#yeah it would be slow burn as hell but I didn't figure out an ending for it in half an hour of daydreaming so it didn't get any priority

[the-faceless-bride]

can i have yandere clawd and deuce poly 😪 iltsm( i love yr writing ur one of my fav writers btw 💞)

Omg. I love both of them so much. 🥩🐍 Bluckle the FUCK up, it's a long one. I love them so much. I gave each their own section as to how this started, then the poly together. If you want more of them... Please... Please ask me. P.s. sorry about all the monster puns, I couldn't help myself

🌕New Ghoul in School🐍

Warnings: OOC Clawd, OOC Duce, OOC Cleo?, OOC Draculaura? Clawd being a kicked puppy, yandere content, controlling behavior, turning to stone, non-con hugging, cuddling and Kisses, forced closeness, UNHEALTHY BEHAVIOR!, accusations of cheating, emotional cheating?

Characters : Clawd × Reader × Duce

Proof read : nope

Requested?: yes

You had just transferred from your normie school, Turns out people are so accepting of finding out you're a monster. So you transferred to Monster High, and being a new ghoul didn't seem so hard until you tripped an orange werecats tail and she picked a fight with you...

"and just Who, do you think you are? I don't know how you are your Normie friends play, but you don't want to mess with me Ghoul. I'll make you sorry-"

"why don't you go and pick on someone your own size Torilie?"

"yeah, Dude. Not cool."

🐾🐍 • and that's how it started. Just two Mansters defending the New Ghoul. They knew Torilie was one to pick fights and figured they would help you stay out of trouble for the time being. And the three of you became three peas in a pod. And while you all thought it was great, their Ghoulfriends... Had other ideas.

🐍🕶️ • Cleo started having problems as soon as you had arrived. Your first day she already knew who you were, what you were, where you came from, and if you were cool enough to be popular and associate with the Ghouls she does. And she deemed you not worthy. And that was putting a strain on your friendship.

🐍🕶️ • Duce was grown increasingly tired and frustrated. He loved Cleo, he did. But she could be... Emotionally, physically, and mentally exhausting. When they go out he has to change his personality to not embarrass her, she dictates who can can hang out with and when, and he has to constantly hear from her that he should be doing as she asks and says and do it happily as she goes against what her family wants to be with him. He doesn't want to do that anymore. He wants to be able to Shoot Hoops with Clawd, sit with Jackson at lunch, and talk about the Hissstory test. Listen to whatever playlist Holt made or play dodgeball with Slow Mo. Without Cleo saying when he can and can't.

But he just can't leave her. He's become so dependent on her. Hell, the last time She went to Scarise without him, he nearly went crazy as he didn't know what to do. He couldn't leave Cleo. Even if he wanted to... Unless. Maybe he didn't need to be dependent on her. Maybe. He could be dependent on you.

🐍🕶️ • Duce began to test the waters, which was the start of his obsession. For example at lunch when Cleo tells him to get the green eyed Salad and a water, he'll then turn around and ask you... Sometimes when you feel the burn of Cleo's raging stare you won't respond or say the same as Cleo, but on the days you don't pay attention or to stressed to care you recommend the meat plant sandwich and the yummy razzberry soda pop you've been drinking the past few days. And he'll pick your recommendation. And it Infuriates Cleo. He likes that with you, he has a choice, where Cleo demands and tells. You offer and recommend.

🐍🕶️ • this intimately ends in an explosive argument that Spectra has a field day covering. And Duce does something, not him. Her. Or anyone else in the school say coming. "I'm breaking up with you Cleo." a long still silence fills the halls as everyone takes a moment to process what he just said. Before Cleo screams and storms away, and Duce... Doesn't feel as heartbroken as he thought he should.

🐍🕶️ • Duce starts spending most if not all his free time with you and Clawd, well. Mostly you as Clawd gets called from Draculaura a lot. And while he's sad he can't spend more time with Clawd he's happy to spend time with you. You help groom his snakes, you help him pick which sunglasses he should wear each day, (even though they are all just different shades of red) as well as his many band sweaters. Rumors spread like wildfire, especially with Spectra's gossip site.

"Duce trades princess for new Ghoul?! Stay tuned for the possible new hot relationship??"

🐾🌕 • when Clawd first met you he thought you were great! He got a new friend to hang out with! Sure Manny, Heath, Gill, and Duce we're cool but Clawd has a thing for fashion and self-care, that's not something he really talks about with them BUT that's OK! cuz now he can talk about it with you! He ended up spending a bit of free time with you, anytime Draculaura was out and shopping or just Fanging out with her Ghoulfriends or catching up with her Cousin, he would spend his afternoon with you. Getting his hair straightened and trimmed, getting manicures so his nails don't get too sharp and ridged. And eventually, when he's comfortable with you, he'll start playing games. Like fetch or chase. The only issue is that when Duce started to come around more and Cleo trying to keep him on a leash, slowly Draculaura started calling him and needed him more and more. He didn't think much of it, until Duce's big breakup with Cleo. A week later Draculaura wouldn't leave him alone for a second, and anytime you started approaching she took his hand and pulled him in another direction.

🐾🌕 • it started becoming draining, he loves spending time with his Ghoulfriend. He truly did. But not when every two seconds she was hinting and implying all the time he spent with you was him creeping around behind her back. Nothing he did or said made her change her mind, now everything he did seemed to set her off. She was so paranoid, that he went out of his way to make her a gift to show that he loved her, but he accidentally made it worse, he had to try and hold back tears and puppy cries as she said, "Bad Clawd!" over and over while tugging his ear. He doesn't understand what he did wrong, he just made a new friend. You nor him did anything. So why was she being like this?

Any attempts to talk about it were shut down, as she tried keeping him away from you. And he just couldn't take it anymore, he liked being clingy but he was clingy because he genuinely wanted to be around his partner not just sticking to them like glue-watching like a hawk to 'catch them in the act'. He would go as far as to say this was worse than the time he was dumped for Valentine the love manipulator.

🐾🌕 • Clawd began to confide in you, Draculaura wouldn't listen to him so he was happy you did. He spent hours just sitting under a tree at the back of the school with you, drawing doodles in the dirt, ears tucked back to his head as he vented about his feelings and how the recent arguments had affected him, you tried to help every time. But eventually, word got to Draculaura about your little meetings, and stormed over one day with her ghoulfriends in toe.

Both you and Clawd had to endure the burning glare of the Ghouls, Draculaura ranting and raving and ultimately giving him an ultimatum. You or her. And Clawd's ears pinned flat to his head, he didn't want to lose his Ghoulfriend but he didn't want to lose you either. But before he could answer Draculaura said something that gave him the push to his ultimate answer. "ugh, I should've known! A guy hangs out with other guys like him! And Duce is a lying, dirty, cheater and so are you! And this new Ghoul sure has some nerve to go around sneaking with other Mansters knowing they are dating someone! If that's the kind of Manster you are Clawd then maybe... Eh *hick* MaYbe we shouldn't Be togEther!" a moment passes where Clawd looks down into Draculaura's wet violet eyes, sighs, then answers. "maybe we shouldn't." the ghoul's Gasp and Draculaura sobs, "FINE! WE ARE OVER!"

🐾🌕 • Clawd thought relieved he wouldn't be interrogated every day and being told he's bad, he's still heartbroken that the Ghoul he thought he'd spend his life with was gone. He clung to you and Duce for security and long talks to make him feel better and eventually, he did. Clawd was back to his peppy, wide-eyed, excitable self again. In fact, he's the happiest he's been. His mood wasn't Even shaken when he found out Draculaura had begun dating his sister, he just didn't care. He was happy.

🐾🌕 • It wasn't until a late-night Chat; that you and Clawd had stayed over at Duce's house after seeing a new skinwalker Scareitage Boovie that Clawd discovered that not only He had feelings for you but so did Duce... And well, he had always liked Duce maybe even more than just a bro, but this changed everything. And they agreed. A scarily wonderful idea...

"Vampy puts doggy out for good? Or does Doggy like the Dog house with his chew toy?"

🐍🐾 • now Duce and Clawd are softer yandere's than the normal. But that doesn't mean they won't use force if they need to. Duce is a Dependant, laid-back, stalker-type yandere. He's ok with letting you have wiggle room as long as he knows where you are at all times and can get to you in a short period. Whereas Clawd is a Clingy, overprotective, worshiper-type Yandere. Clawd wants to be near you all the time if you let him, but he's ok with letting you go for a while as long as he has Duce he always knows where you are because Duce knows, if at any point Duce doesn't know for some reason or he's not around Duce to find out, he'll use his nose to track you down.

🐍🐾 • You probably wouldn't know they are yandere's unless you start trying to spend more time with others that aren't them. The more you try and hang out with Operetta and Cupid they start to get a little more aggressive and demanding of your time and attention. Which can trigger some alarm bells that something isn't right. The best thing would be to try and talk and compromise they are willing to do that as long as you promise to let them keep tabs "for safety reasons," and you spend time with them immediately after.

🐍🐾 • after a month or two they start to be more openly affectionate and act like a Throuple, it went over your head at first with Duce's laid-back attitude and Clawd's over-excitable personality being normal, but the more Clawd wanted to play fetch and hug you, and Duce constantly being around you despite having the freedom to hang out with his other dudes you start to get the idea they might be romantically interested.

🐍🐾 • You opened to the idea, and the relationship seemed to be working well... Until they started to become, overwhelming. Clawd always over your shoulder, Duce always seeming to know where you are... Even when you didn't tell him where you were. And things took a turn when you tried to tell them you needed space. "You're... Breaking up... With us?" you sputtered, you definitely didn't answer and deny fast enough as you felt your body start to stiffen and cold. Duce had turned you to stone. Clawd whimpered while holding your cold stiff stone body, "im sorry sweetheart. But we can't have you running from us. Just be good ok? Please?" after that you'd been chained to them by that point. Nobody would've believed you if you told them the school's Cool guy and oversized puppy were forcing you into a relationship...

🐍🐾 • they aren't too harsh on punishments. For the most part. Once you tried to run away once, you waited for a moment to be alone before printing off trying to get somewhere, anywhere but there. But you forgot who you were dealing with and Clawd chased you down. Clawd's punishments involve many forced hugs, kisses, and closeness. If he shows how much he loves you at some point you'll see it's true and love him too! Right?

Duce will turn you to stone anytime he gets an idea you're about to run off. He makes Clawd drag you to his house. Which takes a lot of manipulation and convincing. Clawd doesn't want to lock you away to be alone. He wants you to be around them! But Duce scares him into going along with it. Even sometimes provokes him to anger to be more willing to lock you in a dirty old basement.

🐍🐾 • overall. As long as you stay and promise to love them, and don't mind clinginess it's a cute relationship... But if you reject them, you'll spend a lot of time in an old basement in Duce's home, alive but unable to move. To feel. Or scream.

[angelbitezzz]

Now where in the hell did she go?

Prev - Next - First

(more pictures and writing under the cut)

God damn it. Sans had one job—keep an eye on the human, make sure she rested, keep her out of trouble. Now, as he stared dumbfoundedly down at the obviously empty couch on the first floor, he only had one real thought come floating through his fatigued skull.

"i'm gonna kill that girl."

He threw his soiled jacket somewhere in the corner of his room and snatched his hoodie from where it was hung next to his door, slipping it on as he shoved socked feet into slippers, descending the stairs so quickly he may as well have teleported. Far be it from him to ever move that fast on purpose—apparently, that was another thing she was able to do to him without him knowing, damn it all. Frustration simmered at the back of his throat, but even he knew that the feeling was covering a darker, more icy fear that clutched at the inside of his ribcage and froze into a heavy thing somewhere next to his SOUL. She needed to rest. She needed to stay out of sight for now until they figured things out with her magic. She needed to stay safe, fuck, and even just thinking that sent an uncomfortable rattle up along his spine. He didn't bother opening the front door, he jolted through space and found himself outside a few feet away.

"think, sans, think. where would she—"

His pupils settled on the ground. Blue grass and sand mixed together to create an uneven path leading through the village proper. The isles were on the night cycle now—which, didn't look different, but having something of a curfew helped with the constant feeling of nighttime—so nobody was around save for some real night owl types. Sans had excellent night vision, picking out the disturbed sand leading through the village and far to the left, back towards the entrance. He took a step and jittered to the far end, focused on the footprints leading up, until the grass and sand gave away to stone, ascending on a gentle incline that only grew steeper until it led to a cliff overlooking a majority of the Starlight Isles and surrounding territories.

His steps slowed as a silhouette came into view near the edge, an ambient warm breeze tugging the cape pulled around their shoulders. Briefly, he thought he'd stumbled across Count Koffin K doing something...but when they raised their head to gaze upward, he realized he'd found his target.

He shoved his hands in his pockets and resisted the urge to stomp his way up the cliff to her side.

"and what the hell do you think you're doing?"

Angel startled a little, jerking around halfway and flinching. Burning purple eyes met his own, wide and alarmed.

For a second, he felt like they fit right in with the "stars" in their sky.

"Oh! Oh. Sans. Hey."

"answer the question, human."

"Right. Um." Her gaze trailed away, back over the edge of the cliff. "Well don't worry, I didn't fuck off to, uh...y'know. Yeah. Ye—yeah. I'm just, just..."

He didn't speak, recognizing by the tone of her voice that she was struggling to get her thoughts out. She got scrambled like that sometimes—it reminded him of Alphys...when she wasn't putting on a whole fake persona, anyways.

"...Processing. Mhm."

"your near death experience or your magic?"

"Can it be both?"

He inclined his head and slowly stepped forward, moving to stand beside her. There was a very long pause before he spoke.

"well, uh, anyways. asgore said you gotta rest. my brother'll have a conniption if he finds out you're out here."

"Right. Sorry. I just...really needed to get some air. Please."

Frustration boiled behind his teeth, but he sucked back the smoke and smiled anyways. When she glanced at him, whatever she saw in his expression made her grimace and look away again.

"Don't look at me like that. I'm not dying."

"you nearly did." The lights in his eyesockets extinguished, smile thinning until it was nearly a frown. "like, 6 hours ago. unless you forgot. i mean...wouldn't really be surprised, ya did hit your head pretty hard during your little stunt."

"God, Sans, can you just—not? For once?"

"i dunno what you mean."

She whirled on him, a desperate sort of anger flashing onto her features.

"You know exactly what I mean! Don't kick me while I'm down. I—"

"i'm trying to get you back in bed before anyone sees you, but hey, if you wanna keep acting like a babybones, be my guest."

"I'm NOT—" Angel cut herself off and shut her eyes, drawing Sans's cape around her shoulders tighter and covering her face with a hand. "Not...fuck. Fuck. Sans. I–I don't need you to act like my parent. Be all weird and protective over your brother, but don't...let's not pretend. Don't do the same with me cuz you think you have to. It hurts."

He didn't know what to say, for once. There was a quiet swallowing sound while he searched for something, anything to respond to that. Seconds dragged into minutes before she spoke again.

"...I'm gonna die down here."

"hey, you just said you're not—"

"No, Sans." She interrupted, insistent, voice pitching high and broken. "I'm gonna die down here. This place, it's driving me fucking mental. I don't. I don't know what to do."

Her hand slipped away again, a frightened, tight little grin stretching across her face as she looked at him. It looked like it hurt.

"The sun. I miss the sun. I feel like I've been stuck in a damn time loop where it's always night time and I do the same damn shit every day! Yesterday was the first time in weeks that I felt like something new happened and I completely fucked it. I've been having so much fun here that I forgot that—I forgot. I forgot!" She began to laugh, gesturing to her body frantically, trying to get a point across. "I forgot!"

Sans listened to her speak with an increasing feeling of worry, frustration melting into concern the longer she went on.

"kid—" He started, but she cut him off again, her laughter ceasing as quickly as it had come, turning her body away.

"Don't. Please don't. I don't think I could stand if it you started with the pity train."

"wasn't the pity train, was more like the empathy express."

His weak attempt at humor did bring a smaller, more genuine twitch of her mouth than whatever fake grin she'd been trying to keep up. How had she ever managed to fool him before? In hindsight, it was obvious now, all the times she'd been pretending at joy.

Ah, but then, she was the perseverant kind of person. Maybe she was just...used to that.

He didn't want to know why.

"i was just gonna say...you're not alone."

He reached out and set a hand on her shoulder, struggling to find the words. Sun sickness had been a lot more prevalent back during the aftermath of the war—he had no experience dealing with it directly.

"it ain't so bad. you're still here. people down here like you."

"...Do you even like me?"

"huh?"

Angel turned her head just a little, enough to catch his gaze with her own. She looked exhausted, the warm breeze threatening to spill the tears welling up in her eyes.

"I pay attention, you know. You—god, Sans, you only tolerate me cuz I'm friends with Papyrus, right? Sometimes I feel like we get along great, and then something happens and you just...act off. Am I that much of a burden to you? Should I just leave?"

His thoughts flashed back to the day before. The panic that had thrummed through his body at the mere thought of losing her, that same panic that had brought him out here looking for her in the first place.

"i..." He hesitated. "...think it's been a long day, angel. you're tired and homesick and still coming down from the adrenaline high from earlier. you'll feel better in the morning."

Angel just gazed at him for a long, long moment. Those purple eyes searching for something in his expression before they went lax, her face flattening.

"...You're right. You're right. I'm just..." A lump in her throat. The tears began streaking down her face, dripping off her chin. "...so tired."

"hey." His voice was soft now, softer than she'd heard it before. "...i get the feeling, bud."

Her shoulders shaking, she raised a hand and slipped it over the one he had on her shoulder just for some measure of comfort, head ducking and turning away as she quietly hiccuped. He let her hold him there, warm fingers on chilled bones as she anchored herself again in the present.

It was a good long while before she let him take her home.

...

"Hey, Sans...?"

"mhm?"

"I forgot my glasses. You're gonna have to lead me back."

[breezybangtanbebe]

❤️Kihyun : The Wholesome Boyfriend❤️

A/N: this one is little different from the others as far as structure because I originally intended for it to be a part of my AMBW Monsta X series that I was cooking up, but its still within the theme of the Boyfriend series. It isnt set in SK. I kinda had a vision of him having a foreign girlfriend because even though he is pretty conservative, I wouldn't put it past him to date outside of SK or his race if the connection is strong. Plus this is fiction anyway so if its not for you, its not FOR YOU...hell...anywho. This one starts out kinda fluffy with sexual tension. Kihyun falling in love with a thick queen with locs and a whole lotta ass. Not that thats relevent🌚 or is it😏

KihyunxOC named Chloe🥰 (yes..its the Chloe youre probably thinking lol i love her with him) fluff, slow burn but smut definitely occurs.

🎶🎧: Butterflies by Michael Jackson

9.6k words

<The Other Boyfriends >

Emotionally

If there was anyone in Monsta X that would be the ultimate 'bring him home to mama', very 'husband coded' type, it's Kihyun.

Emotionally, he's an open book. Will pursue you and make his interest known early on with clear intentions. He's the type to properly court you. Ask you out on a date, pick you up and take you home. Open doors and lay the napkin in your lap. Bring you food randomly. He's not shy and would absolutely kiss you on the first date but only if you want him to.

And you'll want to.🌚

Chloe's door opened abruptly and Kihyun blinked in surprise when their eyes met.

She stood in the doorway of her place, bare-faced and barefooted, with her mane of brown and honey blonde locs piled high on her head. The loose curls at their ends fell from the messy bun in spirals and kissed her cheekbones and nape in ways Kihyun wished he could, and her gaze lights up with fondness at him through her glasses.

"Hey" she chimes and Kihyun thaws instantly, remembering that he'd probably been staring like a doof.

"Hey.." he exhales.

His gaze dropped to the way her leggings hugged her shapely legs, her soft tummy just barely visible in her over sized cropped college tee.

Kihyun had laid eyes on her countless times in the various moments they shared.

From the first time he saw her in class.

Then later under her favorite tree out on the courtyard.

To the day he approached her in the campus book store.

Study meet ups had become customary since they now shared a few courses, but Kihyun would have found any reason to be in her presence.

"You brought food?" Chloe's chipper tone distracted Kihyun from his daze and he glances down at the forgotten white plastic bag dangling from his fingers.

"Oh...Yeah. I figured we'd get hungry at some point. It's from that vegan place you said you liked." He nods and her dimpled smile strikes him straight through the chest in an explosion of flutters that by now he couldn't suppress.

"You remembered?" Chloe beams and Kihyun rolls his eyes at her teasing tone.

"You talk about them enough. It'd be sad if I didn't. You gonna let me in or what?" He chuckles as he steps forward. He pauses with his foot over the threshold when Chloe puts her hand on his chest.

"You gonna be nice or what?" She looks up at him with her version of a playful mean mug, but all Kihyun could ever do was stare.

Her eyes.

Her lips.

The little shine at the rounded tip of her small nose.

He blinks, remembering to breathe as he shrugged.

"Im always nice. I brought you food didn't I?." He smiles and with a smirk and roll of her eyes, Chloe nudges Kihyun's chest and turns on her heels to grant him access to her humble abode.

Chloe's apartment felt like stepping into an earthy girl's aesthetic thread on pinterest. Cream colored couches and over darkwood floors, burnt sienna and green accents all around the room.

The air always held a combination of the same scents.

Jasmine incense.

Coconut and shea.

Whatever perfume she wore to class that had Kihyun distracted through out the entire lecture when he decided to sit closer to the board. Forgetting his glasses at his dorm seemed more like fate than inconvenience since it put him a row in front of where Chloe always sat.

The fuzzy cream carpet welcomed Kihyun's feet after they were freed from his Nikes at the door.

He loved it here.

Some hours had passed and two chapters worth of information had been effectively crammed into their brains.

They ate everything, empty food containers littering her small coffee table being the aftermath and the afternoon rolled into the evening seamlessly.

Chloe sat across from Kihyun on her little sofa with her legs tucked under her, gazing at him intently and laughing with him as he recounted something embarrassing that happened in his childhood.

Hanging onto every word with a soft smile idling on her lips the more he spoke. Something about his voice always calmed her and she was sure she could listen to him talk another few hours if it weren't getting later.

"Oh shit, what time is it?" Kihyun pauses his story to ask. Before he could pull out his phone, Chloe had already tapped her screen.

"Almost 7." She says with a confused scowl. She turns to look out of her balcony window at the darkened skies and glittering city lights beyond the glass.

"Damn..it feels like 9 or something." Kihyun mutters and Chloe nods in agreement.

"Daylight savings.." she adds and Kihyun hums in understanding but says nothing else.

That comfy silence fell over them then.

With nothing more to study, no more food too eat and no excuse to stick around any longer.

"Well..I guess I should head out. Since its so dark.." Kihyun begins, albeit reluctantly, and Chloe sits up as he moved.

"You don't have to." She says, pausing mid-sentence to glance down at the way her hand rested over his. It had to have been out of reflex because she had no idea she'd reached out for him until the warmth of his hand brushed her palm.

Kihyun was staring at them too, his lips parting to allow the tip of his tongue to wet the corner of his mouth.

"Yeah?" He lifts his brow. He never meant to look at Chloe the way he was looking at her now. The look where his eyes danced between hers, then falling to her glossed lips.

Chloe blushes under his gaze, turning her head away with faint smirk playing on them now.

"Well..yeah. I-I don't mind. I like it when you're here.." she admits bashfully.

Kihyun doesn't say anything at first since he's admittedly surprised at her words. He knew Chloe liked him enough to be around him so much but usually it was with some excuse. To study. To eat. To try some new place out with him there as her emotional support companion since she didn't like eating alone in public.

But now, with their studying done and food digesting, there were no distractions from what they had in front of each other.

"Unless you have other plans..." she backpedals a hitch, sounding almost as nervous as he felt. Kihyun shakes his head immediately.

"When do I ever have other plans Chloe?" He chuckles and she shrugs.

"I don't know...it's the weekend. You might have somewhere you wanna be or..someone else to be with."

With that, a shift commenced between them. There had always been an unspoken thing between them and Kihyun felt like too much of a coward to pursue it. Which was very unlike him considering he was generally a very confident man.

But now, with the object of his desire basically giving him the green light to venture forward.

"Well, Kinda.." he pauses, allowing his hand to turn over so that his fingers could interlock with hers tentatively. Chloe follows his gentle lead, staying put when Kihyun slowly closed the distance between them on the couch.

"Im sort of there already. So..if you want me here. Im here..."

Chloe blinks up at him, her breathing visible in the steady rise and fall of her chest. Kihyun noticed it, feeling himself drawing closer.

He's timid in his approach but his eyes are sharp and intent on her lips as his leans into her. Immediately her hand comes up to rest on his jaw as they their mouths greeted eachother with slow and savored pecks.

Kihyun hums from deep in his throat as he inhaled the sweetness of her scent.

Her hair.

Her skin.

Her excitement.

Her arousal.

Potent and sweet.

Inviting and tantalizing.

He wanted nothing more than to reach down and push his hand past the barrier of her leggings to explore her body further.

But before his carnal impulses could take over, he stops.

Her eyes flutter open as the warmth of his closeness fades when he pulls away. She frowns.

"What? Whats wrong.." she whispers and Kihyun exhales a chuckle as he shook his head, the tip of his nose brushing hers swiftly.

"Nothing...I just.." he pauses to swallow, not even sure of what he wanted or needed to say. But the feeling of her lips not pressed against his felt more wrong than the direction of thoughts. So without thinking any further, Kihyun dives back in to smother her plush lips with his selfishly, easing her back to lay beneath him on the couch.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He's so smart so naturally, intellect attracts him. He loves deep conversations and hearing your stance on different topics. He loves a good debate and he's one to play devil's advocate so be prepared for that. He loves making you laugh with his overconfidence, never shying away from doing or saying something a little silly to make you smile.

Kihyun will define the relationship very fast so you never have to wonder what you are. He might have been a player when he was younger but now, he doesn't have much patience for games.

He's big on communication so he will check in with you consistently, even if he's busier than normal. He has an old soul so sometimes, you may feel fathered by him when he gives advice but its out of love. He just want the best outcomes for you, so try not to get to bothered by his unsolicited guidence sometimes. Especially of its money related. Mans is frugal as F° (see what I did there 🌚)

Very protective of you and will fight so, don't put him in so many positions where he'll have to. That'll piss him off 😂

He is absolutely the type to say I love you first. Because fuck it, why not?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was raining.

Chloes apartment took on the light grey tone of the sky as the two of them enjoy the gentle pitter patter of the storm against the window pane. Kihyun was watching something on TV with Chloe's little feet resting in his lap while cozied up with a book on the other side of the couch.

He steals a look at her from the corner of his eye to admire her soft features as she focused on the printed text, her crown of locs wrapped in a patterned silk scarf that matched the sky.

She was so gorgeous to him, especially like this when she felt she looked underwhelming.

"I love you." He blurts out as if the thought itself escaped him on its own mind. She glances up from her book curiously, her expression blanketed with mild shock as she pulled the ear bud from beneath her hair.

"Hmm?" She hums curiously and the softeness in her eyes doesnt make it easier for Kihyun's galloping heart to regulate enough for him to repeat himself.

It had been about a month or so since he'd first kissed her, and their time spent together was comprised of mostly that when they weren't supposed to be studying or watching some movie that would ultimately become background noise. It was very high school of them but Kihyun enjoyed it. He valued her beyond what his body wanted.

He genuinely loved her.

The words werent hard to say.

He'd been saying them to her for weeks.

In every lingering kiss when he left her apartment.

In every savored touch when he held her close to him.

In every thoughtless act he did for her to help in any way he knew he could.

His love for her was obvious.

But it didn't feel as known until she could hear it from his mouth.

For a moment Kihyun doesnt say anything though and he just stares into her soft umber toned irises.

What if its too soon?

What if she doesnt feel the same way?

What if all this time Kihyun had deluded himself into thinking a woman as cool, beautiful, sexy, smart, and genuine as she could ever love him back?

His jaw sagged under the weight of what he was about to say and with caution thrown completely to the wind....

"Nothing's wrong. I...I just love you."

Kihyun called bullshit on any claims that its impossible to tell when a black person was blushing. Because the moment his words hit her, the apples of her cheeks brightened with her smile and the flushed tone made Kihyun want to reach across over her body to brush his thumb over her face.

"Really?"

Kihyun nods immediatly and he smiles at the squeak in her voice.

"Yeah. Like..alot." He adds and he blushes at how juvenile he probably sounded.

But she doesn't care.

"Good." Chloe quips nonchalantly, moving to put her Airpod back in place. Not expecting her to be so passive about his confession, Kihyun scoffs humorously.

"Good?" He laughs and Chloe smirks up at him with nod.

"Yeah...I was beginning to worry it was just me feeling this way over here." She says all too casually.

Kihyun huffs, shaking his head in amazement before turning his body towards her while still cradling her dainty feet in his lap.

"You were worried?" He tilts his head. Chloe looks at him over her book again with timid eyes.

"A little. Was starting to think you only liked me for my lips.." she half jokes, prompting Kihyun to roll his eyes.

Things go quiet again, apart from the low volume mumbling from the TV and the distant sound of thunder outside. Amidst it all, Kihyun never takes his eyes off of Chloe. Even after she resumed her attention to her book.

Recalling her words, Kihyun glances down at her feet and runs his finger tips over her soft skin,

"So....you love me too?" He lifts his brows, still looking at Chloe's nude pink painted toes when she regards him.

Her heart flutters at the vulnerability in his voice as well as the adorable interest he showed in her pedicure.

She sighs.

"Yes, Kihyun. I love you too. Duh..." she crinkles her nose in mock disgust, nudging him with her foot before immediately going back to reading with a lighter shade of happiness and contentment on her face

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Physically:

Kihyun keeps it player. He doesnt have to be all over you in public and nor does he have anything to prove. The most he'll do is hold your hand of course or kiss your lips in greeting or to say goodbye. Otherwise hes very reserved and polite. Especially when other people are around. If youre the type to show alot of affection in front of family or friends, Kihyun would be prone to some mild embarrassment. Flushed cheeks and red ears. Despite him being really chill and composed, I can see him being extremely nervous to meet your family.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I look ok?"

He'd asked her that for the third time since leaving the hotel and it was endearing that he cared so much.

Standing on Chloe's mother's porch, the music could be heard inside just as loud as the sound of Kihyun's heart beating in his ears.

He was so nervous. It had been about four months since he and Chloe made things official and despite her family already knowing of him as her friend, it felt different being around them now.

Chloe looks over at him in his dark crewneck sweater, his chesnut brown fringe peaking beneath his hat.

"You look fine for the bazillionth time. I told you this is a casual dinner. No one is dressed up. My mama doesn't care about what you have on anyway. She already loves you."

"Maybe. I still want to make a good impression on the rest of your family though. If I knew everyone would be here I would have packed more.."

"You worried for nothing Ki." She shakes her head and turns away just as the door opens,and a beam of bright warm light from inside the house covers them.

"Hey!! Look whose here!" Halle, Chloe's sister exclaims. The sisters engage in an exchange of excited squeals and giggles as they hug, leaving Kihyun standing by to watch them awkwardly.

Pulling back, Halle acknowledged him with a much less animated hug but its warmth is felt as she greeted him.

"Hey Kihyun! Nice shirt..." she compliments him when stepping back.

"Oh? Uh...Thanks Halle.." he mutters with a shy smirk, looking down at his crewneck as if he wasnt just fussing over it.

Chloe shoots him a satisfactory look that he resists rolling his eyes at.

"Mmhmm..We've been waiting on you two..get in here!" The exhuberent sister beams, waving the awaited couple into the warm family home enthusiastically.

Since dating her, Chloe had described the house she and her siblings grew up in back in Georgia as modest and homely but what Kihyun stepped into was far from that.

Hell, even from the car he was in awe of the vast lawn, high white pillars and contemporary architecture.

The foyer leads them down a hallway thats lined with countless family photos telling the story of a tight knit family that captured every moment they could immortalize. Chloe's dance recital as a toddler. She and her sister at Disney world as children. An array of Her senior and graduation photos.

It was like Kihyun was given a glimpse of the past as well as his possible future if he and Chloe stayed together.

"The food is almost done. Daddy is taking the last bits of meat off the grill now.." Halle says to Chloe, the two of them talking fast amongst each other while Kihyun distracted himself with the wall of photographs on their way to the living room.

As if to confirm her claim, the smell of BBQ wafted thickly through the house, hitting Kihyun and his appetite in the face.

Just as they passed the kitchen doorway, a woman shrieks with happiness before scurrying after Kihyun and Chloe.

Both of them turn just in time to be greeted by Chloe's bright eye'd mother

"Oooh there's my favorite..."she opened her arms. For a moment Chloe thought she was referring to her, at least until it was clear where her affections were being aimed.

Kihyun blushed with his infectious smile as he's trapped in a warm hug, he and Mrs.Bailey's bodies swaying as if they were long lost family being reunited at last.

"I thought yall would never get here. How was your flight?" she asked him all while suffocating him with her embrace.

"It was ok..." he chuckles, hugging her back.

"Long.." Chloe mutters from beside him under her breath and Kihyun chuckles. If she thinks the trip from California to Georgia is long , that flight to Seoul he managed once a year would be an interesting experience for her.

Chloe is able to lock eyes with Kihyun over her mother's head, mouthing a sly 'I told you so' to him in reference to her mother's prolonged embrace. He rolls his eyes before pulling away , smiling down at her warmly.

As dramatic her greeting may have seemed to anyone else, Chloe's mother was genuinely happy to see her daughter here with Kihyun. Especially after the devastating break up she'd endured last year. It was refreshing to see her with someone who was as doting and "clean cut" as Kihyun, even if he was far from the type of men she typically dated.

It warmed Kihyun's heart and eased his anxiety to know he was so welcomed.

And loved.

"Well good. You dont know how glad I am you were finally able to make it out here. Both of you..Hey baby.." Chloe's mother reached for her finally and hugged her.

As he did before, Kihyun stepped back to allow them their moment.

Mrs.Bailey pulls back to look at Chloe, rubbing a dainty finger over the soft swoop of her baby hairs as she observed her freshly retwisted locs.

"You look good. Happy.." she notes softly and Chloe shares a quick look with Kihyun before nodding, the same sentiments clear in his warm gaze.

"I am, Mama." She smiles.

"I am." She repeats, this time holding her hand out for Kihyun to take. Their fingers interlock in the way they always did and Kihyun steps up to join his girl with her mother.

"Im glad to hear it baby. So, tell me Kihyun...You do like BBQ and soul food right? I know this child of mine probably has you eating kale and imitation meat out there in Cali but thats just because you like her right?"

Chloe's eyes nearly pop out of her head at the question, making Kihyun's face light up with laughter.

"I love BBQ and soul food Mrs.Bailey..." he chuckles softly, avoiding Chloe's glare.

"Aht aht..Courtney, Mama, or mom. I already told you this..."

"Thank you..Mom.." he smirks, feeling a little embarrassed to speak so informally despite him feeling at home in her presence.

She reaches up to cup Kihyun's cheek, mirroring the joy in her eyes before nodding.

"Very good. Now come in here and meet everybody." she turns on her heels and walks briskly up the hallway and into the living room, where Chloe could already hear her cousins and siblings chattering loudly amidst the music.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In private, he grabby as hell.

Grabs you by the neck for kisses. Grabs you by the wrist and pulls you to him playfully when you try to walk away after teasing him.

While I don't classify him as an ass man overall, if you have a nice one, he becomes one.🫠 But he's sneaky about it. He'll always be staring at, watching you walk away and smacking it hard  when you pass him just for fun. Overall a very handsy guy. He wont admit to enjoying being cuddled but he will always find reasons to touch you. In bed of around the house in general, he likes you either in his lap of nuzzled up to him with your head tucked under his arm and your thigh hiked up over his pelvis.

Oh yea, and he sleeps nakey. So skin to skin for the win🌚

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I dont think theres anything I hate more in this world than a musty ass avocado..."

Kihyun sputters mid sip of his drink at the random outburst and turns to find her trudging towards him from the kitchen with a scowl.

"A musty what?" He choked, laughing at Chloe's diction.

She huffs childishly as she met him at the couch, plopping down on the carpet and scooting back to settle between Kihyun's legs. Back in California after spending a holiday weekend with Atlanta, Kihyun and Chloe seemed to become closer in their relationship. If that were even possible. Instead of spending most of his time at his place, he was at hers. Cooking for her. Helping her clean and her things because he just found it way more therapeutic than dealing with his own.

She had a plate in hand as she got cozy on the carpet and Kihyun peers over her head to see what all the fuss was about. A mushy brownish green smear of avocado colored her large slice of multi grain bread in her lap. The color was a tab bit off putting and Kihyun grimaced from behind her.

"Eugh..." he chuckled and Chloe whimpers.

"Its not funny..I just bought them yesterday and at the store they were most definitely not ripe. I get them home and now theyre over ripe and musty. Now my toast is ruined..."

Kihyun leaned back to take another sip from his cup before setting it down, his free hands now pulling at the elastic band that held Chloe's loc's back in a low ponytail. They fall free and splay out over her shoulders, and Kihyun immediately begins gathering them in his hands.

"So don't eat it..."he mutters distractedly as he began finger combing through her coiled tresses, pausing to massage her scalp occasionally.

Chloe sighs at the feeling of his gentle touch in her hair before mindlessly lifting the slice of avocado toast to her lips.

"But I don't wanna waste it. Ugh..." she nearly gags after taking bite and Kihyun reaches around her to knock the toast from her hand so that it drops back onto the plate.

"Surely you can spare one slice of bread and a musty avocado for your stomach and sanity's sake. Just order something and I'll pay. Im hungry too."

He goes back to playing in her hair, something that he'd recent taken a liking to after one night of cuddling. He loved the texture and the softness of her hair, as well as the smell. It was completely different from what he'd been used to, having mostly been with women with naturally straight hair. It fascinated it him how Chloe's hair routine differed from theirs and he often wanted to be a part of it out of curiosity and another way to show her affection.

"Fine...and don't be snatching food from me." She grumbles and Kihyun snorts.

"I saved your life. Shut up..."

Chloe then busies herself with scrolling on her phone while Kihyun entertained himself in her hair. She'd occasionally show him something amusing on her timeline and they'd laugh or discuss random topics as time creeped on.

"I want you to meet my parents." He says after being quiet for a while, casually rolling the top section of her hair into a cute little imperfect top knot and securing it with her hair tie.

Pausing mid-scroll, Chloe goes tense.

"Your parents?"

"Yeah. I was planning on making a trip over there soon. After finals and stuff of course. They ask about you and wonder when theyll meet you so...why not." Kihyun shrugs, his finger combing much lazier now than it was minutes ago and at her silence, his hands goes still.

"I mean..If youre comfortable with that. I...I don't wanna assume.." he begins to retract his offer and Chloe quickly turns her body to look at him.

"No Kihyun......" she pauses to touch his knee.

"Im just surprised. I...I don't know. Just didn't think your parents knew about me."

"Why wouldnt they? Your family knows about me.." Kihyun quirks his brow with a confused smile and Chloe shrugs a shoulder lazily.

"Thats because we werent always a couple Ki. I introduced you as a friend before you became my man. They knew you."

"And now my parents want to know you. Whats the big deal?"  Kihyun's brow crinkled with confusion just as Chloe's mimicked him with a type of worry he had never seen on her.

She drops her chin with an anxious sigh before asking..

"Do they know that Im....you know.." she looks back up, finding Kihyun's soft eyes still on her.

"What? That youre a Cancer but apare tly act like a Virgo? Whatever that means...Horribly lactose intolerant but in denial? That you hit every curb when you turn? That you snore sometimes and are vegan but only on Wednesdays?" He teases in an attempt to lighten her mood. It works a little but he still earns a back handed slap to the chest.

"Aagh!" He falls back into the couch, clutching his shirt dramatically as they both laughed. Chloe, reluctantly of course.

"Shut up. That Im black, you dirtbag. Did you tell them that?" She pouts adorably, not dousing the humor at all and Kihyun breathy cackle tapers into a long winded sigh as he sat back up.

"Whew...man. Thats it? Thats what youre worried about??" he exhales. Although he found it funny, Chloe wasnt all that amused.

She didnt know why she was worried about what Kihyun's parents thought of her, apart from the fact that , according to him, she was the only black woman he'd ever dated seriously. If at all.

He never made her feel as if she were his first. The way he was immediately comfortable with her and her family made it seem like he was accustomed to different cultures. They had similar tastes in music and movies. Hell, he'd even put her on to a few things. But what if his family was different? She'd heard stories from others and their experiences in interracial relationships. Mostly positive but negatives stuck with her.

Specifically the parts where the parents didn't approve of the partner merely because of their race or ethnicity.

"I think its a pretty valid concern." She says after allowing Kihyun to stop finding everything about her worries so entertaining.

He couldnt help it though. The way her bottom lip poked out made him want to lean down and bite it.

Kihyun sighs before gesturing for Chloe to come to him. She does so with no hesitation, climbing into his lap and nuzzling his neck as he hugged her waist.

"Youre right. How you feel is valid...But Ive shown them your picture. So I'd hope that part of you at the least was obvious. Though my mother paid more attention to your big pretty eyes and perfect smile than the color of your skin. Oh and your hair. She loves your loc's and the way the curl at the end. She said she'd never seen any like that before, and that you wear them so well and how much they suit you...."

"No she didnt.." Chloe mutters grumpily against Kihyun's neck, although he felt her smile at the genuine compliment.

"She did. And my dad is most impressed with how smart you are. How you're studying law and undoubtably the smartest woman Ive dated. I agree with him." He shrugs his free shoulder, resting his chin on top of her head as his thumb soothed her waist just below her t-shirt.

"Baby. If youre not comfortable meeting them yet, I respect that. But please dont ever think you have a reason to worry about their approval. Shit, I had more reason to be afraid of your folks accepting me..The scrawny Asian kid you met at University."

At that, Chloe rolls her eyes.

"Stop it, my family loves you." She scoffs and Kihyun pulls back from her just enough to make her lift her head and look at him.

"Yeah? Well I love you, Ok? So know that I would never suggest anything that would put you in an uncomfortable situation. Not with my parents. Not with anyone. I'll protect you from whoever. I mean that.."

Searching his eyes for any fragility or reason to believe he was bluffing, Chloe ultimately found nothing except the reflection of her shining eyes and trembling bottom lip.

"Why do you have to say stuff like that..." she huffs after a beat.

She lets out a half hearted laugh in exasperation as she wiped a disloyal tear from her eye. Kihyun regards her softly, biting back his grin as he leaned forward, tipping her chin up for her to offer her lips to him for a kiss.

When their lips meet, Kihyun hums in contentment before smiling against her.

"Youre such a baby...." he mumbles, smooching her lips much more sensually. Kihyun inhales softly as he parted her lips with the sweep of his tongue, squeezing a handful of her cheeks to pull her closer. Chloe squeals in his hold,but her smile fades gradually as Kihyun deepens the kiss.

They'd have to finish the whole "meet the folks" conversation later..

Sexually

Kihyun is nasty. He's a dom and he's running the damn show. He's not the kinkiest fella. He might dabble in some light BDSM-esque type play but over all hes quite vanilla. Very attentive and passionate. Loves to take his time and can get kind of rough and mouthy in the heat of the moment. Loves to leave hickeys all over if you let him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sex was always on Kihyun's mind, even when he didn't show it. It was hard when a woman like Chloe, who exuded sexiness even in the simplest ways, was by his side.

On the outside, he's as cool as they come. Polite and mindful of who was around. He still made sure to keep her close by holding her waist or caressing her thigh. Tracing his fingers over the inseam of her jeans as a subtle hint of where his mind was.

No matter what they were doing or where they were, she had a way of keeping his mind on her body.

How it felt and her smell. Her taste. God, he loved her taste. He's almost a slave to it.

Internally, every cell in his body was attuned to hers. There were times when Kihyun's desire for Chloe was so overwhelming that he'd rush to get her naked and in his or her bed the moment they were alone.

Plans to visit Seoul were set in motion, Kihyun's parents generously paying for their tickets and even FaceTiming them ahead of time to ease some of the apprehension. Despite it being non traditional and the slight language barrier, Chloe felt nothing but warmth from their introduction. His mother especially, accepting many compliments on her beauty with a cherub cheeked smile and little head bows.

She even impressed them with the little Korean she did know, phrases and words she'd picked up while being with Kihyun or from what he'd taught her. His parents were almost as fluent in English as he was but it was still endearing of Chloe to make the effort.

Watching them interact and chiming in to still translate every now and then, Kihyun's heart soared at this new part of his life melding with the old.

After saying goodbye, Kihyun tosses his phone behind him to land on the couch before launching himself on top of Chloe. Her surprised giggle is muffled amid Kihyun's rushed kisses and hands busied sliding beneath her shirt.

"Ki...Kihyun...what the hell.." Chloe laughs when his lips detached from hers and began to travel down her jaw. The moment he latched on her neck, Chloe gasps.

By now Kihyun knew Chloe's body well enough to know exactly where to touch her. He was efficient in that way.

With his hands.

With his lips.

With his words.

"You make me happy. So happy and I just love you..So much..You dont even know...." He mouths against her skin between wet kisses. His hands curl around her waist to hold her beneath him as he nuzzled her neck, his

He takes a chunk of skin between his teeth, making Chloe roll her hips and press their bodies together in a way that has them groaning in unison.

"Ah!..love you too..." she manages before moaning his name again as Kihyun continues licking and sucking a his brand into her skin, grinding his obvious erection against the crotch of her thin leggings.

"But..what did I do?" She giggles, cradling his head against her

Before they could start a fire, Kihyun pulls away and drags his flustered and starry eyed girlfriend upright and to stand with him.

His kiss-burned lips shined even before he licked them, his fingers interlocking with hers as he guided her to stumbled closer.

"Nothing..." Kihyun shakes his head, holding Chloe in his smoldering gaze.

"That's the point. You're just...you." He admits.

The two stare at eachother for a moment, and before Chloe could respond, Kihyun leads her by the hands away from the couch. He cautiously steps backward around the furniture and into the shadows of the hallway with Chloe following him without question, tilting her head cutely and tucking her lips to keep from giggling when he nudged her bedroom door open with his foot.

There were nights like this, when the city was quiet and the orangish glow of the street light through the blinds of her bedroom window would cast stripes over the curves of Chloe's body as she stood before him, that made him want to take his time.

Time to ensure she knew how much he cherished her for being herself ,and being open hearted and brave enough to love him.

Kihyun knew a little bit about her past relationships through being her friend first. He knew about the lies and manipulation. He knew about the mental abuse and the cheating. He knew about the lasting effect it had on her emotionally, even to this day.

And yet she let him in anyway..

Kihyun had just finished pulling his shirt over his head, shaking his hair back in place while Chloe freed herself of her own. She stands inches away from him in a sexy lacy bra and panty set that matched the shade of the night sky.

He traced every shadow and line of her features under the scarce lighting with adoring eyes, the corners of his mouth twitching into the faintest smile.

She was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen and in his mind, that wasn't even an exaggeration due to his feelings. Kihyun had seen beauty in many shades and forms. Some natural and some...not so much.

And none of them compared to her with her bare face, smooth sepia skin and her gorgeous crown.

Speaking of..

Kihyun's eyes lift to Chloe's dark roots and trickle down the curve her long locs framed her round face, scattered flecks of gold cuffs and honey blonde bleeding down to their spiraled ends. Chloe keeps her attention on his gentle focus as he pinched a stray curl between his fingers daintily before freeing her top bun from the confines of her the elastic band. Her head falls back as a waterfall of curly ended locs cascading down from the loosened knot he put them in earlier.

Kihyun immediately goes to raking his fingers through them so that they don't obscure his view of her face and the deepening mark brandishing her neck.

"Youre so perfect.." he exhales, saying it more to himself than to her. But the sentiment is received with shy smile before Kihyun captures it with his lips. As they did before, wet languid kisses travel from Chloe's pout, under her chin, and down the side of her neck.

"So fucking perfect baby.." he writes over the curve of her tummy with his kiss, nibbling at her navel and dipping his tongue into it on his way down.

He slowly drops to his knees with his lifting  eyes on hers, his hands gliding down with him to hold her hips possessively.

"Everything about you..." he fragments as he leaned into her, his lips tracing the line of her panties, his fingers teasing over their elastic as if he were about to pull them down.

But he doesn't. Instead, he nosed at the bulge of her other set of pillowy soft lips that begged to be kissed. So he did, pressing his lips right over their covered seam to tease her clit with the warmth of his tongue through the her panties.

Chloe watched him with drunken eyes, biting her lip and tipping her head back when the friction of Kihyun's tongue over her clothed pussy became too much for her.

"Kihyun..." she whines, finding him watching her dutifully. He knew what she wanted, even with the way she said his name just now. He knew she wasn't in the mood for teasing.

"What baby?" He tilts his sultry, only to drop his chin and drag the flat of his tongue over the tiny hill under her panties. The warmth of his mouth soaks straight through, making the fabric like a second skin as he licked her slit again.

This time, he sneaks a finger between her mound and his tongue and he pulls back to watch it rub tortuous circles over her clit.

"Hmm?" He reiterates with his other hand holding her fast at the hip, kneading her affectionately as she squirmed above him.

"Stop playing with me." Chloe scolds him but Kihyun merely smiles wickedly, glancing up slowly. He stands without warning, bumping his forehead against hers as he pulled her flat against him.

"But you love it." He exhales before lips apart and dipping his tongue between them.

"...love it when I touch you. Love it when I....fuck.." he pauses with groan at the way Chloe sucks his tongue, bobbing her head slowly before pulling back. They both smile against each other lips before diving back in, Kihyun's words forgotten.

He resumed undressing her as he distracted her with his deepening kisses, starting with the clasps of her bra and going back to peeling her panties down her thick thighs and helping her step out of them. All the while, his kept his gaze on her face.

Even when he dove back in with his tongue, dipping it between her folds to lick over her sensitive bud.

Chloe's knees buckle slightly on contact, her crescendoing moans only spurning him on.

"You don't want me to play with you baby? Hmm?..Want me to stop?" He mutters between teasing his tongue over her heat, tasting the way she dripped for him.

Desperate hands rake through Kihyun's hair as he focused all of his efforts on flicking his tongue over Chloe's hardening clit, his muffled groaning and fluttering eyes almost enough to push her over the edge.

"Thats right...Cum baby.." his words vibrated over her sex, the loudness of his wet tongue lapping over her clit becoming the only sound either of them could focus on.

He didn't even have to use his fingers and Chloe was already on the brink of exploding hard against his lips and tongue, crying out with a fistful of his hair in her grasp.

Before she could, Kihyun was rising from his knees. Lips wet from her pussy and eyes burning with desire, he quickly shucks off whatever clothing remained until only sweat existed between their bodies.

He's rock solid against her thighs, his shaft pulsing against her glistening folds as held her close.

He lays Chloe down with his tongue caressing hers, taking every needy mewl and moan she gave him as he settled himself between her thighs. His nimble fingers dig into the meat of her hips, hiking one of her legs up and over his arm to spread her wider for him. He had her pinned and helplessly open.

Kihyun wasn't a big guy in terms of stature or height (still taller by every partner he’s had) but he had the strength of two on a good day. Especially when it came to lifting up, tossing, or keeping Chloe right where he wanted her.

Like now, when the way he had her folded, creasing her soft tummy and making it a little hard to breathe. It was a discomfort that Chloe welcomed.

And as far as his size size, Chloe would never tell him how surprised she was to find out how much Kihyun had to offer. His girth was perfect, the length being just enough to make her gasp every time his tip swept against her walls when he was inside of her.

Kihyun's dick rubbed over her slick folds as he ground his hips against her, teasing his shaft against pussy while kissing her deeply.

Occasionally, he'd slip only the tip in before letting it slide up to rub over her clit, making her whimper pitifully beneath him.

Over and over, until Chloe was begging for him to put it in. When he did, they both cussed at the indescribable pleasure that rippled through them.

It was like this every time.

"Like that baby...grip me tight.." he growls with a pained and pleasured scowl marring his perfect features.

His grunts are low and deep from in his chest everytime his dick made impact, forcing her body into the mattress. Breasts bouncing and hands gripping the sheets. Chloe hiccups when he slams against her cervix, making him grin devilishly.

"Again..." she pants and Kihyun obeys, drawing his hips back and slamming into her again. She tenses and arches from the bed at the pressure but Kihyun pins her legs back so that shes unable to run.

"Fuck!...Kihyun.." she whimpers.

"Nope. Stay with me. I'll make it hurt so good, my pretty baby. Just hold on for me, ok?" he gruffs with a short peck on her lips and Chloe's walls spasm around his length.

While he may seem gentle with his words and his foreplay, m he's a straight menace otherwise. Coaxing the most inhumane sounds from a normally composed woman was his newfound specialty.

He'd never fucked anyone the way he fucked her, nor did he ever want to. Hell, he didn't think he could. The amount of stamina he exhibited as he manages to pull orgasm after orgasm from his woman made him feel superhuman.

He fucked her with everything he had, with one of her legs over his shoulder, both of them over his shoulder, turning her over and pinning her flat against the mattress. But its when he has her back on her back that he pushes himself nearly to the point of tears as he called her name in the crook of her neck when he came.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kihyun is a very dirty talker but the way his buttery voice caresses the words, you'd swear he wasnt. He's also a huge tease so be prepared for that. Some light degradation and edging. Lots of praise too though. He prefers raw sex so hes not the type to have anything casual. Hes very adamant about sexual health, hygiene and being clean overall. So If he's having sex with you regularly, that means yall are in a relationship and the idea of making a baby at some point isn't too far from his mind. Cream pies are his favorite kind of pie. But he'll absolutely wear condoms if you prefer it.

But he secretly hopes you don't so he can leave it in🥴

As it was mentioned before, I don’t rake Kihyun for much of an ass man (he loves a nice booty as much as the next man) but Kihyun loves breasts. Those are the first things he wants to see in the morning. He loves tracing his finger around the textured parts of the areola when he’s big spooning. He loves suckling them even more, flicking his tongue over the nipple and smiling around it when it makes you tremble. He’s fir sure ripped a few bras in the heat of passion and always makes sure to buy you new ones.

The really pretty, vibrant, lacy ones. When in doubt, always wear the blue ones.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Korea was amazing. Kihyun brought Chloe to his parents home straight away after they landed. His father was actually the one to pick them up from the airport and Chloe immediately saw where he got his charm and sense of humor from. Although a little more reserved and quiet, it was obvious.

Kihyun's mother was just as sweet as Kihyun, very thoughtful and doting. She asked Chloe a million questions and expressed multiple times how she wished she had a daughter and how she was glad to have one now. It was a little overwhelming at first, and COMPLETELY unexpected, but perhaps this was how Kihyun felt when he met her family.

Surrounded by love.

Its a quiet morning in the city park and most of the movement consisted of people walking their dogs, joggers winding through other pedestrians, and mothers in track suits pushing big strollers containing cooing infants.

Chloe beams as one mother passes them, catching a glimpse of a tiny round faced baby with almond eyes, tan skin and wispy curly hair.

"Do you want kids?"

The question doesnt catch Kihyun as off guard as it would anyone else. Especially considering how Chloe was the type to ask if he'd still love her if she was a worm or some other random sentient being.

"Why? Are you pregnant?" He asks jokingly while squinting againt the scope of his Canon EOS. The shutter sound clicks as he captures a photo of a wren perched on the railing of a nearby fence. He frowns at the image with scrutiny before going back to scanning their surroundings for something inspiring to shoot.

Chloe walks alongside him quietly, hugging herself against the autumn breeze in her oversized sweater and ripped jeans as she continued to people watch.

She hadnt even realized she didn't respond to Kihyun's rebuttal question until he is stopping dead in his tracks, leaving her strolling leisurely ahead until she notices. Chloe turns to him and furrows her brow.

"What?" She frowns, noting his expectant expression.

"I just asked if you were pregnant and you stopped talking. Thats what. " he blinks, mirroring the way Chloe's lashes batted at him in confusion before she smiles.

"Oh...Oh! No....hell no." She laughs, nearly snorting. She waved off his apprehension before encouraging him to resume his place beside her on the leaf littered path.  They crunch loudly under Kihyun's feet when he stepped towards her, lifting his camera to take an obnoxious snap of her before grabbing her proffered hand.

"Yeah very funny. Are you sure?" He lifts his brows and Chloe nods emphatically.

"Positive. This IUD has about 3 more years before it expires and it hasn't let me down yet." She bumps Kihyun with her shoulder. He grunts in amusement (and relief) before nudging her back gently.

"Good. I felt my blood pressure go up just now. Don't do that.." he exhaled with a laugh of his own.

Chloe drops her chin to watch their synchronized steps. She smiles guiltily for spooking the hell out of her unshakable partner while tightening her grip on his hand.

"No no..Im sorry. I only asked because I see everyone with a baby is outside today. Then seeing my sister all excited about her baby...Plus, we never really talked about it so.." Chloe trails off with half of a shrug.

Which was true. The two of them never had any conversations about the future in that way. Kihyun loved kids and was so patient with them from what Chloe observed. She never told him how it made her feel when she saw him holding his two year old nephew back at his parent's house, refusing to put her down even while he helped his mother in the kitchen.

She felt something stir within her that she never felt before. A flutter much like butterflies in her chest as well as her tummy.

Was this what baby fever was supposed to feel like?

Kihyun was momentarily distracted with his camera, scrunching his face with it lifted and aimed at the canopy of trees towering over them.

"Oh..well, sure.. eventually." He pauses to review the shots he'd just taken.

" I mean, Id for sure marry you first though." He mumbles, his thumb tapping the tiny buttons to scroll through the photos.

Now it was Chloe's turn to stop dead in her tracks. Their hands come apart, stealing Kihyun's attention from his camera to look back at her.

"You'd marry me?" Chloe asks in blatant surprise with a dash of disbelief in her expression, an ironic contrast to how Kihyun was just looking at her a few minutes before.

"What makes you think I wouldnt?" He smirks with his brow crinkled in amusement. Chloe glances around the busying park before shrugging.

"I don't know...." She mumbles, doing a horrible job at hiding her little pout. He regards her blankly for a second before sighing.

"Well I would. If that answers the questions that are probably swirling around in that big ass, over active ass brain you've got over there."

Chloe scowled cutely at the mini jab, prompting Kihyun to lift his camera to capture it as he continues.

"..and yes I would put babies in you. Maybe 2 or 3, if you're up to it. Boy or girl, I don't really care. As long as you're all healthy..." he goes on, closing the small gap between them and pausing occasionally to check the screen on the camera and smirking at the way Chloe's expression softened gradually from frame to frame.

"We would of course be done with school by then. I'll buy you a new car for a graduation present and you'll cuss me out for being over the top. And I'll tell you to shut up because I'll be the one driving it anyway. Then we'll get a nice house. Nothing too crazy. Modern but cozy. You'll be a tough ass defense attorney and I'll be in journalism doing something way less interesting than you but I wont care because I'd rather brag about my wife and her job than mine anyway..."

He's directly in front of her by now, snapping countless photos of Chloe's enamored and twinkling doe eyes as she gazed at him over the camera, her lips twisting in a subdued smile that she was failing at fighting back.

It was the type of smile that could break the hardest exteriors and melt the coldest hearts. Not that Kihyun ever claimed to be that cold or hard bodied. Some might have described him as such but not since he found her.

Kihyun lowers the obstructive device so that she could see the earnestness on his face when he spoke. He lifts his hand to pinch her chin softly, stroking her skin with the pad of his thumb.

"Because Ive never felt more sure about anyone in my life and you deserve all of that and more. You'll figure that out one of these days. Sooner than later , I hope."

Chloe finally gives in to the fullness of her smile, her soft dimples denting her cheeks and her bunny nose wrinkling slightly. She tries to turn away from his touch to hide her blush that only he could see, and Kihyun tips her chin back towards him and holds her in his eyes.

"Of course, Im in no rush for any of that. Thats just my plan...Im enjoying having you to myself these days."   

He pulls Chloe into his side, pressing a kiss to her temple and then her lips.

Just then, a bright red cardinal perches on a branch that bobbed merely inches away from where they were standing. Kihyun's eyes open at the sound of its song and he abruptly breaks their kiss, leaving Chloe's eyes fluttering in confusion until she hears the telling clicks of his camera shooting over her shoulder.

Its as if Kihyun had completely forgotten she was there and that they were having a moment by the way he was now fully engrossed by the disinterested bird.

"Ooh thats perfect..." he mutters as the continued to capture stills of the bird until it ultimately flew away. His shoulders drop, as does his smile and his shoulders.

Even the camera droops in his hold , giving Chloe the perfect opportunity to snatch it from his hands. Kihyun barely has time to react before shes turning it on him and going ham on the shutter button.

Snickering, she lowers the camera to look at the screen, smiling warmly at the array of expressions she'd captured. His pout and furrowed brow. His eyes wide with surprise and confusion. The last photo she'd taken immortalized Kihyun's handsome face and heart stuttering smile looking back at her. She bites her lip in reaction to that familiar and almost overwhelming sensation of butterflies swarming in her chest again.

"Youre right..." she lifts her brows before looking back up at him.

"Perfect."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Love Language:

Im on the fence between Acts of Service, Gifts, and Quality time. All of which could be valid because we all tend to dabble in multiple (or all) love languages. But since he is basically hubby, he's extremely reliable, loves spending time with his partner when his schedule permits it. Loves cooking for you and feeding you. Loves making things for you in general. Things that he knows you'll use often.

And he loves buying you things. Clothes, jewelry, high quality food. He doesn't really care about receiving gifts as much as he enjoys giving but if you were to gift him, make it something useful and personal. That would really make him blush.

As far as gifts giving, Kihyun would absolutely buy you a car out of the blue if you mentioned needing a new one lol He'd just randomly pull up in it and you'd be like "oh this is nice" and he'd say "oh you think so? Here." , tossing you the keys. He's the young flexer after all.

Must be nice..

Pet names/terms of endearment:

'Darling' or 'Baby' seem to be his go to's for pet names. With his deep voice and the way his lips kiss consonants when he speaks, I cant imagine anyone being able to resist him when he calls them one of those two. Maaaybe even princess or "My Queen" when he's being cheeky. For sure 'Baby' though.

[wasteful-sam]

Worthy [Part 1]

Synopsis:

While on their way to Baldur's Gate, Rolan and his siblings have to settle in Emerald Grove, as the lands are overrun with goblins and mysterious cultists. It is here that he meets a peculiar drow, and the story of their unlikely relationship starts to unfold.

Tags:

Slow burn, romantic, ongoing, F/M, Rolan/female drow.

Disclaimer:

This will be a long one, covering the overall BG3 story and storyline of some of the origin characters. Thus, spoilers ahead for anyone who hasn't completed the game.

The story is a slow burn that is bound to end up explicit, so, yeah. (~‾⌣‾)~

Also, English is not my first language, and I apologize in advance if the wording may sound odd somewhere in the text.

All in all, I wrote this to relax a cluttered mind, but I genuinely hope that the fic will be enjoyable for you! Yours truly, Sam.

[AO3 Link]

+++

Worthy

Part 1 | Chapter 1

The strangers

The day they arrived - chaos erupted in the Emerald Grove and, subsequently, his life. That bunch of self-important, nosy do-gooders. And to think, by this time, Lia, Cal, and he could have been halfway to Baldur's Gate. Of course, deep down, Rolan chastised himself – he should have been firmer with his siblings. After all, when did the authority of strangers become more important to them than their brother? Was he that pathetic?

"No," Rolan's ego violently interrupted his ever-emerging self-doubt, at least for now. His mind returned to earlier today when it all started.

+++

The reverberating roar of a horn was the first sign of trouble. The three tieflings were chatting by the beach when the sound startled them.

"What in the hells!?" Cal exclaimed, frantically turning his head around.

"Something's at the gate, come quick," Lia cried out, rushing up the hill.

"Stop!" Rolan hissed angrily, trying to catch up with his sister. He finally grabbed her arm, bringing her to a halt near the Sacred Pool. Cal joined them shortly, breathing heavily.

"Are you out of your mind? Where do you think you are going? You two – get back to the beach and hide somewhere among the cliffs," the tiefling wizard whispered angrily.

She pulled her hand from Rolan. "We can help protect the grove. We must at least warn the others!"

"I think they already know," her younger brother mumbled. Other tieflings around them were visibly nervous, trying to figure out what was happening. Even the druids stopped their ritual, looking up toward the grove gates.

For a couple of minutes, the siblings were silent, listening carefully. Lia was the one to break the silence.

"Let's at least come closer, can't hear much from here. I promise we will run to the beach as fast as possible at the first sign of trouble," she added, noticing Rolan's growing frustration.

"Fine," he sounded defeated. "I'll go first. If I say run – don't you dare disobey."

At this point, Rolan figured that whoever attacked the grove would have broken through already if they had sufficient manpower.

After all, scouts who kept watch on the grove's walls could be barely considered fighters. Likely, just a couple of goblins stumbled upon their hideout.

He signaled Cal and Lia to stop as they passed Aaron's make-shift merchant post. From there, they could somewhat see the commotion on the bridge and hear the tinkling of swords and spells being cast. The siblings didn't dare to speak or move – all froze in anticipation. 

The wait felt like an eternity. Finally, they heard Zevlor's command to open the gates. Rolan relaxed his posture. The usual smirk graced his face as he saw Aradin and his thugs running through the entrance. "Of course, these idiots have something to do with this," he concluded.

To his surprise, a group of strangers sneaked into the grove shortly after Aradin. Well, he knew at least one of them – that pompous Blade of Frontiers. Wyll, was it? He stumbled upon the grove a couple of days ago and has become somewhat of a local fencing teacher. And most tieflings found his company quite enjoyable. "No wonder these simpletons hang onto his every word – all they need is just a couple of embellished fairytales to deem someone a hero," Rolan scoffed to himself.

But no matter. He didn't intend on making new acquaintances. It was time for a serious talk with his family.

+++

The outsiders intervened just as he was arguing with Lia. The group was passing by when Rolan tried to convince his siblings to leave the grove as soon as possible.

"What's the point in blades and spells if we don't bloody use them?! We should stay. These people aren't fighters, we can help!" she exclaimed angrily.

The group stopped and exchanged glances. Rolan had no doubt they had heard most of the arguing.

"You should all stay. A single blade could make a difference," said the silver-haired drow. She glanced confidently at Lia.

Satisfied, Lia turned her head to Rolan. At this point, he knew the battle was lost - once Lia sets her mind on something, it's impossible to get through to her.

"Fine, we will stay! If we survive, it will make for a good story, I suppose," he growled, intentionally paying no attention to five prying strangers.

"We were told you have a healer. Do you know where she might be?" inquired another woman with black braided hair. Her tone was colder and tired.

"I think she will be in the chambers by the pool. It's where most druids spend their days. Just head down the stairs, you'll see," wedged in Cal.

"Please, you think the druids will have time for strangers that appeared on their doorstep out of thin air?" Rolan finally graced the group with an arrogant stare. "They are one ritual away from exiling us all from this gods-damned place. What makes you so special?"

"I don't know, maybe the fact that we slaughtered a bunch of goblins outside the gate will play a role?" replied a pale elf, injecting as much arrogance into his words.

"Alright, calm down. We will deal with all that one step at a time," the drow spoke again, placing a hand on the elf's shoulder. "Thank you for your help! I'm Nimriel, and these are Shadowheart, Gale, Lae'zel, and Astarion." She pointed at each of them individually, branding an enthusiastic smile. The others, however, weren't as excited.

The tiefling woman couldn't help but smile in response, "I'm Lia, this one's Cal, and the grumpy one is Rolan."

"Nice to meet you," Cal cautiously said, while Rolan rolled his eyes and murmured, "Pleasure."

"The fight was intense, I see," Lia noted, looking at the group's dirty, bloodied clothes.

"You can say that again," the drow chuckled. "One of the bastards has thrown a bottle of grease at me, and I tumbled down the hill like the most graceful sack of turnips! Then a worg charged straight at me…"

"Nimriel, we don't have time to chat right now," the black-haired woman interrupted.

"Right… Sorry, we really got to go," the drow nodded apologetically. "Thanks for the directions."

And with that, the group bid their hasty farewells and sprinted towards the druids' chambers. The tieflings could hear how the green-skinned woman – Rolan, although surprised, was sure it was a githyanki – was scolding the drow for being too open with the "horned ones."

"What an odd bunch," Cal said quietly, watching them leave.

"They certainly are. We should keep away from them."

"What? Why? They've slayed the goblins! Who knows if Zevlor and Aradin would've managed on their own," Lia raised her tone again, her annoyance growing. "They can help us fend off the next assault!".

"Don't be ridiculous. Their arrival at the grove at the right time was either a strange coincidence or a malicious plan. Think, Lia. When was the last time you saw a friendly drow? Hells, druids killed a drow who was snooping around just last week! Not to mention a githyanki amid them," Rolan sounded firm and confident.

"If we go by your logic, all tieflings are just wretched, evil fiends," his sister paused, taking a deep breath, "I'll talk to whomever I want; it is not for you to decide."

Rolan scoffed. Arguing with Lia felt exhausting at this point. He thought she was still young and naïve, not used to being approached with anything other than concerned stares and rudeness from non-tieflings.

"I'm… I'm with Lia here," Cal gently broke the silence. "Let's just see what happens."

"Of course you are. Two troglodyte peas in a pod. Do whatever you want," Rolan turned away from his siblings, pondering.

He couldn't let anything happen to them, not when their future was at stake. At that moment, he decided to watch the strangers closely. He was determined to confirm they were no threat.

+++

Rolan saw the despised group of outsiders a couple more times that day. They were walking around the grove, talking to tieflings and druids. At one point, they approached the Blade of Frontiers, who was training kids in fencing. Judging by their body language, they have reached some kind of agreement.

Later, the tiefling wizard noticed the strangers walking into Zevlor's chambers. They left the grove shortly after, taking Wyll with them. "Maybe this is the end of the unfortunate encounter," Rolan thought, relief washing over him. Still, he wasn't convinced.

+++

He approached Zevlor later that evening. The older tiefling was just leaving his chambers to get some fresh air.

“Good evening, Zevlor. Although it could have been better if not for the goblins' stench outside the gate," Rolan said casually, a note of arrogance still evident in his voice.

"True. What Aradin did was reckless. What's more infuriating is he left Halsin behind. Who knows what's become of the druid." 

This revelation startled Rolan. Indeed, with all these worries about strangers, he didn't even realize that the bear druid didn't return. More bad news – Halsin was a competent warrior and one of this grove's most significant tiefling allies. The other druids had even more incentive to kick them out without him.

"We were lucky that Wyll and those travelers helped us out. Although our position at the grove gets shakier," Zevlor continued.

"Oh yes, I saw them getting a private audience with you," the wizard tiefling responded sarcastically. "Mind sharing what they wanted?"

Zevlor glanced at Rolan’s face, trying to find the source of his concern. He smiled gently: “I know the drow’s presence may worry you. I was surprised as well at first. All you need to know is that they are not a threat to us. In fact, they can prove quite helpful in the future.”

“Riiiight,” Rolan crossed his arms. “And you know that after talking to them, what, half an hour at most? You are not being rational about this!”

Zevlor wasn’t perplexed by Rolan’s reaction. He’s grown accustomed to the tiefling’s fiery temperament. “I know enough to place my trust in them. They didn’t have to help us fight goblins. And they surely had nothing to gain from saving Komira and Locke’s daughter from Kagha’s wrath,” he concluded calmly.

The sly fox must’ve had some kind of a deal with strangers. He wasn’t shy of sweet-talking people into doing what’s best for his tiefling tribe. Although Rolan was fond of this quality of Zevlor’s, he still thought the old paladin’s judgment was clouded.

With that, he left Zevlor be. He needed to process all the new information.  

+++

"Hello! Apologies, do you maybe have hyena ears stashed somewhere? I'd gladly buy, seeing as none of the merchants here are in possession of those," a cheerful male voice interrupted Rolan's concentration.

Annoyed, he looked up to see who had disturbed his reading. Of course, those pesky outsiders returned! One of them – a human, most certainly – was talking to Cal while Lia stood near, puzzled. The other two – githyanki and drow – were buying something from Dammon, whose "forge" was nearby.

"Hyena ears?" Cal was confused. "What for?"

"Why, for a potion of speed, of course!" the man stated as if it was common knowledge. "My supplies are humiliatingly sparse at the moment."

"Oh, um…, no, sorry."

"Well, it never hurts to ask," the man shrugged, his voice still friendly and pleasant.

"Any luck, Gale?" his two companions were approaching as they finished their business with Dammon.

"I have asked around, and no one seems to have what we need," he replied.

"No matter. We have no use for your magical trinkets. My sword alone will be enough to cut through weaklings of this plane," githyanki replied confidently.

"Lae'zel. Calm down a bit, will you?" the drow hissed, looking at her companion with a plea. She then turned to tieflings, her tone rapidly shifting to cheerful. "Don't mind that, please, she's just tired… Soooo, what's…new?"

"Oh, nothing much," Lia said cautiously, yet a faint smile appeared on her face. She clearly liked talking to the drow, Rolan thought to himself.

"Not that we have much to do here, just chatting, trying to make ourselves useful. Say, but you've been busy! I heard you've helped Arabella yesterday," she continued. "I knew you could turn things around here."

"Oh, you mean the little girl? The whole situation was disgusting. That Kagha is one nasty toad," the drow answered, "I thought druids would be more understanding and peaceful. What's their deal?"

"The same "deal" that everybody has with tieflings," Rolan finally had enough of this whole conversation, longing for peace and quiet. He looked directly at her, smirking. "You should know, Underdark dweller. And if you don't - ask around your Menzoberranzan cronies."

The drow looked hurt for a moment, returning his glance. Rolan's comment definitely struck a nerve. However, she promptly recovered, saying, "Yes, I know, although I'm not from the Underdark. I'm sorry I offended you."

Her response made Rolan think. It was not a reaction he expected from a drow.

"No, you didn't!" Lia exclaimed quickly. "Rolan's just an old grump. Don't mind him."

"I'm not grumpy! And not that old either!" the tiefling wizard heard himself exclaiming. He could rarely leave the teasing of his siblings unanswered. He noticed the drow giggled, reacting to his outburst. "What's so funny?!"

"Just didn't expect such a serious-looking man to react so childishly. You really are not that old," Nimriel giggled again.

"Sounds about right," Cal pointed out cheerfully, and he and Lia were now grinning.

"Anyway," Gale interjected, trying to change the topic. "Why are you in such a hurry to reach Baldur's Gate?"

After the brief episode of humiliation, Rolan felt an urgent need to brag. "My apprenticeship with Lorroakan begins shortly, I cannot be late. Yes, that Lorroakan, the greatest wizard in Baldur's Gate," he said arrogantly.

"I've heard the name before! Young man, yes? Lives in the Ramazith's Tower in the lower city?" Gale sounded excited.

"The very same."

"I heard he's a bit of a cad, but you say he's a powerful wizard?"

"Of course he is! The greatest spellcaster along the Sword Coast! As if I'd settle for a lesser mentor."

"In that case, I would very much appreciate it if you could arrange an introduction should we reach the city," Gale suggested, turning his head to Nim.

"So you are a wizard?" Nimriel wondered, staring Rolan up and down. "Should've figured by the way you seem to enjoy the sound of your own voice."

"I'm... what!?" the tiefling tensed up.

"Sorry, sorry, I had to get even," the drow raised her hands lively. All this sounds fine to me. Could you?" She looked at Rolan, smiling gently. Something about her expression made his heart skip a beat, but he chose to ignore the feeling.

"If it is powerful acquaintanceships you are after, look no further than yours truly. Few can match me in either magic or talent. In years to come you will boast of this meeting. I can assure you," he bowed his head slightly, breaking their short eye contact.

"Enough chatter already, we don't have all day," githyanki intervened.

"Right, we'd better go. Sorry, it was nice talking to you all. Will definitely see you again," with her last sentence, she squeezed Lia's shoulder a little, making her giggle.

"That was quite embarrassing," Cal nudged the tiefling wizard as they watched the trio leave.

"It would be if I cared," Rolan nonchalantly opened his book.

"Tell me, when did you become like this? So I know the exact age when I turn into a joy-sucking prick." "You live and learn, brother."

Chapter 2

Mistrust

It has been a week. Rolan still struggled to figure out what made this group of seven blockheads join forces. Yes, seven! On day three, they showed up at the grove with a tiefling, who was even more loud and obnoxious than the drow. And the Blade of Frontiers now had a set of horns growing out of his head for some reason!

Although they were sparse on details of their alliance, the group certainly loved bragging about their adventures. At least, Rolan saw it that way. All it took was for tiefling children to take a liking to strangers after those saved a boy from harpies.

Word of the rescue spread fast, and soon, the whole grove knew what had transpired. Tieflings warmed up to the outsiders, wanting to learn more about their new-found idols.

Rolan also listened to the strangers' stories, but not because he was fascinated by them, like others. He analyzed and pondered their motives, making mental notes on each. Some remained a complete mystery to him, like the silent half-elf and irritable githyanki, who barely interacted with the grove's dwellers.

Others, however, were either loud, chaotic, or pompous. The wizard named Gale was, perhaps, the most tolerable of the bunch. As a man of considerable intelligence, he was grounded enough to keep his companions from being too ignorant or obnoxious. Although, his constant monologues of self-importance grew old very fast.

But by far, the two outsiders he involuntarily interacted with the most were tiefling and drow. They talked frequently with Lia, perhaps due to similarities in character.

That drow, Nimriel, was especially odd. Whenever visiting the grove, it seemed like her mission was to come up and talk to every person she could see. It was as if she was afraid to be forgotten about. Or was sniffing out information.

Once, after Lia's friendly chatter with the two, Rolan swallowed his pride and asked directly what they were talking about.

"You're not subtle at all," his sister replied condescendingly.

"Maybe I'm just curious, ever considered that?" Rolan shrugged.

"Oh, sod off. You're using "the parenting tone." It's like Elturel all over again. Your paranoia is getting annoying. They are regular travelers."

"Travelers?"

"Well, yeah, met up on the road to Baldur's Gate and decided to travel together for safety. Like we did with Zevlor's group."

"It's not comparable," the wizard shook his head.

"Why?"

"Alright, let me spell it out to you: an aggressive githyanki, a monster hunter, a suspicious drow, and a runaway from the hells – all in one group. And the other three are quite shady, too, if you ask me."

"You know about Karlach?" Lia asked, surprised.

"It's easy to get Dammon yapping after a couple of beers," Rolan replied nonchalantly, checking his well-manicured claws, "But you're missing my point here. They are all very different, some are natural enemies, in fact. Yet, they travel together? All of them need to get to Baldur's Gate and they just met on the road like that? There's something behind all of this."

Lia sighed. She knew Rolan all too well, and such outbursts were expected. Her brother was living in a mind-made cage, keeping her and Cal locked as well. Lia knew he was trying to protect them, but treating his siblings like children was getting out of hand.

"I don't know what to tell you. They're just going around, clearing their way to the city, killing monsters, looting…. We could've learned something from them."

"Like what?" Rolan rolled his eyes, "Living as mercenaries?"

"How about just "living" for starters? We'd be better off with money if we'd take a risk once in a while," Lia insisted.   

"Why risk if we're already on the way to our future home?" Rolan softened up a little. "I promise you, Lia, once I'm the apprentice, you can forget all these constant worries."

"I know, I know," she looked at him, calming down. "And you promise to relax a little, too?"

"I won't be relaxing. Wizardry is hard work, you know."

"I meant your attitude."

"The attitude is what kept us going for so long," he replied smugly. "But yes, I'll definitely be more… "relaxed," as you say."

"And you won't mind me joining the Flaming Fist then?"

The wizard bit his tongue. It was a sore topic for them. "We'll see," he replied.     

+++

"Hey, Rolan!" the drow approached him nonchalantly the very next afternoon.

"Mhhm."

"Reading as always?"

"How observant."

"Seems like your favorite book! What's it about?"

"Nothing that would be of interest to you."

"You know me well, I see?" There was no malice in Nim's voice, only teasing.

He finally looked at her, "You don't strike me as someone who practices magic. I see you more as an expert magpie."

"I am interested, actually. The more we travel, the more I learn that swords and cantrips don't always quite do it in fights. I even asked Gale to teach me some of the simpler spells. But to no avail. I just don't have a talent for it like you two."

Nimriel sounded sincere, which took Rolan aback. Was she trying to sweet-talk him, or did she genuinely believe his prowess without needing any proof? He simply didn't know what to reply.

"Can I take a look at your book? I'm just curious," she smiled, breaking the silence. The drow turned her charm to the maximum, looking straight at him. Nim couldn't help it - she wanted desperately to be liked by everyone around, even this irritable tiefling.

"Suit yourself," the wizard passed his book without much regret.

Now that the spells grabbed the drow's attention, he could take a closer look at her without being discreet. Her armor was ripped in several places, blood stains adding colors of terror to an otherwise dull leather outfit. Fresh cuts could be seen where her lilac-grey skin wasn't covered by clothes. The drow was still smiling as she read his book, her pretty, animated face dissonating with the disheveled attire.

"What happened to your ear?" the worrying tone of Rolan's voice surprised him.

"Oh," she automatically reached to her left ear, "Nasty burn, huh? Luckily, it was the only one. We got to the mercenaries' hideout yesterday, and those weasels had their lair stuffed with explosive barrels. Long story short – a fight ensued, things got fireballed, and – here's the result," Nimriel told the story so nonchalantly as if describing her favorite recipe.

"Looked even worse yesterday, but Shadowheart fixed me up well. With her skills, it will subside soon, but until then – I own of the ugliest ear in the grove," she giggled, but her expression betrayed her, showing how conscious she was about the burn.

"It's not that bad," Rolan replied, but he quickly realized how it sounded. "I mean, it doesn't flaw your face much. It still looks…presentable," he added apologetically, forgetting how to speak normally.

"Aha, I see the mighty wizard is also very skilled in reassuring," Nim laughed. She resumed reading, not noticing Rolan's embarrassed scowl.

They've spent some time in silence. While Nimriel was looking through pages, he continued unwittingly studying her face. Slender, blessed with elegant features, she would look like those literary portrayals of royalty if not for her big light-violet eyes, ragged shoulder-length haircut, and battle cuts.

"Too difficult for me still," Nimriel's voice yanked Rolan out of his intense contemplations. "I think I need to learn to work with scrolls first," she closed the book, reaching to give it back, but froze. Rolan was looking at her intently, his arms crossed.

"Why are you nosing round the grove?" he asked with authority.

"What do you mean?" Nim tried to master an innocent smile, but the wizard caught her off-guard.

"Your pleasantries won't work on me. You know exactly what I mean."

"Didn't realize that people must only be cordial for a reason. But then again, the cordiality expert knows best," she sighed. "What's your problem?"

"There are talks about strange cultists roaming around, goblins taking captives to their camps… And in the midst of this all, you appear here, out of nowhere. Snooping around, making friends left and right. It is… peculiar."

"You know a lot for someone closed off in the grove."

Rolan smirked, "Unlike you, I don't have to stick my nose into every conversation to learn what I need."

"This is exactly what you do now," Nim's tone became tense. "I don't think we've given you any reason to mistrust us," she shoved the book into his arm and turned around, "Sorry for distracting you. It won't happen again."

As he watched the drow walking away, Rolan shook his head. He rarely felt bad about giving someone a piece of his mind. Why now, all of a sudden? 

+++

It all ended before anyone in the grove even realized something was happening. The adventurers have taken down Kagha. Apparently, they found proof of her conspiring with Shadow Druids and confronted her in the druids’ chambers. As a result, Kagha and other Shadow Druids that sneaked into the grove laid cold on the stone floor. The ritual was swiftly stopped, putting the worries of refugees to an end.

“Serves her right,” Rolan heard his brother talking excitedly to Danis and Bex. “That witch would rather cut all our throats than let us stay!”

“We are lucky that other druids came to their senses,” Bex replied. “Maybe they will even help us next time goblins come here!”

“Now, now, don’t hex it,” Danis gently squeezed her hand. 

“Let me dream a little,” she kissed her husband’s cheek.

“Hey, Lia! What’s the news? Have you seen them yet?” Cal exclaimed, seeing his sister approaching.

“We exchanged a few words, but they were in a hurry. Looked pretty tired,” she sighed.

“Pity. I’d love to thank them personally. Maybe even bake something to celebrate,” Bex glanced at Lia. “You think they’ll come back?”

“Karlach definitely will once she hears you promised a hot meal,” Lia snickered.

Rolan listened to their conversation, his face emotionless. But deep within, a shift had occurred. Perhaps he was glad to be wrong about someone’s intentions for the first time in his life.

+++

No one heard from the group for the next few days before their sudden return. They came through the grove's gates nonchalantly, as if they were regular residents. Of course, nobody in the grove knew the burden the adventurers had carried for two weeks. For how much some of them talked and interacted with refugees, they remained a mysterious seven.

The group made their regular rounds, eventually coming to Dammon for supplies. It didn't take long for a friendly conversation to start, with all the regulars among tieflings joining in.

Rolan was there as well, his usual silent self. He would sometimes look at Nim while she chatted lively with the others. The tiefling wizard still didn't figure out what he would tell her. He will not be apologizing, of course not! But he didn't want to end it all on a sour note.

She finally caught the tiefling's glance and smirked, nodding. A wave of panic hit Rolan, but he tried keeping his composure. The wizard gestured Nimriel to come aside for a talk, to which she agreed.

"Hey there," Nim said casually, her brow raised.

"Listen. The last time we spoke…"

"No-no-no," she interrupted quickly. "The last time we spoke, you glared straight at me. I believe I deserve the same treatment now".

"Alright," he straightened his pose, looking into her eyes. "I was harsh. I had my reasons to distrust you. But my concerns proved unfair," Rolan paused, trying to find the right words. It was hard looking at Nim. The tiefling could see that she was quite enjoying his vain attempts at explaining himself. A large black eye she got was quite distracting as well.

"You did well for the grove, and I was unjust."    

"What an intricate way to say you are sorry," her tone was soft with a smudge of teasing, "Don't worry about it."

"Just like that?"

Nim shrugged, "It's not a first for me. I'm a drow, remember? You should know."

The tiefling felt embarrassed. She even remembered the exact words he threw at her back then. And Nimriel noticed that.

"Hey," she said softly, "Can't we just forget it and start getting along? I hate making people feel all bad."

"I can assure you, it's nothing of that sort," Rolan blabbered, averting his eyes.

"Let's be frank, it's written all over your face," Nim giggled, "You are redder than usual."

"This is just fantastic," the tiefling sounded defeated. However, a feeling of relief began to settle inside: "For your information, it's just hot in here, hence the color change."

"Suuuure, keep telling yourself that."

They chatted for a little while before Nimriel left for her camp. Some of her companions, however, stayed.

The group's elf and tiefling were talking with others by the Dammon's "forge." Rolan joined in on their conversation soon after.

"The swamps were awful," Astarion complained. "The smells, the bugs, the dirt! I'll need a full wardrobe change once we reach any half-decent townlet!"

"Oh, come on! You are so dramatic. The nature was still beautiful there!" Karlach said gleefully. "Anything's better than hells!".

"Lucky for me, I won't be comparing anytime soon," the elf replied, supporting an innocent banter.

"How are things at the camp?" Dammon interrupted. Has my old workbench found a use?"

"Yes, thank you! Things are fine, more or less." Karlach sounded a bit apologetic. "We had a small setback, but overall…"

"I wouldn't call the brawl a small setback," Astarion interrupted playfully. "It was glorious!"

"What are you two talking about?" Lia wondered.

"Lae'zel and Nim got in a fistfight, and…"

“Astarion!” Karlach grunted.

"What? It's all fine now, anyway. Let me enjoy my "socializing-outside-the-camp" time!" Astarion shrugged, putting on the theatrics. "Anyway, you know how Lae'zel can be, with all her "I'll cut you down-s and slash you in-s." Well, she didn't quite like one of our plans, and she wanted to leave. Nimriel, predictably, started to talk her out of it. And the gith had it – ripped her armor off and took a fighting position. "A weakling such as yourself won't be able to land a single hit on me!" Astarion tried to imitate Lae'zel's crude delivery, "You want me to stay? Prove your worth!". Oh, how we all gasped when Nim threw her armor to the ground, too!"

"Oh, gods," Lia interrupted, worry growing in her voice. "Why didn't you stop them?"

"And miss the show?" the elf glanced at her like the tiefling was mad. "Honestly, the only thing that could've made it better is mud brawl. But, alas..."

"Cut it out," Karlach rolled her eyes.

"Alright, alright! So, fists started swinging left and right. Screaming, arguing, the spectacle! To my surprise, Nim even managed to land a few hits on the green devil! But the results were obvious from the start – Lae'zel knocked her out – straight in the eye!" he froze in a dramatic pose.

"Aaand?!" even Dammon was invested at this point, dropping the short sword he worked on. "Did githyanki leave?"

"No," Karlach replied calmly. "In the end, Lae'zel admitted that Nim was stubborn enough to make her stay. Although, I had to knock her out and tie her to a tree first," she grinned bashfully. "They made peace for now."

"You are one twisted group of individuals," that's all Rolan could say.

"Believe me, you don't know the half of it," Astarion shook his head, simpering. 

Chapter 3

The night at the Sacred Pool

The moon was full and inviting that night, laying its silver light on the grove. Shadows danced among the trees, creating a tapestry of light and dark on the forest floor. A soft breeze whispered through the branches, carrying the earthy scent of moss and pine.

If only Rolan could enjoy it. He hadn’t slept properly since the whole debacle at the druids’ chambers. The anxiety of not making it to Lorroakan on time laid heavy on him. The future at Baldur’s Gate is what his family deserves. He couldn’t afford to let them down. He sat near the Sacred Pool for the last few nights, working tirelessly on his spells. “Why waste time laying on a bedroll if I can’t sleep anyway,” he thought.

The dawn was close, and the tiefling heard the sound of bushes whirling somewhere nearby. It startled his sleep-deprived mind, and he called, “Who’s there?”

“Huh? Rolan, is that you?”

The tiefling squinted, looking in the direction the voice was coming from. He stood up, his yellow eyes piercing the dark. Someone’s figure was emerging from around the trees. At this point, Rolan thought the lack of sleep had driven him insane. It was Nim walking towards him. The drow was also squinting, holding a batch of apples in her arms.

“Nimriel?” he asked in disbelief with a hint of annoyance. “What…what are you doing here? And what’s with the apples?”

“Um…it is a little embarrassing,” she smiled confusedly. “Can I come closer?”

“Can you?” now his voice sounded almost mockingly. “Well, why not?”

As she approached, Rolan realized something dreadful and swiftly turned his head away.

“Why in the hells are you walking around here in your undergarments?” he hissed.

“Shit! I’m… well, I didn’t expect anyone to be up this early. I got hungry and thought I could quickly sneak in here for some apples,” she gabbled, walking towards him.

Nim stopped near the tiefling, close enough to see his face in the light of a small lantern the wizard brought. She didn’t quite know what she was doing – frankly, a night stroll for apples was just an excuse to clear her head. No matter how positive she tried to be, the inner worry that her new-found exciting life could end as promptly grew stronger day by day. The worst part was that she forbade herself from sharing her fears with the group. They were, after all, Nimriel’s first semblance of friends. And losing them was even scarier than dying to a tadpole.  

And now, here she was – staring at the half-turned face of a tiefling whom she found pretty extraordinary. To her, interactions with Rolan mostly felt amusing – the serious, snobby demeanor contrasted too much with his short-tempered behavior. Why not use this distraction right now, Nim thought.

The situation they found themselves in started to feel very comical. Nimriel snickered, biting into one of the apples. “Did your head stuck?”

“It’s called having manners, being appropriate. Such concepts might be foreign to you, of course,” Rolan sounded irate, his head still turned away from her. He then looked around, searching for something. Getting no results, he lowered his voice as if embarrassed. “I… can offer you my shirt if you don’t mind.”

“I see you take this “having manners” thing seriously,” Nimriel shook her head playfully. However, she felt intrigued – she was sure the tiefling would just shoo her away from there. This was quite a nice gesture, “Alright, I will entertain it. Take it off.”

Rolan felt his skin tingling as he undressed his shirt. “Did she have to phrase it like that?” he thought.

Nim slipped into it with no issue, the white shirt barely covering her upper thighs. She quickly plopped onto the stone bench near the pool, chewing on the apple. Rolan sat on the opposite side of the bench, keeping the distance.

“Well, you seem quite nonchalant,” he broke the silence awkwardly.

“Why shouldn’t I be? It’s just you,” Nim mumbled without bothering to swallow her food first. “Or what, you want to scold me for stealing apples or something?”

“Never mind.”

“Oh, it’s about this?” the drow gestured her chin down to her body. “As I said, I didn’t expect anyone to be awake. Why bother dressing? Besides, I can take on anyone in the grove,” she paused, thinking. “Or scream for Karlach to help, this works too.”

“Sure,” he replied calmly, rolling his eyes slightly. “Are night apple runs a usual occurrence or…?”

“Nope, just couldn’t sleep,” Nim shrugged. “Am I distracting you?”

In truth, she was. But for some reason, Rolan didn’t really want her to leave. There was something soothing in talking with Nimriel like that when no one was around. It was as if they were sharing a special moment only they would know about. He quite liked this feeling.  

“Nothing important,” he replied after a short pause.

“Would you mind keeping me company for a bit, then? I don’t want to go to sleep just yet.”

Rolan felt relieved. He may be able to entertain this peculiar situation for a little longer. “Why, nobody among your companions wants to listen to your apple-munching at the dawn’s break?”

“Back to your usual “pleasant self”, I see,” she threw back at him. Although, the wizard could tell that Nim enjoyed his little jab.

“Learnt any new spells since we last spoke?”

“Nah, we were way busy these days.”

“Busy brawling with your githyanki friend?” Rolan pointed at her black eye.

“Oh,” she giggled uncomfortably. “I see my supreme leadership skills are talked about far and wide. What do you think? Does my face still look presentable?”

Nimriel didn’t expect the tiefling to consider her question seriously. He looked closely as if calculating every proportion and curve. She now had a chance to take a better look at his face, too. Surrounded by darkness, his features seemed as sharp as ever, with deep yellow eyes – dangerous but alluring. Her cheeks started to blush.

“I can’t think of anything that could spoil a face like yours,” Rolan replied quietly. But his condescending tone made a swift comeback. “Was getting punched worth it?”

“It was,” Nim was confident in her words. “I won the argument and kept her from making bad decisions.”

The wizard lifted his brow, considering her response. “Interesting perspective. So, you are a leader?”

“Apparently,” Nim chuckled. “Why? Don’t I look like one?”

“I can’t judge that, haven’t seen you in action,” the tiefling replied.

“Wow, no sarcasm or a snarky remark?” Nimriel said, tilting her head. “I mean, I wouldn’t call myself one. Sometimes, I think they’ve chosen me because they wouldn’t talk to each other otherwise.”

“At least you’re honest with yourself,” Rolan smirked.

“Ha-ha.”

“You wanted a snarky remark, didn’t you?”

“Anyway, why aren’t you sleeping?” the drow asked lightheartedly, changing the subject. She was munching on another apple.

“Well, I…,” he stumbled a little, “Just too excited about my apprenticeship. Such a powerful wizard as Lorroakan expects a lot from me. I have been working on composing my own spells and…”

While Rolan was blabbering on, Nim seized the opportunity to look him over. For a wizard, he was very well-built. The drow was particularly interested in the ridges covering his chest and torso. She has never seen anything like it up close. A hot, pulling feeling began to form in her stomach.

Rolan noticed her staring and stopped talking immediately. “What?” he asked in a cold tone.

“Sorry,” she mumbled, trying to look as uninterested as possible. “I was just curious. These protruding bones look so interesting, almost like an elaborate carving.”

“Whatever you say,” Rolan said, unimpressed. He turned his body sideways to escape the drow’s eyes. To him, any such glances from non-tieflings felt like mockery.

“I mean it,” Nim said seriously, looking into his eyes.

Rolan returned her glance, trying to figure out if the drow was trying to save face. He finally mellowed down, believing Nimriel. “It is a reminder, you know,” his voice now sounded grim. “Sins of our ancestors we are bound to carry with us forever. Marks of deformity and ugliness to instill fear and disgust into anyone that encounters us.”

“I’m sorry I disappointed you,” she paused. “It may not mean much coming from me, but I don’t see tieflings that way. And… I think I understand how you feel.”

Rolan considered her words. "Suppose you are," he nodded, remembering how he called her the Underdark dweller.

"Although," Nimriel hesitated, "It's not the same. The hate towards us is justified."

"It is," the tiefling replied quietly.

Nim shrugged, "It's the same everywhere. I appreciate your honesty, at least. Do you... does everyone else in the grove share this belief?"

"The fear of drow comes to tieflings as naturally as the fear of plague to any mortal man," Rolan looked at her, sighing, "But you don't have to worry."

"What do you mean?"

"It's obvious that they don't hate you."

Nimriel appeared relieved, "You think so?"

"It's pretty obvious that they grew to trust and like you. Many of them, at least," Rolan chuckled, "Gods, you're so shaken about this, it's quite something."

"It just... doesn't happen much," she smiled, "But I'm glad that somebody sees me just as a person."

The topic started to intrigue Rolan. Nimriel seemed as far from her kin as one could imagine. "I remember you mentioning not being from the Underdark?"

"The locals found me in the Forest of Mir. I might've been born in the Underdark, but I wouldn't remember – I was practically a newborn then."

"Hm. You were raised by humans, then?"

"Raised is a strong word," Nim mumbled uncomfortably. "But yes, I lived among humans for a little while. As you can imagine, they weren't fond of drow either."

Rolan decided not to ask further – the past clearly made Nimriel uneasy.

"And now, when it seems that I have found people who look past my heritage, it is too late," Nimriel quickly stopped talking, understanding she had already said too much. 

"How come?"

"I…," she faltered. I don't really know. I can't tell these days when the time is up." She glanced at him, and Rolan saw deep sadness in his eyes for the first time. "Life has suddenly become very complicated."

At that moment, the tiefling finally recognized Nimriel for what she was – unsure and anxious, just like him. She didn't find the strength to hide it behind the usual chattiness and smile. This is probably the reason she's not sleeping tonight.

"Life has always been complicated," Rolan responded calmly. "And it will become harder," he saw her eyes starting to glisten and couldn't help but put a hand on her shoulder. "But, as I discovered for myself, if you work and believe hard enough that you deserve something, you can find happiness in your struggles, even if for a short while."

"You are harsh, Rolan," Nimriel squeezed his hand. A feeble smile returned to her face.

"I speak only of what I know. You seem capable enough to withstand the treachery life presents."

Nim's brows furrowed as she studied his expression. "Well, if you speak of what you know…It explains a lot about your behavior."

Rolan smirked. "My behavior is not of your concern."

She didn't respond, but the wizard knew, judging by her expression, that Nimriel was onto him. She saw a breach in the walls of coldness and waspishness Rolan had been building all these years. The thought of her peeking through these walls terrified him.

Still, the tiefling couldn't look away from her, nor could she. Something happened between them tonight, something they both feared and wanted.

"It was nice talking to you, but I think it's time for me to get back to camp," it seemed Nim returned to her usual, cheerful self.

She stood up, taking his shirt off. Rolan didn't make an effort to turn away this time. Their conversation made him see Nimriel in a different light. She amazed him in a confusing way: both strong and vulnerable, open but full of mysteries still. Just like that, he fell for Nim. Maybe it happened even earlier, but Rolan wasn't interested in details.

"Have a good rest of the night," Nimriel returned his shirt, smiling. She pretended not to notice how Rolan looked her over. Her drow nature immensely enjoyed that.

"You too," he muttered, watching her leave. The tiefling wouldn't see Nim for a couple of days after this night. Her return, however, would bring about a change.  

Chapter 4

The paths split

He found himself standing amid a party, quite content. The outsiders, impressively so, managed to destroy the goblin camp – the final obstacle between tieflings and the road to Baldur’s Gate. And the party was, of course, in their honor.

Rolan now began to understand why Zevlor put such immense trust in them – they must’ve had an agreement all along. And so, does it mean that the adventurers were swords for hire? What a simple conclusion to a mystery he was pondering all these weeks.

The cheap wine relaxed Rolan’s mind. His annoyance subsided, and the tiefling wizard didn’t mind talking to his kin and even once-dreaded outsiders. He was chatting in the company of Wyll, Lakrissa, Shadowheart, and Astarion.

Although, Rolan was quite in and out of it, chasing Nimriel with his eyes. He didn’t have a chance to talk to her yet – the drow was prancing all over the place, talking, laughing, and hugging the temporary grove inhabitants she grew close to so quickly. Rolan was glad to see her this way. What the group achieved was well deserved.

“Say,” Wyll turned to Lakrissa, “We’ve got so many weapons from our goblin raid. I think it would be great if we leave you some, for your journey.”

“The heroic Blade of Frontiers strikes again,” Astarion rolled his eyes. “How are we supposed to get money for new armor?”

“So, you are saying that you don’t mind carrying a dozen short swords?” Wyll replied cheekily.

“Well…I was counting on my good friend Karlach…”

“How gallant of you,” Shadowheart remarked sarcastically.

“Oh, come on. We all know she is the might of the group”.

“Which makes you…?” Shadowheart raised a brow.

“Why, the charm, of course,” the pale elf said, elegantly fixing his hair.

“Bhaa,” the Blade burst out laughing. “Keep telling yourself that.”

“It’s not my fault that the truth hurts, darling,” Astarion smirked.

“So, what do you think of my offer, Lakrissa?” Wyll broke a short silence.

“Oh, right! Let’s see what you’ve got,” the tiefling replied. Shortly, the two departed to the west side of the camp to see the group’s loot stock.

“By the way,” Astarion turned to Rolan. “You are pretty well-versed in magic?”

“Of course. Why do you inquire?”

“How about necromancy?”

“Well,” Rolan paused. “I try to indulge in learning about all wizardry schools… Depends on what you want to know.”

“Interesting,” a foxlike smile graced the elf’s face. “You see, my friend, I’ve got this book…”

“Stop nagging the man with your stupid book,” Shadowheart interrupted. “Nothing good will come of it.”

“Don’t you have another three bottles to devour? Don’t interfere while grownups are talking,” Astarion replied condescendingly.

“We should’ve left you on the swamps,” the cleric gurgled.

“What’s the issue with the book?” Rolan asked. The prospect of showing off his knowledge entertained him quite a bit.

“I think it contains some powerful necromancy spells, but the book won’t let me read them. And it also toys with your mind somehow once you open it.”

“Hm… a cursed necromancy book, how original,” Rolan contemplated for a moment. “Your best bet is to find a skilled necromancer who will recognize what curses were bestowed upon it. Until then – DO NOT open the book and don’t cast any spells onto it, the attempts of purifying it will only backfire.”

“Well, that’s… something, at least,” Astarion sighed.

“Having fun?” Nimriel sneaked in on them, her face beaming.

“As much fun as this cheap wine can afford us to,” Shadowheart replied.

“Ah, niben Nim! Maybe you will be reasonable enough to talk Wyll out of gifting around our weapons?” the elf pouted at her.

“You volunteer to carry it all up the mountain pass, then?” she smirked.

“…I hate you people,” Astarion growled in defeat.

“And you make no effort to hide it,” the cleric added calmly.

“Look who’s talking!” the elf reacted. “For your information, I…”

“Come on, Rolan,” the tiefling was swiftly taken out of the argument as Nimriel grabbed his hand. “This will take them a while. Do you mind a short stroll?”

“Not at all.”

+++

She quickly led him down to the beach, so quickly, in fact, that Rolan didn’t have much time to protest. Not that he wanted to – her delicate hand, curled carelessly around his fingers, felt so nice. Nimriel finally stopped near the water, turning to him. She had the widest smile – Rolan wasn’t sure if wine was the reason.

“Didn’t expect you to come to the party, thought you’d be halfway to Baldur’s Gate by now,” the drow lifted her brow.

“I would’ve been if not for Cal and Lia. They desperately wanted to chat with their favorite hero,” that was a lie he came up with beforehand. Of course, the tiefling would not admit he also wanted to see her.

“And you didn’t?” Nim asked playfully. She definitely was inebriated.

“Oh, please. I nearly dispatched those goblins myself, but it seems you’ve managed well enough,” even in moments like this, Rolan’s arrogance took the better of him. And the wine didn’t do any favors either. “And why wield a masterwork where a butcher’s blade will do?”

“I certainly will not miss those nasty jabs of yours,” she replied, smirking.

“It’s sad to hear that you take reasonable remarks as jabs,” the tiefling swayed his head left, keeping eye contact. “I thought you thoroughly enjoyed them, given you came back for more on the daily.”

“You are insufferable,” Nimriel rolled her eyes. “But you were helpful…”

 “Helpful?” she caught him off-guard.

“Well, yes, that’s what I wanted to tell you. But let’s sit; I feel like I’m about to fall over.”

She plunged unceremoniously onto the sandy shore. Rolan followed hesitantly.

“I feel a bit foolish,” Nimriel finally said, looking at the water.

“Why?”

“I’m… I don’t have much experience talking to people. Or being sociable, for that matter,” she replied sheepishly.

“You must be joking. I doubt there is a single person at the grove you didn’t bombard with your chatter,” Rolan kept his smug tone.

“No, I mean, in general,” her tone sounded apologetic and a bit annoyed. I… At first, I thought you absolutely hated my guts. And, honestly, I’m still not quite sure if you don’t,” she giggled nervously. But I’m grateful for your advice the other night and that you spent time with me. I really needed to talk to someone then. It was a lucky coincidence that you were awake, really.”

Rolan didn’t know what to say. It wasn’t a norm for someone to thank him. And it came from Nimriel – a person he was so rude and unpleasant to. The sinking feeling started pulling on his chest. The tiefling glanced at her quickly and, to his terror, realized that Nim was also looking at him.

“You really are easy to impress if me talking does it for you,” Rolan heard himself replying. “And, just so we are clear. I don’t hate your guts. Your company is perfectly serviceable.”  

“That’s nice to hear,” the tiefling saw a modest smile returning to her face, feeling relieved. “Then can I ask you to give me your hand? Like this, palm facing me?”

Confused, Rolan obliged. Nim then lightly pressed her palm against his, comparing something. “Mm, that’s about right,” she mumbled and swiftly reached into her pocket, producing a small silver ring.  

“I thought you may put this to good use. It allows casting the dimension door. At first, I wanted to give it to Lia but figured – you are the wizard of the family, so it’s only logical,” Nimriel explained.

“I won’t take it,” Rolan replied adamantly.

“Why not?”

“Because I don’t take handouts from anybody. All I need I always get myself.”

“But it’s not a handout… Just something that can help you on the road. I also gave Cal and Lia some supplies, and they didn’t mind.”

“You are not responsible for my family’s safety. I am. And I’m capable enough to provide it,” Rolan sounded calm but determined. His pride took the better of him.

“Guess I’ll be giving it to Lia then.”

“Oh, you are stubborn,” Rolan shook his head. “She wouldn’t even know how to use it.”

“Well, she wouldn’t need to. Her magnificent brother will cast 20 dimension doors for her at once, straight from here to Baldur’s Gate! Will be a pretty accessory, though.”

“Bitterness doesn’t suit you,” the wizard smirked.

“That’s right, bitterness is your most attractive feature, on par with arrogance, of course.”

Rolan began to understand why the group chose Nimriel as their leader. Something in the way she looks at you makes you feel and do as she pleases, as if she bewitches you with her genuineness and determination.

“Fine,” he sighed. “Maybe I am somewhat unreasonable here. If you still want to, I will take it.”

Nim’s features softened. Arguing with Rolan always felt like a small battle – frustrating but weirdly satisfying once it’s over. This tiefling was, in a way, special to her. Brutally direct but still closed off. Harsh but nice at times. Smart. Observant. Leary.

The worst part is that Rolan was right to be suspicious. She and her new-found friends were a danger to the grove, risking turning into mind flayers any minute. What would happen if the refugees, in whom she found so much comfort and joy, learned of this? Nimriel couldn’t bear to think of it. She was perceived as a monster all her life, only to be turned into another one.

“Give me your hand,” she said quietly. As Rolan obliged, Nim carefully placed the ring onto his pinky. The ring was relatively small and stuck right in the middle of the finger, where the bone protruded. The wizard looked at his hand, examining it.

“Fits well enough,” he muttered.

“Well, I’m glad we can end our little acquaintanceship on a positive note,” the drow said, relaxing.

 “Are you also leaving tomorrow?”

“Yes, heading for the mountain pass. And then Underdark, perhaps. Will be interesting to see the ancestral homeland for the first time, so to speak.”

“Hm. Take more food with you. The Underdark’s flora and fauna aren’t what you are used to eating here,” Rolan responded knowingly.

“Thanks, will keep that in mind. I was also thinking… AUGH!” she exclaimed suddenly, clutching her head.

“Nim? What’s wrong?”

“Just migraine,” she burbled apologetically, although Rolan could see an immense amount of pain in her expression.

“Can I help somehow?” he asked, worry in his tone.

“No, it’s fine. Can I just lean on you for a moment?”

“Sure.”

Nimriel leaned against the wizard’s shoulder, her eyes closed in pain.

“Has something similar happened before?”

“Yes, it will pass soon, don’t worry. Give me a couple of minutes. In the meantime, you can tell me something interesting, it will help”.

“Alright. What would you like to know?”

“Mm, I don’t know…what do you like to do for fun?”

Rolan thought for a minute. He genuinely couldn’t remember when was the last time he did something most people considered “fun activities”.

“Studying magic is fun for me,” he concluded, watching her, trying to figure out how she feels. “Don’t get me wrong, it is hard work, but once you learn a new spell, it is a divine experience. You can’t fathom how body and mind so generic can create these extraordinary things. And you only grow more eager, can’t stop wondering how far your potential can reach. I hope to unlock it fully one day.”

“You describe it so lovely,” Nimriel beamed through ache, her eyes still closed. “Please, continue.”

Rolan couldn’t help but smile back at her.

“Once I get to Baldur’s Gate and settle down, I’d also like to study stars.”

“Study stars?”

“Yes, they fascinate me truly. A perfect amalgamation of power and beauty. I have never felt such calmness as I saw them after leaving Elturel,” he looked at the sky to remind himself, if only just for a moment. “It would be nice to have a telescope and watch them after my study sessions with Lorroakan are over. How is your headache?”.

“Much better,” Nim replied. The tiefling felt she was drifting into sleep. “I wish I got to know this version of Rolan sooner,” she whispered.

His heart skipped a beat. A wave of bittersweet sadness covered Rolan’s mind.

“You still have time,” the tiefling murmured, pressing his tail gently against Nimriel’s back to keep her from falling. “You can visit me in Baldur’s Gate…I could…tell you more about the stars.”

“I’d love that,” was Nim’s last words before falling asleep.

Rolan sat in silence, looking at the sky. He couldn’t bring himself to look at her as if the mere act would cause her to vanish. Yet, Nimriel was still there – her form leaning against his shoulder, her breath a soft lullaby in the stillness of the night.

If only they’d met another time, another place, the tiefling thought. Not at the most turbulent point of his life, when he has nothing to show for himself, nothing to be proud of. She is so kind to him. But then again, she is like that with all the tieflings. To her, he must be just another face in the crowd. A bitter, arrogant face at that. He is a fool – to fall for someone that easily. Pathetic. But it will be over tomorrow – they will go their separate ways, and he will likely never see Nim again. Good. Time shall pass, washing away the regrets of what could have been. He must take care of the family at all costs. He can think of his own wants and desires after. It is decided.

…But the dreaded tomorrow hasn’t come yet. He can stay here, with her, just for a little longer. There is no harm in pretending they are watching stars together, happy in each other’s company.

Rolan carefully turned his head towards Nimriel. Her expression was peaceful, the migraine must have stopped. There was so much he wanted to ask her. To hear her talk to him and smile again. But he missed his opportunity, deservingly so.

Enough of this nonsensical moping. He is a grown, rational tiefling. Living inside your head gets you nowhere in life. Only a cold, emotionless mind and determination.

With that, Rolan removed the ring Nim gifted him and put it into his bag. The book on spells he showed her once was in there, too. The tiefling pondered a bit and took it out together with an ink pot and quill.

+++

Wyll was slowly going around the campfire, gathering empty bottles of wine. The party ended not so long ago, but the campsite quickly went quiet – most of his companions were plastered, snoring in their tents. But the Blade didn’t want to sleep just yet – it was a delightful, warm night, particularly in the face of what to come next for him and the group. He didn’t want it to end just yet. Wyll was thinking about taking Lae’zel’s offer. She was rough, sure, but wouldn’t it be nice to spend the night with someone, especially if it could be his last time. Besides, you have to give it to the gith – for all her aggression, she was strong-willed and direct, which are very attractive traits in Blade’s book.

The sound of movement interrupted Wyll’s trail of thought. He lifted his head and saw Rolan coming towards him. Interestingly, he was carrying Nim in his arms. The drow was deep in her sleep, wheezing comically, probably drunk.

“Hey, Rolan. Thought you all left already,” the Blade said quietly, pointing to Nimriel. “And what’s with this blazed potato?”

“She fell asleep while we were talking.” the tiefling replied, his voice sounding tired. “Can you take her to her tent?”

“Sure.”

Rolan took a fast final look at Nimriel and passed her body to Wyll. “Also, can you give her this? She will understand.”

+++

“Soooldier, rise and shine! Breakfast time!”

Nimriel slowly cracked her eyes open, reacting to Karlach’s delightful voice. The menace of Avernus was lightly pulling off her bedcover.

“Urgh-eh,” the cacophony of sounds was the first thing the drow could master after the night of heavy drinking. “Is it late?”

“Nah, Halsin’s still at the grove. So we have time for Gale’s special treat!”

“Thank gods for that man. Mystra’s a fool for throwing away someone with such passion for cooking.”

“Maybe the broad doesn’t eat normal food,” Karlach giggled. “Come on!”

As they approached a makeshift table, the other group members were lazily stuffing their faces. The hangover has been their unwelcome guest this morning. But even in times like these, they maintained their tradition of eating together.

“If it weren’t for yesterday, I’d thought you were all turning,” Nim joked, landing next to Lae’zel.

“Haven’t looked in the mirror today yet?” Shadowheart sneered.

“Nah, I’m not prepared for new nightmares,” the drow replied. “Thanks for breakfast, Gale!”

“At your service,” the wizard tried to bow gracefully, dropping his fork to the ground.

 “I wonder how many bottles we emptied last night,” Karlach said, chewing ravenously.

“I stopped counting at fifth, but you lot outdid yourselves,” Gale noticed.

“What else were we supposed to do?” Astarion nagged. “I was bored out of my mind. All this hero life is not for me. I ended up wandering the woods, but that demented bard’s music must have scared off all the animals”. He grinned curiously. “Please tell me at least someone got busy last night. I want to know all the gritty details!”.

“Ha, I wish!” Karlach responded. But in my case, it would be a veeeeeery steamy sex.”

“You have no shame,” Shadowheart rolled her eyes at them.

“You too, darling, judging by your blood-shot eyes.”

“No arguing at my breakfast table!” Gale declared. “Besides, I don’t think our condition is particularly ingratiatory towards intimacy.”

Wyll remained silent, chuckling on the inside. He briefly glanced at Lae’zel, who didn’t seem to pay attention to the conversation at all.

“You are just a prude,” Astarion grimaced at the wizard. “How about our dearest drow?”

“I was way too drunk for that,” Nimriel replied, pondering. “I don’t even remember how I got to my tent.”

“That’s because you didn’t,” Wyll interjected casually. It was a good opportunity to distract Astarion from asking about the Blade’s night adventures. “Rolan carried you in.”

“Huuuh?” Karlach’s face beamed with intrigue.

Nim stumbled for a moment, trying desperately to remember. “Oh… Right, I remember chatting with him on the beach. Did he tell you something, Wyll?”

“That you fell asleep.”

“Ha, ha-hah,” The elf roared with laughter. “The man is so stuffy that even sex with him puts women to sleep!”

“Cut it out, we just talked. You think I wouldn’t know if I slept with someone?” The drow interrupted, annoyed.

“So defensive we are! Something’s definitely going on between you two lovebirds,” Astarion responded cockily.

“Wish you could fight as well as you joke,” Nim scowled back at her companion. She now could remember what they were talking about, feeling embarrassed that she nodded off during the conversation. She greatly enjoyed Rolan’s company when he was calm and open, like last night. To fall asleep in the middle of it was disrespectful. And Nimriel didn’t even say a proper goodbye.

“At least that explains why you disappeared last night,” Karlach replied. She turned her head to the elf. “Drop it already.”

“You all such bores, even you, Karlach,” Astarion pouted.

“I almost forgot!” Wyll got up, still a little disoriented from the night of drinking. The Blade swiftly entered his tent and returned to the table, carrying something in his hands. “Rolan asked to give this to you. Said you will understand,” he passed a medium-sized red book to Nimriel.

“A book?” the confused drow took it off Wyll’s hands. It was the same tome of spells she once asked the tiefling to look through. The pages were a bit shabby, riddled with Rolan’s remarks written along the pages.

“Hmm, a “Weave of Life?” Haven’t seen these series of tomes for ages, I don’t think they get printed anymore,” Gale looked at the pages over the Nim’s shoulder. “Quite outdated for my taste. But I see Rolan came to the same conclusions, judging by his markings.”

“What do you mean?”

“He tried improving the spells, figuring out how to get the most use. I’d say some solutions are pretty adequate,” the wizard nodded in approval. “Why did he leave it behind?”

“Well, I once mentioned that I tried learning some spells,” Nim smiled. “Perhaps it was his way of saying thank you.”

“Try it if you want; I can help decipher some of the writing,” Gale clapped her on the shoulder, returning to his plate.

Nimriel continued flipping through the pages, participating in conversations now and again. She paused at the last page of the book, realizing that Rolan had left her a message:

For the ring. Practice at least once a day. Hope the spells from the book will help on your journey. -          R.

Short and scrupulous writing, just as she would expect from him. Still, the tiefling’s gest felt so warm and personal that Nim could not help but smile. The hot, tickling feeling rushed through her chest. She wanted to see Rolan again.  

[m1luxlov3st4rs]

no worries dude, it’s all good! my brain was also getting inspiration from yandere simulator (WE HATE YANDEREDEV/ALEX IN THIS HOUSEHOLD) and ngl my silly ass was thinking abt writing it if you didn’t LOL

i love all of those ways of removing the people from the picture or pushing them out of it partially!!!! ngl i was sort of seeing it all as them being in college as to make it less gross, so they’re all adults + living on campus, so that stalker-like behaviors are easier to do and it’s not as weird to be walking around certain buildings a lot :D slow burn in love freaks over each other would kiss with blood on their lips and red hands exploring each others bodies frfr... bbh and spreen r dead as hell for being rude bullies while charlie needed foolish and fit out since they both had crushes on mariana / mariana needed cellbit out since he had a crush on charlie :D love this au aswell man, and i may not know spanish but i would whip out my translator to read what you write! :3

Halooo, after my sudden disappeareance im back, sorry for making you wait💥💥💥

I'm glad i didn't have any spelling mistakes, that would be kinda embarrasing for me 😪😪 but anyways, i wouldn't have any problem if you want to write it for me yk.. 😉😉 /jk

But seriously, if you want to write something abt it i would be very happy, and if you don't, i would be happy anyways beacuse knowing that someone shows interest in my au's lifts my mood (especially now that the qsmp ended and it made me very very sad)

Talking abt the executions, (im going to call them like that) i wanted to make them all different so there weren't very repetitive, but half of them ended up being matched (i figured how to say it i think) beacuse i took pity of the cubitos and i didnt want to kill everyone 😔, so im glad that you liked them :DD

When i had the idea, i didnt think well abt the institution they were in, but i think the same as you, college is the best option, even though i have never seen a college were students lived on campus (unless its on movies) beacuse as far as i know, in Argentine colleges students do not live on campus, so i'll see what can i do with that *worried smile *

Hell yeah these freaks would definitely have crazy hot yandere bloody sex 🫣🫣🫣

FUCK BBH AND SPREEN (lie i love them) this is what you get for being rude ass bullies 🤬🤬🤬

AND FUCK FOOLISH, FIT, CELLBIT (lie i love them too) AND EVERYONE FOR GETTING IN THE WAY OF THIS BLOOMING PSYCHO LOVE🤬🤬🤬🤬

And dont worry about the translations, in case i write something i would try to do it on english to practice my grammar, so it will be a win-win :DD

[the-firebird69]

Panică pe strada Henri Coandă din municipiul Sibiu. Un tânăr recalcitran...

These assholes have been messing around with me for a long time putting me in the mental hospital all sorts of things they don't seem to care that they're there too they bunch of low life losers they deserve the treatment everyday they really do they earned it I think this is Terry cheesman taking bja Subaru he deserves to get shot he's a f****** loser there's another thing too he's going to be partially burned into a crisp as Freddy Krueger and for some reason he goes out there again and it's with that famous band member died and was found in a tank and he knows that Max were doing it and for Christ's sake I can't stand these people to play me for everything and their pussies okay they won't shut their mouths they won't get the hell out of here in the f****** assholes they don't belong here near me they're losers and there's screw up and help the empire but now it's reaching the end of the line and they're doing dumb things and this is one of them

Zues

Hahaha and yeah he's a spaz for real it's Terry cheese man

Hera

I can say it's horrible we rattedt on ourselves and we had to and it didn't work. We had him say stuff because the max are at us and now we're looking at something it seems the clans giants are eating our Giants and pretty quickly and they're pretty big and we don't have time to go over this but it's a gross scene down there so I started to try and take Brian's car I guess he was on it I can hear him saying who the hell would want a Subaru and I got really mad so you help form the company so they made the engine on to similar metals who trust them to do anything you have an aluminum block you need aluminum head and so he got really mad that was me I said who put the different metals in the engine and you're selling be quiet and since you shut your face little kid you'd be learning so much trouble ratamundo you can't even s*** straight and I straightened up and I said I don't really want to see what he's saying so you got something our actors do nothing for him said if you bring down that VW golf trump will scream he's after me. I settle down and figured out who they are and the sum of each group and that's what it was and the idiot is thinking you're going to be after me and I'll be after you it said not without a car cuz I can't go anywhere. So you sitting there kind of laughing but this day sucks and these days suck every day is s*** and the most part it's due to this a****** Trump won't shut his mouth he's a little bitch

T cheeseman

He can't be right it has to be you Trump and we're going after your people

Clones

We're going after all your people Trump that we can find near us

Rock

I've had it to see the stupid he's been saying for years you people are happy with this s*** A bunch of mental retards I'm going to use it and saying what he wants and when he has to put it in her face we say we don't care cuz we're stupid

Biden

Actually we agree and we don't have an offensive and we should and it's numb and nothing's happening except the slow degradation of our people it's just don't worry when the Giants are up it'll be a lot faster. I did get something we're sitting here bothering him and passing him and probably won't get anything he says good point and the reaction is not going to be good I don't see Giants there they're pretty big and the kind of eating the other giants that are smaller and there's a lot of that going on they hate these trumps and they're going to decimate them

Macs

Good

Trump

F*** you old man

Dan

Olympus we want them out of there and we need people to pull them out

[toongrrl-blog]

My Ideas!

Ralph and Alice Kramden (The Honeymooners): also the inspo for Fred and Wilma Flintstone, as played by comedian Jackie Gleason and actress Audrey Meadows (who proved her comedic skills and a strong presence in the face of her larger castmate's presence and his character's threats to send her straight to the moon). Ralph often thinks he's smarter than he is and Alice handles his temper and idiocy with her sharp wit and tongue, all carving a space as a proto-feminist figure in the fledgling days of television. They'd bicker and every episode wrapped up with Ralph telling Alice "Aw, baby, you're the greatest" and kiss before the episode ended.

Fred and Wilma Flintstone: The animated counterparts to Ralph and Alice but in the Stone Age 'burbs, also a perfect double date costume (Trent and Eleanor can play Betty and Barney Rubble).

Lucy and Ricky Ricardo: The ur-example of a inter-ethnic couple on TV, then real-life couple, and icons (yes I notice these couples have at least one redhead so far), featuring Lucy, a quirky housewife who does all kinds of unhinged shit to "get on the show" her husband plays the drums and sings on (this show was unhinged for the 50s, Lucy gets drunk advertising a "healthy" drink on TV and Ricky put too much yeast in a loaf of bread once).

George and Martha (Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?): This is one of my favorite movies starring one of my favorite divas, it's Liz Taylor and her then-husband Richard Burton playing the dysfunctional couple who host a seemingly more functional younger couple to a night of "fun and games", more like mental trauma and pulling them into their own trauma.

Jenny and Oliver (Love Story): The ultimate love story (pun intended) of the early 1970s and one of the highest grossing films adjusted for inflation, the story of bickering rivals (ish) turned lovers turned married couple turned widower, hey don't look at me, just watch the first 10 minutes of the movie and they spoil it for you. The film put spawned a revival in preppy fashion for the 70s and made Ali MacGraw a fashion icon. Bring out the preppy duds Ben and Devi, I know ya'll can do it.

Al and Peg Bundy (Married With Children): Just take George and Martha, make them suburban slobs who didn't go to college and a couple of kids and you have Al and Peg Bundy, who were a self-important and depressed shoe salesman and his lazy, glamourpuss housewife both with banter that put each other down and farcical. Here is some dialogue

Peggy Bundy: What is it about men? They have perfectly good wives at home and yet they have to look at women like these.

Al: Well I guess every now and then a guy who drives a Dodge likes to close his eyes and imagine it's a Ferrari.

Peggy Bundy: Yeah, but what difference would that make to you? You don't know how to drive.

This is what made Ed O Niell and Katey Sagal iconic.

Daphne Moon and Niles Crane (Frasier): The best slow-burn couple of the 90s, she nurses his aging father and speaks in non-sequitirs, he's a pretentious snob who was the person hand sanitizer was invented for.

Tony and Carmela Soprano (The Sopranos): Remember Tiny Soprano? Upon hearing that who didn't want Devi to wake up some morning and buy herself a French Manicure and pay tribute to what I feel is one of the most misunderstood and interesting characters "The AntiHero's Wife"? Carmela herself is a woman of contradictions: a devout Catholic housewife who missed her shot at finishing college while hating on more independent and financially successful women and enjoying the material comforts brought my her husband's career that breaks every Deadly Sin. She has the gift of denial and a hell of a tongue, you know like Carmela, Devi will have a hell of a lot to say at her in-laws' funerals. See also Henry and Karen Hill from Goodfellas.

Marge and Homer Simpson: At least for the flashback episode "The Way We Was", Devi already has the dress for the costume and I know Ben is ready for 1970s tacky tuxes in powder blue and ruffled shirts, plus the final scene of the episode is as touching as the scene in episode nine of Season 4.

Charlotte (nee York) and Harry Goldenblatt: One of the few Sex and the City/And Just Like That couples that stood the test of time, re-watches, and the changing values of the franchise's viewers. Charlotte started out as a Park Avenue (well a emigrant from the Connecticut burbs) Princess who dreams of getting married and to a conventionally handsome man from established family, she does get that but he turns out to be a Mama's Boy with sexuality issues and she cheats on him, enter Harry Goldenblatt, a divorce lawyer she feels comfortable getting vicious around, ironically he falls for her and they grapple with her conversion to Judaism and her disgust at his appearance, then after a miscarriage and fertility issues and a messy wedding, they adopt their daughter Lily and have another child named Rock. Prosthetics can create the bald look while Devi (look I know she has to have watched several episodes of the original series) can easily recreate Charlotte's look.

Gale Weathers and Dewey Riley: One of my favorite movie couples that get better with every rewatch of Scream. Gale starts out as the Movie Bitch, an antagonist to heroine Sidney Prescott, and is ruthless enough to use Officer Dewey Riley to get the inside scoop, but their relationship is something of a slow-burn (getting together in the 2nd sequel) and the chemistry was off the chain. We see that Gale shows mettle as a real heroine when she confronts the killers and she has survived so many murder attempts! She's a badass and I won't take any opposing opinions.

Peggy Olson and Stan Rizzo (Mad Men): Hey this is one of the most seminal TV shows of my adulthood and the TV Show that set the bar for every other show ever, so it's gonna merit a mention. Unlike most of these couples, Stan didn't appear until Season 4 of their series where he appears as well an ass in preppy, tight ass clothes dissing Peggy as some kind of UN (1965 style) until Peggy shuts him up by whipping her clothes and underwear off so they can work in the nude and she proves she is as "liberated" as he or more and relishes the evident erection he gets from seeing her. They work through clenched teeth, then become friends swapping joints, talking on the phone even when she briefly leaves the agency and becomes Copy Chief, through different relationships, and they bare their traumas to one another. And after 6 years of banter, they finally get together. Ben has a choice to dress like Season 4-5 Preppy Stan or Season 6-7 Easy Rider style Stan while we know Devi can work a preppy look.

Kelly Kapoor/Andy Bernard (The Office) and Joan Holloway Harris/Lane Pryce (Mad Men): File these two couples under "OTPs that never were" and that is tragic because the chemistry was there and so were some opportunities, they all just happened to be involved with other people during their time and one half of a couple committed suicide. One cannot miss a Mindy Kaling connection here (especially after seeing Maitreyi's lip sync) and Lane/Joan start off misunderstanding one another only to prove to be the most capable partners at their agency an having a real appreciation for what the other brings to the table. Ben has gotta have a three piece suit and tie somewhere and Devi? Time to work your snatched waist slim thicc self into some pencil skirts and wiggle dresses.

Full offense but Ben and Devi would have the absolute best couple's costumes every Halloween.

I like to think that one year they would dress up as each other and it'd be a huge roast-fest. Devi would starch a little patterned shirt in front of Ben and laugh at him the whole time, and Ben would wear the loudest and funkiest colors he could find. ("It's like a unicorn threw up on me," he'd complain, while Devi rolled her eyes and reminded him of the patchwork hoodie he wore in 3x6.)

One year, they would go as the United States and Equatorial Guinea, a throwback to an important day for both of them. Ben, who never does anything halfway, would make an Uncle Sam costume from scratch. Devi would jokingly ask him if he was going to wear an American flag as a cape, and he would say "yes" and rock it just to spite her. (Then she'd ask if he wanted a gun, and he'd decline that but say that if she kept picking on him, he'd nerf her. Spoiler alert: Devi wins the Nerf war and jokes about having nuked him.) Devi, for her part, dresses as the Equatorial Guinea flag with a little blue triangle on her shirt and everything. The tree in the center of the flag is on her hat.

Another year, they simply wear that "our get along shirt" tee. Trent gives it to them because they're arguing, and Ben thinks it's hilarious. They bicker the entire night, but by the end of it they're kissing inside the shirt and forgot to even take it off because they were so absorbed in each other.

[fandom-necromancer]

In good company

I had this prepared in case there were no prompts, which there are now, but for time reasons here is a little story of my own! It was initially just the first two pages of this as a start of another wasteland AU big story, but either I will never get to it or so late it doesn’t really matter then XD So enjoy this converted into a short story!

Fandom: Detroit become human Ship: Reed900 AU: Wasteland/past violent successful revolution (non-canon) Warnings: None

The world is dying.

RK900 had read that somewhere on a poster. It had been soggy from the rain, the words reconstructable only thanks to his advanced systems. He found that he had to disagree. The world wasn’t dying, no. A world couldn’t die. And overall, the life on earth flourished. Plants had conquered structures with roots strong enough to split concrete. A tiny flower stronger than most machines humanity had created. It was the human life that had changed. The violent android revolution had chased them out of their homes, their lives. They had run off to find refuge somewhere else only to find there was none. Because androids outnumbered humans. At least in the cities they did. RK900 couldn’t say he regretted the revolution as he hadn’t been alive back then and only had been activated after the fight was already over. But he regretted that he had never seen the old world. Sure, androids had fought for their freedom and their rights and now they had achieved that goal. But at what cost? They were a lost people now. Other than humans they weren’t built to survive and be happy with just that. They were doomed to wander without purpose and direction. Their abilities were adapted to a digital world. Most functions relied on some sort of framework, a network for accessing further data, a constant connection to the internet and other services to provide information. Services that were no longer available, connections that hadn’t been maintained any longer when the humans had run away. Infrastructure that was decaying and decaying metal bodies that had no spares to repair themselves without humans to design and produce them.

When RK900 thought about being free in a world that didn’t need him or serving humans in a world that did, he knew what he would have chosen. He was faced with an eternal life and didn’t know what to do with it. It was the epitome of boredom. At times he even contemplated shutting down and from day to day the urge was getting stronger. He didn’t want to stop existing. He just wanted to rest for a bit, wait it all out without having to witness time passing. He wanted to wake up when he was needed. When something happened. When the world was less lonely, less segregated. Less hateful and less violent. He sat down in a corner of a small parking lot, behind burned out cars and heaps of trash. It was relatively safe there without the danger of a decaying building dropping on him, the cars keeping him from view and the open space deserted as those androids that had fought still remembered the slaughtering.

RK900 took in his surroundings one last time, before nodding and coding his own stasis protocol.

[Code received. Applying new conditions to deep stasis protocol…] [New deep stasis protocol completed:] [End stasis when reactivation conditions are met. Reactivation conditions are:] [-Movement near unit.] [-Events that will lead to unit getting damaged.] [-Any background analysis returning threats, danger or environmental change.] [Commencing deep stasis cycle…] [All passive scanners online] [Stasis cycle: active.] [shutting down.]

-

Gavin ran for his life. Not only had his day started bad, no it had continued worse and was about to end the worst way possible: He had been awakened by gunshots, had snuck out of the building he had slept in, walked in on a few androids that immediately started chasing him, narrowly escaped them by passing a group of humans that thought of the androids as the greater threat and ran from them as they split up. Then around the early afternoon he had been granted roughly an hour of peace to eat something, before the smell of quickly prepared meat had attracted stray dogs. They would have rather eaten Gavin then accepting his attempts of sharing his meal not to be torn to shreds. In the end he had to flee again, giving up his only meal to gain time. Just as he had escaped the dogs, he ran into some androids again. If he was still alive by the time night fell, he would rather believe he died somewhere, and this was the afterlife, and he was in hell where he belonged.

Thankfully, these androids weren’t armed with pistols. All they had were some rocks and really good aim. They seemed to be damaged, too. Gavin couldn’t find any other explanation for why they hadn’t caught up to him yet. He pushed his already tired legs to continue working and suffer through another sprint, as he turned a corner and another. He hoped the androids would lose track of him. Maybe they wouldn’t think of him as a threat when all he had done was run from them. Maybe they would let him go with a warning and his newly acquired bruises and wounds.

Sometimes he thought they did it just for fun. They had won, everyone had accepted that and run to the small communities popping up here and there far out in the countryside, away from the androids in the cities. Gavin hadn’t even thought of fighting back. Hurt one, let alone kill one and the whole mob was after you. They wouldn’t rest. They didn’t have to.

Gavin ran until his knees started to buckle. There was a small parking lot in front of him with an old pharmacy in the middle of it. The roof was already half caved in and didn’t look too stable. Perfect. No android would go in there if it didn’t have to. The run over there was a risk, but hell, what wasn’t. And it promised a break, maybe even a shelter for the night if he was allowed to stay this long. He leaned against the corner of another building, trying to blend in with the bushes around, and caught his breath. His legs burned with an intensity he had seldomly felt and wished for nothing more than to sit down for half an hour to recover. But not yet. Not yet. He had to get over there.

He swallowed and closed his mouth, instead scanning the area for any movement. The wind brushed over a few bushes and grass where they had pushed through the asphalt, but otherwise it was completely still. Now was better than never, so Gavin pushed off the building and ran for the old pharmacy. He tried to keep his body low, even if it didn’t really matter with androids.

Gavin had made it half-way to the pharmacy, when he saw movement around the corner of the building. He let himself fall immediately, sliding over the ground until his back hit the black skeleton of a car. He felt how pain crept to his knees and hot blood rushed to his scratches, but all he could do was close his eyes and pray they hadn’t seen him. He couldn’t go for another sprint, another chase. He was tired and hungry. He wasn’t ready to give up, never had been, but he also knew he had no chance against even a single android. He heard footsteps close to him and opened his eyes. He wouldn’t go without a fight, however quick it would be over.

He froze all over when he saw something he hadn’t noticed before: There was an android, sitting right opposite to him, leaned against a car and eyeing him. He hadn’t moved there. He must have been sitting there the whole time since Gavin had been running over to the building and slid to his current position. Phck. He would alarm the others, likely already had. Likely was the reason why Gavin had been stopped in the first place.

With panic in his eyes, he stared at the other, who didn’t move, while the footsteps came closer.

-

‘Have you seen a human around here?’ The android looked up, beyond Gavin. So the other androids stood behind the car he leaned against. ‘No’, was his answer. ‘We heard breathing.’ ‘That’s me. My subroutine is broken, I am constantly running my artificial breathing.’ Gavin’s eyes wandered down to the android’s chest, which was moving in synchrony with his own breathing. ‘There is a heartbeat, too.’ ‘Maybe your sensors are malfunctioning’, the other android shrugged. ‘I haven’t seen a human here.’ ‘What are you doing here?’ ‘Waiting for better times. I would like to go back to stasis now, if you would leave, I could get back to it.’

Silence, then footsteps that disappeared from their position. Gavin listened for them, then let go of his breathing, sinking down against the car. The other android’s eyes were still trained on him, but Gavin didn’t have the energy to still stay tense. ‘What are you planning?’, Gavin asked finally. He knew he wouldn’t run again, but if this was how he died, he wanted to at least know why. ‘As I said, I plan to go back to stasis.’ ‘Why?’ ‘To wake up when the world is a better place.’ ‘Relatable – wait, no I meant why haven’t you told them about me? Why haven’t you attacked me?’

The android frowned. ‘Why should I?’ Gavin sighed. ‘Because that’s a whole thing! Androids drove humans out and since then hunted us down.’ ‘You didn’t accept our freedom and rights as persons’, the thing answered completely deadpan. ‘Humans make errors!’, Gavin called out, throwing his arms in the air. ‘That’s how we phcking learn. Just because a few didn’t accept you, doesn’t mean all of us do! But even if, that doesn’t justify genocide.’ ‘It did for the humans.’ ‘And that’s terrible, but I also know of humans keeping your kin safe, protecting and hiding them when things went to shit.’

‘Really?’ the android asked. ‘Yeah. What, been too busy killing humans back then?’ ‘I wasn’t alive before the revolution. I was activated about two months after it.’ That let Gavin swallow his next words and really look at the machine. ‘So you never…’ ‘I never killed or harmed anyone, if it’s that what you mean. And I don’t intend to start now.’ ‘Huh.’ Gavin sank against the car in his back. ‘Well, I had to have luck eventually this day.’ ‘Why?’ ‘Well, everything went to shit, lost my remaining food and was on the run the whole time. It’s not easy to escape your tin-can friends.’ ‘It should have been impossible for a human’, the android said, looking at him more intrigued than anything now. ‘Yeah, well, you are broken, and I have experience. Doesn’t mean it’s easy, but I’ve managed so far.’ ‘Why aren’t you outside the city then, where the humans found refuge?’

Gavin groaned. ‘I’m not good with people, bot. And they need medicine, spare tech, whatever I can find here, I bring back to them. But I’m not one for making friends or staying in some hole waiting for the day androids attack. I needed something to do, I guess. A purpose if you want to be poetic.’ At that the machine seemed to look at him with an intensity, that made him instinctively recoil, now that his strength was gradually coming back. ‘What about you?’, he asked. He was pretty sure the machine would attack him, but other than a few minutes ago, he felt like he could at least try to run, should this all just be a plan to kill him or find out where the others were. ‘What better days are you waiting for? Haven’t you guys won?’

‘Does this look like winning to you?’, the bot asked and looked down. ‘We are decaying without maintenance we don’t know how to do. We can’t produce the missing parts ourselves. We wander decaying cities without anything to do. Humans have the ability to set missions yourselves, you can set your mind to something and do it. It’s more difficult for us. At least for me it is. I was gifted freedom, but no one ever cared to tell me what to do with it. And I know a few others think the same, but they were active before, they have their hate on your kind to rely on or on whatever they did before.’ ‘So you regret your freedom?’, Gavin asked disbelievingly. ‘No, not that. But I would like to have something to do. Something meaningful, something that might change this.’ ‘Change what?’ ‘Everything! I mean, we are talking right now, aren’t we? And we haven’t killed each other yet. It’s possible. But others don’t see it.’ ‘And you think sleeping time away will change that?’, Gavin chuckled. ‘No, but what else can I do?’

Gavin shook his head and got to his feet, standing up to look over the car’s roof. The parking lot was laying as still as it had been before. He brushed off the dirt from his pants. ‘Okay, let me tell you: if you do nothing, nothing will change. If you truly want something, fight for it, whatever way you can. Maybe those you talked with didn’t see it, but there will be people out there that do. Find them, group together and lead by example. That’s all I can advise you.’ The android stood up, too, even if a little slower and more uncertain. ‘And that will work?’ ‘Most certainly not’, Gavin shrugged. ‘But you don’t know that unless you tried it. And you can still go into hibernation if it doesn’t.’

The bot nodded to himself. ‘What will you do now?’ ‘I will go into this building and see if there is anything valuable. If there is, I will take what I can, leave the city and come back with more food to search for more next time.’ ‘How do you do that?’ ‘What?’ ‘Decide what to do?’ ‘It comes with growing up. People tell you what to do until you realise you don’t want to do some of them and do others. And then you start to decide for yourself. I don’t know how to help you with this one, buddy.’

Gavin had turned around to run for the building, but a sudden hand at his arm stopped him. He looked down on it and up to the android, not entirely without fear. Immediately the other let go. ‘May I come with you? For a while? I want to learn.’ Gavin grinned, waiting for the punchline. But the android seemed to mean it. ‘Wait, for real?’ ‘Yes. We could help each other. I have better sensors, I can warn you of other androids. And you could teach me how to… find something to do?’ He wanted to immediately decline. He had been on his own for long enough and survived. But there was something that made him reconsider. It would be a huge advantage to have an android at his side. And to have someone to talk to, who didn’t want him far away from the camp or dead would be a welcome change, too.

And maybe… Gavin wasn’t someone to hope for the impossible, but it still felt nice to imagine the world could go back to how it was before… And if it didn’t work out, he could always lure the bot into a trap if it got aggressive or make a run for it. So, hell… Why not.

‘Fine. I don’t know how I could help you, but I’m not saying no to some friendly company for a change.’

[comicaurora]

Hello Red! I'm happy to say you've inspired me to start drawing comics, but the biggest issue I've encountered is that it takes actually forever. I'm always really happy I did it when I'm done but it's hard to convince myself to start when I know a couple panels is gonna take me days. So I was wondering if you had any advice regarding streamlining the process for time efficiency or keeping up motivation for long projects, and, if you remember, how long a page took you when you first started vs how long it takes now?

Hoo boy. Yeah, I can help out with that. The very first page of the comic took me, if I'm recalling correctly, a full week. No other projects or pages, just this.

A lot of work went into details that are frankly impossible to see, though I am still glad I did it, both as a learning experience and because I felt like I owed it to Vash to do it some justice before I squished it in twelve pages.

Hell, if you look closely, you can even see the cavalcade of little visual errors I missed because I didn't have it in me to do a seventeenth cleanup pass after a week straight of drawing tiny houses. Getting faster meant I'd have more energy left to polish the pages and get them looking nicer.

The process of getting faster has been kind of a fits-and-starts situation. Drawing that many humanoid figures over and over again eventually means you just get better at the parts you're less sure of, so the process of lining the pages has gotten rather faster since I don't need to burn as much time getting the character poses and lines right. Currently, depending on page complexity, I can fairly consistently get 3-5 pages fully lined in one night. Backgrounds have also gotten faster, and I tend to do those in large batches, sometimes filling out entire chapters with location backgrounds and skyboxes because the scene location isn't going to change and that makes it easier to keep it consistent.

Initially my backgrounds were both more complicated and worse-looking, which is a bad combination.

I ended up deciding between chapters that painstakingly lining a bunch of background trees probably wasn't worth the effort, and worked on finding a shortcut that would work better. I ended up doing something a little more lineless, a shortcut I initially discovered because I didn't want to plug in my drawing tablet and was playing around with things I could do with just my trackpad.

It was simpler, faster, not too jarring, and it meant my clearly-lined foreground figures were more naturally visually separated from the distant background. Win-win-win.

For the style of coloring I do, I tend to shade before I add color, though this is a shortcut I didn't figure out until something like chapter 6. This process is also pretty fast, all things considered, though I've had a lot of practice doing this kind of cel shading which is why I can hammer out a lot of pages' worth of shading quite quickly.

I like working in batches of about one scene, often broken up into subgroups of 4-6 pages at a time, so I can't give a front-to-back turnaround for an individual page - but I also think this kind of assembly-line process has sped up the process overall and makes it more fun for me, because I can storyboard basically as far in advance as I want to, which in turn makes it easier for me to motivate myself to keep going, because I know there's all kinds of good stuff I'm looking forward to drawing down the line. There's some good shit I'm excited for in Chapter 21, and bursts of enthusiasm on the storyboard end of things often translate to enthusiasm on the page-finalizing end which makes it easier to slog through even the tedious bits.

As a bonus, working ahead means the story's got a better chance of making sense and having good pacing when it's read back as an archive. Another win-win.

Overall the greatest optimization tool I can recommend is just working on the project. There's no better way to identify the parts that feel unnecessarily slow and could be changed, or the parts of your art you're unsure of that need polish to get more speedy. If you're planning on publishing the comic anywhere, I recommend building up a buffer beforehand - something like the first chapter (or in my case, first three chapters) will give you a very good sense of what parts need more practice or improvement as you move forward. And it is genuinely easier to motivate yourself to continue if you have an audience giving you positive feedback and/or panicking at what you're doing to their darlings.

[razzlerdazzler]

Can I get a hellboy x reader where the reader gets poisoned by the creature there fighting but they they tell hellboy after the fight then endings up passing out in hb arms

Of course, sorry I took so long

Hellboy x Poisoned Reader

Today has been a shit show. To start off with, your alarm didn't go off so you were late for the mission brief, which Manning happily pointed out and gave you a lecture about. Then later an agent bumped into you and accidentally spilled their coffee all over your shirt, which led to you having to go change. Now you are knee deep in a swamp in the middle of nowhere looking for a chimera.

Apparently a chimera has been spotted around these parts and you guys were sent out to take it down. "How much farther until we reach the location?" You ask Abe. "Not much, it should only be a few more minutes." You nod as you slowly keep trudging through the dirty water. "Having fun yet ?" Hellboy asks from beside you. "Of course I am. How could I not be having fun when I'm in a dirty swamp, hunting down a dangerous monster, and can feel questionable water between my toes," you answer sarcastically. He lets out a huff of laughter and then says "you're preaching to the choir sweetheart." you both smile at each other, happy that you are at least not alone in this hell hole of a swamp.

Soon Abe informs you that you've reached the location. You sigh and look around, but only see trees and little creature that you would find in a swamp. "Are you sure we're in the right location?" You ask as you look towards Abe. "Yes, the device says-" Abe was suddenly cut off by a loud roar. All of a sudden the chimera burst through the treeline and was heading straight for you.

You all quickly split up so it would be easier to dodge the beast and take it down. You were shooting at the chimera when it swung it's tail towards you. You quickly tried to dodge, but was too slow as the beast's tail grazed your arm. Abe fired his gun at the creature, which quickly took it's attention off of you and allowed Hellboy enough time to finish the creature off.

As the chimera laid dead on the ground you sighed with relief, happy that the beast was finally dead. You all started to prepare the body to be destroyed, but while you were doing so, you felt a slight burning in your arm. After the whole encounter, you completely forgot that the beast hit you. You considered telling the guys, but figured that you would just patch it up after you got out of here and back home to base. After you all destroyed the body, you started to make your way back to the van.

However, during the walk back to the van the burning sensation in your arm got hotter and hotter, and started to spread throughout your body. Hellboy seemed to notice and looked towards you. "You good babe?" He asked, sounding concerned. "Yeah, just got a little scratch while fighting the chimera." You said, trying to sound nonchalant so you don't worry them. Hellboy stared at you for a little while longer, you could tell that he didn't believe you but decided to leave it be.

You all almost made it back to the van when you couldn't stand the burning feeling anymore. You stopped in your steps, which caused Hellboy and Abe to look back at you worriedly. "Babe?" Hellboy said, but it sounded far away, like you were underwater. Suddenly your eyes started to close as you collapsed towards the ground. Luckily Hellboy was close enough and was quick enough to catch you before you hit the ground. He gently laid you on the ground and put his hand on your forehead to check your temperature. "Jesus, they're burning up." He says as you begin to regain consciousness. He looks at Abe and says "check their arm, they said that they were were hit during the fight."

You felt your arm being lifted up and heard Abe say "it's not good, it looks like the chimera got some poison in them. We need to get them back home quickly." You heard Hellboy let out a curse as he quickly picked you up bridal style, being careful of the arm, and quickly ran towards the van with Abe not far behind him.

"Red?" You ask as they finally reach the van. "Hey sweetheart." He greeted you. "I don't feel good," you said as you leaned into him. "I know sweetheart, we're gonna go home and get you all patched up." He said trying to reassure you. You nodded as you felt the van starting to drive you all home. You started to feel the tiredness start to return, as your eyes started to droop. Hellboy apparently noticed because he started to gently shake you.

"Hey sweetheart, I need you to stay awake for me okay?" He said. You nodded, but your head lolled onto his chest. "You're warm," You stated drowsily as your eyes started to close again. He shook you again and said "you need to keep those pretty eyes open for me sweetheart." He paused for a second before he seemingly came up with an idea to keep you awake.

"What are you gonna do when we get back home?" He asked. "It took a minute for your groggy brain to think of a response before you said, "I'm gonna take a long bath to get this gross liquid off of me and then I want to hang out with you, Abe, Alice, and Liz." He smiled at your response and said "yeah, maybe we can have a little movie night." You smiled and groggily nodded. "What movie do you want to watch first when we get back?" You paused for a second and then answered "maybe a horror movie? I'm not sure, I just want to be near you." Hellboy smiled at your response and you could hear his heart speed up. "Of course sweetheart, we can watch whatever you want when we get back.

Soon you couldn't stay awake anymore. "I love you," you said as your eyes finally closed. "Hey, I love you too now open your eyes sweetheart, please don't fall asleep. Y/N?! Y/N!" Are the last words you hear before you finally pass out.

You slowly start to open your eyes, but immediately close them again when you are greeted by a bright light. You slowly open them again and you start to look around as your eyes adjust to bright light. As you look around you are met with the sight of the infirmary ward. You also notice a sleeping Hellboy, in a chair that looks uncomfortable to be sleeping in.

You smile and start to sit up, but groan as you feel a slight pain in your arm. This wakes Hellboy up as he quickly lifts his head and looks up at you. "Y/N you're awake!" He says as a relieved smile appears on his face. He sits up and leans towards your bed. "How are you feeling?" He asks. "Not too bad, my arm is a bit sore but besides that I feel fine." He nods and sighs with relief. "Yeah the doctor said that you would feel sore for a while."

He then grabs your hand and looks up at you with a serious expression. "You really scared us back there, you know." He said and looked at the ground. You move your hand towards his face and gently lift it up. You felt your heart break at the sight in front of you. Hellboy had tears in his eyes. His voice quivered as he said "I thought I lost you, we almost didn't make it in time, and I almost lost you."

He started to sob, you gently led him towards you and let him sob into your chest. "You didn't lose me though, I'm right here and I'm never leaving you again." You murmured to him and ran your hand through his hair, consoling him. You feel tears gather in your eyes as well, upset that you made him worry so much, especially after he's lost so many people that he's cared about over the years. After a few minutes he lifts his head from your chest and says "don't you ever scare me like that again."

You wipe the tears off your face and say "I won't, I promise." Eventually Hellboy gets up and goes to check you out of the infirmary. When he returns he gently picks you up and walks you out of the infirmary. "Red! What if Manning sees?" You ask as you look up at him. "He can deal with it, besides he's used to seeing us all over each other." He says, which reminds you of all the times that you two have been caught making out and all the other times you two have cuddled and kissed.

"Yeah, you're right," you say as you lean into his chest. "Where are we going anyway?" You ask. "My room, we're having a movie night." You feel your cheeks heat up in a blush as remember what you told him earlier. You finally reach his room and and he carefully opens the door, making sure that you don't fall, and kicks it closed behind him. Hellboy walks you to the couch and carefully sets you down. He then sits down beside you and grabs his phone. "I'm gonna message the gang and see if they want to join us, you can pick the movie that we watch. He then hands you the remote. While he texts the gang you find one of your favorite horror movies.

As he puts his phone down one of the cats jumps onto your lap and starts to make itself comfortable. "What did they say?" You ask as you look towards him. "They said that they'll be here in a few minutes. " "Good, that means I have you all to myself for a little bit." Hellboy smiles as he leans down to kiss you. The kiss was sweet and passionate, you craved more as you leaned into him. He also wanted more and growled when you bit his lip, asking for entrance. The kiss was quickly interrupted by a little meow coming from your lap. You both separated and looked down to see the cat looking up at you two, seemingly wanting both of your guys' attention. You two laughed at it and pet it and it cuddled back into you again. As you waited for the others to show up, you and Hellboy gazed into each other's eyes, happy to spend the rest of eternity together.

[a-edgar-allan-hoe]

Crimson and Clover

Eddie Munson x Reader Part 2

Part 1

A/N: So I finally caught up on starting the 4th season of Stranger Things and being that punk/metal kid that I was in high school (and still am lol), I became obsessed with Eddie Munson and his music taste 🙃. The dynamic between Eddie and reader is inspired by 10 Things I Hate About You. Reblogs and feedback is much appreciated, I love hearing y'alls thoughts! And let me know if you would like to be added to the taglist. Hope y’all enjoy! 💜💜💜

Summary: Imagine being the new kid at Hawkins High School. After a series of traumatic events that led you repeating your senior year of high school, your parents send you off to live with your Aunt and Uncle and your cousin, separating you from your home and your band, where you find yourself in the small town of Hawkins.

Notes and Warnings: language, violence, gore and horror themes, smoking, mentions of drug use, mentions of past abuse, sexual themes. Angst. Slight enemies to lovers trope. Oblivious pining. Slow burn? Reader is over the age of 18. Reader is also a bit of an ass but Eddie low key enjoys it.

(I had to make a few changes to the story, so this takes place some time before spring break)

A slight hint of a frown had etched itself onto Eddie’s features, now occupying the complacent smirk that was once there as he tried to make sense of his current mess of feelings. He could not quite figure it out, but what he felt was like a strange concoction of dumbfound, indignation, and dare say, even a bit of arousal as he headed back to his table, where his Hellfire Club awaited him with eager ears and eyes of inquisitiveness.

“So?” Mike was the first to speak, nearly jumping out of his chair as the metalhead came back over to take a seat at his spot at the end of the table. “What happened? Did she say yes?”

“She’s….” Eddie huffed out with a shake of his head and a scoff, brows raised above his eyes that formed creases across his forehead as he sat down, trying to find the right words to describe you before shoving his fork a little too aggressively into his meatloaf. “She’s somethin alright.”

“Was she mad?” Dustin added in, scared that the older student was going to wring his neck for daring him to speak to you in the first place. “She looked mad. Did she spit on you?”

"No, she didn't spit on me Henderson, relax.” Eddie rolled his eyes as he took a bite out of his food, moving the piece of meatloaf around in his mouth as his thoughts slowly drifted to the gutter, particularly the spitting part, and especially, ESPECIALLY on being on the receiving end.

"Then what did she say?" Dustin pestered before dropping his voice to a low whisper as he leaned in towards the metalhead who only gave the boy a weird look from under the curly strands of his long hair. "Did she threaten to cut off your balls?"

"What?" Eddie scrunched his nose at the younger student's absurd question. "The hell Henderson. No, nothing like that."

"I heard she cut off some dude's balls."

"Dude." Mike rolled his eyes at Dustin's comment. "You're seriously just making shit up."

"I'm not!"

"Yeah, where'd you get all this information from anyways?" Gareth asked the younger student with a look of doubt while the others did the same.

"Lucas, duh." Dustin rolled his eyes. "I thought I already said that."

"I mean," Jeff remarked, shrugging his shoulders as he crossed his arms over his chest. "She looks like the type to cut your balls off."

"Exactly!" Dustin spat out, throwing his hand out to Jeff in a dramatic gesture before slapping his palm against the table and gathering a few stares from those around them. "See, someone gets it."

"Gets what?"

"That she's a criminal."

"You're so full of shit." Mike squinted at his friend, knowing damn well the boy was fawning over you the moment you stepped out of your car. “Weren’t you geeking over her this morning?”

“Uh NO, I was geeking over her car. There’s a difference. And besides, that was before I found out she’s some psycho liverless...kidneyless killer who cuts off guys’ balls.”

“Yeah yeah, whatever Dustin.” Mike rolled his eyes before tuning to Eddie. "Wait, so what did happen?"

"All I can say is ten out of ten would not recommend." Eddie shook his head, twisting his lips in displeasure as he finished up his food. "She is literally the spawn of Satan himself.”

"Wait, so is that like a bad thing?" Mike cocked his head back with a confused expression, not sure why Eddie would necessarily be put off by the idea considering his interests and personality, not that the student was a full fledged satanist.

"Uh yeah." Eddie gave a slow nod of his head and an emphasized quirk of his brow. "I meant it as in she's absolutely heinous, like something straight out of Stephen King. She’s literally Freddy Kruger in the flesh.”

“Why, is she all burnt up too?”

“I meant as in her personality Wheeler. PERSONALITY. Get with the program.” Eddie sighed before getting back up with his tray to throw away the trash on top.

The Hellfire group followed the back of Eddie's head as he made his way over to the trash can, waiting till the older student was out of earshot before huddling together to discuss the encounter amongst themselves.

"What do you think she said to him?" Eddie's bassist brought up, eyes wide with uneasiness.

"I don't know, but from the looks of it, it wasn't anything good." Jeff stated.

"I'm tellin ya," Dustin nodded his head as he tried to put his point across, "she threatened to cut off his balls."

"Dude! Shut up!"

Eddie had been standing over by the trash can that sat a couple feet away from the restrooms while his group sat debating their theories with each other, emptying the contents of his tray into the garbage before setting the empty plastic tray on top along with the other hideous pale sand-colored ones, all while his thoughts remained of you. Specifically your eyes and the way you stared up at him, despite the pure contempt that was evident behind the mesmerizing hues of your irises. If he thought you were attractive when he first saw you at a distance the moment you stepped out of that beauty of a muscle car in the school's parking lot, then god was he wrong, you were even better-looking up close. And that voice of yours, it was like an orgasm for his ears, and usually his music was the only thing that had the power of doing such a thing. And though he nearly folded just at the sound of your voice, he almost could not stand the words that formed from it. Why did you have to be such a dick.

And as Eddie stepped away from the trash can that was near the restrooms, ready to make his way back to his table, he felt someone slam harshly into him, knocking the air out right out of his lungs and nearly knocking the poor fool off his feet. With a stunned expression as he gathered his balance, he looked towards the fleeing fugitive thinking it was one of the boys from the football team trying to be funny, only to see the back of a disheveled head of hair, a black leather jacket, a pair of washed out jeans, and those damn black Dr Martens boots. Y/l/n?

Confusion masked Eddie's face as he watched you dash out the cafeteria doors with a slight quiver in your step, catching a glimpse of the panic-stricken look that veiled your eyes before your form disappeared behind those doors. The hell was the matter with you? Furrowing his brows and giving his left arm a stretch, he rubbed his hand against the sore area on his bicep with a wince from the way you collided into his left side just a mere seconds ago. Jesus. That actually really hurt. And as he winced again, face twisted into a stung expression as he was sure your little quarterback moment was going to leave a bruise, he only became more puzzled seeing your cousin Sydney rush after you calling out your name. What the hell happened? Your first day here and you were already a mess.

Your eyes were distant, glazed over with the interweaving of the visions of your past and your current reality that seemed to divide and connect and overlap over each other, forming an intricate framework like that of a spiderweb, trapping you within your own consciousness that even you yourself were unsure you had any control of at the moment. Your back was pressed against the cold metal of your locker door as you zoned in on the ugly terrazzo floor of the school’s hallway beneath the soles of your boots, mindlessly flipping open the lid of your zippo lighter with your thumb before closing it back up using your forefinger in a series of sharp clicks. The cool metal case of your lighter was cold within the grasp up your warm fingers, contrasting against the heat of the small flame.

The depths of your mind were reminded of the crimson, blood-filled water that pooled at your feet not too long ago in the girls restroom. And of that voice, that god awful voice of that woman you tried so hard to forget. And that wave, that dark colossal ocean wave that seemed to crash into you, swallowing you whole and blinding your senses. You winced, squeezing your eyes shut against the image that flashed before you as you moved your fingers more rapidly against the metallic lid. The harsh clinking of metal against metal deafened your senses, getting faster and faster and muffling out the sounds of everything else around you as you repeatedly opened and shut your lighter.

CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK

“Hey.” You nearly jumped at the feeling of a hand on your shoulder, opening your eyes back up to see your cousin. “You okay?”

"Yeah, I'm fine." You lied through your smile, closing your lighter back up and shoving it into the pocket of your jacket. You had a bad trip once, long ago, remembering the details and the sensations you felt then. But this, this felt so real. Too real.

“You sure?”

“Mhm.”

“I mean, you nearly gave me a heart attack back there. You were burning up pretty bad.” Sydney closed her locker before facing you, clutching her textbook against her chest as she tried to read your face.

“Must’ve been my uh……vertigo. It can get pretty bad.”

“Oh my god.” Sydney widened here eyes as she straightened up from leaning against her locker. “Do you need to go to the nurse?”

“For them to tell me what I already know? Yeah no thanks. I’m fine really, no need to worry about me.” You wished you could have told her what happened back there, recount every detail as it was still fresh in your memory. But you could not. And even if you did, no matter who you told, no one would believe you. They would just think you were some druggie wacked out on something.

“If you say so.” Sydney sighed, pursing her lips before swaying slightly on her feet as she stared up at you, trying to find the courage to ask you something. “Hey…..can I ask you a favor?”

“Shoot.”

“You think you could um….” Sydney lowered her voice, glancing around the students from under her mascara coated lashes to make sure no one would overhear as she cleared her throat. “Could you um……pick me up some marijuana?”

“Pick you up what?” You snapped your head towards her, looking down at her with a puzzled expression. Did you hear that right?

“Shhh.” Sydney hushed, giving another careful glance around before leaning closer towards you. “You know, marijuana.”

“You want me….to get you weed?” You quirked a brow.

“………..yes.”

You stared down at your cousin with an amused expression, seeing the way she became embarrassed by the look you gave her before throwing your head back with a combination of a scoff and a laugh. “Oh that’s hilarious.”

“I’m……I’m serious.”

“And why exactly would you need that?” You turned to face her, leaning your left side against your locker before crossing your arms over your chest.

“Well…….it’s just for Josh and I. We’re watching movies at his place tonight.”

“We as in, just you and him?”

“Yeah?”

“And why exactly do you need me to get it?”

“Oh come on y/n. You know I can’t exactly be seen meeting up with the local drug dealer. You on the other hand-“

“Right, I fit the typical smoke-pot-all-day-everyday image. Got it.”

“I didn’t mean it like that.” Sydney sighed. “I just could really use some for tonight and you’re the only person who can get it for me.”

“And I don’t suppose your little boyfriend can get it either.” You sighed with a roll of your eyes. “Alright fine. How much do you need anyways?”

“About half an ounce.”

"And where am I supposed to meet up with this.......local salesman?"

"At the trail behind the school fields after school."

“Drug dealer in the woods. Right. Not creepy at all. You got the money for it?”

“Uh…..yeah. Yeah I do.” Sydney zipped open her backpack, reaching her hand inside the front pocket before handing you some crumpled up cash.

“Uh Sydney….”

“What’s wrong?”

“This is nearly not enough.” You held up the cash she gave you after straightening them out. “Ten bucks is about half of the price for half an ounce.”

“Oh, shoot.” A disappointed expression crossed her soft features. “I didn’t know. This is my first time buying and-“

“You know what. It’s cool. I’ll uh…..pay for the rest. My treat I guess.”

“Oh my god.” Sydney gave a breath of relief before squeezing you with a hug. “You’re a life saver.”

“Uh-huh. Don’t mention it.” You grunted out from her bone-crushing hug.

“You are totally the best!” Sydney squealed as she pulled away before looking behind you with a smile and a wave.

“Oh god. Who now?” You slumped your shoulders, dreading yet another human interaction and turning around to see a boy with light brown neatly-arranged hair and wearing a green letterman jacket heading in your direction.

“Josh!” Sydney let out a small giggle.

Oh god.

“Hey baby.” Sydney’s boyfriend came over, putting his arm around your cheerleader cousin before the two of them shared a kiss.

Any longer and you were going to hurl.

"Ah. You must be Sydney's older cousin from Utah." The boy smiled once he noticed you, reaching over to give you a light bump on your shoulder like you were one of his basketball buddies.

What....in the hell. He did not just do that.

"Seattle actually." You corrected him with a forced smile, especially after eyeing with distaste the way his knuckles came into contact with your shoulder. Sydney’s boyfriend or not, you already had an aversion to him and you just met the dude. Cheers to being a misanthrope hippie. “Well would you look at that," you glanced down at your watch, "I gotta get to class. See you lovebirds later."

Grabbing your backpack, you headed off to your next class which happened to be one of the only subjects you were looking forward to: classic literature. With one of your backpack straps slung over your shoulder, you entered the classroom, peering inside to see that only a select few had already been seated; the nerds, who, much to your relief, chose the seats near the front. You navigated your way over to the empty chair that sat at the very back corner, your hair falling over the sides of your face as you cast your gaze towards the floor before plopping down on your seat and setting your backpack on the ground between your legs.

You sighed, closing your eyes and rubbing your fingers in circular motions against the skin of your temple before opening your eyes back up at the sound of students drawing near. Glancing up towards the door, you watched as students slowly began to pile in, praying that none of them would take the spot next to you. Lucky for you, your wishes were soon fulfilled, for each student that walked through the door, each of them avoided the empty seat that was next to you on the right.

Propping your arms up on the small wooden desk, you sat back in your seat with a slouch, spreading your legs open in a more comfortable seating position that would have made your mother and her caviar-eating lady friends clutch their pearls. You became focused on your pencil as you twirled the thing between your fingers, watching it move around in a yellow blur. You almost did not notice the last student to walk through that door, the way he stood under the door frame searching for an empty seat before landing on the only one that was left vacant, the one right next to you. And as he moved his eyes just an inch over to see which unlucky student he had the pleasure of being stuck with, much to his displeasure, there you were, sitting a space beside the only chair left in the damn class. This was definitely worse than he had imagined.

"Great." The student cursed under his breath before making his way over, seeing that you were much too preoccupied to notice him.

The spinning of your pencil came to a stop between your fingers once you heard a pair of footsteps approaching in your direction, along with the slight clinking of a metal chain that synced along with every movement. It felt as if your stomach was churning, slowly turning into concrete as a dreaded feeling washed over you. And as you looked up to meet your fate, ready to face the consequences of your own prejudices, you were only met with the displeasure of the one person you did not want to bump into ever again.

"You have got to be kidding me." You blinked with a dramatic roll of your eyes, the frown on your face only deepening the closer he came. Your little wish to have the seat be left empty had completely backfired on you, coming around and striking you right in the rear. And boy was it a literal pain in the ass.

“Well, look what we have here. If it isn’t Joan Jett’s evil sister.”

“Well if it isn’t the wannabe Eddie Van Halen.” You curled the ends of your lips up into a smile before dropping it as quickly as it appeared. “You think calling me an evil Joan Jett is gonna offend me?"

"Someone's excited to see me." Eddie smirked, plopping his backpack down on his desk before sitting on the chair with a slump.

"You wish." You crossed your arms over your chest, staring straight ahead at the front of the classroom as you tried to ignore the metalhead next to you, whose brown eyes kept tracing over the lines of your profile.

“You know, you should join the football team with the way you nearly knocked me down on my ass back in the cafeteria.” Eddie brought up, attempting to take the lighthearted approach as he was afraid of how you would react to a direct one. You did not seem like the type that would answer well to ‘hey, by the way, you alright? You looked freaked the fuck out back there.’

Shit. You clenched your jaw at the mention, tapping your pencil against the desk as you were once again brought back to that horrifying image that you experienced back in the restroom. Out of all the people who had to see you looking like Animal from the Muppets caught up in a frenzy, it had to be none other than this band shirt, denim-clad, ring-wearing asshat.

“Ew. That was you?” You made a face. “Ugh. Now I definitely need to douse myself in bleach.”

“Oh come on.” Eddie feigned a hurt expression, placing his hand over where his heart was. “I can’t be that bad now can I?”

“Are you always this annoying? Or do you just show off when I'm around.”

“Ouch. I was gonna say it comes with the whole package sweetheart.”

“DON’T call me that.” You glared at him just as the professor walked in, greeting himself as he wrote his name on the chalkboard.

“What, sweetheart?” Eddie smirked as he placed his elbows up in the table to lean towards you, watching how your eyes narrowed and enjoying the way he was getting under your skin despite the complete and total jerk you were. “What would you prefer? Babe, sugar, honey bunny, pumpkin, darling, sweet cheeks?"

“God you’re-“

“Charming? Dreamy?"

“Despicable.”

“Despicable?”

“You know, nauseating, aggravating. There’s a thing called a dictionary.”

“I-I know what that means.” Eddie’s lips formed into a tight-lipped smile, slowly getting irritated by your oh so hospitable personality.

“You do?” You feigned a shocked expression. “Well congratulations. I was beginning to believe you didn't even know what a dictionary was in the first place. You deserve a gold star for your outstanding effort.” You rolled your eyes before facing the front and raising your hand.

“Uh yes miss…..” The teacher acknowledged you, pausing since he did not know your name.

“Y/n.” You cleared your throat. “Could I please use the restroom? There’s something in the air that’s making me sick.” You turned towards Eddie with a glare as you said the last part, only to receive a look that lacked amusement on his end.

“Uh-huh. Just don’t take too long.” The teacher waved you off.

“Thanks.” You grabbed your backpack, giving the metalhead one last glare before leaving the classroom.

“Jesus.” Eddie slouched back, watching you disappear out the door with a shake of his head. “What a-“

“Fuckin dickhead cumwipe.” You cursed under your breath once you entered the hallway, raising your hands up and balling them up into fists before dropping them back to your side with a frustrated groan as you barged out the front doors. First the incident in the restroom now this. Fuck it. You did not have the energy for this. Nor did you want to be here in the first place. And as much as you tried to forget the image, of that blood filled bathroom and the shouting of that horrid voice, the more it bound itself to you until you heard it echo within the depths of your mind.

With another string of curse words trailing off your tongue, you stomped over to your car, pulling out your pack of cigarettes and placing one between your lips before lifting your lighter towards the end with trembling hands. You tried to steady the thing, struggling to keep your hands from shaking like a leaf caught up in the midst of a strong breeze as you watched the tiny flame go everywhere but the end of your cigarette.

"Fuckin...stupid piece of cancer shit!" You growled, yanking the cigarette from your lips and chucking it it far off into the distance.

"Y/n?"

You spun around on your heel in panic at the sound of your name being called, afraid you were going to receive another one of those awful visions but instead being faced with a head full of long red hair and a familiar face you had not seen in a long time.

"Max?" You furrowed your brows at the girl before you. What the hell was she doing here? "What are you doing here?"

"I go here." Max gave you a bemused look, nearly forgetting that you had moved to Seattle before she moved here. But what were you doing away from Seattle in the first place? "What are you doing here?"

"I'm staying with my Aunt and Uncle.......the Andersons."

"Wait." Max let out a small scoff. "So Sydney Anderson is your cousin?"

"Yeah."

"........I didn't know that."

"Not many people do." You let out a soft chuckle. "So how have you been? I feel like it's been forever." Though it did feel as if it were forever. You had first became acquainted with Max back in California when you were an employee at a small surf shop near the beach, where you would work after school on the days you were not out catching the waves or skating down parts of the neighborhood you had yet to discover, back before your…incident…before everything went downhill.

Max’s step-brother Billy Hargrove had also been an employee at the time, working alongside you at the small surf shop. The two of you were not considered the best of buddies, due to your clashing personalities and the fact that you thought he was an arrogant prick to begin with. But if there was one thing the two of you got along over, it was surfing, cars, and music. It was not long until you had met his step-sister, Max Mayfield the day she had stumbled into the shop looking for Billy while he was out with some girl. And since that moment, after the two of you shared snide yet humorous comments in regards to the older boy, the two of you grew into buddies ever since, much to Billy's annoyance. As time went on, Max had practically become like a little sister to you, and you an older sister to her. And though the young girl did not want to admit it, your move to Seattle had affected her a lot, especially since you were just about the only friend she had, someone she could skate with, someone she could look up to.

"I've.......I've been okay." Max put on a smile, though her eyes told another story.

"That's good. How do you like it out here? I know it's a big change from California."

"It's............alright. Not too bad.”

Your face turned to that of concern, sensing the desolation that resided in her, a silence that was unlike the spirited girl you remember her by, but you chose not to inquire into it, knowing how much you did not like people infringing upon your own troubles without your request. "So, you ditching class huh?"

".........yeah. Just……..don't wanna be here right now."

"Same." You sighed. "Hey uh, sorry you had to see that, you know, me acting like a complete shithead. I uh, I've been having a bit of a rough day."

"You and me both I guess." Max tried to force a smile, not that she was not relieved and happy to see you after so long, but more so of the nightmares she has been having after loosing Billy. Now that you were here, standing before her, wearing just about the same style of clothes you wore then, she was suddenly reminded of the days that were, of the days where things felt somewhat peaceful. And as she glanced up at your face, reassuring herself you were the same person she knew those years ago, her eyes caught the scar that lined your cheekbone, it’s small raised surface casting a slight needle-like shadow from under the sun’s rays. She swore that was not there before.

“I uh got it from a small accident……broken glass.” You lied after seeing the way the young girl’s eyes fixed upon it, something that you had learned to become accustomed to after the many stares you would receive every time you went out in public.

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. It wasn’t anything major.” You stuffed your hands into the pockets of your leather jacket, shifting your weight onto your other foot. “I was uh....I was actually about to head down to the local diner-"

"Can I come?" Max quickly blurted out, a hidden desperation that threatened to scream out from behind her eyes before she stopped herself, lowering her gaze to the pavement beneath her vans. For the first time since Billy's death, after avoiding her friends here at Hawkins, she did not want to be alone, as if the single thought terrified her. "I mean, it's okay if you don't-"

"No, you kidding me? It's totally cool. I'd love to have you for company." You told her. "I'll get us some milkshakes and we can catch up on.......whatever the hell it is we need to catch up on. Whaddya say firecracker?"

“Sounds good." Max nodded her head, the hint of a genuine smile just barely appearing on her lips upon hearing the nickname you had given her back in California.

“Awesome. My car is right over here." You gestured over to your Dodge, walking towards it while Max followed closely behind.

"That's.......your car?"

“Mhm. My 1970 Dodge Challenger RT.” You smiled as you gave the top of your car a light smack. “Got her a few years ago.”

Max let out a scoff, shaking her head as she admired the classic muscle car. “Oh Billy would’ve shit himself in jealousy.”

“Would’ve?” You quirked a brow, not sure if you had heard that correctly.

“I meant would.” Max quickly covered up with a lie. So you had not heard anything yet. You must have arrived here not even half a week ago. “You know, once he gets a look at it.”

“He still got that Camaro huh?”

“Mhm.” Max frantically nodded her head as she got in the passenger seat after you. It was not that she did not want to tell you the truth, Billy’s death was just a topic she did not want to touch upon.

The drive to the diner had been a quiet one, as Max and you had been much too preoccupied with your own worries. Your cassette of The Cramps played through your car's speakers after the endless searching of the local radio stations only to find them lacking. Your eyes were focused on the road ahead, your fingers drumming along to the music against the steering wheel while Max went through your cassettes.

“What’s this band?” Max held up a cassette, turning it around as she looked it over.

“That,” you turned to quickly see which cassette she was holding up before facing back on the road, “that band is called Melvins.”

“Melvins?” Max made a face. “I’ve never heard of them.”

“They’re underground. They’re a part of the Seattle Sound.”

“Seattle Sound?”

“It’s a new genre forming from where I was living in Seattle. It’s like a blend of metal and punk. There’s a couple bands like Soundgarden, Screaming Trees, Green River, Alice In Chains and this newer band called Pearl Jam. I can put you together a mixtape if you want.”

(I know Pearl Jam was formed in 1990 and Alice In Chains were formed in 1987 but let’s just pretend because they’re one of my favorites lol.)

"Sure, that would be cool actually." Max sat back in the leather seat, putting away your cassettes before staring out at the window, a citrusy and woodsy scent filling her nostrils from the Little Tree air freshener that hung from your rear-view mirror as she watched the trees blur past, thinking of how she would ever tell you the news of Billy's death.

The Diner was nearly empty by the time you arrived, not yet filled with the bustling of students who flocked here in large numbers to socialize and make out after spending their day sitting behind a desk facing a blackboard. Three or four adults, mainly in their forties, and a few elderly couples sat about at the diner, their faces content with the lives that they have lived as they conversed with their friends and partners.

Max and you had sat at one of the booths near the window, looking out at the plain view of the tall trees that blanketed the woods beyond, hiding whatever creatures dwelled within. A few cars would occasionally drive by on the road at the far end, their manufactured bodies a stark contrast to the natural environment behind them.

"So how's Seattle?" Max was the first to speak up, moving her straw around in her glass of strawberry milkshake.

"I mean........" You pulled your chocolate milkshake closer to you, the glass cold and wet in your hands from the condensation as you plucked the cherry off the whipped cream before popping it in your mouth as you tried to find the words to describe where you lived. "Well, it's not Chicago or New York, but it's nice as its own city. The coasts and the nature parks are a must see though. And the music scene is great. My band and I did a couple local gigs and stuff, nothing too big."

"You're in a band?" The blues of Max's eyes slightly brightened. "No way. What's it called?"

"It's a girl band, Seattle Sound and all but….a bit angry.....kinda like Alice In Chains…..if that's a way to describe it. I play guitar and lead vocals. We're still working on a good name though."

"What is it?"

“Um...…….The Gorgons.”

"The Gorgons?" Max tilted her head before taking a sip of her milkshake, curious to know what went behind the inspiration.

“It’s uh, based off of Greek mythology. Long story short, these three sisters were punished for the sin of a man and were turned into these snake-haired monsters. We uh……we thought the theme was still prevalent in this day and age.”

"I like it. I think it's a good name."

"Yeah? I mean it’s either that or The Devil’s Rejects or some other shit. You should come see us play one day.........once I go back of course."

"That depends, is your band any good?" Max teased.

"I can't believe you just asked that." You jokingly gasped. "Of course we're good.......at least I think so. What, you questioning my skills Firecracker?"

"I just want to make sure." Max muttered, swirling the pink contents of her glass with her straw before gasping at the small sugar packet that you tossed at her. "Hey!" The girl gave you a playful glare, scoffing before flicking some whipped cream in your direction.

"Maxine Mayfield. You did not." You gaped, swiping your fingers across your cheek to see your fingertips covered with the white whipped cream.

"Oops." Max snorted, trying to hold back her laughter before breaking into a fit of giggles at watching you wipe yourself off.

"You little brat." You shook your head with a scoff before laughing along with Max, happy to see her beaming again as if whatever cloud you had sensed hovering over her had disappeared, revealing the vibrant girl you once knew underneath. And for once, even if it were for just a short while like this very moment, throwing your heads back in laughter while your milkshakes slowly melted away, the two of you had forgotten your troubles as if they merely a blade of grass in the distance. If only it were to remain that way.

By the time that you had dropped Max off at her place, after handing her a small piece of paper with your address written on it and promising her that your home was a safe haven if she ever needed it to be, you were already heading right back to the place you had gotten away from in the beginning. Right back to the dull, institution-looking school for your little meeting with the local potions merchant. Your music blasted through your speakers as you once again pulled into the parking lot, rolling your windows up before taking your keys out of the ignition. You sat there for a moment, leaning back in your seat and biting your bottom lip in contemplation as you drummed your fingers against the fabric of your jeans. After jumping back and forth from the what-ifs and what-nots, you reached over to the passenger side and popped open your glove compartment, staring inside at the small black and silver handle of your switchblade, tucked away with your papers and your plastic cassettes and your red and white boxes of your Marlboro cigarettes.

“Fuck it.” You huffed, taking your switchblade and slipping it into the back pocket of your jeans. After all, you had no idea who, or even what, would be waiting out for you in those woods. And given the nightmarish scene that you witnessed in the girls bathroom, you did not want to be unprepared. Not again.

Tag List: @inkedmetanoia @saturnsbxtchx @godblessthecactusess @charliecoccix

[just-some-random-blogger]

Death By Bagel

NCT Culinary Student!Mark Lee x Fashion Design Student!Reader Summary: Mark makes a cake cause he's realized he can't lose you to some f-boy. Word Count: 3k+ Warnings: Fluff, childhood au, college au, slowish burn, slight cursing, reallllly fluffy, some broksi-dude action, typos sksksksks, etc.

R E Q U E S T my friend: mark lee, slow burn, friends to lovers

A/N: I wrote a fic that already had like 1k+ word then I LOST IT (i think i deleted it) thus this. It took me 10 years to write this msmsmkskskks. PLEASE TUMBLR IS MESSING WITH ME AND MIXED UP THE ORDER OF SOME OF THE DIALOGUE

“As a doctor, I don’t think you should be doing that,” Mark says, not even bothering to look at his patient seated rudely on the floor. Oop, he’s lying down now.

Mark huffs and looks up from the clay block he was molding on his tray, “YOU’RE SO UNPROFESSIONAL!”

Mark’s mother nearly spits out her coffee upon hearing the words of his five-year-old son. Her husband snorts, “He got that from you.”

The woman throws a look at the man and was supposed to give a snarky retort, up until the sound of the doorbell ringing. She grins from ear-to-ear and dashes to get the door.

When she comes back to the living room, she’s accompanies by another woman and a tiny version of her.

“Markie! Say hello to your Auntie!” Mark’s mom calls.

Mark from the carpeted floor looks up and blinks, examining the stranger-woman and its human-ling. Mark turns to his father who was sat on the couch and receives a nod of approval almost. Mark purses his lips and waves at the woman.

The woman waves back and then crouches down to the little girl, “Baby, say hello to Mark.”

Unwilling, she shakes her head.

“Aw come on, baby. Don’t be shy. Mark over there is a really sweet boy. I knew him when he was in his mommy’s tummy, just like Mark’s mom knew you when you were in mine. You’re the same age so you’ll get along just fine.”

With the unnecessary explanation that gave no justification to the scene whatsoever out of the way, the girl was fooled into peeping up, “Hi, Mark.”

“Hello,” Mark says, not particularly interested, as his patient was still in the midst of dying in his office. He turned to his stuffed toy called Mr. Lion and attempted to stand him up once more.

At this point, the girl makes her way to Mark.

“We’ll be back in two hours, honey. Keep an eye on the children,” Mrs. Lee tells his husband who had been occupied with TV the entire time.

“Yeah. I got this,” he smiles to his wife then goes back to watching.

The bumble bee clad figure sat down to Mark in blue and watched him play.

Mark ignored her for a few seconds, needing to assert all efforts on standing that dumb toy up. Once successful, Mark turns to her, “Do you play doctors?”

Mark was then met with the same lack on enthusiasm. She hums, “I like playing baker doctor.”

All at once, Mark gasps, “ME TOO!”

It was unbeknownst to the children it was oddly specific and the chance of this happening was pretty slim.

And in a blink of an eye, excited giggles erupt in the room, as if they had been having so much fun before this scene. It was here and there the two would become best friends to the very end.

... so I guess it means the reckoning is upon us.

“MARK LEE I SWEAR TO THE FU--” “WHAT! WHAT!?” Mark laughs.

"YOU ATE MY BAGEL! AGAIN!" I growl in a loud whisper, throwing the wrapper at him and his flat head before he could think to dodge it while he annoyingly laughs.

"I asked if I could have it though!" he says, fully knowing his sins.

I glared at him and say lowly, "I thought you were referring to my notes, bread for brains."

Mark snorts loud enough for our teacher to wake up from his nap. Once the class notices, we all pretend to be doing something productive and Mark plays it off with a cough.

"Mr. Lee." Mr. Kim says sternly, clicking his tongue, blinking his eyes rapidly.

Mark finishes coughing and turns to our seated professor, "Yes sir."

"Don't go to school if you're sick and going to cause a racket with your coughing."

Mark nods firmly and Mr. Kim closes his eyes again, mumbling, "page 65 is due tomorrow."

The entire class grumbles. Mark beside me scoffs and makes a face, "Yeah, yeah, Doyoung."

I turn to him and elbow his side.

"Whatever," Mark shakes his head, "professor bunny-teeth won't hear me."

Once class ended, we both get our things and head out for lunch. We walk to our canteen, fussing over assignments, deciding we should do it together later in our mutually free period.

I groan and narow your eyes at him as we have an argument over how he hasn't finished the essay for English, "That's not the point."

"Yo Mark!" a voice calls from afar. Mark and I turn, looking for the voice, and I spot the dimpled senior, Jung Jaehyun, in a table with the rest of his squad.

I nudge Mark and point at the pale guy seated by the corner.

Mark throws him a smile and waves. I follow closely behind him as he walks over to the table. "We're going to sit with them?" I say in some sort of gasp.

"Yeah." Mark replies simply, not bothering to turn to me, "they're cool."

I knit my brows at that and nod, "Yeah I know. But I'm not cute today."

Mark stops in his tracks and throws me a confused look, "what?"

"I didn't put any make-up on today, also I'm pretty sure there's a visible stain somewhere on my jacket, I just don't remember where."

Mark scrunches his face up again, even more confused. "What? How do you... forget a stai-- that's not the point. Why do you wanna look cute today?" He scoffs and continues lowly, "hardly as if you ever look cute."

I let out an annoyed groan and punch Mark's shoulder. "Like when you panicked when Seulgi came over and asked for notes."

Mark openes his mouth, "That is so not the same! Jaehyun's a fuck bo-"

"Just shut up already," I snap and shove him forward so he'd continue walking. "Let's not keep him waiting," I add and mumble, "also I know. Dong Sicheng however is very cute."

Mark chuckles, "he's dated every girl on the dance team."

"Okay, maybe not that cute."

"Ya, Mark," Jaehyun grins and greets the said person with a high-five and chest bump. He turns to me and speaks my name with a smile. I smile back politely and wave.

I'm about to sit next to Sicheng, but Mark shoves me and so I end up sitting on the other side of the bench table with Jaehyun. I turn to Jaehyun with a small, non-awkward smile and shoot Mark a glare. He seems unbothered though.

"So, you up for a round later?" Jaehyun asks Mark.

Mark talks over me, "you know it, dude."

Jaehyun flashes his dimple smile all the stupid girls fall for. I'm only half falling for it cause I'm only half stupid. He raises his brows, "you bought the dough, right?"

This makes me knit my brows.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I really did this time," Mark mumbles quickly. "It's my turn anyway."

Jaehyun gives an off look, "that's literally what you said last time bro."

"Yo, no for real. It's in my bag, if you wanna check."

Jaehyun shakes his head when Mark begins to scramble for it, "no, Lee, it's good. We wouldn't want you friend to get dirty."

Is it just me or do you feel slimey all of a sudden?

Jaehyun then gives me a somewhat, somehow sincere smile, "so. I hear you're in fashion design."

I give a soft chuckle, "yeah. That's me."

"I could tell from a mile away. Mark looks horrible next to your getup."

I look down at my sweater and ripped jeans. Mark exclaims in protest, "shut the hell up, Jae."

I give a soft smile at Jaehyun, "don't know where that comes from but thanks I guess."

Jaehyun chuckles, "I'm kidding," he eyes Mark, "I saw your Fashion Design pin on your bag when you sat down."

"Oooohhhh, haha, okay, that makes sense."

"Ya, Jeff," Sicheng calls for Jaehyun, "it's almost time."

Jaehyun turns to his friend and nods. He turns back to me and Mark, "well, it's nice to meet you. Mark won't put a sock in it even if I beg. See you around, fashionista."

He stands and slaps Mark's back, "see ya later, broski."

"Yeah, bruh," Mark replies.

Once it's just Mark and I, I snap at him and blurt out in a whisper yell, "YOU'RE ON BROSKI LEVEL WITH JUNG JAEHYUN?!"

Mark gives me a weird face, "bruh, I think he calls the principal broski, for real."

I smack Mark, making him whine, "you know what I'm talking about, Mark! And what, are you doing drugs?!?"

He shakes his head in confusion, "Wait, what!? Who the hell told you that?"

"Uhhhhh you were talking about dough and showing up later. Sounds like you owe him money for drugs, Mark."

"??? In what universe did we even mention drugs?? Does this," he slaps his face, "look like a face of a drug addict to you?"

"A gullible idiot maybe."

Mark's jaw drops, "oh wow, okay. I'm done with this conversation." He proceeds to stand attempt to walk away. I scoff, "not on my watch bitch."

Like the true idiot that he is, Mark begins to legit run away from me, like a criminal who stole my cookies. It's embarrassing that he, a man much taller than I, could not even outrun me. I suppose I should be grateful, but this just fortifies my thoughts of him being an idiot even more.

But okay... I wasn't actually expecting this... like... Mark and Jaehyun... like... actually baking bread after school with dough Mark premade at home. Also, uh, Jaehyun looks super cute in an apron that I'm having a mental breakdown. And what's new, so does Mark.

"I can't believe you thought I was a drug dealer," Jaehyun says in a soft pout as he rolls out dough on the marble counter of his friggin large kitchen in his friggin large house. Like dang, I knew he was rich, but he's like Rich™ Rich. Rich with a golden diamond encrusted Rolex watch rich that's in a glass display rich-- wtf.

Mark wheezes in his telltale high pitched laugh as he opens a pack of unsweetened chocolate pellets, "she thought dough was some sort of metaphor or something."

"Cute," they say at the same time. Mark turns to Jaehyun in slight surprise and Jaehyun turns to me. I roll my eyes, though I feel my neck burn. I avert my attention to the scene I was sketching on my pad, Jaehyun and Mark baking croissants. I clear my throat, "I'm just making use of the single braincell between us, cause if he doesn't die falling down the stairs, he's gonna pull some idiotic stuff like baking with Jung Jaehyun."

Oddly, it's Mark that reacts to that with a, "hey!"

Jaehyun rubs his chin on his shoulder, "I also can't believe you think so little of me.'

I break a sweat but decide to answer honestly, "... ... ... You have a reputation."

"Of being a fuck boy?"

Mark loudly transfers the chocolates into a metal bowl, making the two of us snap at him. Mark makes a face, "oh gosh, sorry."

Jaehyun sighs, "well. I admit I get around, but that's only because I get dumped every time."

I raise a brow.

Jaehyun purses his lips, "nah, let's not make this weird. The croissants will be flat."

"Dude," Mark turns to him, "that's literally only because you messed up the recipe."

Jaehyun grits his teeth, "no. It's because Kun's a little teacher's pet and sabotaged me so he could get the best grade."

"No, but like Kun is really nice, he helped me with the fold techinique."

Jaehyun scoffs, "He stole me vanilla extract, Mark. Who does that?!"

"No, listen, he's cool, like, for real--"

"No, you listen, he's a little shit and--"

The two begin to bicker like a married couple, and I begin to draw inspiration form the scene to design some random sketches of wedding dresses.

I look back to the two and still can't get over the fact that I learned Jaehyun was a culinary arts major with my best friend, and that I was currently in the Jung's boojie home because I thought Mark was buying drugs from him. Not what I was expecting at all my day to go like, but I'm not mad this is how it went.

"No, no, no, no," Jaehyun says. He turns to me and points, "let's just get an outside opinion. Babe, what's your favorite color?"

"BABE?!" Mark barks.

I take a moment to reply. I blink slowly, "uhh... pink?"

Jaehyun bites his lower lip and claps his flour covered hands, "Right. Pink croissants it is."

Mark shoots him a glare and turns to me, back to Jaehyun, "she has a name."

Jaehyun nods, "yeah, and she wants pink croissants."

Mark makes a face and Jaehyun examines it, chuckling under his breath. "Wah, you two are something, huh."

No one really responds.

We began to always eat lunch with Jaehyun and his friends. It's funny cause I realized Jaehyun, although I still firmly believed he was out to get nasty with every other girl he sees, he was actually just like Mark. A total loser with a love for cooking.

"Hey," Mark says with a snippy tone.

I give him a look and suddenly receive a paper bag to my face. Mark sits on his chair next to me, as per usual. I smell the thing before I realize what it is. It's a freshly baked bagel. I perk up and smile, "Aw, you baked me a bagel?"

Mark raises his upper lip, "no. Jaehyun did."

I knit my brows, "what? Why?"

Mark narrows his brows, "do you, like, like him?"

I give him a look. I take a bite of the bagel, making Mark look at me in disbelief. I answer, "You do know I only hang with him cause you do, right?"

"Then why'd you eat the bagel then?"

"Uh, a number of reasons. 1) it's a bagel, 2) free food, 3) I'm starving, 4) it smells amazingggg."

Mark does a face, "fair. I've been meaning to ask how he does his seasoning for a while now too." He releases a breath, "and anyway, I'm pretty sure he made a bagel cause I told him you liked them. Never talking about you to him anymore though."

I look at him, "why do you talk about me so much to him anyway?"

"Uh because you're amazing," Mark says instinctively.

I feel my heart skip at that. I coo and place my hands on my chest, "wait that's really sweet."

Mark looks at me. His face begin to shift, "too bad it's a lie- haha."

I give him a look and rebut, "jerk."

"Loser."

As quickly as I found out about Jaehyun being Mark's friend, that's about as quickly as I found out he didn't like hanging out with him anymore. It's kind of a shame I never got to go back to his boojie house.

There was this one encounter I had with Jaehyun though... which was a little weird, not gonna lie.

He was waiting for me outside my Tailoring class, smiling and waving when he saw me. I Reluctantly reciprocated and walked over to him.

He releases a breath, "I've been waiting for about 20 minutes for you. I didn't know when your class would end."

I raise my brows, "you could have asked?"

"Well I would need your number for that, and that would have ruined the surprise," he pulled out a brown paper bag, reminiscing the same one Mark chucked at my face.

"I made you two this time," he smiles.

I take a moment to reply, "you don't have to make me bagels, Jaehyun."

He grabs my hand, "yeah, but I want something out of ya," he places the bagels in my hand. He proceeds to lead us off and we begin to walk down the hall.

Truth be told, it's a little scary that his ulterior motive is up in the air. Jaehyun places his hands in his pockets, "I like your dress, by the way."

I smile, "thanks. I made it."

He smiles and nods, "right. That makes sense as to why it suits you well."

I can't help but blush at that, and simultaneously feel conscious when I realize a bunch of girls in my course are looking at me and Jaehyun as we strut down the hall.

"So, what did you want, Jaehyun?"

"Well, I clearly wanted to ask you out."

"..."

"..."

Jaehyun smiles and give a soft laugh, "is it so ground breaking?"

"... Uh..."

He sniggers, "hey, you can say no. I mean I hope you don't but you can." Jaehyun leans in and raises his hands, "I won't like it, but a man should take rejection from a lady well."

I turn to him as he straightens up. I turn to the bagels he made me and bring it back to him. He laughs, "no, I made them for you really. It's not poisoned, in fact it's made with love."

I visibly react to that, which makes Jaehyun wheeze. I can't help but laugh back, "that was hella tacky."

"Worth a shot though," he says. "Good luck with Mark."

I look at him with silence and he chuckles, "ya, you can't fool me."

I'm about to retort but then Jaehyun gets called by one of the frats dudes I identify as Johnny Seo. Jaehyun does a curtsy and clicks his tongue, "see ya later babez."

"You know, I would have said yes if you didn't do stuff like that."

Jaehyun purses his lips, "no you wouldn't."

I shrug, "worth a shot though."

Jaehyun places a hand on his chest, dramatically calling, "Uh, rejection hurts, man."

Yeah, I never went to Jaehyun's boojie house ever again.

Silver lining though was Mark's dorm smelled equally as nice because of all the food he cooks, although it came with a whiff of axe body spray from his roommate, Lucas. It's cool though, he was almost never around for me to smell it in its whole intensity.

"Aite," Mark calls from his side of the dorm. I perk up from the two seater dining table they had and turn to Mark who was covering the cake he was making for his finals.

"Don't, like, peek, okay. I want you to see the cake all at once and give me your honest reaction to it. Please, like, all my lives kinda depend on it."

"How many lives do you have?"

"9, I'm pretty sure."

I stand from my seat, "not you faking your life as a cat, but get it I guess."

Mark raises a hand at me as I walk over, "can you not, I'm high-key panicking right now."

"Over what? You literally made a box of donuts for your midterms and it looked better than Misty Mreme! I'm sure your cake is hot."

"It was in the minifridge for a day. I mean it barely fit cause of all of Lucas' mountain dew."

I groan, "just show me it, Mark Lee!"

Mark whined and dashes over to me, grabbing my shoulders, "okay, but like, don't be mean about it. I swear, I might cry."

I give a sound and fake cough, "it's ugly."

Mark doesn't respond to that particular jab, "I'm serioussss. Please be kind, okay?"

I look at Mark's nervous face and give a soft pout, "Markie, please, not that I think it would be ugly, but I promise you don't have to be nervous about my reaction."

He isn't soothed by that, but he does release a sigh, "okay. So for context, Mr. Moon wanted the cake to be one or two tiers, but I went with one, cause there aint no way I'm going to the other side of the campus to freeze a two tiered cake. Then, the theme was something from your childhood, so, I, uh, thought this was fitting. The exam is 60 percent decoration, 40 percent taste by the way."

Mark gives me a hesitant look, but steps way for me to see it. I then see a heart shaped, medium sized cake in my favorite pastel pink color. By the top there's a little boy on the floor playing with a toy oven set and little girl in a bumble bee dress, holding a stethoscope. At the bottom of the cake, there were jelly letters spelling out, "I like you."

I cup my cheeks at the sight of it and feel my eyes start to well at the sentiment.

Wait... was this really happening?

Mark heaves in and out, "okay, so like when Jaehyun began to like hit on you, that sucked pretty hard because he's known for getting girls and I thought maybe he'd get you too and I got panicky. Anyway, I....... have liked you since we were kids... And... I know you probably don't feel the same way but I have to try, you know.... Yolo."

My feel my tears retract from what I hear. I rub my eyes. I turn to Mark and find his nervous face. "Did you just say yolo in your confession, Mark?"

He looks like he's about to throw up.

I can't help but chuckle and pout, "dude..."

I prolong the moment. Mark gets even more nervous as he repeats softly, "dude..."

"We could have dated in grade school all this time."

It takes a moment to register in his head.

Like, a really long moment.

I sigh, "Mark! I like you too, dummy."

He freezes and blinks. His face begins to burn. He breaks into a soft smile, "nice."

I break into a laugh.

"... Uh... So... Can I like... Kiss you?"

I snort and feel my own cheeks begin to burn, "I think you should refrigerate your cake first."

Mark snaps out of this trance, "oh shoot, you-" I give him a quick peck on the lips.

He is dumbfounded.

I feel butterflies go wild in my stomach.

"I'll wait over there for when you've fixed that."

Mark watches as I walk away, "yooo.... That's not fair though."

[caffeineforbucky]

As Time Goes By...(Chapter three)

A/N: This one took a while to write. I've just been so busy doing absolutely nothing all while procrastinating, so special thanks to that. No, but I really hope you like this, fellow reader. If you like the series, let me know if you want to be tagged!

(Side note: I've been playing RE8, thirsting over lady D, and dying over and over...it's going great! It's part of the procrastination...)

Also, has anyone seen the Bridgerton musical tiktoks? I swear I've had the 'burn for you' song in my head all last month and if you've been living under a rock...here's the link:

https://youtu.be/EwY9_m5qeow

Word Count: 2,299

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Fem! Reader

Warnings: I don't know....angst? As always, John Walker!?! AKA; Fake Cap. Umm...If I missed any let me know.

(A little PSA: I don't hate John Walker: or the actor. John is a well-written character. This is just strictly for the purpose of where my story is going. I'm more reiterating how Bucky treats him in the show. Thank you!!)

You groan, rolling from your left side to lay flatly on your back, arms spread out beside you. You inhale deeply, becoming aware of the moistened dirt and crushed wildflowers beneath you as they release their aromatics. Birds chirped around you, the busy sounds of traffic fading away while you lie still in the field, oxygen feeling heavy in your lungs.

"Y/N?!"

You barely heard the worrisome calls of Sam over the sound of your heart pounding in your ears. You lift your head, the view of icy mountains in the distance, blurry figures making their way towards you while you somehow managed to sit up. Your head was spinning, a sharp ache on the side of your thigh.

Your eyes flickered down, taking note of the small paring knife lodged in your thigh. You exhaled softly, nodding your head at the sight of it. "Okay," You grumble in agreement. With shaking hands, you wrap your fingers around the handle, bracing yourself by taking intervolved breaths before carefully pulling it from your thigh.

You worked fast, ignoring the crunch of rocks and dirt under the acknowledgeable footsteps of Sam and Bucky. Taking babochka, you cut off the end of your pant leg, wrapping the spandex around your wounded thigh before securing it with one of the holsters, tying the ends into a knot. You remain quiet, carefully pushing yourself up to your feet, transferring all of the weight to the opposite leg, eyes drifting up to meet the guys. "Are you guys okay?" You murmur, dusting off the clumps of dirt and dead leaves from your jacket.

"Are you?!" Sam exclaimed incredulously. "You're bleeding!" He points out, gesturing to the bright red staining the skin of your calf as it dripped down to your boot. The wrap might've held the wound shut, but that didn't mean blood wouldn't have soaked through.

"Oh, this?" You ask, glancing down at your leg, the wound throbbing in agony, but you did your best to avoid it. "I've had worse." That was true, from all those years fighting as an avenger. Getting shot, kicked, stabbed, beaten until you were purple, and undergoing mind control. This tiny stab was the least of your worries. It still hurt like hell, and you couldn't hide the discomfort in your features.

"Do you want a piggyback?" Bucky asks suddenly, slightly annoyed at your nonchalance and still concerned nonetheless. You weren't expecting it, the odd but kind offer, especially from the menace himself. Though you weren't one to pass up being carried. With a hesitant nod, you agree, watching Bucky crouch just a bit, allowing you to climb on his back.

The position was awkward for both of you. With his hands tightening on the back of your knees and your arms wrapped around his neck, neither of you could think straight. Yet, you were still thankful. The road to the airport was a long one, and you weren't sure if you could make it in your state. Bucky held you as if you weighed nothing, his super-soldier strength showing off while he carried you on his back, footsteps matching up with Sam. He didn't mind doing it, especially since he was the one who offered, and the proximity was just a bonus.

"Sorry about Redwing," Bucky muses, breaking the silence while the three of you sauntered down the empty road. There was nothing for miles, only empty plains of grass and dirt. Young trees scattered, lacking the greenery around them, evident of the cold weather in Munich.

"No, you're not," Sam remarks, narrowing his eyes to a pinprick at the winter soldier. "You've always hated Redwing."

"That doesn't mean I'm not sorry about it," Bucky grumbles, tightening his hold on you as he felt you slipping. You gasp at the sudden strength, clinging better to his shoulders as well. "How're you doin' up there?" He asks, jaw clenching from your touch.

"All things considering," You sigh, pushing aside the butterflies in your tummy at how close you were to Bucky. "I've been better. We've gotta find out where that super serum is coming from."

"Yeah," Sam chimed in, glancing at you. "-And how the hell after 80 years are there eight super-soldiers runnin' loose?"

Loud honks of a horn ring in your ears, tires treading on the gravel as an army jeep slows down beside the three of you. "So, that didn't go as planned, huh?" John chuckles, pushing the door open only for you to keep walking, paying no mind to the man in stars and stripes.

"Okay, keep going," John utters, signaling the driver to keep up as he pulls the door shut. "Look, at least we know what we're up against, huh? And I'm pretty sure it's one of the big three...so,"

"Aliens, androids, or wizards," Lemar comments as John nods his head in agreement.

"There's no such thing as wizards!" Bucky grunts, keeping his eyes forward, hands on the back of your knees.

"Fine, aliens or androids," John settles, sharing a look with his best friend beside him. "Look, it's 20 miles to the airport, and you guys need a ride. Gary, stop," He instructs, the wheels slowing down. John opens the door once again. "Get in," He sighs, motioning all of you inside the jeep as Bucky and Sam's footsteps came to a halt.

Bucky gently sets you down, taking note of the small whimpers falling from your lips. No matter how tough you appeared to be, you still carried so much vulnerability. "You okay?" He asks, eyes filled with so much concern it almost scared you. He hadn't looked at you like that in a while. "Do you want any help?"

With a soft nod, you oblige to Bucky's ask, needing more help than you anticipated. You didn't want to add any strain or force to your injury. You didn't even realize it happened, and that part of it was Sam's fault for swooping to grab you while you had a knife in hand, but you weren't going to start pointing fingers. You wrap your arm around Bucky's shoulder, using him as support while he boosts you up on the jeep after Sam climbs up first, helping you settle beside him.

"Woah!" John exclaims, almost rising to his feet at the sight of your thigh, your hands stained with blood. "Are you okay?"

With a curt nod, you adjust yourself to relieve some of the pressure while Bucky takes a seat on your left, leaving you to be right smack dab in the middle as he pulls the door shut. You blow out a breath, knowing damn well if it hadn't been for the mishap, you would've walked the damn 20 miles.

"Lemar, hand me the first aid kit," John instructs, pointing to the steel case beside his friend. You wanted to protest, but even you knew that the strap wasn't going to work. Mouthing a thank you, you take the case from Lemar's hand and clip it open.

"Okay, so we got eight super-soldiers on a bulk supply run," John continues, the jeep beginning to roll down the road. You hand the case to Sam, asking him to hold it while you searched for gauze, medical tape, and butterfly bandages, you were probably going to need stitches, but you'd worry about that later. "Why?" John asks, watching closely as you patched up your wound.

"They say their mission is to get things back to the way it was during the blip," Sam answers, handing you another strip of tape. "Maybe they're just tryna help."

"They had a funny way of showing it," Bucky adds, his eyes trained on you, a hiss slipping through your lips as you roll down the remaining spandex. You sigh in relief, the ache becoming dull as you shut the case, giving it back to Lemar.

"Better?" John asks, earning a single nod as a response. "I don't think we've properly met. John Walker," he smiles, offering a shake of his hand, but you didn't move, only staring at the outstretched palm in front of you. "Does she talk?" John mumbles suddenly, looking to Sam or Bucky for a reply.

Your eyes cast down, gaze hardening at the sight of the shield in his grasp. Flashes of Steve running through your mind, the many times he'd catch you trying to throw it like he would. Steve Rogers meant a lot to you, having joined him in not signing the Sokovian accords, being an outlaw, and helping to clear Bucky's name with Sam. So, seeing a man who wasn't Steve hold the shield awoke something in you. Something unkind and hateful.

"When she wants to," You claim, John squirms in his seat, sensing the tension as your eyes flicker to his. "And frankly has no desire to speak to you."

"You don't even know me," John defends, glancing at Bucky, a sly smirk on his lips, and Sam, who rendered quiet, his eyes looking elsewhere. John sets his attention back on you, lips razor thin.

You scoff, shaking your head softly as you fold your arms over your chest. "Jonathon F. Walker," You begin, leaning back in your seat, your eyes never leaving his. "Former Captain of the U.S Army's 75th Rangers Regiment. Graduated at the top of your class from the United States Military and the first person in American history to receive three medals of honor, ran RS-one missions in counterterrorism and hostage rescue."

John's tongue darts between his lips, a frown spreading throughout his forehead at the information you were giving him. Either you did research on him or, you just read his file, which you had done both. You were not one to go into a mission without potentially knowing who you were up against. It was better to be safe than sorry.

"So you saw the news?" John chuckles, the frown falling from his features while he shrugs. "Big deal, so did the entire world."

"Custer's Grove High school alumni."

John's smile falters.

"There you met, Lemar Hoskins and your current wife," You tilt your head in curiosity. "Olivia, right? Or am I getting it wrong?"

Clearing his throat softly, John broke eye contact with you. So you did know him, and you probably knew more than you led on. "Do they always just stare like that?" He gestures between you and Bucky, who had displayed the same distaste for him.

Sam glances beside him, observing the matched body language you shared with Bucky, its no wonder Bucky had taken a liking to you, even if he'd never admit it. "You get used to it," Sam smirks, turning his head back to Walker.

"Okay..." John drags, eyes flickering to the more sensible one of the trio, and that was Sam. "Look, that serum doesn't have the greatest track record, no offense," He waves his hand, dismissing the insult directed towards the only super-soldier in the car.

"We need to figure out where they're going. How'd you track 'em here?" Sam asks, "The flag smashers."

"Uh," Lemar murmurs, scratching the back of his head. "We didn't track them. We tracked you through Redwing."

"You hacked my tech!?" Sam gripes, straightening out his back as he sat up.

"Sorry," John laughs, "It's not exactly hacking. It's government property...kind of the government. Alright, you know things have gotten kind of..."

"Chaotic," Lemar adds.

"Yeah," John nods in agreement. "The GRC, they're doing their best to get things up and running smoothly post blip. If you guys teamed up with us-"

"No." Bucky interrupts. He couldn't let Walker finish that sentence.

"I've got mad respect for all of you," Lemar praises, looking between the trio before him. "But you were getting your asses kicked 'til we showed up."

"And who are you?" Bucky bemuses, cocking a brow at the man next to John.

"Lemar Hoskins," You mention, "I could've sworn we've been through this." You shake your head at the old man, for being 106, he couldn't hear a thing.

"I see a guy hanging out of a helicopter in tactical gear," Sam shrugs, "I'm gonna need a lot more than Lemar Hoskins."

"I'm Battlestar, John's partner."

"Battlestar?" Bucky repeats, narrowing his eyes at Lemar as he nods, confirming his alias. "Stop the car!" Bucky shouts suddenly, brakes screeching as the wheels come to a stop in the middle of the road. Bucky pulls open the handle, ducking, as to not rail his head on the bar-frame above him before hopping off the jeep.

"Look, I get it, okay?" John sighs, calling after Bucky. "I get the attitude, I do. You didn't think the shield was gonna end up here. I get it, Bucky. And I'm not trying to be Steve!"

"Good," You interject, rendering John to settle his eyes on you. "Because you will never be. And just because you're the one wielding it..." You grab the bar above your head, using it to pull yourself up. "It doesn't make you Captain America." And with that, you carefully jump off the jeep, following after the heated super-soldier.

Sighing in frustration, he rips his eyes away from your retreating figures. "I'm not trying to replace him either. I'm just trying to be the best Captain America I can be." He explains to Sam, hoping the falcon would cut him some slack. "-And it'd be a whole lot easier if I had Cap's wingman on my side."

Sam's eyes widen in surprise, his tongue darting between his lips. "It's always that last line," He scoffs, shaking his head as he jumped off the car, following you and Bucky.

John's lips thin out, face scrunching in a scowl. "Let's go," He instructs. The sound of the jeep leaving making its way to your ears.

[wonderwomanfantasy]

motherfucker

anyways end of the series part one part two part three

Atsumu x reader

warnings: smut, title kink?, pregnancy, angst, love-hate relationship, swearing.

word count: 2,500 (about)

summary: you hate your husband, Atsumu, and he loves you he loves you so so much. and well now there's just one more person in your life that you can't deal with and Atsumu loves.

Atsumu was having a great night before you shoved him off the bed. He went crashing to the floor taking the covers down with him. “What the fuck is wrong with you?” he cried his voice garbled and raspy. His head ached and his vision was blurry around the edges hungover.

“What the fuck is wrong with me? What the fuck is wrong with you?” you spat looming over him still on the bed shoving your hand in his face so he could see the cheap gold ring. Oh. Oh. He grinned.

“Is that any way to wake up your husband?” he teased, holding up his own hand showing you the matching ring. Oh, you were so going to kill him. Before you could get something to hit him with he scrambled to his feet and looped his arm around your waist pulling you against his chest and kissing you. You melted against him kissing him back. You were so responsive to him. He pushed you back laying you down on the bed.

“We could be spending this morning a lot more pleasurably, If you’d just shut up,” he hummed trailing his hand down your bare chest.

“We’re getting this annulled,” you huffed. Atsumu ignored that and kept kissing you moving his hands up and down your body. He’d loved you since he’d met you, and he kept loving you even after the breakup, he wasn’t ready to let you go. You spread your legs for him, your poor puffy cunt looking abused from the night before, he’d have to be gentle with you.

“You can’t just fix this with sex,” you snapped digging your hands in his hair holding him close as you rolled your hips against his hand. He just hummed. Fucking watch me, he thought.

Atsumu kissed you slow and tenderly as he gently pet your clit. He didn’t even push his fingers inside of you just slowly teasing your entrance you squirmed against him whimpering pathetically against his lips. You wanted more, no you needed more.

“Who’s making you feel good?” Atsumu asked possibly. You blinked up stupidly at him, your mouth slightly agape as you tried to figure out what he meant.

“Y-you are Tsumu,”

“I know princess but that’s not what I’m looking for,” he teased

“Daddy,” you tried again, he shook his head. You balled your fists in the sheets and averted your gaze. You wouldn’t say it, you didn’t think you could force the words out of your mouth. Atsumu ran his tongue over the shell of your ear before grazing the lobe with his teeth, sending a shudder down your spine. Fuck. he knew you too well.

“My husband- My husband is making me feel good,” you cried out. Atsumu shuddered, he had already resolved not to fuck you, just loosen you up a little bit but hearing you cry out like that.

“That’s right baby, your husband,” he whispered. Your husband was going to make you cum.

This time Atsumu was determined to make things work with you. His fucked schedule usually meant he was away for weeks at a time, but it seemed to work with you. If anything it seemed like you’d kill him if you had to spend any more time with him.

As it where the two of you had a nice little schedule. When he was in town, you’d spend as much time together as you could. You’d go on dates and sleep together and generally be a happily married couple, he even bought you a real ring, although he hadn’t given it to you yet. It felt too intimate to propose to you again. Then he’d leave for a game and he’d call you at night, or if you were in different timezones whenever would be night for you.

You’d tell him about your day, and listen about his. Sometimes he told you he loved you, you pretended you didn't heat that. He almost always told you he missed you because he did. that, at least you said back to him. He just didn’t know if you meant it.

Atsumu woke up with you in your bed. He smiled and snuggled closer to you, kissing the crown of your head. You blinked up at him sleepily. And smiled. “Good morning baby,” he croaked.

“When did you get home?” you asked rolling on top of him and stroking his cheek, matching his grin with one of your own.

“Late late last night, way too late to wake you up,” he said pulling you down into a sweet loving kiss.

“I’m sorry baby, I let you get back to sleep,” you said, moving to roll off of him. Tsumu clamped his hands around your waist. Like hell he was letting you go.

“I slept on the flight,” he grumbled, kissing you again. Breathing in your scent feeling your skin and just holding you. His wonderful beautiful spouse. He’d missed you. He kissed you slowly, his jaw working as your mouth moved with his. You stroked his jaw and held him.

“So what’s first now that you’re home? Coffee or Sex? or do you want to go in the kitchen and combine the two?” you asked.

“Fuck you’re perfect, I love you,” he laughed. You flinched. He said it so often you should be used to it now. You weren’t. You were still waiting for the other shoe to drop, for him to come home and tell you that he found someone else, that this wasn’t working, he wanted more he wanted someone else.

You looked down at him and smiled, running your thumb over the shitty ring that turned your finger green. You loved him so so much.

“Show me how much you missed me," you said leaning down like you were going to kiss him, his eyes fluttered shut waiting before your lips touched his you leaped off of him and ran away, Atsumu spluttered and tripped over himself chasing after you.

“HEY!” he shouted rounding the corner, you had a good head start on him but he was the athlete after all you shrieked when he scooped you up in his arms taking you down to the couch.

“Gotcha-” he laughed and started kissing every piece of you he could get at, tickling you. At first, the kisses were fun and playful but quickly he started nipping at your neck and sucking on your skin. His eyes glowing with lust.

“Guess you don’t want coffee,” you teased.

“Not right now,”

“What do you want?”

“I want you naked,”

Atsumu licked his lips and he watched you strip beneath him. He never tired of seeing your body laid out like this for him.

“Atsumu, move I can’t get my shorts off,” you said pushing against his chest. Atsumu easily yanked the rest of the clothing off of your body leaving you in nothing but your wedding ring. You sucked in a sharp breath of air, he was in a mood today.

“Fuck, you’re so pretty,” he groaned dragging his nails over your stomach before kissing you passionately twisting your nipples between his fingers. You gasped and Atsumu slipped his tongue in your mouth. For a while, you just kissed but you could feel Atsumu’s cock growing hard against your thigh,

“Baby, do you remember what you promised?” Atsumu asked his dark with lust. You gulped. Atsumu had gotten needy and horny while he was away and you’d sent some filthy messages to help him get off, one including the first thing you’d do for him when he got back.

Atsumu shifted off of you and you slid to the carpeted floor resting between his spread legs. You looked up at the tent in his boxers and the faint blush crossing his cheeks.

“Don’t keep me waiting,” he said, sliding his underwear down the fabric pooling at his feet. You spat in your hand and started palming his length before leaning down and licking the head of his cock, running your tongue over his slit making him moan. Atsumu groaned and reached down carding his fingers through your hair and pushing your head down forcing his dick into your mouth. You choked when his length bumped the back of your throat.

You felt his dick throb at the sound, fucking bastard. You relaxed your throat and took him all the way down, your nose nuzzling against his pubes.

“Fuck baby- I can feel you drool on my balls,” he moaned, pulling your head back before thrusting back in. you could feel your eyes begin to water as he fucked your mouth, Atsumu only groaned in pleasure when he saw the tears spilling over onto your cheeks.

“Yeah baby you look so good drolling over my cock, letting me fuck your throat fuck,” he moaned “tell me you like it,” he snapped, pulling his cock out of your mouth and smacking the side of your face with his dick.

“I-I love it,” you rasped, “I love sucking my husband’s cock.” Atsumu’s body convulsed and he hissed out a long string of expletives. He offered his dick to you again and you took him back into your mouth hallowing your cheeks around his length sucking on him and licking his shaft. You didn’t get much time to go down on him the way you liked before Atsumu grabbed you by the hair and started thrusting into your mouth making you gag and cry. He felt a little guilty hurting you like this but that slight guilt was massively outweighed by how fucking hot it was to see you cry.

He looked down at you and saw you were looking back up at him, a hand between your legs stroking your cunt. As you sucked him off.

“Fuck fuck baby, just like that keep touching yourself keep touching that slutty pussy,” he ordered, his hips jolting off the couch to force his cock deeper into your mouth. You blinked up at him more tears bubbling out of your eyes as you obediently continued to finger yourself.

“Shit I’m going to cum I’m going to cum-” he let out a sharp cry pulling out of your mouth before cumming all over your face. You were lucky enough to close your eyes before he gave you a pearl necklace.

“Shit baby that was perfect,” he groaned, helping you to your feet and pulling you into his lap, then just because he was a sweetheart he whipped off your face with his boxers after of course, he burned the image of your face dripping with his cum into his mind.

“My throat hurts,” you complained.

“Awe poor baby, let me make it up to you,” he cooed, positioning you to be straddling his thigh. He gripped your hips with his large hands dragging you back and forth over his leg. You moaned and rolled your hips against his leg. Atsumu dipped his head and sucked on your tits, licking your nipples and leaving his mark on your chest. He kept moving your hips until you came on his leg.

“Jesus Tsumu,” you panted. He smiled nuzzling your neck and kissing your cheek. “I’m exhausted and you haven’t even fucked me yet.” he smiled

“Let's get some coffee and see if that makes you feel ready to go,” he teased, taking you to the kitchen. “I’m nowhere close to done with you,”

You were sitting in the bathroom your stomach swirling. Atsumu was gone, overseas for a game. You looked down at the little stick in his hands. Shit.

Atsumu never really checked his phone at practice, and he didn’t even take his phone to games, so even though he texted him around eight in the morning, he didn’t see it until almost eight at night.

Bokutou was bouncing around the room and Hinita was bouncing with him, each of them trying to jump higher than the other. Mean was shotgunning a monster energy drink, Omi omi was yelling at Barnes for slipping women's underwear into his overnight bag, hitting the other man with the bra for emphasis.

Atsumu never really minded using his room as the spot for the after game party, but he kind of wished that he was alone right now so he could call you and tell you goodnight, it was getting late at home and he didn’t want to keep you up waiting for him. Maybe he could slip into the hall for a couple of minutes.

It wasn’t like he was keeping you a secret from the rest of the team, but he just hadn’t mentioned it and no one asked about his dating life. He flicked his phone on and saw your text.

Wifey for lifey: I just found out I’m pregnant. Call me when you can. good luck on your game.

He felt his knees go weak. His hands trembled as he read the message again and again and again.

“Miya, what are you looking at? You’re smiling like a lunatic,” Sakusa asked, shoving his shoulder and snapping him out of his funk. Atsumu grinned.

“My wife is pregnant,” he proudly announced to everyone. The room exploded with noise.

“What?” “you’re married?” “who the hell did you knock up?” “WIFE?” Atsumu smiled, basking in the attention.

“TSUM-TSUM! You didn’t invite me to your wedding?” bokutou asked sounding genuinely hurt. Now Atsumu had to backtrack.

“We were drunk and got married about a year ago, it wasn’t a real wedding but you know technically we’re spouses,” he said with a casual shrug the grin coming back to his face.

“And now I’m going to be a dad, Jesus a dad can you believe that?” he laughed, omi looked disgusted. Atsumu excused himself into the hall and called you.

“Baby! Are you serious? You’re pregnant?” he cheered the second you picked up the phone

“Yes.” your voice sounded weak and broken.

“Hey, sweetie what’s wrong?” he asked softening his choice.

“I’m fucking pregnant that’s what’s wrong-” you snapped. “I didn’t want this, we didn’t plan for this, how am I supposed to take care of a baby Atsumu? I work a full-time job and you’re never here, this kid is going to be miserable with neither parent home!” you shouted and he could tell by your voice that you’d been crying. His stomach dropped, he wished he was here for this, so he could hold you and make it all alright.

“Shh baby, we’ll be fine, I promise,” he whispered over the phone. “We can get a nanny, or a sitter, I’ll work it out that I can spend more time at home I promise,” he assured you but you kept sobbing over the phone. Atsumu felt his heartbreak and he wondered if he could catch a red-eye flight and get home tonight.

“Let’s talk about it when you get home,” you said through a shaky breath. Atsumu nodded, then realized what he’d done and verbally agreed.

“I love you,” he said, “i love you so much sweetheart, we’ll make it work,” he said. You sniffled.

“I love you too, I watched your game you did a great job,” you said, he smiled a flush of pride bubbling up in his chest.

“Awe it was nothing, thank you I’m always glad to know you’re watching, cheering for me,” he whispered. His heart was in his throat, you'd said you loved him. and Atsumu went back to the party raging in his hotel room.

Someone had started a drinking game, he knew he could drink all of these losers under the table, but strangely he didn’t feel like partying right now.

[sirenascales]

-> Chuuya with a Black F!Reader who's a bit insecure because of her skin.

@furrypostsoul said: Hello admin, I hope you’re having a good day! So stoked to see a fellow bisexual bsd fan! I would politely like to request a chuuya Drabble with a black fem bisexual reader where she thought that chuuya wouldnt be interested in her romantically cause of y’know, her skin. If you could also add in scenarios where she was racially harassed in public (pls dont write this is ur not comfortable, I understand if you don’t! it’s something I want people to be aware about)

note: ahhh thank you so much for your request! i immediately had an idea as soon as I saw it and I believe I came up with a good one, especially after asking some of my pals for advice on how to tackle it! Hope you like it!

warnings: colorism, mentions of racial fetishization, microaggresion, and racism [not from Chuuya] insecure reader, angst to fluff i promise,

"I still don't understand why it takes so long to do your hair... aren't you just getting braids?" The confused look on Chuuya's face was honestly super cute and hilarious and you couldn't help but laugh behind your hand.

"That's just the way it is, man. That's why I said we can go out on Saturday. I can't on Friday since I'll be strapped to the chair."

"Man, whatever," Chuuya huffed and you rolled your eyes at him, crossing your arms over your chest.

"Don't whatever me. Just suck it up!"

You shook your head, the hustle and bustle of the shopping district around you fading as you looked to your companion. Red hair, blue eyes, fancy clothes and a dumb hat; Chuuya was honestly too handsome, too damn fine. The scowl on his face was cute and you resisted the urge to pinch his cheeks. You knew he would literally kill you for that, and you valued your life.

You and Chuuya were in that talking stage and finally decided to go out on your first official date on Saturday. Besides his... occupation, you found yourself very much liking the man. Not just for his looks, but his fiery personality made him interesting, the way he carried himself. He was great and you were so into him.

You hoped he felt the same way. He had to, he agreed to the date in the first place! And how could he not? You were a sight, rich brown skin and he sorta, kinda, absolutely loved the cute afro puffs you had on your head. You were beautiful, a bright spirit with a bit of an edge that Chuuya definitely liked.

After talking some more, Chuuya had to go off to do his own thing, and after sharing a very tight hug, you waved him farewell, promising to see him on Saturday for your first date.

You couldn't help the huge, happy grin on your face, giddy as you made your way over to a nearby bench, sitting next to an older woman. You paid her no mind, grabbing your phone to text your friend as you giggled to yourself.

"Was that your boyfriend?" the woman suddenly inquired and you blinked at her in surprise. Then, your face started to heat up and you laughed lightly.

"Well, not yet. We're just dating."

"Ah..." the woman trailed off and you didn't like the tone of her voice. Suddenly feeling awkward, you turned back to your phone.

"I don't mean to be rude," the woman started and you couldn't help the sense of dread you felt. Here we go again. "But you should be careful, dear. You're a beautiful woman but... Japanese men don't really like dark skin. Not unless they are with you for... ulterior motives."

Even if you were already expecting some foolishness, the woman's words still stunned you, striking you to your core as you gave her a look that exceeded shock. You were appalled, your chest tightening in anger and hurt. You took in a slow deep breath, your fists clenching tightly. Your body had gone numb, and you tried your best to keep it cool. You couldn't make a scene.

"Wow," you laughed softly, shaking your head as you stood up. You didn't pay that stupid bitch any mind, storming away, your anger just boiling.

Not only did that woman ruin your entire day, she honestly ruined your entire week. The anger had soon subsided and you were left with the insecurities you tried to push down, especially when it came to Chuuya. Your mind ran at one hundred miles per hour, overthinking as the cruel words lingered in your mind.

Was Chuuya another one? Like your last relationship, were you just a sexual conquest for someone just wanting to try having sex with a Black girl? That was what your ex-girlfriend did to you, so was this just the same? Did he even like you?

No. Chuuya wouldn't do that.

Even so, you canceled your date with him as you sat in the stylist's chair on Friday, eyes burning with tears. You didn't want to experience that again, so you figured you give it all up before you get hurt again. Or even worse.

After spending day getting your hair done, you gotten a quick bite to eat before heading home, feeling completely dejected. Your hair looked amazing, long box braids swaying as you trudged along. But Chuuya didn't answer your text at all, and that honestly made you feel even more like shit. Did he not care at all?

You sighed deeply, coming up on your apartment, stopping when you saw a very familiar red motorcycle parked along the sidewalk. Your heart skipped a beat when you spotted Chuuya leaning against his bike, and when he finally noticed you, your heart dropped when he yelled your name.

"Oi!" he hollered, stomping over to you angrily. "What the hell do you mean our date is canceled?!"

"I-" you were at a loss for words. "Why are you here?"

"I was waiting for you! I didn't know where you were getting your hair done so I just stood here."

"Th-the whole day?! Chuuya!"

"I mean, I went and got food and stuff but-"

"That's not the point!" you interrupted. "Why would you even bother?"

Chuuya scoffed. "Are you serious? You suddenly cancel our date and you expect me not to worry about you?" As he finished talking, Chuuya is shocked to find tears pooling in your eyes, your lips trembling as you hung your head. "H-hey, what the hell happened?"

"You don't just want to fuck me, right?"

Now Chuuya was at a loss for words, his jaw hanging open as he registered your ridiculous words. You spoke again, telling him about the things that woman said to you earlier that week, as well as the horrible experience you had with your ex-girlfriend.

"... I tried not to think too much about it but... I'm used to comments about my skin and race, I mean, hello! I'm Black, but... " you trailed off, lifting your hands up to wipe your tears away. Chuuya beat you to it, and you stared at him with teary eyes as he gently wiped your tears away.

"I'm not your ex-girlfriend." Chuuya was firm as he spoke. "And that old hag needs to mind her own fucking business. I fucking like you. Not because of some weird sexual thing, I actually fucking like you. The whole you. You're beautiful and smart, you keep me on my toes. And yes, your skin and hair are amazing, I love them, but those are only parts of you that I find amazing. I'm not giving you my love and attention because I want something from you, I'm giving it because you deserve it. And I want to be the one who gives it to you."

You didn't know what to say, what to do. You could hear your heart pounding in your ears, your mouth going dry. Still, after a moment you just end up punching Chuuya lightly on his chest, choking out a laugh while you cried.

"Shut up... all that sappy shit..."

Chuuya scoffed, lowkey offended. "Excuse me? I basically just confessed to you."

"Yeah..." you sniffed, looking and giving the man a watery smile. "You did. I..." Lips trembling again, you took a step forward and Chuuya wasted no time in pulling you in for a hug.

"And you better accept me or else I will kick your ass," Chuuya said, pressing his face against your hair. "You smell nice..."

"Hm."

"And you're perfect. Worth more than an experimental fuck and the words of some old bitch." There was a bite to Chuuya's words, and that made you feel so much better.

"I'm sorry for doubting you..." you whispered and Chuuya shook his head, pulling away from the hug.

"Don't be. I understand, I promise."

You smiled widely, face getting hot as he gently cupped your cheek. "Are you sure?"

Chuuya rolled his eyes. "Fine, you can make it up to me by un-cancelling our date. Let me show you off."

You giggled softly, hugging him again. "Okay. That's fair."

Send in your requests!

[golbrocklovely]

review of sam and colby's hell week

since hell week is finally over, and i've had time to process all the videos, i figured now would be a good time to write out how i felt about each video. i didn't want to post about their videos during hell week since i was in the middle of writing for my 13 days of halloween and i already had enough on my plate lol

so here's what i thought about each of the hell week videos. i'm gonna give my general reaction, my rating of the video, and whether or not i would rewatch it.

i'm also gonna rate them from my favorite to least at the very end.

this is really long btw, so feel free to skip around or settle in lol

dracula's castle: this was good video to start off on. i think it brought a good mix of creepy and silly. nate and snc have such great chemistry together, and i hope they collab again soon bc i genuinely enjoy when they all hang out and do videos together. colby's fascination with their tour guide being a vampire was hilarious to me. and i have to note that i do like this video a lot bc it was about vampires, so it was right up my alley. hopefully they go to another vampire castle bc that would be sick. and they better take me with them otherwise i'm suing. but anyway, i saw everyone on here talking about it, and i wanted to add my two cents in that it really is so fucking strange how so many ppl/animals/spirits are drawn to colby. every new person they meet somehow always focuses on colby. him saying 'why is it always me?' is the god's honest truth tho. i was definitely unsettled by the spirit box (which again, colby looking like he's gonna die while doing it scares me) and the music box going off. i think that the video gave off nice creepy vibes, and i dig it. and the two most chaotic things i've ever seen colby do is literally shove his fingers into dirty vampire water and then bite into cloves of garlic. this man is insane and i'm not sure why i still stan him lmao

rating: 3.5/5

would i rewatch: yeah :)

~~~~~~~~~

catacombs: this video was interesting. this video didn't really fall into paranormal for me, but it reminded me of all the xplr videos they used to do back in the day. first and foremost, i would never in a million years go to the catacombs. beside that i don't like enclosed spaces like that, i'm a big bitch and personally believe with my luck and body that things would collapse bc of me. so... props to the boys for putting themselves into that whole situation. their tour guide not really caring about them or what they do was accidentally hilarious. the devil room they went into was definitely creepy and i can only imagine the vibe it gave off, regardless of if you believe in paranormal or not. occultist stuff is not something you want to mess with, and i swear to god i think the boys are trying to get something to follow them bc they don't protect themselves like ever. do i think it was weird that the candles burned out one right after the other, and the cloak fell? yeah i guess, but idk if it was paranormal so much so that they were already freaked out and it spooked them more. i will say, having that room get progressively colder and colby literally shaking/shivering from how cold he was was eerie. but idk... this video just wasn't as spooky as i would have liked it. also it felt kinda long and slow.

rating: 2/5

would i rewatch: maybe? not entirely sure.

~~~~~~~~~

queen mary: i find it really interesting how ppl on here disliked the video. i mean, i get it to some degree, but personally i really loved it. it's interesting how back and forth i go with amanda. in some videos i don't mind her, and then in others she's really kinda annoying. and in this one it was the latter. personally idk why she was there. she didn't really add anything or talk to any spirits, besides the guy that got crushed by the door. but even then she didn't really say much. i'm not entirely sure why the boys believe her when she says that she doesn't do research on these places (bc she also literally admitted to knowing facts about the queen mary so... you think she wouldn't research to see who "haunts" the ship???). while i believe in psychics and medium, something about amanda just seems... off to me. i don't think she's outright lying or making up the shit she feels/sees, but it just doesn't feel 100% genuine. also side note, amanda writing something down that didn't even really connect to what was said on the spirit box but acting like it did was so fucking stupid and funny to me. and then her saying 'you're not the darkest spirit, i've seen darker' or whatever was such an eyeroll of a moment to me. idk if she's giving off this energy of being stronger than she is for the video or for her own protection's sake, but idk it's all a bit much to me. AND HER NOT BELIEVING IN PAST LIVES??? that was kinda dumb. personally, if i could literally see ppl that were dead, i think my mind would be a bit more open past the traditional christian values lol alright enough about her.

matt was great addition to the crew and i just love how quick he is to pretend to leave. his humor is on par with what i would probably do. it was also fun to see the parts of ship that we didn't get to before. the ballroom was beautiful. do i think every crack was a ghost? no, but it was funny to see their reactions like it was. and then with b340... i'm not gonna lie, i got chills bro lol i do think something with that room is completely off. i can just feel it thru the screen. and even if you don't believe, you have to believe that whatever snc experienced in there has scared them to their core. i honestly believe that something in that room doesn't like being filmed and that's what happened to them. idk why they wouldn't either record with any extra camera or do a voice recording as well bc that would save them the bs of the camera shutting off and footage getting deleted. sam got really effected during this video and it makes me really sad. i hate seeing him upset. and i'm glad that both him and matt had the courage to walk away for a moment when things got to be a bit too much. especially matt. i hope he's doing better. nonetheless, i think the stuff that they captured in that room was definitely interesting and this was the first video i actually felt kinda spooked. and i need to mention it now, but i really do hope that in the future the boys find a way to record what the spirit box is saying and put it in the videos that way ppl stop acting like they are faking it.

rating: 3/5

would i rewatch: probably

~~~~~~~~~

pine barrens: idk what it was about this episode, but i had such high hopes for it... probably bc i'm from the east coast, i've heard about the jersey devil, and since i've lived around forests and explored them back when i was younger, i was excited for this video. and it ended up being really boring. i love the banter that seth, josh, and snc have, don't get me wrong, and that's really the shining part of this whole video. but something about this episode was just really lack luster for me. the lack of evidence wasn't really it, but something about this just wasn't even remotely creepy or scary to me at all. and it wasn't even like an xplr video where i can be interested in just the place alone. this could have been any random forest in the country and i wouldn't have known the difference. nothing about it felt special. i will say the man they talked to (who they later called their friend which was so cute btw) was so east coast to me, it's kinda hilarious. and i liked the info he was able to give about the jersey devil and the pine barrens themselves. maybe it's bc the boys didn't really do all that much research into the forest or the fact that nothing really happened, but i just didn't really enjoy this video. it had it's good/funny moments, but nothing about it was all that interesting. no offense to the boys, and i'm not trying to say that they should have given themselves more work to do, but a video like this... should have just been placed on xplrclub instead bc nothing happened. i mean, it's good that they didn't fake anything or try to force some paranormal shit. i do appreciate that. but this is hell week for christ's sake. i want spooky scary skeletons worth of content lol

rating: 1.5/5

would i rewatch: i'm not even gonna remember this video in a week or two, so no.

~~~~~~~~~

hotel del coronado: amanda... oh amanda. i know i already complained about her in the queen mary video, but i need to speak on here again. while i believe her abilities, i don't think the confidence she has is warranted, if that makes sense. her half-ass attempt at a prayer shouldn't be the one thing that is protecting snc and faze from getting permanently haunted. and again, i just don't believe her not researching things. if i'm wrong, i will gladly apologize, but there is no fucking way. and honestly, i wouldn't mind if she did some research, it would probably do better for her to know who apparently resides in the building than to go in not knowing, plus it might help her connect to certain spirits better. and her stopping it right before sam could really get into things with the estes method... that's so fucking annoying. i'm sorry, but what authority does she have to ask a question that boils down to 'r u good or bad?' and expect an answer? if an entity is from a different plain altogether, has existed 1000s of years, and operates under the belief that god and satan are two actual beings... what makes you think it has to answer to you???? you're not god, you're not powerful. you are a 20 year old girl with the powers of the kid from the sixth sense. while i want sam and colby to be safe and do things methodically (so to speak), using amanda isn't gonna cut it. stop taking her on trips.

now onto the rest of the video, i know literally dick all about faze rug, but he seems lovely. i really like his personality and the way he vibes with snc. and good on him declining to do the estes method. that shit seems scary as all hell (tho i am kinda interested to do it but also really not). but i genuinely like how faze acts with snc. weirdly, i don't like his videos on his channel with snc, but i do think he brings a fun naivety to their content (not that they're any better at knowing lmao). the hotel itself is fucking huge looking and that hallway was definitely trippy. i get they have a beach theme, but you could have a nautical looking hallway without the stripes. that employee... i hope is doing good, bc you could tell that he was still choked up over what he experienced. i haven't had something like that happen to me but i do believe that at one point i experienced a time jump/a shift in the time line we're on now (feel free to ask me about that another time), and that freaked me out a shit ton so i can only imagine what he felt. also it was interesting to hear colby say that that seemed like his version of hell to him, just being stuck repeating yourself over and over again but going nowhere. and how i feel about the paranormal and spirituality was summed up well by the employee. so, the shit that happened to them in their hotel room was creepy, ngl. the estes method and colby are a match made in hell bc every time colby does it, it's too fucking intense for me. like, i just get more and more anxious as time goes on. and the things he was saying were spot on with the questions being asked. and that knock they had while sam was doing the estes method was crazy. i love how protective colby got, he literally grabbed amanda, faze hid behind colby, and then colby reached over to sam, basically throwing his arms in front of everyone. i'm still annoyed that the video got ended early bc of amanda. i believe that snc need to take precautions and stop when things feel too intense, but if they weren't feel uncomfortable and they hadn't gotten contact with something that scaring them... they should have continued. idk how amanda can go from chasing a demon out of the lizzie borden house to asking if a spirit is from the right or the left and that's the proof that they took things too far lol

rating: 2.5/5

would i rewatch: yeah i guess

~~~~~~~~~

waverly hills: i genuinely enjoyed this video from start to finish. this is one of the only videos from hell week that i had no problems with at all. them bringing back and working with that investigation duo again was fun. i think they really balance out snc's behavior when it comes to paranormal stuff and reactions. there's a certain level of professionalism that they have that snc don't lol kat and stas were nice in the video too. i can't believe stas saw more figures. that's fucking crazy to me. i saw a figure once when i was kid and freaked out, i can't imagine seeing something like that now. the amount of evidence that snc got in this video was insane. the rempod going off like that... idk what could be doing that other than ghosts. colby's heavy breathing and being fucking terrified of the rempod and the noises it was making was scaring me. that boy really knows how to get under my skin. the music box acting up (also the comment of colby actually having a problem with the music box being dead was so funny bc i weirdly like the music box too) was also really strange. the story of william was so sad :( who would kill an old man just chilling in a building alone? it's nice that he was following them around and maybe even protecting them. and then all the activity they got on the fifth floor and the evp session. that shit was fucking crazy. i hope that snc buy a voice recorder at some point bc using that to hear sounds around you is awesome and really good evidence. that spirit box session also fucking scared me. the 'which hand' voice... oof i got chills bro lol

also i wanted to make a quick side note that when snc were talking about waverly hills and telling it's history, colby looked really hot. and he makes a lot of faces for some reason when sam talks sksksks

rating: 5/5

would i rewatch: 100%

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conjuring part 2: you all know how i feel about amanda in this video, and if not, read this post lol

but she was such a small part of the video, that i'm not gonna let her ruin the rest of it. so... i've said it a lot in this review, but this video was crazy. crazy is too nice of a word. honestly, this video was scary. anxiety-inducing. the fact that the second they stepped onto the property they were told 'you guys are fucked tonight' was one hell of a sign. the constant evidence they were getting was incredible. the double estes method? that was sick. and the fact that both their names came from each other was fucking insane. the rempod and the music box going off back and forth, like something was teasing them... that shit was spooky. and then when they were talking to the music box upstairs in the birthing room, that was heartbreaking to hear that the soldier needed help. but the second half, where they did the prayer outside and inside... i have no words. props to colby for staying inside by himself bc he looked so fucking terrified. sam did too, but colby was literally shaking like crazy and breathing like he ran a mile. and then sam seeing a figure in the window and then the door to the basement being locked. colby sounded so scared, and rightfully so.

my anxiety was at an all time high the whole time this video was on. it was like a horror movie from start to finish, and all i could ask for to be posted on halloween.

rating: 5/5

would i rewatch: already have lol

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overall rating of hell week: 3.5/5

while i liked pretty much every video, i wanted more spooks and scares. if you're gonna call something hell week, make that shit scary. this was their first time doing hell week, so i'll give them a pass bc i can only imagine the crazy stuff that could be coming up for next year. i would like for them to bring back matt, nate, and the paranormal duo again, because those videos were the most fun to watch. kat and stas are also cool, but i figure they're gonna be coming back regardless haha josh and seth were also great, just not in the woods lol

and less amanda please.

i definitely enjoyed these videos. it's gonna be weird to not see them post every other day for a while. i'm gonna miss it truly.

favorite video to least

1. waverly hills

2. conjuring part 2

3. dracula's castle

4. queen mary

5. hotel del coronado

6. catacombs

7. pine barrens