was gonna happen whether she wanted it or not. It's men's business. Fuck.

She sent him a sad smile, "I'm not, just thinking about more life-changing decisions."

"What's that supposed to mean?" He cupped her face, trying to read her, her comments hadn't been making much sense to him recently.

"Nothin' Tom, just give me some time alright?" She placed her hands over his, then caught the panic in his eyes, "And before you ask, I'm not leavin' you, I'm just thinkin'."

"Alright," that answer he could deal with.

But the fact he wouldn't be here to protect her made him realise how much he needed her to put on the pendant, to put his mind at ease, fuck her stubbornness.

His eyes couldn't look away from her, fuck she's beautiful, he did notice a glow on her face, the summer added to her beauty, he realised.

"Alright," she nodded.

"I'm sorry," he dropped his hands and tugged her closer, bringing her head to his chest, breathing in her scent, her everything.

"Don't be, I know it's been on your mind for a while, I could tell, I'm just... upset," she mumbled against his jumper.

She was surprised tears were not pouring from her eyes, her emotions have been all over the place recently, it's the baby, her mum kept saying and wasn't wrong. She remembered Martha being the same.

"I know, I don't want you to be," Tommy tugged her away, raising her chin so she could look at him, "I love you."

His tender words made her smile reach her eyes, "I love you too, just give me a minute, okay? I have work tomorrow, come by after that, we can talk."

It's good to talk, Tommy nodded and just pulled her back to his chest as they stood alone in the vacant park, listening to nothing but the cool breeze whistling in the air.

—

Sitting across from the Dawkins was Tommy Shelby. He decided he needed to talk and explain himself to them, properly and in person, and alone while Eden was at work. Luckily he got them as they returned from their shifts and after he got John and Arthur into the betting shop to run the business in his haste absence.

Cecil Dawkins wasn't forthcoming in the slightest, he never really took to the Shelby man and didn't think he was good for his daughter, and despite trying to convince both Celestine and Eden the same, it was like talking to a brick wall. Celestine claimed it was because she could see Mara in Tommy, the friend they lost not long ago, but Cecil only noticed the same trickster act Arthur Sr wore throughout Small Heath.

He didn't buy it then, he wasn't gonna by it with Tommy sitting in their kitchen.

Or at least that's what he told himself.

"You claim to love my daughter, yet you enlisted," he started, rolling his broad shoulders back and not taking an eye off the younger man.

Tommy immediately couldn't ignore the hypocrisy, "Aren't you doin' the same to Mrs Dawkins?"

Celestine made a face, "He's got you there love."

"Celestine," Cecil cast her an annoyed look.

Tommy leaned closer, "Your daughter sees me. I used to hate it. Now love it. Well, I hate that I love it."

Celestine couldn't help but be touched by his words, "Awww—"

Cecil cut her off, "Celestine, he beat up that poor boy, made our little girl cry more than she smiled and we're supposed to give her off to 'im."

Tommy narrowed his eyes on the carpenter, "She's not property."

Cecil craned his neck to look at him in disgust, "Are you gonna lecture me 'bout property?"

"Boys," Celestine was quick to interrupt, "Cecil, I know what he's done and now I'm seein' what he's tryna do for our girl."

Cecil already recognised the influences Tommy had over his daughter, one day she was adamant that religion wasn't for her and all of a sudden she came back with a black Madonna on her neck, well not so much anymore. He knew Eden had her own mind, but love was clouding it and her dreams, big dreams, he didn't want Tommy dimming them in any way.

"Eden came home cryin' yesterday, those Changretta boys have signed up and all, she found out 'bout through Dorris." Cecil informed, turning back to him with a frustrated look, "You ruined that friendship for her as well."

After suppressing another glare, Tommy averted his gaze as the guilt and the nerves took over him. He was trying, very very hard to make things right with Eden but he knew it was something she would always hate him for, even if she was in love with him. The looks he received from Cecil were only adding to that, piling onto the remorse.

So he nodded, and finally snapped his head up again, "I know, it's somethin' I regret, can't change the past now, need to focus on the future, my future with your daughter."

"Sound so confidant," Cecil muttered bitterly.

"I am."

Celestine blurted, "Thomas, you think you've made the right decision, what if Eden comes to you with some news of her own?"

"Like what?" both men turned to her in curiosity.

"Who knows," Cesltine quickly waved them off, but Tommy didn't glance away from her, "y'know our Edie, she's a mystery half the time."

"I know she is, but she's easier to read than I thought," Tommy said, still trying to decipher her previous question.

Cecil rolled his eyes at his response.

Tommy continued, "I get that I've done wrong by her, but I'll live up to the promises I've made her. I'm not perfect –"

"–got that right –" Cecil murmured, wincing at the pinch he received from his wife.

"– But I'll be my best for her, I'll give you my word, that I will," Tommy stated.

"A man's only as good as his word," Celestine added, half smiling at the younger man.

Now I see where Eden gets her forgiving trait from. Tommy thought.

Cecil bitterly snorted, "Thank you my sweet but I'm not worried about his word, it's his actions that I'm cautious of."

"I understand," Tommy insisted.

"Dont think you do," Cecil argued, waves of conflicting feelings washed over him.

"I understand that in all the years I've spent on this lane, you two are the only ones that had a functioning relationship. No domestics, no lyin' or cheatin' from what I've seen," Tommy remarked, "Just love, understanding and forgiveness. That's what I want with Eden."

Tommy pulled out the ring he wanted to propose to Eden with, making Celestine's face light up, Cecil remained unimpressed. He's been carrying the ring around him for days since he brought it, (more than the horseshoe) looking for the right time and day to ask. It was a simple ring, one he brought before Greta passed away along with one for himself.

Two wedding bands.

Tommy rubbed the back of his neck, "It's not much, I know, Eden deserves a lot better than me. She's your daughter and you'll do anything for her, what parent wouldn't? But give me a chance, another one, I already lost her once, and I can't do it again. She makes me a better man, a smarter man, and with her brains it easy to do that," Cecil couldn't deny what he was saying. "I'll make her happy, happier than she's been, I fucked — I mean messed up already, I'd be a fool to do that again. If I didn't respect you, I wouldn't be here, I would've just asked her to be my wife and she'd say yes because I know her, but I'm here, askin' for ya blessing Mr. and Mrs. Dawkins."

"Celestine," she corrected.

"Celestine," Tommy smiled at her, and she returned the gesture, it's just like my Edie's. Turning back to Cecil, hespoke clearly, "And if it goes to hell, then I'll put the revolver in your hands, with a bullet that has my name scratched across it, Mr Dawkins."

Cecil hummed, "Sounds good to me."

"Cecil," his wife scolded.

"Don't fuck up," he jabbed a finger at Tommy.

"Oi."

"I won't," Tommy nodded along.

Celestine hissed at her husband, "Watch your language."

Tommy did his best to conceal his amusement as he watched the two bicker, is this what me and Eden look like? Christ.

"Sorry my sweet," he cupped her hands, pressing a kiss to them, then turned to the younger man, about to say something he hoped he wouldn't regret. "You've got my blessin'."

Tommy let out a breath he didn't know that he was holding and shook his hand with Cecil's.

"And you, Mrs — Celestine, do I have ya blessin'?" He corrected, much to her excitement.

Celestine chuckled, "You had it before you walked in, Thomas."

Tommy finally smiled.

—

"Anythin' you wanna tell me?"

"Like what?"

Tommy knew Eden inside and out, he'd been observing her since they came to lay on her bed after she got home. How she wiped off her subtle make-up and got undressed, revealing parts of her that he believed to have grown or thickened, had him aroused but overall he knew something was different.

So after she wrapped her hair in a scarf, he sat down at the edge of her bed, ready to ask her some questions.

"Your mum said somethin' weird today, somethin' 'bout you might havin' some news of your own," he pressed, still confused by her cryptic words.

"I don't," Eden rushed out, internally cursing at her mother, despite knowing she meant well.  "Besides you're off to war," she added, knowing the gears were turning in his mind, but she couldn't have him asking any more questions, "you all are, how are we supposed to cope?"

Tommy took her hands in his, "It won't be for long, papers sayin' it'll be a couple of months and we'll be back for Christmas."

"As if you believe that," she muttered,  softly scoffing at the thought. It's a fucking lie, the papers are lying to them all.

"'Ave to believe somethin'."

She pulled her hands out of his grasp, "It'll be hell. We joke 'bout Small Heath bein' hell but this is hell, all the things we learnt in school and church– "

" – You barely went to church," he remarked, smirking slightly.

She rolled her eyes, "Tommy it'll be hell, I just know."

"Aye, then we'll need to return to our havens soon," Tommy spoke with a glint of glee swimming in his eyes. 

"Please don't go," he could hear the pain in her voice, it almost crippled him.

It was too late now...their papers had been turned in, and they would be shipping out to France soon.

Taking off his blazer, he slipped into bed next to her, turning on his side, so he could take all of her in.

"Love listen, I'll come back to you, sooner than you think," he vowed, "you can write to me, and by the time I come back, you'll finish that book you've writing."

She bit down on her bottom lip, "What book?"

He softly chuckled, "The book that's runnin' through your mind right now, you fuel it with whatever you set your sights on so you can put pen to paper."

"It's hard to do that when war is on my mind and has been on yours for quite some time," she whispered.

"I know," he nodded, "what'll make you feel better eh? Visit a medium and they'll tell you what's what."

Tommy was never a believer in fortunes, well sometimes he was but his dad was a trickster for a living, stealing horses and telling fortunes, Tommy didn't want to be tricked but he needed Eden to settle and she hadn't been for a while.

"Don't need to see a fraud like Mrs. Price or whoever to know what's what Tommy, you'll be gone for a while..." and who knows if you'll come back the same.

Eden sniffled at the visions flashing through her mind, she was pregnant and he would be gone. How big was she gonna get, how much would she change? All the dreams and wishes she had about having a big family, she always thought Enzo and Dorris would be there for her, all three of them together, but the former wasn't an option and the latter, wouldn't be much of a help, instead turn it into a big joke and that wasn't what she needed right now. She needed guidance.

Hearing the Changrettas were all aboard with this suicide mission, her old best friend was gonna get himself killed and she couldn't even get within five feet of him for her to tell him to stay at home.

Soldiers at bloody war.

"Does Finn know?" She broke the silence with a quiet question.

Tommy frowned at the memory, "He does. Wants to come along with us."

"Course he does, you're his heroes."

"I'll be yours when we come back," he countered, not wanting to think of his little brother crying and begging to come along.

"How confident," she muttered the same thing his father had done hours before.

He smirked, "Y'know me."

She nodded, "I do know you."

"Can I ask you somethin'?"

"What?"

"To put the pendant back on," he rushed out, narrowing his eyes when she sighed, "We're together now Edie, no point of you carrying on this act. You love me, I love you. What happened ain't in the past, I know that, I messed up, it fucked up your head and all, but listen I'm changin' and I can't leave 'ere with the thought of your beck bare."

Eden deeply sighed.

"I don't wanna rush ya —"

"Give it to me."

His eyes widened.

"What?"

"Give it to me, I'll put it on," it's for the baby, she wanted to be safe and careful with the pregnancy, especially if he wasn't gonna be there.

Tommy quickly pulled it out of his pocket, shocking her that he'd been carrying it around this entire time. He put it around her neck, just like how he did when he first confessed his love for her.

It looked beautiful and he couldn't stop smiling, she thought his face would have to hurt.

In all honesty, she did prefer it on and missed it so dearly, but she was a stubborn woman and wanted to be petty.

"Back where it belongs," he said aloud, trailing a finger over her cheek, "You look so fuckin' beautiful, y'know that?"  he loved her more than life itself, "Can't get enough of you."

She blushed at the look he was giving her, "Tom..."

"You're glowin' I don't get it. But I love it. Come here," he tugged her closer.

"No, I'm mad at ya," she didn't bother fighting.

"Good, the sex is better when you are," he stole a kiss from her.

"My parents are here," she gasped when he tugged at her nightie.

"Like that's stopped us," he started to undress, rushing to get his clothes off.

She gasped when he got into bed again, still in his undergarments, but she could see all of him fuck no wonder I'm pregnant.

"Tom..." she whimpered when he got on top of her.

His lips trailed up and down her neck, "If you're worried 'bout puttin' a baby in you, I won't, I'll wait for some here."

She fought a frown and asked, "So you don't want a baby now?" She asked and he pulled back.

"Not yet, when I come back, maybe when the business improves y'know?" He rushed out, standing up and going to the door.

"Right," she whispered, knowing now wasn't the right time to tell him. Fuck when was it?

"Come here," he grinned after shoving the door stopper under the door, so they wouldn't be interrupted, "I love you alright, now, I need to make it up to you, your parents know I'm stayin' over, so lay back and be quiet."

Her small breathy moans haunted him at night in his room alone. Touching himself, imagining how it would be when he had her all over again. He craved Eden like the very air in his lungs.

"You're not tired?" She asked, putting aside her confession and focusing on his hardened state, palming it, earning a soft groan from him.

"Of you? Never," his head moved all over her body, travelling from the hem of her nightie to the inside of her thighs, "surprised your knife ain't here, can't 'ave you stabbin' me."

He didn't need another incident with the flick knife.

She let out a breathy laugh, "I wouldn't... yet."

Eden dragged his face back to hers, enveloping him in searing kisses as his hands began shifting off her nightie, pulling it over her head, freeing her breasts, whilst her nimble fingers pulled down his undergarments, he groaned against her feverish lips.

"Fuck, you're everythin', ya know that?" He grunted at the feeling of her hands.

Tommy pulled back, trying to suppress his grunts and groans but he couldn't. He moved away her hand, wanting, no, needing to focus on her and only her.

His tongue teased her breasts, "'Ave these got bigger? They fuckin' 'ave."

It was something he couldn't deny.

"Oi, that hurts," she hissed, then panicked at the worried look in his eyes, "Avoid 'em for the night. Just feel a little sensitive, that's all."

"Y'sure?" she never reacted like that before "They look so..." Tommy trailed off, biting down on his lip at how big they were, "alright sorry," he quickly apologised, then was taken back by her roughly pushing him, managing to flip him over, "Fuck."

"Wanted to be to top," she murmured as his hands settled on her waist.

He needed all of her, she squealed when he sat up, still keeping his firm grip on her.

"By all means, darlin'," he groaned, watching her rise on her knees, "be on top."

Sinking down on him, they both groaned and gripped each other.

Eden knew she would have to find a better time to tell him about the baby on the way.

▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

a/n:

it upsets me that those who went to war only thought they would be away for a few months. i was gonna watch 'all quiet on the western front' but i don't wanna upset myself. never been a fan of war films but been hearing a lot praise from that one.

and yes i finally made eden put the pendant back on, just for the sake of the baby. she's a superstitious person, so it would just bring her comfort to know that she's safe and so is the baby.

also i didn't realise how quickly this book would take for me to write, honestly thought it would be longer but I'm glad it wasn't too heavy, or violent, but I've been enjoying it so much, i love eden and tommy.

[fluffytriceratops]

𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭 - 𝐚. 𝐦𝐢𝐲𝐚 [chapter one]

chapter one: "𝚖𝚛𝚜 𝚔𝚠𝚊𝚗 𝚒𝚜 𝚖𝚢 𝚜𝚞𝚐𝚊𝚛 𝚍𝚊𝚍𝚍𝚢."

notes: i'm not in uni so i don't know what i'm talking about most of the time huehue

chapter two: "bootymeat."

««•◦ ✪ ◦•»»

Friday, 2:28 pm.

y/n

guess who failed her mid terms??

*le cry*  

bokubro

wtf tell me you're joking-

tsukitsuki

i can't say i'm surprised

kendoll

we knew it was going to happen eventually

no one should be surprised at this point

tetsu

wth?! even after all my tutoring??

y/n

well fuck you guys too-

thanks for the support, dickheads

bokubro

hey!! what about me?? 😭😭

y/n

not you bo, you're such a bean i luv you 🥰  

bokubro

AHH I LUVE YOU TOOO SDJdfj 🥰🥰🥰

kendoll

you guys disgust me

tsukitsuki

i dont have the patience for this

y/n

eat shit

queen keiji

aren't we forgetting something? are we just going to let her off the hook that easily?

tetsu

HOW DID YOU FAIL YOUR MIDTERMS

tsukitsuki

cuz she's an idiot

y/n

shut up string bean!

and technically i only failed one class-

but i just barley passed in most of the other's so..

👁👄👁👌✨

queen keiji

but i thought kuroo was helping you study?

bokubro

yeah! and you sounded so sure of yourself earlier

tetsu

don't blame this on me, she did this to herself

you guys sit with her for hours on end trying to get her to focus. it aint an easy task.

y/n

he was- i'm not even going to try to lie, he's right 🥲

kendoll

like i said, stupid

y/n

kenma i swear--- i will destroy your village in minecraft dont test me

👺👺👺

kendoll

not my fault you have half a brain cell

tsukitsuki

didn't you help build that village?

y/n

fuck you guys

i'm going out to eat sushi & boba and i'm not bringing any of you 🖕

bokubro

heyy!!!

WHAT ABOUT ME

queen keiji

excuse me??

tetsu

RUDEEEE

y/n

BESIDES YOU THREE ofc 💕

tetsu aren't you in class rn? and bo do you not have practice soon??

tetsu

yeah but we're just reviewing stuff from monday

plus it'll be over soon

bokubro

shit i nearly forgot

wait for ME???

pPLEASE?

kendoll

i want boba

tsukitsuki

i want sushi

y/n

well too fucking bad you guys can eat shit

soggy anus's

tsukitsuki

do you not have class in half an hour?

kendoll

soggy anus's? the fuck y/n

y/n

i can eat fast

bokubro

NOOO WAIT FOR ME

PLESSEAE

testu

WAIT FOR ME TOOO

queen keiji

i would also like you to wait for me

y/n

UGHHGHGH

FINEEE

but no kenma or tsukishima, they can suck my toes

tsukitsuki

that's fucking disgusting

is that some weird kink of yours?

kendoll

i change my mind

i don't want to go out with you anyway

bokubro

wait actually?

y/n are you into that stuff?

kendoll

i wouldn't put it past her, she's probably into all kinds of weird shit

y/n

EWW NO

SHUT UP YOU KNOW WHAT I MEANT

tsukitsuki

how am i supposed to know what you meant?

i think what you want is pretty clear, nasty hoe

queen keiji

if you guys don't stop pissing her off none of us are going to be able to go

tsukitsuki

idc i'll go out with kozume

kendoll

i'd be up for that

bokubro

WAIT I WANNA COME TOO

y/n

THATs IT I"M GOING TO GET FOOD NOW PISS OFF FUCKERS

BO YOU FKCING TRAITOR

queen keiji

what did i say

tsukitsuki

idc either way

kendoll

i hope you choke

bokubro

NO WAIT Y/N IM SORRYRY

tetsu

wait y/n my class is over in like 2 minutes

let me come with!!  

y/n

KISS MY ASS

except for kaashi and tetsu💕

and ye- i'll wait for you i'm outside of my english classroom

kendoll

ew no

i knew you were into some nasty shit

bokubro

Y/N NOO

I"M SOWWRY

I DIDNT MEAN ITTTT

tetsu

alright, i'm leaving now!

y/n

thats your punishment for betraying me

now you know how it feels

keiji are you able to come now too?

kendoll

don't worry bo, you can come with us

tsukitsuki

exactly you don't want to hang out with her anyway

we're better

y/n

fuck you!

bo don't go! if you don't go i'll come pick you up after practice with food! anything you want, my treat!

queen keiji

i can't rn, i am also in class but if you're going to bring bokuto food, can you bring me some too please?

bokubro

does this mean you're not mad at me anymore ?

kendoll

dont fall for it bokuto!

tsukitsuki

yeah, come with us

y/n

bo i could never be mad at you!!! i love you so much~! 🥰🥰🥰

and sure, i'll get you something too keiji ^^  

queen keiji

alright, thank you 🙂

bokubro

I LOVE YOU TOOO DFSJDF 🥰🥰🥰 get me something with LOTS of meat please!!

y/n

okie! keiji do you have a preference on what you want?

tetsu

okay im back im with y/n now

kendoll

you don't have to tell us that

tetsu

i wanted to 😎

tsukitsuki

that emoji doesn't even make sense

tetsu

yes it does!

queen keiji

not really. you know what i like i trust you.

bokubro

ahh i gotta go now! ill see you later y/n!!

y/n

alrighty! see you soonish bo!!

tetsu

bye bo!

queen keiji

have fun at practise

bokubro

byeee! and thanks akaashi, I will 😊

y/n aight losers we're off i shall see you at home

tsukitsuki

or you could move out

y/n

shut up prick you're gonna see my hobo ass whether you want to or not

kendoll

we'd rather not

Friday, 3:56 pm.

y/n

mrs kwan is my sugar daddy

tsukitsuki

what the fuck

kendoll

as in the babysitter from cat in the hat?

tetsu

i just cackled so loudly- everyone is starring as me

y/n

yeah that's her 🥰

queen keiji

i don't know how to feel about this

kendoll

idk if i should be concerned or not

tsukitsuki

there is something mentally wrong with you

tetsu

im all for it, id smash

tsukitsuki

any sliver of respect i had for you is gone

y/n

ikr? she's such a hottie 😏🥵 tsuki doesn't know what he's missing

tetsu

clearly 🥵

tsukitsuki

that's it im changing the locks when i get home

kendoll

I'll help you

queen keiji

y/n aren't you in class rn? pay attention

y/n

okay okay!

...

would you smash kaashi?

tetsu

we need a tie breaker

queen keiji

...

yeah, sure

tsukitsuki

ive never been more disappointed

kendoll

agreed

gru is better

tsukitsuki

i hate you all

Friday, 6:18 pm.

bokubro

what'd i miss? 😂 dunno who she is imma look her up—

ohhh! yeah id smash 👁👄👁🤌✨

[tinystepsforward]

i am so fucking sad tonight and i used to put that stuff on here like a decade ago so here we are again ig. just.

really horrid combination of things happening right now and it makes me extra upset bc i'm into my second month on low-dose t and the first month was going so fucking well for like. being conducive to the last of my trauma recovery? and then, of course, recovery isn't linear and also my parents seem intent to retraumatise me whenever they can. but like.

english terf hits our shores

completely inescapable discourse, and also targeted abuse, on twitter and elsewhere. also i wrote an op-ed bc our media are useless and we need at least a few trans voices out there (hopefully it does get picked up, but it was gruelling to write)

my mother switches from spreading conspiracy theories about climate change to a sudden and vicious focus on trans people. not that she ever stopped being a bigot but usually it's one post every few months about how conversion therapy works and not several posts a day from people who want trans people murdered

scheduled to be interviewed for a study on conversion therapy survivors on tuesday

scheduled to go on holiday with my family on thursday. i booked a separate room so i won't have to attempt to take my (oral, twice daily with food, specifically bc the endo didn't want me on injections until we knew for sure i wouldn't need to suddenly stop t to avoid extended ptsd episodes) testosterone around family who would be very willing to attempt conversion therapy round fucking four on me

i have no idea if my job will still be there for me when i get back from this scheduled leave bc [gestures at tech companies and ai]

conference all day monday (tomorrow, technically) that i know will eat all my spoons, and that doesn't cater for my dietary needs so i'll have to pack food

and it's like. i am so sad. i am so so sad. i have been making a concerted effort w my family because my paatti (dad's mother) is in town, the one i've talked about before who doesn't know i'm gay and married bc my parents have prevented that happening. and i feel so lonely and so cut off bc as a diaspora/migrant family, and a mixed one at that, my only connection to my cultures is via my parents who fucking hate who i am. so i've been trying to hang out with her when they're not around. i said yes to this vacation, we'll get more time together and some pictures and stuff.

but i'm still fielding her questions about why i don't have a boyfriend. and my parents have decided to, right when i'm most stressed about being trans, and about connection to family, be the worst people they can be about it again i guess? and it's true that my conversion therapy/parental/religion trauma is the stuff i've never come back around to working on in therapy bc my parents are actively reopening the wound every few months and it's. hard to work with that.

fucking like. shocking that i recovered from ptsd once, after [black box of getting csaed more times than i can count], immediately got groomed in a way that's rly fucking complicated to talk about bc my ex is a trans woman who decided to come out as a child-grooming rapist and as trans in the same month, and terfs salivate over the idea of using people like her as a cudgel, and completely forgot that approximately 300 other things, sa and otherwise, happened to me along the way to the point where my psych said she was surprised/proud i haven't killed anyone yet.

so i'm sad about all of them at once rn except the brain injury means i can only hold about two in my active memory at a time and i keep alternating which ones i'm sad about like shuffling several decks of cards really fast i guess.

[bllsbailey]

Jill Biden Orchestrated Kimberly Cheatle Heading the Secret Service, Now Everyone Is Doubling Down

How exactly did Kimberly Cheatle

rise the lead the United States Secret Service? A new report points the finger at Jill Biden, stating that she and her top advisor pushed for the appointment. 

That decision culminated in an attempted assassination of Donald Trump on Saturday. The former president was shot in the ear, narrowly avoiding death while a chaotic and clumsy response from the Secret Service followed. It was a disastrous event for an agency with a zero-fail mission. 

Embattled Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, who is facing congressional outcry and calls to resign over security lapses leading to former President Donald Trump’s near-assassination Saturday, landed her role thanks largely to a close relationship with first lady Jill Biden, The Post has learned... ...Four sources close to President Biden’s family, including people who interacted with Cheatle during the Obama-Biden administration, said she was well liked by the future first lady and her most senior aides, including top adviser Anthony Bernal. “Cheatle served on Dr. Biden’s second lady detail and Anthony pushed for her,” a Democratic insider told The Post. “Anthony has no national security or law enforcement experience. He should have no influence over the selection of the USSS director.” “I heard at the time she was being considered for director that Anthony had pushed her forward as an option,” another well-placed source told The Post.

This news will no doubt stir further controversy given past reports that Secret Service members were pulled off Trump's detail to bolster a Jill Biden appearance in Pennsylvania on the same day. It's also emblematic of the Biden administration's larger failures. Cheatle is a strong supporter of DEI, having pledged for the Secret Service to be 30 percent female by 2030 as part of a "diversity" push. Unmentioned was why someone's sex is more important than simply hiring the most capable people available, and that includes physical stature given the job at hand. 

That the Bidens would prioritize box-checking over qualifications isn't surprising. What's somewhat surprising is just how defiant Cheatle has been publicly since the assassination attempt. After the shooting, she gave an interview in which she pointedly refused to even consider resigning. 

There was a time when this wouldn't even be a question. What happened on Saturday was the worst Secret Service disaster since Ronald Reagan was shot. In some ways, given modern technology and the fact that the shooter was completely exposed on a low-lying rooftop at a relatively short range, the situation surrounding Trump was a bigger failure. 

RELATED: GOP House Oversight Demanding Secret Service, DHS Records

Yet, as has become customary with the Biden administration no one is ever held accountable, and no one ever takes responsibility. Certainly not someone who is intersectional and has the ear of Jill Biden, who many suspect is essentially running the White House. Disgraced DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas gave Cheatle a vote of confidence on Monday. 

None of this is going to change on its own. The only way through this is to vote Biden out of office and fire every single one of these failed department heads.

[elminx]

As we work our way through the first full week of November, I want to circle back around the significance of this month. The TL:DR, if you will.

Pluto will enter Aquarius for the last time in two weeks, ending its 15-year journey through the cardinal earth sign in Capricorn. This is the end of an era. This is also the end of a MAJOR generational influence. We will be sitting in the dregs of Pluto in Capricorn Energy all week long.

Pluto, like its namesake Plutonium, is a decaying, destructive influence. It erodes (corrodes) everything it touches. This is important right now because, in Capricorn, Pluto has been widdling away at the governmental structures of our world. You can think about Pluto like a spot of rust - at first, it may not seem like much, but it has compounding interest (a bit of a Capricorn analogy there, heh). Rust is a weak point that strains the entire system it inhabits.

Said another way, Pluto breaks that which is already weakened to show us what must be changed. When humans are faced with change, one of two things happens.

Some percent of the population will double down on the known - even when it is horribly bad or outdated. The other group will rush towards the light they see at the end of the tunnel - hoping (the greatest, most human hope) that THIS change will be better for all of us.

That is the context for this month. That is, most especially, the context for this week. There is no way around this - we are living in it. We are in the swirling bubble of a major planetary ingress - the world will, in some way, never be the same.

All we can do is do our part and hope the pips fall in our favor.

The hard truth about this week is that the planets tell a story of deep consequences for our actions. Given the week we are about to have - this really shouldn't be much of a surprise.

Today (Monday), our Sun in Scorpio trines retrograde Saturn in Pisces. This shows that what is happening now matters (obvs) but that some delusional thinking may be in play. Saturn is not well placed in Pisces, who would rather play make-believe than deal with the harsh realities of the world. The anecdote is to approach this week with your eyes wide open - know what can be and expect realistic results for what lies ahead.

Tomorrow (Tuesday), Mercury in Sagittarius trines the North Node in Aries for the very last time. Like Pluto, the lunar nodes are on the move - they will enter the axis of Pisces-Virgo in early January. In astrology, the lunar nodes are the agents of fate - not the woo concept of fate often recognized in Western mysticism but the very real fate of having to live the life that you live.

You were born in a time of a global pandemic. You were also born in a time of great political upheaval. Neither of these things have been resolved as of yet. It is your fate, being born when you were, to live this life and deal with the stressors it entails.

When a personal planet touches the node of forward-facing fate, we can see that something about our future is being decided. This confirms what many of us already know.

On Thursday, Mercury enters its pre-retrograde shadow at 06° Sagittarius, the sign of its fall. I wouldn't expect easy answers or clear messaging this week, which is unfortunate but also expected.

This is the beginning of Mercury's journey, which will, quite unironically, continue until the beginning of January. By that point, Mars will also be in retrograde, which will continue until March.

This is the precipice. There's no avoiding this. Astrology reminds us that some things are life and unavoidable, even when deeply uncomfortable or dangerous. All you can do the best that you can with what life has given you.

Stay safe out there this week. Take breaks from the insanity of social media if that's what's right for you. It will be rough for a hot minute, no matter how this plays out.

Expect that and accept that. It's the only thing we know for sure right now.

Energy Update: November 2024

November is a "1" Universal Month in an "8" Universal Year. [11 (November) + 8 (2024) = 19 = 1+9 =10 = 1+0 = 1]. 1 is the number of beginnings, but it can be a very lonely number. Often when we start a journey, we must walk up on the path alone. This is well represented by the astrology of the month which includes Pluto's final ingress into Aquarius - THE astrological moment of the decade. Things are changing, quite quickly now. Have you prepared?

The Set Up

We begin November with the Sun and Mercury in Scorpio, Venus in Sagittarius, Mars in Cancer, retrograde Jupiter in Gemini, retrograde Saturn and Neptune in Pisces, retrograde Uranus in Taurus, and Pluto in Capricorn. This is a month of big change as every one of our personal planets will change signs or retrograde: the Sun enters Sagittarius, Mercury retrogrades, Venus enters Capricorn, and Mars enters Leo. Additionally, as mentioned above, Pluto will enter the sign of Aquarius, ending a 20-year cycle of Pluto in Capricorn. Saturn will also station direct.

The Nitty Gritty

All eyes are on Pluto, Mercury, and Mars all month long. Pluto will enter Aquarius, Mercury will station retrograde, and Mars will enter Leo and deepen its pre-retrograde shadow. It's worth noting here that Mars and Pluto are the co-rulers of Scorpio, our Sun sign for most of November. This may be the deepest hollows season we've seen in quite some time.

Pluto

As our farthest dwarf planet, Pluto has a long and uneven orbit around the Sun. It will be another 248 years before Pluto reenters the sign of Capricorn, at which point we will all be dust. For this reason, Pluto has an evolutionary effect on humanity; like its namesake, Plutonium, it is associated with the unraveling of the very structures it comes into contact with. These last fifteen years that Pluto has been in Capricorn have shown us the underside (and the unraveling) of governments, financial systems, and political structures of all kinds. Pluto's entrance into Capricorn in 2008 coincided with the crash of the US housing market and a deep financial recession.

Pluto is a reminder that no man-made structures or systems can withstand the erosion of time. That in the end, the empire of Rome fell. That the great civilization of Minoa was taken down by a volcano. That nothing we create can beat out the destructive power of time itself.

Pluto is so far beyond our understanding and certainly completely beyond our ability to control. As the planet of death and transformation changes signs, all we can do is stay aware and prepare. This isn't meant to be all doom and gloom—change isn't inherently bad, though it can often be destructive. It is just best to realize that as this shift happens, our whole world will change. The best that we can do is change with it.

Pluto was last in Aquarius from 1771-1798, and the world has changed so much since then that it is difficult to predict how Pluto will show up in this new way in the years ahead. It's worth noting that while Capricorn rules institutions, Aquarius rules society groups, clubs, and social organizations. We can assume that, to a greater or lesser degree, these will get the same Plutonian treatment - that which no longer serves us (but we are holding on to beyond its time) will likely be eroded somehow. What astrologers know for sure is that it will shape the fabric of our lives, and we will never be what we were before.

The Lights: The Sun and the Moon

Life will return to a more regular routine as we move farther from our lunar nodes. The Sun spends most of the month in Scorpio, where it will square off with Mars in Leo, trine Saturn and Neptune in Pisces, and oppose Uranus in Taurus. It is worth noting that both Mars and Saturn are our Lesser and Greater Malefic planets, and Uranus is a crap shoot at best. This is likely a warning that our world will feel quite unstable during the month - which is already indicated by Pluto's shift in signs. It could be worth renewing your general protections and staying aware all month long. Things won't necessarily go poorly, but there is a higher-than-average chance that they could.

If your life is already in a precarious position, I would consider working magic towards stability early in the month. See also: keeping your job, keeping your housing, not getting your car repossessed.

Our new moon is on 11/01, which will bring a strong and deep Scorpionic edge to the month as a whole. Scorpio, ruled by both Mars and Pluto, can have quite the reputation for its sometimes bad behavior. We all know the story of the Scorpion and the frog and the adage that it is "just in the scorpion's nature" to sting even when it has promised that it will not. Mars is deep in its pre-retrograde shadow, and Pluto is in transition, so this will likely be a murky and troubled Scorpio season.

If you need to keep everything inside and keep it all to yourself, know that you are right on time. Then, ask yourself if it is helpful or healthy for you to be so insular.

The big flex all month will be to ask for help when you need it, which Scorpios generally find very difficult.

The new moon, exact at 09° Scorpio at 7:47 am EDT, is a 7/8 new moon.

8 (Scorpio moon) + 8 (Scorpio Sun) = 16 = 1+6 = 7. 7 (Scorpio new moon) + 1 (November 2024) = 8.

Seven can be a conflict number, but it is more of a conflict of the mystical variety. It can sometimes indicate a deep calling of Ah-Ha moment. Eight is the number of the ouroboros and indicates that fate has taken another spin at the wheel - what goes up must come down, and what goes down will eventually rise again. This will be a highly mystical new moon, befitting our mystical fixed water sign. Though most of us can acknowledge that the veil doesn't just "thin" at this time of year as many have claimed, this is deep, liminal, other-worldly energy that is very befitting for Samhain, Día de los Muertos, or All Saint's Day; however you choose to celebrate.

Our Taurus full moon on 11/15 will be much more energetic as it will conjunct Uranus within 1 degree. This is a day to lie low and avoid anything that might explode, erupt, or catch ablaze in any fashion - people included. Uranus is a disaster waiting to happen, and Taurus is our fixed earth sign - we are almost done with this transit, for which we should be relieved. For now, stay aware and dodge the avalanches that you can. Uranus is like 15 shots of espresso straight to the brain pan - people will be jangly and very out of sorts.

Saturn will also station direct on that day - somebody will have to pay the piper. Do not neglect what is yours during this time because it will bite you in the ass really damn fast.

The moon, exact at 4:28pm EST at 24° Taurus, is a 1/2 Full Moon.

2 (Taurus mon) + 8 (Scorpio Sun) = 10 = 1+0 = 1. 1 (Taurus full moon) + 1 (November 2024) = 2.

One is the number of beginnings, a nice callback to our "1" Universal Month—there is room to work here. Two is the number of connections, either growing together or separating apart. This whole month has an air of starting over, but this date (through 11/19, when Pluto enters Aquarius) is the best day to do so.

On 11/21, the Sun enters the mutable fire sign of Sagittarius, signaling the waning energy of our Autumn season. Sagittarius will feel lighter and more playful after a tough Libra season and an extra dark Scorpio season. The Sun makes a few final contacts as we round out the month as it sextiles with Pluto in Aquarius, trines the North Node in Aries for the very last time, and then trines Mars in Leo. The beginning of Sagittarius, at least, is a much-needed breather from the hard work we all have had to put in.

Mercury

Again, we are on the cusp of the year's third and final Mercury retrograde. This Mercury retrograde will occur from 22°-06° Sagittarius starting on 11/25 and ending on 12/15. Mutable and fire signs (Sun, Moon, Ascendant, Venus, Mars, and most especially Mercury) will be most affected by this retrograde, but as one of our personal planets, it affects all of us.

There are a couple of things to keep in mind about this retrograde cycle:

I will write a post about Mercury's retrograde separately from this, but standard Mercury retrograde advice applies here. Mercury retrograde is not bad or wrong - in fact, it happens 3 to 4 times every year. What it is a chance to reevaluate and refine our lives. Certain aspects controlled by the planet Mercury (communication, technology, and travel, most specifically) can go haywire during the retrograde - it is believed that this may give us the space to think and consider in between doing. If you see Mercury's machinations as an opportunity to learn and grow rather than an inconvenience, the retrograde will not only run much smoother, but you will gain a lot more from the experience.

The side effect of this upcoming retrograde is that Mercury will remain in the sign of Sagittarius for three times the amount of time it usually would, putting a strong focus on the struggles faced when Mercury is in exile. Communication may be especially problematic during this time as we see people adopting the rigid Me First (and maybe Me Only) attitude that often accompanies an immature Sagittarius presentation. The big flex during this time will be to stop, listen, and consider somebody else's perspective, even if it differs vastly from yours.

In its pre-retrograde shadow, Mercury meets up in a square with Saturn on 11/12 and an opposition with Jupiter on 11/18 - these are our first pings of the greater story that will unfold during this retrograde cycle.

Venus

Venus is at most a minor player in our November skies. It enters Capricorn on 11/10 which puts it somewhat at odds with our many personal planets in Sagittarius (Sun and Mercury) and Leo (Mars). Venus isn't particularly well placed in the craggy wilderness of our cardinal earth sign that would rather work than play. This infers that empathy and kindness - both aspects Venus brings to the table - may be in short supply all month long.

Venus makes harsh cardinal squares to the lunar nodes on 11/14 and Chiron in Aries on 11/27, and a sextile to Saturn in Pisces on 11/22. It's worth noting here that as the only Venusian aspects of the month, these are all rough ones. This further indicates that Venus will not be at her best all month.

Mars

Mars' pre-retrograde shadow will deepen all month long as it creeps along through the last degrees of Cancer and early degrees of Leo. As this continues, we may begin to see the pitfalls of its future retrograde cycle begin to unfold.

Before Mars exits Cancer, it opposed Pluto in Capricorn for the last time. Remember here that Mars WILL oppose Pluto twice more (once in retrograde and again in forward motion), but in both cases, it will be on the Leo-Aquarius axis. In a month with many endings (and many beginnings), 11/03 is a big one. Where you fall on this scale (endings or beginnings) will depend greatly on your life circumstances. This might be a rough time for anyone with personal planets at the end of any cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, or Capricorn).

I feel like we all see these signs so much as forward-moving because of their cardinal nature, but because they put so much effort into their lives, they can be especially prone to the sunk cost fallacy. Sometimes, you need to give up what you thought your life would be like so that you can fully step into the life that you actually have. This may be an ongoing lesson for these cardinal types (and maybe some early fixed sign types, too) as this rough opposition unfolds during this Mars retrograde cycle.

This also happens during Scorpio season - the sign ruled by both Mars and Pluto. Watch out for ill-planned power grabs of all sorts - both your own and those of others. Perhaps (almost definitely) you need not to hold on so tightly. Pluto demands that we move on, even if we aren't ready.

Mars enters Leo on 11/03, and we have a new set of problems to uncover. Here, Mars meets up in trine with our North Node in Aries. Again, Mars will trine the North Node three more times, but when that happens for the third time, Mars will be in Cancer and the North Node will be in Pisces. This is an interesting astrological double whammy because Plutonian energy is so far beyond us that it can seem in many ways to be the hand of fate - and the North Node is the literal hand of fate in our skies. What is happening now is happening for a reason - even if it is uncomfortable.

As we well know, humans rarely change from a place of comfort. Mars trines the North Node on 11/17, which may be our first hit on what needs to change so that we can move forward with our lives. I think collectively, many people have felt very stuck since March of 2020, and as this whole Mars retrograde unfolds over the next seven months, we will finally see a way forward. But this is the long game, and you may not have all of the information yet.

Beware of quick fixes or false promises during this time because Mars can't really show up to do the work until after it exits its post-retrograde shadow in May of next year. Stay aware, make small adjustments, and start planning now.

Saturn

Saturn exits its retrograde at 12° Pisces on 11/15 during an intense Taurus full moon. Saturn is not at its best in the mutable watery sign of the fish, and this can allow us to hide from the Real Shit that needs doing in our lives (the immature Pisces specialty). ESPECIALLY when Saturn is retrograde and not holding us to account. The problem is that Saturn is the Lord of Consequences, and Shit ALWAYS comes due in the end. The days around the full moon may be a real wake-up call to people who are shirking on the work in their own lives, and some of those people are Monsters when they wake up. We're talking total meltdowns - projections, accusations, and emotional abuse.

This is the time to have boundaries made of pure steal and to hold the line with everything you've got. If it's not yours, don't let it cross that line. You may want to help a friend out, but that doesn't mean you should be carrying their burden for them. If your help allows someone to avoid their own responsibilities, it isn't helping; it's enabling. Someone - maybe someone with a lot of Pisces in their chart - or someone who loves a person with a lot of Pisces in their chart - needs to hear that one during this time.

Sometimes, things need to fall apart.

Looking Ahead

We will enter December with Mercury in retrograde and Mars moving ever closer to their retrograde on 12/06. With the holidays looming, facing two major personal planet retrogrades is hard, but here we are. This might not be the fun, happy holiday season people want it to be, especially if you come from a more difficult family system. See if you can set yourself up for success during November BEFORE things really start to hit the fan in early December. Maybe do your holiday shopping early if you can't handle crazy Christmas crowds, as they will be especially bad this year (sorry, retail workers). Or schedule less time with your family with some ninja boundaries. The sooner we know and recognize that things will get rough, the more time we have to prepare.

The Details

11/01 - New moon 09° Scorpio 11/02 - Mercury in Scorpio trine Mars in Cancer, Mercury in Scorpio sextile Pluto in Capricorn, Mercury enters Sagittarius 11/03 - Mars enters Leo, Venus in Sagittarius trine Chiron in Aries, Mars in Cancer opposed Pluto in Capricorn 11/04 - Sun in Scorpio trine retrograde Saturn in Pisces 11/05 - Mercury in Sagittarius trine North Node in Aries/sextile South Node in Libra 11/07 - Mercury enters its pre-retrograde shadow 06° Sagittarius 11/09 - Venus in Sagittarius square retrograde Neptune in Pisces 11/10 - Venus enters Capricorn 11/12 - Mercury in Sagittarius square retrograde Saturn in Pisces 11/14 - Venus in Capricorn square North Node in Aries/South Node in Libra 11/15 - Full moon 24° Taurus, Saturn stations direct 12° Pisces 11/16 - Sun in Scorpio opposed Uranus in Taurus 11/17 - Mars in Leo trine North Node in Aries/sextile South Node in Libra 11/18 - Sun in Scorpio trine retrograde Neptune in Pisces, Mercury in Scorpio oppose retrograde Jupiter in Gemini 11/19 - Pluto enters Aquarius, Mercury in Sagittarius trine Chiron in Aries 11/21 - Sun enters Sagittarius, Sun in Sagittarius sextile Pluto in Aquarius 11/22 - Venus in Capricorn sextile Saturn in Pisces 11/25 - Sun in Sagittarius trine North Node in Aries/sextile South Node in Libra, Mercury retrogrades 22° Sagittarius 11/27 - Sun in Sagittarius trine Mars in Leo, Venus in Capricorn square Chiron in Aries

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[umichenginabroad]

Into the Countryside

Šťastné úterý!

After traveling from city to city for the past couple of weekends, it was a really nice change of pace to visit the Czech countryside. My program here in Prague planned out a Bohemian Paradise weekend trip that most people went on. They set up transportation, housing, and meals, so my wallet got a little break and I didn't need to do any planning for once lol (+ it was a nice detox from my week of exams)

A little preview of the sights and nature

On Saturday, we hiked a 16.3 km route which had multiple castles and lookout points around the way. Ngl the ground the first half an hour was disgustingly muddy. I wore Timberlands because they're the only waterproof shoes I had (I wasn't about to pay $200 for hiking shoes), and I seriously questioned if I should be walking in heeled boots. But hey it turned out okay besides how dirty my shoes got haha

I sort of forgot how nice it is to be in the fresh air, listening to birds chirping, and just seeing greenery everywhere. It felt super refreshing and the sun coming out later made it that much better. Plus it was even more enjoyable with everyone hiking together and cracking jokes here and there.

Trosky Castle, Hrubá Skála Castle, Valdštejn Chateau & a group of us in front of some cool rock formations

We saw another castle the next day, and since Easter is coming up, they also had a little market going on and even people singing and dancing! This chateau was a little more impressive than the three on our hike, but I think that's a given as the other ones were deep into the mountains. The interior was super ornately decorated with a surprising number of portraits and handguns for some reason... my favorite room was definitely the final dining hall. The lights made everything gleam.

I really like that our program provides these kinds of experiences. They're places I wouldn't think to go to, especially because it's a lot harder to find English speakers and adequate transportation out of the city. Besides this weekend trip, there have also been day trips to a brewery in the suburbs of Prague and to a medieval town with a bone church and various architecture. I'm super appreciative of the amount of work that goes into these, so snaps all around to our program directors.

Next weekend is Easter, which in the Czech Republic is celebrated over four days (Friday and Monday are both public holidays). I won't be in Prague, but my friends and I have planned an eventful weekend in Budapest :)

Catherine Jiang Computer Science Tech Career Accelerator in Prague

Czech Words

Šťastné úterý - happy Tuesday

Ktová, Troskovice, Turnov - [not terms but] cities where are Bohemian Paradise trip took place

[mercurydarlin]

Yandere dr.malpractice headcannons?

Dr.Malpractice Yandere Headcannons

WARNINGS: yandere, murder, the SLIGHTEST of manipulation/gaslighting,

this to request

OMG I WAS THINKING OF THIS THE OTHER DAY. is this your way of getting me to write simpbur? cause it is WORKING. I made him rather sweet though, like, he doesn't kidnap reader anything. just kills.

How you'd meet Wilbur, I guess:

It was just a normal Monday for you. you went to work, went to the local coffee shop, and drove home.

The regular stuff.

But, To your surprise, that would all change.

Now insert Wilbur. You had a lil crush on him he was cute... He stopped by your workplace every now and then.

He had his quirks though, like how he would act a bit shy around you, even a bit embarrassed

He said something about having a lab when you brought up his work.

"So...Where do you work? In the building?" You smiled at Wilbur, before handing him a box with glass tubes inside. "Oh-Uh, I work in a lab. I'm a scientist,if you will." He smiled back you, before quickly walking off with the box you handed to him. "Bye Wilbur, See you tomorrow!" You waved goodbye to him before he opened the office door and waved goodbye back.

You both started to get to now each other better, became close friends.

He still was a bit awkward around you, but that's what kept you around.

He'd invite you over to his house plenty.

Wilbur eventually told you about his feeling, and if course you said yes!

But he made you an offer, an offer that would change everything.

"Do you wanna be my test subject? I understand if it sounds weird--" he looked down, avoiding eye contact. "Depends, Whats the conditions?" You asked, smile on your face. You weren't expecting what would happen ahead of time.

You said yes, cause what's the worst that could happen?

How would it go from there?:

also your in wilbur's lab now, he said something about you staying there for awhile.

Rather smoothly.

I mean, you just come Into his lab for 2-3 days and he does test on you, it's nothing big.

But oh my god, he'd love every second of it.

Like, you would be cuddled up with him as he puts bandages on your scars.

He would literally be going insane, his face would be red, he'd be showering you with compliments, all the good stuff.

"What's the pink stuff do?" You asked, pointing to one of the tubes on the table next to you. "That's supposed to be some eyesight improving thing, Oh, but I'd never use that on you. Too much of a risk." He moved it to the corner of his table, and instead pulled out a cup of water and pills. "Those should help your immune system, darling." He handed you the pills and water, as you swallowed down the pills Wilbur was overjoyed, he always felt glad when you took literally anything he gave you.

He'd be so lovey Dovey...

He'd never get mad at you, instead opting to comfort you endlessly.

But yet, obsessive.

Like, he uses your least favorited co-workers as subjects for his rather... Unsafe injections...

Behind your back, of course.

It'd be awhile until you'd eventually figure out.

Wait, what if reader figured out about Wilbur's killings/torture?:

Pissed. Very pissed, at first!

It was quite the discussion when you first figured out.

"I'm sorry, this is too much to handle at the same time Wilbur!" You shouted at him, anger in your eyes. You just figured out about his little...killing problem. "Can we please just talk about this, I-I swear, I can explain everything love!" He watched as a tear fell from your face, it saddened him to see you like this. He hates seeing you upset, and knowing that he made you upset, only makes matters worse.

Eventually you made up. He never said he was going to stop what he was doing cause he was "Protecting you".

You came to terms with it, realizing there's not much you could even do about it other than report him to the police.

And why would you do that? You just couldn't.

So you both talked it out.

You knew he wouldn't stop killing people no matter what you said, so you let it happen.

"If you end up in jail, you do realize I cannot bail you out, right?" You smirked at him while fidgeting with your hair. You were both in the kitchen, wilbur was making dinner for you as you were sat at the counter. Wilbur turned, smirking back, "I'll find my way around it, no need to worry about me."

He surprisingly hasn't ended up in jail yet, he ends up framing someone else for his killings. (That someone also being someone who wronged you.)

what would his love language be? would he like pda?:

Pda wise, yes.

He'd be very touchy, ever so touchy.

He'd leave kisses everywhere on your body while whispering sweet nothings.

And he'd do it in public to, planting little kisses on your head while at a restaurant.

"Wil- Wil! you can stop now!" You'd giggled while pushing Wilbur away from your face. "But I'm just trying to love you! What's so wrong with that?" He'd giggled back, pulling your hand away from his face, leaning towards you with his big dorky smile. He'd plant a messy kiss on your cheek.

As for love language, he'd sent you text messages telling you how much he loves you, the things he'd do, all that cute stuff.

What if he sent love letters? Think about it.

"You know, I have 5 finished love letters that I was too scared to send you when we first talked." You turned your head over to him as he was smiling at you. "Really? That's so cute-- you HAVE to show me them." You grabbed his hands and squeezed them, big grin on your face. Wilbur sighed a smiled, "I'll find the time to show you, one day."

(probably gonna add more into this,but...just thought I'd post this now <3)

[savingthrcw]

Roy looked at him, then at Janey, then at him again, "I'd say something about that, but Coop would break my jaw, so." "Damn straight." He was going to do no good blabbering about her thing with the holotapes and the vault boys images she found around. "She collects them," he mouthed to the Ghoul.

Janey's gaze softened slightly when he pointed out he could only use her name, "Yeah, I don't know how the hell am I gonna call you anything but daddy, honestly, we need to be careful. Snakes everywhere. And I told you how I'd feel about going back to the Vault." Promising she'd shoot herself first was always a good way to explain to other survivors of the surface how bad something was. Janey's expression said everything she thought about getting 50 caps for a job like that, and he had the courage to say that Lucy had insisted. "Ah, I see who's the leader here. Good. Women are better. At that and everything else," she agreed, before asking: "So, you still being... good here on the surface, huh? Golden Rule?" For some reason that seemed to excite her as much as finding out who she was: "Yes! That's right! Even if they offered no caps at all, we should help people just like we'd want to be helped." "I wasn't... agreeing with... Yeah, she's a lot like her mother. A lot," she confirmed to her father, and unfortunately that seemed to deflate Lucy a little. Still a sensitive topic, then. "I don't really remember... anything about her." "She was good. Not surface-good, just... kind. Smart too," she offered immediately, "And brave." "Yes, that's what Moldaver said..." Janey thought about Lucy's bittersweet smile, and about how much she had tried to hold tight all the little memories of her father that the holotapes couldn't hold. "She sang while cooking." That got Lucy's attention. "She sang a lot, but especially when cooking, and on Mondays, before going to work, I'd come over before class and she'd make us pancakes, draw little faces on them, because the week was starting and we all need something nice to get pumped about the day." She saw the way Lucy's expression was changing into one of surprise, then joy and near tears, but didn't realize just how soft her voice sounded too, nor noticed the smile on her lips, "She hugged us goodbye every time, even me, the crazy kid, 'cause she loved that much." "I remember that..." Lucy wiped a tear. Janey looked down at the table, shaking her head, her smile fading as her thoughts went back. "Speaking of mothers, what about the demon who spawned me? We got any news on that front?" Now that was the one talk she could have with her dad, just make sure their interests wouldn't collide like for Hank.

His head cocks to the side, looking Roy over for a brief moment. "Don't got no use for pictures now. Been a bounty hunter four times as long as I ever was an actor, that's what's been useful for me for the last two centuries, that's what'll be useful the next two."

Lucy's enthusiasm was nice. Her sunshine had always been a comfort of sorts, at least since that night in the observatory. Her optimism always seemed to win out, even over his own pessimism. His eyes flick from Lucy's smile to Janey for a moment. "Guess we ought to keep our distance out there, then, 'cause I can't promise I can call you nothin' else but what I named you." He'd like to say he'd make damn sure Barb couldn't come for her, he'd like to say he would do his damnedest to protect her, but even his proximity hadn't saved Lucy from the Enclave, from her father, from that damned spear...

Her excitement continued the stream of babble from he lips, and damn if he couldn't help but laugh that she had been so much more happy about this than he had. He... he said some pretty fucked up shit to his own damn kid. What kinda high road did he have over Henry now? Janey's question has him looking for Lucy back to his daughter. "50 caps and enough tato seeds to feed an army." It wasn't much, wasn't really anything at all, but it would pay for more vials, at least two more, and that was enough. "Lucy... insisted. She's too damned good for her own good. Moldaver said she's like her mama like that."