#;; genuinely just... thank you for getting more answers from the fucker

[teencopandthesourwolf]

WOLF BOY

when ao3 goes down, we write tumblr fic (edited version now on ao3 HERE lol)

i used the 15/11/24 @sterekdrabbles challenge for this. the prompt words were GREEN, REACH and SCATTER. i'm also tagging @sterekdrabblesgonelong as it's around 1K words and therefore definitely a drabble gone long lol.

it's a spark!stiles slash derek whump sort of affair, just so you know what you're reading xp

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The dagger is almost within his reach—so very nearly grabbable.

Other than being eight years old in a hospital room with the smell of rotting flowers clinging to the back of his throat, Stiles doesn't think he's ever wanted anything more than this.

Again, Derek hacks out, “Just run, Stiles!”

Again, Stiles answers no—only this time, it's not with his voice but a yellow-green vine of pure light that extends from his fingertips as he pleads with each beat of his heart for the universe to help him, the tendrils stretching, stretching, then victoriously winding themselves around the handle of the blade. 

“Oh, shit,” he mutters, now with his actual voice, and then the vine of his will is pulling the knife flush into his grip. 

He looks up at the hunter, their face a billboard of surprise, before a shriek rips itself from her belly at the very same time Derek roars from where he's tethered and bound, the wolfsbane-laced chains melting further into his flesh as he tries in vain to once again break free.

Then the evil bastard is flinging herself at Stiles—and straight into the dagger aimed at her solar plexus that his light sends sailing across the cave, plunging it deep into her breast.

It might not be bullseye, but it does the trick.

As she drops to the dusty ground like a discarded ragdoll, the other two hunters' heads snap like whiplash to where Stiles is sprawled, a look of pure terror marring their faces.

The cowardly fuckers drop their weapons and scatter, leaving Stiles and Derek alone—other than the dead woman at their feet��in the large cave they'd dragged Derek into a few hours ago.

Derek's wrung out, and beaten down, but alive. 

At once, Stiles scrambles to his feet to get over to where the ʼwolf is chained up, almost falling back down again when his probably sprained ankle gives way beneath him. 

“Stop fucking hurting yourself,” Derek hisses, and for once in Stiles's insane life he wishes he could gnash his teeth and roar in response, and it have an effect that would be anything other than ridiculous. 

“Oh my god,” he protests instead. “I've just saved your offensively pretty ass with my new spark's apparently awesome Gio-Ju-ju, a-hole, so how ʼbout we be a little less sourwolf and a lot more gratefulwolf to ol’Stilesy boy here, hmm?” he sasses, finding the key to the padlock that's bolted to Derek's chains on the flat rock where his flashlight got dropped when confiscated by one of the hunters. 

Stiles feels petulant, and justified in that petulance as he discards the now unlocked padlock. Then he feels a little wrong-footed when Derek quietly mumbles, “Thank you,” because the guy sounds both in a considerable amount of pain and genuinely grateful to Stiles.

Stiles sighs and kneels down to start prizing the chains away from Derek's red-raw, still-smoking skin, the ʼwolf's forever-stoic face giving away nothing of the hurt he's obviously suffering at the cruel hands of the aconite still desperately trying to seep its way into his body.

“You don't have to do that for me, you know,” Stiles says carefully, hinting at Derek's display of endurance.

Derek's eyes flicker from mid-space to Stiles's face, and Stiles suddenly notices that their heads are actually dizzyingly close.

He swallows, and the sound of it echoes around the cave as if mocking him. 

The second he peels away the last link in the chain attached to Derek's skin, and before Derek can push him away, Stiles brings a hand to Derek's throat to feel for his pulse. 

When determined fingers find it, Derek's face does a thing that Stiles hasn't seen it do before; it's this combination of incredulous and vulnerable, and is so unprecedented, and so beautiful, that Stiles sort of wants to cry about it. 

“You can hear mine,” he superfluously reminds Derek, before saying what he really wants to. “It's not fair I don't get to know—that you're alive, I mean. Like, I know I can see it but… The tactile reassurance? That's, uh, you know, kind of nice, too.” 

Man, he spends way too much time with werewolves. 

Then, when he licks at his dry lips and Derek's pulse quickens under his fingertips, Stiles is so much more than simply placated.

Taking a steadying breath, he feels a million trillion miles away from anything even remotely resembling steady.

He studies Derek's face some more for confirmation of his suspicion, and finds something akin to bashful swimming amid the swirls of those gorgeous seafoam eyes.

Derek likes him back?

Stiles sinks his teeth into his bottom lip; Derek's pulse starts to race. 

Amazingly, it seems Stiles isn't alone in the want he feels deep in his gut, and as it grows and spreads to his extremities, his fingers and toes now tingling with it, he reckons he's maybe beaten-up and bleeding out and half-braindead enough to have the balls to actually do something about it. 

It must be biological, he thinks as he licks at his lips again, that his body somehow knows exactly what to do to hopefully get Derek to do exactly what Stiles wants him to—lick Stiles' lips for him, that is—without him making an actual fully-formed decision on the matter.

Although as soon as he's thinking that, the decision to kiss Derek is unequivocally made—even if it's going to get him shoved into the dirt for trying. 

He's about to lean in when one of Derek's already beginning-to-heal hands stops him by bracing his shoulder. 

“I can smell your pain, Stiles,” he says. “Let me help.”

Stiles tries not to smile as he lies through his teeth. “Hurts here, the most,” he murmurs, touching two fingers from the hand not at Derek's pulse to his bruised, bloody lips. He then curls the other hand further around the werewolf's neck, to hold on.

Derek starts to pant, and Stiles has to hold in a whine.

The werewolf sounds absolutely wrecked when he asks, “Do you have any idea what you're doing to me by wrapping your hand around my throat?”

Stiles's smile then brakes free and is wry as his wit as he answers, “I've been working hard to find out how to woo you for months now, big guy. What do you think?”

And when Derek lunges to crush Stiles's mouth with his own, teasing Stiles' lips apart with his hot, hot tongue and nipping at them with blunted canines, Stiles reckons he knows what it must feel like to howl. 

.

edited version now on ao3 HERE if you'd like to drop me a comment xp

[potatomountain]

CIY- CH 15

Chapter Fifteen

📍Pairing: detective ateez ot8 x detective afab reader

📍Summary: "Captain oh Captain"

📍WC: 3.1k

📍AU: detective/mafia

📍Genre: action, dark themes, poly romance, smut

📍Warning(s): 17+ rating, suggestive📍Nets: @pirateeznet | @mirohs-aurora-society

📍Beta readers (and sole motivation): @flurrys-creativity , @candypop1611 , @yourfatherlucifer , @yessa-vie and edited by the amazing: @daemour

masterlist | Previous | Next

You were more than a little disappointed that San wasn’t there the next day, but confused over your mixed feelings over Mingi and Yunho’s absence. But as that one day turned into a week, you were getting concerned.

No it wasn’t because you wanted to invite San back to your place, or confront the two giants on what they did in the bathroom, hoping to have some answers to your own feelings, but because you were genuinely worried.

Seonghwa didn’t help with your nerves one bit, spending a good amount of time with him over the week, as well as a forced training session with Jongho. Your ass still hurt from the number of times he happily knocked your ass on the mat. It was only thanks to Seonghwa’s presence that he wasn’t a total ass, actually listening to the Vice-Captain and keeping his comments mild. The unnerving part was the way Seonghwa seemed on edge.

Something Jongho had commented on when he had forgotten your presence.

So by the next Saturday you were on edge all over again, the release San had given you felt wasted. Of course admiring how pretty Seonghwa was in a blank tank, showing off the neck tattoos you had spotted peeking from the collar of his turtlenecks and button up, did not help there. Or the fact you spotted a hint of ink peeking out of the back of Jongho’s shirt, a deadly combination with how thick the man was.

If you were pissed off enough you might have suggested a hate fuck. With his strength you were sure it would’ve left you bruised up and sore in all the right ways.

You might have been a little too excited when Wooyoung popped his head around the corner to startle you at your desk. “There’s my favorite Goddess. Miss me?”

Laughing, you smiled, “Can’t say that I have. Haven’t seen your handsome face around enough.”

“Oh but I am handsome-” He stood up straight and called back loudly “hear that?! She thinks I’m handsome. Beat that fuckers!” His attention was back on you as soon as you started laughing louder. “Mm San was right, that's a pretty sound.”

You couldn’t help but get a bit flustered, realizing San talked about you. “Is he here?”

“Unfortunately he got booted to bedrest back at our apartment. So my company better be enough.”

“You can’t hog her to yourself.” Hongjoong called, stepping around Wooyoung and looking you over. “I hope Seonghwa kept you busy.”

Rolling your eyes, you replied “Not enough. Sparring with the asshat who has some vendetta against me wasn’t much fun. Is it just San that’s not back?”

“Are you that eager to see him?” Wooyoung actually pouted, taking a step closer to you and setting his hands on your thighs. “Come on, get to know me a bit, Goddess. We can make it a physical activity.”

It definitely crossed your mind to take him up on that offer, after what you let San do to you, the images he encouraged in your mind, all it would take is a simple yes.

The two of them could tell you were seriously thinking about it, Wooyoung’s smirk widening as he ran his hands up your thighs more. Hongjoong watched curiously, taking a step to the side to get a better view. “Well?”

With a sigh, you shook your head. “Maybe another time.” Patting both of his hands you peeled them off you and pushed him back in the same motion that you stood up. “Do I get to hear about where everyone has been the last week or am I excluded for that?”

You weren’t happy at all as their expression fell just enough to know the answer to that. “Not entirely. There was an increase of Green Viper activity, so Wooyoung needed San for that. We had to deal with some altercations between them and the Red Wolves. It’s mostly paperwork the rest of us need to fill out.” Hongjoong tried to mend but you knew differently, you still didn’t have enough trust to know.

It irked you, but you understood. You didn’t trust all of them fully either, in fact the only one you could confidently say would have your back in a fight was San. Some of them were questionable, would definitely like your back in their bed, but otherwise you were still an outsider of sorts. “Can I leave then? I’m still a bit bruised up from Jongho’s stupid ass.”

“Aww, you don’t want to be around me?” Wooyoung pouted, reaching for you again but you pushed past just as Hongjoong pulled him away. “When do I get to work with her Captain?”

Hongjoong offered you a friendly smile, still trying to ease the tension that had formed between the three of you. “That’s something we can talk about. It’ll take a few days, so if you can take those days to rest. We’ll give you a call to come in and brief you but let us get it all set up.”

“Yeah sure, whatever.” You started grabbing your things, pissed off. A week you sat around and worried about them and they got back just to send you off and have you swindle your thumbs at home? Seriously?

“Firecracker…” Hongjoong followed you to the door, grabbing your hand and stopping you. “Don’t be upset, it’s not on purpose and it’s not because of what you think.”

You ripped your arm out of his, glancing over your shoulder just to glare at him. “Sure it isn’t. I know I haven’t earned my place yet, but it’s been over a month Captain.”

“I know I know. But you have. It’s just, we have to rework some things after this incident and figure out where best to put you. Not to keep you out of our way but where you would be the most useful. Where you do make a difference and shine the most.” He reached up, cupping your cheek and turning you more towards him. “I believe you’ll do wonders here Firecracker, but integrating you into the work we have built up over years is going to take some time. Alright?”

It was a wonder how he said just what you needed to hear, and you could believe him too. The man, while neutral about your presence so far, has provided you with ample opportunity to prove yourself. And when you did, he acknowledged your skills.

Relaxing a bit more, you leaned into his hand, looking up at him. “Alright Captain.” You mumbled, pulling away and clearing your throat when you realized how soft you just were. It felt good to be acknowledged for your work, especially from Hongjoong, Captain of the unit you were having a hard time with.

He was most certainly not looking at you as if you were just a member of his unit though, not like a Captain should. It threw you off, glancing back at Wooyoung and waving. “Next time handsome, maybe you can convince me of getting to know you better that way.”

You left before either could reply.

The short walk home was ample time to actually think over the interaction. You found yourself comparing Hongjoong to Chan, knowing where Hongjoong was teasing or lenient, Chan was not. Chan looked out for you, showed his concern for you but always as Captain of the unit. It was always the unit over you.

Hongjoong hadn’t done any of that. He had concern for the unit, sure, but he was giving you a chance, eager to see you prove yourself. And the way he had comforted and reassured you, the way he touched you… that wasn’t what you were used to.

You weren’t sure what to make of it, but arriving at your apartment building and seeing your previous Captain there was some shitty timing. Did you just manifest him with your thoughts? You wish you could manifest him away.

He stood up straighter when you approached, relief on his features as he called out your name.

“Did I not make myself clear last time? I don't want to talk to you or see you or anything.” You pushed past him, putting in the code and moving inside.

“What if I say this is about Felix?” He followed after you, which truly aggravated you a bit. He was usually respectful, even when upset, so this was out of character for him.

Huffing you ignored him as best you can as you climbed up the stairs. Why the fuck was he following you? “Then Felix can talk to me about it himself. You aren’t his fucking parent Christopher.”

He called out your name again, still not leaving you alone, reaching out to grab your wrist instead. “Can we please just talk?”

“No! And I don’t know why you insist we do! You hurt me Chan, you know you did.” You snarled out, ripping your hand out of his grip as you moved up the stairs faster.

At first he didn’t follow you, but as you turned up the landing towards the next flight of stairs, you saw him skipping steps to catch up. “And I want to make it up to you!”

“Why?” You turned on your heel quickly once you reached the top of the stairs, glaring up at him. “I’m not a part of your unit anymore Chan! I’m nothing to you.”

He looked taken aback, stuttering over his breath over something to say but you could see the hurt in his eyes. It had your ire spiking, after all he wasn’t the one who paid for his decision.

Scoffing, you turned to head to your door, with every intent of locking him out and calling the security at the front. You hadn’t seen him at the desk so you assumed he was making his rounds. You wanted Chan gone, especially before the tears that burned behind your eyes fell.

He wasn’t making it easy, stopping you again by moving in front of you. “Please listen to me.”

“No.” You sidestepped.

He blocked you. “Dammit, please.”

“I don’t want to, Chan! You had plenty of time to explain yourself!” To the other side.

He was there to block you again, grabbing your biceps to hold you still, pleading out your name. “I thought you would understand!”

You stiffened, glaring up at him. You remembered clearly how the last conversation you had with him before he handed you the transfer form- the tension between you two in your kitchen: you in his shirt while he was shirtless sporting a hickey you were sure you had given him the night before. The reminder had your chest tight. “I do understand Chan. You chose the unit over me. You couldn’t have me around after what I did. Didn’t have the fucking balls to turned me down after I confessed?”

“No! Fuck that isn’t it at all! This got so fucked up I’m sorry” he pleaded with you.

But you were having none of it, struggling in his grip. “Stop trying to save your ass. You rejected me, in probably the shittiest fucking way asshat.”

“I’m not I just- please I just want to explain myself to you. You can hate me all you want after I just… it wasn’t because of your confession. I promise, please-” He held you still as you tried to push past him again, the tears brimming your eyes.

“You’re not giving me a damn choice so just out with it already! Criticize my work, tell me how I’m too emotional and I get too invested. How I cost you something stupid because I gave a fuck about you as a man!” You yelled, your own emotions clouding your judgment even now, which frustrated you as it proved what you were saying.

“None of that is true dammit! I didn’t give you the transfer because of your confession! I turned you down at the time because you were drunk and I wanted you to be sober when I told you I loved you.” He raised his voice, a tremble in his tone. “I love you trouble. I wanted a real relationship with you and I didn’t think I could have that if we were in the unit together. I was already being pressured about your behavior and I just thought it was a small price to pay, okay?”

You gawked at him, completely thrown off by his sudden confession. He was sincere, you could see that, but you were as far from elated to hear about his feelings as you could be. “A broken heart is a small price to pay when you aren’t the one who paid it! You are the one who gives a damn about separating work from pleasure. Your morals cost me everything I cared about Chan!” You pushed at him, the tears beginning to flow freely down your cheeks. “It’s too fucking late, I’m done with you! Just leave me alone, I’m not a part of your unit anymore and I’m not someone you have to care about. You love me? Then suffer while I live without you.”

His devastation was obvious on his features, pain in his eyes, but you didn’t feel the least built guilty. If he had you transferred out just so he could pursue you romantically without having to sacrifice anything- you didn’t feel a least bit guilty. “I loved you Christopher BangChan. Past tense. I don’t anymore. You hurt me in a way I never ever thought you could. I don’t need you any more. Don’t want you anymore.” You sobbed out, pulling away.

You never saw it coming, never heard the door or his footsteps, just that when Chan pleaded your name again, a fist connected to his jaw. Now facing a tall and familiar back.

“Do you intend to make her cry even more? Beat it fucker, you heard her loud and clear.” Mingi snarled at him, standing protectively before you.

Under any other circumstances, you would have been miffed that he came to your defense. He had been a dick to you since the beginning, making him untrustworthy, or at least you had said he was. So why were you trusting him now? Finding comfort in his heroics?

Were you just that done with Chan that any assistance was welcome? Even from Mingi?

“This isn’t your business.” Chan hissed, but you could tell from the tremble in his tone he was pissed. Pissed and hurt.

“It damn well is when it’s my girl you’re touching and making her cry.” Mingi reached behind him, placing his hand on your hip protectively. You leaned into the touch, gripping the back of his shirt. “Head to your apartment Buttercup, I’ll be there in a moment.” He softened his tone considerably, the deep rumble reverberating down your spine.

This was a battle you were happy to hand over. “Make it quick.” You added for Chan’s benefit before rushing around to your apartment. You didn’t look at Chan, didn’t want to meet his questioning gaze that you could feel.

The second your door was shut you could hear harsh muttering in Mingi’s deep voice. You couldn’t make out what was said, but you didn’t want to know. Taking a deep breath you wiped away the tears and started getting comfortable in your apartment, asking questions you didn’t have a chance to ask a second ago.

How did he find your apartment? Why had he brought up Felix? What really happened the night you confessed?

Why had Mingi come to your defense… better yet why were you happy he did?

Setting your suit jacket on top of your bag you sighed, feeling worn out and dejected. You couldn’t help but think of Hongjoong again, how he had reassured you earlier. He said things you wished Chan would’ve said. He encouraged you to grow, and instead of asking you to change to fit into the unit, it sounded like he was changing things so that you would fit them.

How hard would it have been for Chan to admit his feelings before? Talk it over with you like an adult. His love didn’t mean he had to play favorites. It didn’t mean he couldn’t be your boss. Why did he expect you to change to fit him?

You were crying again when you turned at the sound of the door, Mingi bowing his head in apology. “I’m sorry about that Buttercup.” He froze when he lifted his head, spotting the tears in your eyes. He strode over easily with his long legs, brow furrowed in concern. “Fuck I should’ve kicked him in the balls. Or aimed for the eyes for permanent damage.” He grumbled to himself, whipping your tears away while you gawked up at him.

“Mingi?” Slowly you grabbed his hands, breath hitching when his gaze met yours. You couldn’t see an ounce of hatred or distaste, or anything other than care for you and anger on your behalf.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize how painful this had been for you. I just thought you pissed your boss off I didn’t know-” He swallowed hard, suddenly bashful as he averted his eyes. His ears were tinged with color, tongue running over his thick lips like they were dry.

“Why does it matter? Why come to my figurative rescue. I don’t want to be some damsel in-”

He interrupted you, “That’s not it! I couldn’t stand to hear it anymore. The pain in your tone and how he was treating you. The fucker chose his career, his good morals, over you? How fucking stupid could he be. You’re a damn fine detective, and you hold your own plenty well.” He dropped his hands, even more flustered after his compliments.

You lifted a brow, heart racing in your chest. This bashful side of him was unexpected, but cute. “You sound like you like me, Mingi. Were all those insults your flirting?” You teased in an attempt to lighten the mood.

“I uh… maybe?” You weren’t expecting that, at all. But he was towering over you and flustered, looking almost innocent with his pleading boba eyes. “Would you reject me if I did like you? If I did want you?”

You licked your lips slowly, his eyes following the movement. Considering the thoughts you had of him lately, was rejection even an option.

In answer you brought his hands to your hips, looking up at him as you stepped closer. “Depends on how well you convince me that you do want me.”

He was confused at first, catching on as your arms wrapped around his neck. “Gladly” was all he rumbled before his lips were on yours.

Taglist (form): @mingsolo | @wowie-hockey | @crispybaguettes | @tiny-apocalypse

| @philijack | @lelaleleb | @isiloiale | @vannabanana1995  | @piratequeen-queenofgames

| @starstruckforyou | @minheeskitten | @amphiroxx  | @cloudysannie | @sugarnspice630

| @sanhwalvr | @plutoneu |  @sousydive |  @fatalt | @iwishiwasrichasfuck

| @bitchwhytho | @st4rhwa | @thesafecafe | @alextheweeb7 | @ddaeing

Taglist will be continued in a reblog!!

[captain-joongz]

Abraxas; Act 1, Interlude I

Pairing: mafia boss!Min Yoongi x police officer!reader

Genre: angst, humour and some fluff, investigative, dark themes, slowburn, enemies to lovers, eventual smut

Chapter summary: Amidst a possible scheme against him and his organisation, Yoongi also has to also deal with the new and quite ambitious police officer. But why does he find himself so reluctant to?

Word count: cca 13.5k

Warnings: Yoongi POV! , discussion of illegal activities, drugs, tailing/stalking, mentions of death and blood, allusions to murder and drug deals

THIS ISN'T THE FIRST CHAPTER, IT'S ACTUALLY CHAPTER 2, PLEASE CHECK OUT THE SERIES MASTERLIST OR CLICK PREVIOUS PART FOR CHAPTER 1

Series masterlist | Previous part | Next part

A/N: it's Yoongi's POV!!! yes i'm on the midnight sun trend hehe. sorry for the slight delay, but here it is in all its glory, hopefully you'll enjoy this chapter too ^^

I threw back the remnants of my whiskey and sighed with the pleasant burn. I wasn’t exactly having the best evening and I entirely blamed Jimin for it. And Tae too, he wasn’t about to get off scot-free. I wasn’t even supposed to be in Dynamite tonight and the incessant buzzing of my phone in my pocket kept reminding me that I was sorely needed in The Rose to deal with a difficult customer.

The longer I stood in the hallway leaning against a wall waiting for Taehyung to show up, the more nervous and pissier I was growing. Someone kept blowing up my phone as if that was going to get me there faster, when I had to take over from Namjoon to deliver these documents and Taehyung was late. I tapped my foot on the floor impatiently and hypnotised the corner leading to back to the club with my eyes. It was just one of those nights.

Ten minutes later I finally lost my patience and made my way back into the main room and beelined straight for the bar.

“Hyung,” Yeonjun greeted me as soon as I got there and automatically reached for my favourite whiskey, “Rough night?” I just hummed, too frustrated by the absolute shitstorm today was to keep up the friendly chatter.

“Some fucker’s tearing apart The Rose because Jimin messed up and Tae’s late,” I grumbled and accepted the glass gratefully. I kicked it back in a single gulp and handed the glass back along with the folder of documents. Yeonjun looked at it confused but accepted it nonetheless.

“Give this to Taehyung once he finally gets here, thanks,” I said and immediately turned to leave. It didn’t sit well with me leaving it here just like that, but Yeonjun was trustworthy, the kid’s proven himself a few times since he started working the bar here, so I at least felt a little consoled by that. And if he did try to fuck me over, I knew who I left it with last, so it would be fucking stupid.

My phone started buzzing again, but this time it was a phone call. Jimin. I gritted my teeth and moved back to the empty hallway to take it.

“Hyung, please, Mr. Cho is going to kill me,” Jimin pleaded immediately, “He’s been asking for you for the past 30 minutes.”

“You were the one that messed up his order, Jimin,” I said irritated, “You should deal with it.” There was a beat of silence which allowed me to hear the distant screaming in the background.

“I know, hyung, I’m sorry, it won’t happen again,” the blond man answered, and he sounded so genuinely remorseful, I didn’t have it in myself to keep scolding him. I let out a sigh and took it a bit easier on him.

“I told you to check the goods,” I chided him a bit more gently, “and to make sure you’re working with reliable sources. You sold him subpar shit for the full price. We can’t have that happening at The Rose.”

“I know, hyung,” Jimin repeated, and I could hear his pout through the phone, “I’m going to deal with Dongwook once I’m done here.” I smiled a little at that. Jimin often fooled people into thinking he’s soft and weak with his angelic looks, but he was a force to be reckoned with once crossed. So many have tried to fuck him over thinking he’s the weakest link only to be very painfully proven wrong by him.

“Take Kookie with you, I think he’s with Namjoon right now,” I told him simply, much less angry than when the conversation started. I checked my watch again. Taehyung was still nowhere to be seen, even though he told me he’d be here almost a half hour ago. Jimin on the other side of the phone just hummed.

“Do you know where Taehyung is?” I asked him, some frustration making it back into my voice, “I’m going to have to teach him what 30 minutes mean.” Jimin started answering but was cut off by aggressive knocking on a door somewhere in his background.

“Oh no,” he just said, “That’s definitely Mr. Cho. When are you going to get here?” I sighed and pinched the root of my nose.

“Put him on the phone,” I told him and leaned fully on the wall to prepare myself for this. There was some shuffling, muffled screaming, then the door opened and suddenly I could hear the man yelling at full volume. Jimin told him something and it made him calm down a little. Then I could hear heavy breathing.

“Mr. Min,” Cho growled into the receiver, “Explain yourself. I paid full buck for this shit, it’s barely consumable. I gave it to my boys and they barely even touched it.”

“Calm down Mr. Cho,” I said calmly, “Jimin made a mistake by not checking it over, but there seems to be some attempt from our suppliers to fuck us over. We’re thoroughly investigating it now, my apologies. If you could wait a few days, I’ll get you your usual. And a guaranteed discount on the next batch.” Technically, I wasn’t even lying. There was an attempt to fuck us over, only they weren’t our usual suppliers, they were some ghouls Jimin was trying out. I warned him to be sure they’re trustworthy and he assured me everything was under control. Sure seems like it…

“Fine,” Mr. Cho finally gritted out, “You’re so fucking lucky your services are otherwise top-tier, or else I’d you have you swimming with the fish.” I fought to supress a scoff. Mr. Cho has always been like this, all bark no balls. He loved to threaten others as if he had some power, but all he had was a hefty inheritance that has thinned considerably through the years he spent getting high in my clubs. Always quick to blow up and throw his name around, but calmed down the moment he spoke to me cause he knew I wouldn’t tolerate his bullshit.

Jimin fucking hated him and hated dealing with him, cause he’d always get yelled at for everything, but it would get resolved the moment I’d get involved even though I said the same thing Jimin did just moments before me. Mr. Cho would always grumble and make vague threats, but ultimately go with it cause he knew if one of us had the power to make people disappear in the river, it was definitely me. That’s why I occasionally took the time to remind him of his place.

“Be careful with your words, Mr. Cho, to some they could be taken as a provocation,” I warned him with a faux friendly tone, “Give the phone back to Jimin.” The order was clear, and Mr. Cho didn’t even argue more, thoroughly settled and not interested in getting into more trouble. There was some shuffling and then Jimin was back on the line.

“Hyung, thank you,” he heaved a sigh of relief as the door slammed shut on his side, “He just left. I don’t fucking understand why he always needs to hear from you when I tell him the same shit. What did you tell him anyway? He deflated like a carnival balloon.” Jimin chuckled a little and I hummed.

“The usual stuff,” I answered vaguely, “I gotta go now. If you hear from Taehyung, tell him he’s dead meat.” With that I hung up and went back to the bar.

Only, I stopped dead in my tracks on the way over. There, sitting on a bar looking incredibly out of place in plain t-shirt and jeans, sipping on a drink and watching the dancefloor with intense displeasure, was a quite familiar face.

Immediately on my return from the station last week I had Jungkook run a background check on the new officer in the force. I was surprised I managed to miss they got a newbie, but now I was as familiar with her as she was with me. What I didn’t expect though, was running into her in one of my clubs. I took a moment to watch her, coming up with a strategy on how to deal with this. Either she’s here undercover or she’s a naughty cop and wants something. And finding out which one would infinitely improve my day.

Mood instantly better at the prospect, I made my way over to her side. Looking back, I had no idea I was about to step into something that changed the course of my entire life.

In terms of first meetings, it was a tense one. Surprisingly, I found her quite easy to read, with her pursed lips in annoyance and fire in her eyes. She had the aura of a new young cop, eager to prove themselves, eager to solve all crime. It made me want to mess with her.

Every fibre of her being just screamed ambition and conviction, and even though I could see her naivety, I sensed the sharp edge that she was carrying inside. I knew, this was a person that has fought for everything, and they would continue to claw their way up until they tore themselves a piece of the world they deserved. In shock I realised I saw a little bit of my younger self in her, which forced a surprised laugh out of me. We both strived for different things, but I recognised the emotion with startling clarity.

Maybe that was what led me to talking more openly than I usually did. But somewhere deep down I needed her to understand. The world isn’t what she wants it to be, especially not in these parts. The sooner she would realise that the easier it would be to swallow.

Really, I shouldn’t even have been surprised when one day Jungkook came into my office with a tablet in hand and a serious look on his face. I immediately turned away from my notebook and leaned to the side, preparing myself for whatever he had to show me.

When the tablet finally did make it in front my face, it was a picture of a black, old and slightly banged up car. The car that we’ve noticed cruising suspiciously around a little too much. Jungkook’s tattooed finger swiped right and the next picture showed a close up of a driver taken probably from some nearby security camera. It was our little friendly neighbourhood police officer.

I smirked to myself. So, it seems she does not in fact know how to step away from things that might prove to be a little too much for someone with her ambition. I hummed to myself a little, not knowing whether I was disapproving or impressed at her continued ignorance despite my warnings.

Jungkook swiped one last time to a document showing the license plate being registered to her name. I laughed and leaned back, making myself comfortable in the chair. Jungkook, on the other hand, sighed and put the tablet away.

“What do you wanna do about that?” he asked seemingly neutral, but I knew the look on his face. It was the kind of disapproval I saw in him often when police force was involved. He believed I should be more careful and not toe the line with the detectives this much. Jungkook already knew I wouldn’t ask for him to deal with it, but that I would let things progress naturally, and he was preparing himself for swallowing the order down even though his opinions differed.

“Jungkookie…” I sighed, “What am I supposed to say when you look at me like that?” I teased him gently, giving him a little smile.

“Hyung, you know how I feel about this,” he explained softly, looking a little more like a kid when he pursed his lips like that. I often felt guilty about pulling him into this shit all those years ago, no matter how much Jimin insisted the kid’s okay with it, that’s why I always treasured those moments when it was just the two of us, when Jungkook would stop being the mad dog protecting a criminal and go back to a youngster playing around with his hyung. I patted his shoulder and tried to look as reassuring as possible.

“It’s fine, Jungkookie,” I assured him, “I’m not gonna get in trouble.” He looked at me like a kid that already knew the Santa wasn’t real and felt insulted his parents still tried to bullshit him every Christmas.

“You’re playing with fire too much,” Jungkook answered petulantly, “You’re making my job infinitely more difficult.” I sighed and stood up. Jungkook had a sudden growth spurt some years ago and now towered over me like a mountain, so I found myself looking up even though I wanted to console him. I gently clasped my hands over both of his shoulders and smiled again.

“It’s going to be okay,” I whispered, “I swear. I know what I’m doing.” He frowned but ultimately said nothing.

“Let her be for some time,” I ended up declaring after a moment of silence, “I want to know what she’s doing. What she wants to know. Then we decide what to do next.” Jungkook tensely nodded and looked out of the window with a grumpy face. I laughed at him a little and patted his head. That set his mood a little better.

“Do you think they’re back to tailing us?” he asked eventually. I had gone back to looking over the email I had been in the middle of answering, so I looked up at the younger man surprised he chose to continue with the subject.

“Hard to say,” I hummed thoughtfully, “I don’t think so. She’s not using the official police car, but hers. I bet she’s on her own.” I wondered what she was trying to do, following me for days. With a slight smile I looked out of the window and zeroed in on her car parked a little ways away from the building, but still within eyesight.

What game are you playing, officer?

In the end Jungkook didn’t let me allow her to stalk us longer than a few days before he started pushing me to deal with it properly. There wasn’t a clear read of what her goal was, which disappointed me a little. I doubt she was in it just to follow me around and watch me run errands, but maybe I was expecting a little more than she actually planned on achieving. I didn’t know why that bummed me out so much and I didn’t want to dwell on it, lest I start sinking into some uncomfortable realisations.

I was aware that part of this sudden sympathy was coming from knowing her personal history, and I couldn’t have that. Not when her story was so similar to my boys, not when it made me soft while dealing with potential danger to everything we worked so hard for.

She was the other side of the coin of kids growing up on the street – you either end up a criminal or the police. Her injustice made her want to solve everything wrong with this world. Our injustice made us realise the perfect way to exploit a broken system. But really, we were both one and the same, born from the same mud and moulded by the same violence.

In some way, it made it even harder for me to understand how she could stand on the side of the law.

But in the end, I did have to deal with it. Except I wouldn’t. Few days later when I was sitting in my office with clear view of her car and Jungkook’s burning eyes throwing daggers my way, I decided it was time to test her a little. Just a little push wouldn’t hurt.

I went out the side door, the one I knew she wasn’t aware of so I could give her a little surprise. And I wasn’t disappointed. Laughing at her frustration was easy, toying with her notebook and watching her nervously eye me was easy, teasing her was easy, and before I knew it, it slipped out.

“Good job. Try a bit harder next time, though.”

The second I said it I knew Jungkook was absolutely going to whoop my ass and Namjoon will wholeheartedly agree that I deserve a good thrashing. But I also had my own game and the burning of her eyes when she internally cursed me out made me want to see where this one was going. I left with a pep in my step even though I felt Jungkook’s disapproving aura.

“Relax, Kookie,” I told him once we were comfortably sat in our car, “We just need to know where exactly she’s going with this.” The man just stared at me blankly before resigning on this.

“Fine, but if I think she’s getting too close, I’ll report her to the police for stalking and harassment,” he growled and sulked the entire rest of the way. I couldn’t even tell him not to do that, so I conceded on it. We both knew what the stakes were.

“We haven’t been visited by our blue friends in a while,” commented Taehyung one normal Saturday and thus cursed it into existence, as not even ten minutes later Jungkook got a call the cops are demanding entrance into Pied Piper.

I groaned and leaned my head on the top of the couch, as the two youngsters started bickering.

“You just had to fucking jinx it,” Jungkook whined and Taehyung laughed at him. “We were all thinking it!” was his defence while popping fruits in his mouth. I tried to just disappear into the sofa. Today I was not in the mood for the police at all.

“God, why now,” I allowed myself to whine out and pout a little, giving them a little rare cute display of displeasure. I was fucking exhausted, it was one hell of a week dealing with the mess Jimin made.

The rats were trying to dodge us and make a run for it, maybe seek help from one of our rival gangs, but I had Jimin and Hobi track them down before the end of the week. As usual, Hoseok worked his magic and found them within two days, but the problem was they already moved onto enemy turf. And if I didn’t want this to turn into a big mess, I had to bargain them out. So I spent the week going back and forth with the Kims. First I tried being nice, explaining to them I will deal with this and it will be easier for all involved if they just move over and let us do our thing, until I ultimately had to subtly threaten them to get the fuck out of my way or we burn our path through their ranks too. I had just enough of snarky interactions for one week.

I swore that once this has been dealt with, I would fucking tear Jimin into two and the man was very well aware of that, so he has been acting cute and sending me little gifts, teasingly telling me he’s “trying to get back into my good graces”. That did put a little smile on my face again, as I did have a huge soft spot for him, and gave me tiny bit of energy to deal with this tonight. I sighed. The sooner this is over the better. I resignedly gestured at Jungkook, and he immediately called back to allow them entry.

“I bet you 200 bucks the other half is trying to mess with the dinner the mayor planned for today in your hotel’s restaurant,” Taehyung said eagerly, moving closer to us to look at us expectantly. I looked towards Jungkook, too tired to play this game and kind of hoping for him to take the lead, but he only shrugged.

“Ugh, I think it might be The Rose,” I said eventually when the silence stretched on for too long, “they may have caught wind of the scene Mr. Cho made there.” We both looked at Jungkook again, but he didn’t say anything and just threw his hands up in an ‘I have no idea’ gesture.

Few minutes later the bouncer entered the balcony and behind him Jang and lo and behold – officer Lee, our righteous stalker, the warrior of broken laws. Immediately, my mood skyrocketed. Now this should be fun.

“Did we crash a funeral or what? What’s with the fits?”

That startled a laugh out of me. What an entrance. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Taehyung leaning forward in interest and immediately knew that these two, if given the chance, are going to be the biggest menaces and pains in my ass.

I’ll be honest, I did want to test her a little. Find out how strong her resolve actually is and how good she is at reading the room. While Jang pissed me off and kept his mouth running, I focused on her body language and facial expressions, which was a beautiful blend of resistance and nervousness. I thoroughly enjoyed the uneasiness with which she was watching everything around her, no doubt remembering our first official meeting. “No one is above the law”? Well, look at you now, officer. Unwittingly I smirked into my glass.

This time, I took my time to ease into the teasing and tested her reaction to little quips here and there. I knew she wouldn’t want me to go talking about the time she spent lurking in front of my office, ever since I confirmed her actions weren’t sanctioned by the department, so I tried an inconspicuous little remark about it.

I wasn’t disappointed.

It took me years to perfect “the stare”. The maknaes especially always made fun of it, but even they couldn’t deny it worked. While yes, part of it was an intimidation technique, but what I truly was interested in was the person’s reaction and, inevitably, when they met my eyes, what I would find reflected in them. Cowards wouldn’t meet my eyes at all, those who tried to put up a fight but ultimately would break under the pressure looked for a moment and then turned away or their eyes flitted around and never stayed on anything for too long. Shifty people who tried to fuck me over also had a specific look to them, I could tell just from a single glance that they were greasy motherfuckers not worth anyone’s while.

What I saw in her eyes when she looked at me head on, was pure fire. For a moment I lamented that she wasn’t on our side, because I would kill to recruit someone like this for us. She was playing it well, and even though I could see her discomfort, there was weight to her stare, and a challenge. From the corner of my eye, I could see Taehyung watching her with rapt interest and even Jungkook seemed to pay more attention. They knew about the trials I sometimes put people through, and would no doubt ask me after the police left what I had seen.

I smiled and relaxed. I could see Taehyung do the same while he leisurely sipped on his margarita. He undeniably already knew. Very well then, for now we would continue playing this game. I even found myself quite eager to see what was in store for us in the next few weeks.

It’s not that the other policemen were bad or lacking, well, some of them were, but particularly Park and Jang, who I’ve seen the most around, they weren’t exactly bad at their job. Just… Park was a little too old-school, he was intelligent and experienced, but left lagging behind the modern world. His eyes spoke of an upright but boring man, a jerk but one that couldn’t care less about some clown sitting in an expensive suit in a club he owned spouting bullshit. That’s why I did quite like the man, I could respect him to some extent, despite everything.

Jang on the other hand, my dislike for him knew no bounds. He was a slimy little shifty fucker, all polite smiles and acting decent, but I’ve dealt with enough scumbags to know not to trust a guy like that. There was something about him that rubbed me the wrong way and made me wary of him; honestly, I was just waiting for him to slip up to deal with him.

When they left, just as I expected, Taehyung leaned towards me and whispered: “So that was quite good.” I hummed and kept my eyes trained on the stairs. Jungkook had left to deal with the situation at the office, where presumably Namjoon had been going through another impromptu interview, so we were the only ones left in the club.

“It was definitely interesting,” I answered finally. This time it was Taehyung that hummed.

“So it’s safe to say we’re not getting rid of her that easily,” he mused out loud in between chomping on strawberries and sipping on a fresh drink. I snorted and looked at him. I gestured at Soobin, who was left here by Jungkook to supervise over me until he either returns or I go home, and he nodded and made his way back to the bar to get me another whiskey.

“No, I think we’ve only just begun.”

I finally checked my phone to see a few messages from Joon and surprisingly even one from Hobi. I scanned through Namjoon’s, which could be summed up to “police showed up, don’t worry I have everything under control”. I wasn’t too sure what Park was trying to achieve by this, but I trusted Namjoon to deal with these things completely. We’ve been by each other’s side for as long as I could remember and we’ve seen it all together, I knew his capabilities and there wasn’t anything the police could do to move him.

Taking the fresh whiskey from Soobin who had just returned, I opened the chat with Hobi. His message was short, simple and perfectly ominous.

Hope, 19:22: got em hyung, me w/ boys gonna deal with it 2nite

I smiled and sipped the cool drink, at long last able to fully relax into the couch and just let the background hum of music lull me into a state of comfortable calm. At least one thing would be handled. Next to me I could hear Taehyung make mindless conversation with Soobin, but at that point I was already half asleep. With a slight smirk on my lips, I took another sip and knew. No one would fuck with me.

“Is it just me or we haven’t seen our little detective in a while?” Tae asked while leisurely lying on a sofa in my office. Seokjin turned to him and then back to me to gauge my reaction. I made sure to keep my face neutral as I returned his stare.

“Last time you said that they showed up like ten minutes later,” I murmured looking out of the window on the snowy streets as if expecting the police van to materialise out of thin air.

“Yeah, well, she hasn’t been around for a hot minute,” Taehyung reiterated, his eyes jumping between his two hyungs and waiting would take the bait and entertain him with a conversation, “There was a week when hyung couldn’t even piss without her knowing about it.”

“Why are you so interested in that?” Seokjin asked neutrally, leaned against a bookshelf on the wall opposite of the sofa, “All I hear from Jungkook is grumbling that Yoongi’s being stupid and it’s a safety concern.” I scoffed and looked back towards the two men.

“It’s hardly that,” I said calmly, “I don’t know what he’s expecting me to do, she’s still the police. She’s breaking the laws, yes, which is hilarious by the way, but I’m not petty enough to go through the whole ordeal of reporting her just for sniffing around our business a little.” Seokjin gave me a look, a look that was so specific to him and exactly what I’d been afraid of, that I just dodged his eyes for my own sanity. I hoped Taehyung would keep his mouth shut because Jin, even though he acted silly a lot of the times, had the clairvoyant gift of perfectly guessing what was going through our heads at any given moment. I quickly spun around and averted his gaze despite the fact that it made me look even more suspicious. I just had to keep him from saying anything while Taehyung was still here, because the younger man could not keep himself from telling all the hyungs and Jungkook everything and I had no intention of being discussed like that.

“When is Hobi getting here?” I decided to change the subject. There was a moment of silence, and I could almost see Jin sending Tae warning glances to not bring it up anymore even though I had my back turned to them.

“He should be here in a few,” Seokjin answered at last and brought over to my table the cup of tea he was making, “It’s supposed to be a calming mix. It might not do much, but it’s better than whiskey.” I thanked him politely and the room slipped into silence again as I sipped it slowly while Jin watched me like a hawk.

Suddenly there was a groan coming from the sofa and Taehyung was clambering to his feet. “I can’t fucking take it anymore, I’m so bored,” he whined and skipped over to my table, “hyungs, let’s do something.” He did the thing when he tried to be cute (he was cute, but I made it my personal goal to never tell him or he’ll take advantage of it), started pouting and grabbed my shoulder lightly.

“Go take a walk then, he needs a moment of rest,” Jin told him resolutely. He clearly decided not to fall for it today, even though he usually indulged the younger man. “After all, that’s why I’m here in the first place.”

Taehyung dropped the cutesy act and teasingly scowled at him before walking back over to the sofa to grab his phone. He just jokingly whined “You can be so mean, hyung” and was gone out the door before anyone could reply anything.

Once the door shut closed, Jin’s full attention suddenly was on me, and I grew a little nervous. He wouldn’t let anything slide and took his role as a doctor and a hyung very seriously, especially since he was the only one who was older than me and thus had a little bit of authority over my stubborn ass. I knew that Jin and Namjoon often consulted each other on how to approach me, Joon would oftentimes notice something and immediately snitch to Jin cause he knew Jin was the only one I allowed to care for me in such a capacity. It wasn’t unusual that Namjoon would raise a concern about my health, and I would tell him it’s nothing, only to have Jin coming to my house later that day, fully informed and prepared to deal with it (and me).

“How’s your migraines been?” Jin decided to play it safe at first, dancing around what he actually wanted to ask.

“Shit,” I replied dryly and squinted my eyes at him. He looked at me with worry and I sighed. “It’s been getting better,” I begrudgingly told him, and he gave me a look a parent gives their annoying child.

“You need to rest more,” Jin started, and I groaned. Once he got into full parent mode and began nagging, nothing could stop him. Poor Kookie had to listen to a 30-minute-long lecture about the risks of smoking every time he only looked in a direction of a cigarette pack, which then almost every time moved on to us for being bad influence on him. Especially Namjoon who was basically glued to a cigarette. I have over the years got out of the habit and now mostly smoked only occasionally, much to Jin’s content.

“I know, I know,” I stopped him and started imitating him, “I need to sleep more and eat better and drink less alcohol, work less and have other hobbies other than hanging out around bars.” Jin gave me an unimpressed look and pursed his lips.

“So sorry for caring for your measly pathetic life, Mr. Bossman,” he retorted sassily and went to sit down on the sofa. Then he pierced me with his eyes again and I knew there was no running from this.

“So what’s all this about?” he asked and I started speaking basically even before he finished. “Nothing.” Jin raised his eyebrow and relaxed into the couch. “Really now?”

“Yes, no matter what Kookie says, I know what I’m doing,” I said resolutely and gave Jin a look that made it clear we would not be speaking on this matter anymore. That softened the man a little and he relented.

“Okay then,” he said softly and smiled at me, “I trust you, Yoongi. I’m just trying to make sure you’re all safe. I would be a fool not to worry about the police.” While I accepted it was a slight dig at my approach to this, I also knew it was the closest I would get to Jin conceding and leaving this subject behind. I smiled at him with all the charm and charisma I could muster, and he just scoffed at me and busied himself with his own mug of tea.

Though I was also a little surprised, just as Taehyung, at the sudden absence of detective Lee. She was everywhere for a whole week and then just suddenly disappeared, but I was anticipating some sort of new plan was abrewing on her part. I supposed it wouldn’t take too long.

“What do you mean they’re messing with the docks?” I growled into the phone and stomped the cigarette butt into the ground. Namjoon next to me tensed up and also put down his cig only to immediately light up a new one. Hobi on the other side of the phone sighed and apologized.

“It seems that when we stormed them last month some little creative critters managed to slip by us,” the man explained over phone, “They’ve been sabotaging in the docks, stealing cargo and ganging up on some workers here and there, but we’ve got them now. Gonna deal with it tonight.” I scoffed, mildly annoyed but not wanting to take it out on him. Still, I couldn’t stop a little petty remark.

“Funny, I think I already heard that from you once,” I said gruffly and looked over the street to where Jungkook’s car just pulled up. Namjoon waved at me, gestured towards the young man and then set out to welcome him and bring him up to my office.

“I know, hyung, I’m sorry for messing up the first time,” Hobi said with genuine remorse, and I felt like I was inside a one huge déjà vu as he sounded the same as Jimin when he apologised for causing this whole ordeal in the first place. I sighed and softened my voice. After all, this was just a bad month, I knew their abilities.

“It’s fine, I’m just annoyed with how persistent they’re becoming,” I explained to him and also slowly moved towards the office entrance, “who would have thought that they would be this hard to deal with?” Hobi laughed and I heard some shuffling noises from his side, slight murmuring and then a bang of a door.

“It’s good we’ve dealt with them now; they were on a good way to becoming unbelievable menaces. Thank god they trusted themselves enough to mess with us this early while still unprepared for the retaliation, or I bet we’d spend weeks slowly eradicating them like annoying pests.” I laughed at Hobi’s words and nodded even though he couldn’t see me.

“Hubris has a funny way of catching up to you,” I mused quietly, Hobi only humming and then suddenly exclaiming loudly.

“Oh! That’s right!” he shouted out suddenly making me flinch a little. “Christ, Hobi,” I grumbled, “You’re going to make me embarrass myself. What’s up?” The man laughed a little and continued.

“Kookie’s on his way with some very interesting footage you’ll want to see,” the man said mysteriously with a happy lilt to his voice, “We found it when checking the security cameras for the little fuckers messing with our cargo.” I hummed, secretly smiling at the younger man’s antics while waiting for the damn elevator to come to the ground floor.

“He just got here, he’s with Namjoon upstairs. I’m on my way up too,” I told him and finally stepped into the elevator.

“Oh, I better go then,” the man laughed, “I have my plate full here anyway.” With that he hung up and I spent the rest of the ride up building anticipation on what Jungkook wanted to show me.

Upon walking into the office, I found Jungkook already showing something to a smirking Namjoon sitting in my chair. I regarded them both with slight suspicion and then wordlessly made my way to stand next to Jungkook. He immediately put the tablet away and I frowned. He was just about to open his mouth to explain to me, but I beat him to it.

“Hobi already told me you found something on the CCTV, so you can just show me,” I told him gruffly and motioned for him to put the tablet back on the table. He did. With a few quick swipes of his tatted fingers, he presented to me a video. I squinted my eyes at a it a little bit cause it was so dark and hard to see, automatically leaning forward towards the tablet.

It was a view from one of the side alleys by the warehouse we’ve been having troubles with. I was well acquainted with this camera, it was so nicely installed it became practically invisible to anyone who already didn’t know it was there, thus over the years it procured us some very useful evidence. For a moment there was no movement, just a dark alleyway in one of the seedier parts of this city, but then a figure appeared out of the shadows. They were dressed in all black and were slowly slinking by the wall with their eyes trained on something in front of them. We watched it for a few seconds and then the figure turned around and left.

I was just about to question Jungkook, when the man swiped and an enhanced picture of the figure filled the screen. I leaned towards it for a moment and then laughed. It was detective Lee. The picture was grainy and dark, it was quite hard to see, but that was unmistakenly the rookie cop sniffing around.

“The warehouses? What is she doing in the docks?” I speculated out loud.

“I don’t know but I don’t like her sniffing around there,” Jungkook said resolutely, “She’s probably looking for evidence.” I hummed thoughtfully.

“Well, she would have to break into the offices and decode the documents, which would be highly illegal and inadmissible in court, so I doubt she would do that,” I retorted and finally pushed Namjoon out of my chair to sit down, “She’s most likely looking for something specific.” Namjoon leaned over the table and gave us a mischievous smile.

“Or someone specific,” he pointed out. We both looked at him and pondered over it. “She could be just getting the hang of our locations,” Jungkook mused, “I think it’s more probable she just wants to be familiar with the places that we own. Or she thinks we’re just doing illegal shit out in the daylight like a bunch of idiots.” I laughed at that, but the first part of the statement was definitely possible.

“We have to wait for a little more,” I told them both, “She’ll reveal her cards soon.” Jungkook gave me a look but said nothing. Namjoon was just watching us with a smile. I knew the younger man was getting antsy because he cared about my safety and this detective was getting closer than the others. But that was also her weakness – to get more info she abandoned the law, so while yes, she was more determined to find out, but also she was making herself more unreliable to the force and in the eyes of the court. It was a slippery slope for her.

The situation would need some supervision, for sure, but in the end we had the upper hand cause we could report her anytime and cost her the position in the force. I hummed again and smirked.

“We’ll deal with this shortly, don’t worry,” I attempted to soothe the man, “Right now we have to focus on the fiasco with these dealers.” At the change of subject both of the men perked up.

“Do you know anything about how Hobi-hyung wants to go about this?” Namjoon asked Jungkook. They were both standing at the opposite sides of my table looking at each other. Kookie deliberated a little before saying: “He didn’t say much, just that they’re doing it tomorrow. He’s pretty pissed they managed to dodge him, so he’s most probably not gonna be very nice.” To that both me and Namjoon laughed.

“Good,” I said, “They’ve been pissing me off too. Who would have known they would be such pests.”

All three of us shared a look. “Fucking cheers to that,” Jungkook said, and we moved on.

The next day I had gotten a single text from Hobi that sounded very similar to what he texted me last time he went after them. The plan was to surprise them during lunch, storm them quick and blindside them. Ideally it would be over before they ever realised something had hit them. And as someone who had seen Hobi in action before, I knew he was absolutely capable of that.

I was just smoking outside with Namjoon, who was making fun of me that I had gotten back into my habit the whole time he was attempting to light my cigarette, when I got another text.

Hope, 14:49: done

I smiled to myself and patted Joon’s shoulder. He gave me a confused look that melted into satisfied realisation when I winked happily.

Me, 14:51: are you absolutely sure? no more surprises?

Hope, 14:52: no more surprises. i’ll be over in twenty

I pocketed my phone again and stubbed out the cig, lightly slapped Joon’s shoulder again and moved to go back inside. The man followed after me without a word or a question, only gave me a celebratory smile when getting off the elevator a floor beneath my office.

I waited gingerly for the man’s arrival, drinks ready for us and words of gratitude on my tongue. Faithful to his word, he got there in twenty minutes on the dot, bursting into my door with a wide smile, no doubt also happy he managed to teach a lesson to some pesky kids messing about with things way beyond their capabilities.

I clasped a hand on his shoulder and smiled at him.

“Don’t worry, I left no loose ends this time,” was the first thing he said, “though I wish I had more time for clean up, but the cops were called. They’re most probably already there.”

“As long as there’s nothing linking us to them, it’s okay,” I reassured him and pulled us both to the sofa. He shook his head at that.

I trusted Hobi, I knew he was damn good at his job. He was always so excellent at making everything that was causing me headaches disappear, and I felt endless gratitude to the man. For a moment we both just sat there in comfortable silence and sipped our drinks.

I took another swig of whiskey and winced. “Jin would kill me if he saw me right now,” I muttered and Hobi laughed. “It’s for celebration, I’m sure he would understand,” the man joked, knowing full well how obsessed the doctor was with making us all live healthily, even when we all knew it was a losing battle. I snickered again and relaxed into the sofa.

“If the cops are there right now, that means they’ll probably show up here by the evening or early tomorrow,” I mused out loud, already too familiar with their strategies. Hobi agreed with me, but I could see that he was thinking about something else.

“What’s up?” I asked gently. Hobi looked at me and hesitated a little. “I might have to go to Japan for a little bit,” he said eventually. I looked at him in surprise.

“Japan? Why?”

The man reached into his back pocket and pulled out a piece of folded paper. One of the corners was painted with a splatter of blood and the paper was all tired and frayed from whatever it went through.

“He was really trying to make sure I wouldn’t read this, so I made extra sure to get it,” Hobi explained, looking at me observantly and carefully continuing, “And for good reason. I’m sure you yourself recognise this.” He handed me the paper and I slowly unfolded it to not do any more damage to it.

I did recognise it and immediately felt a rush of cold rage hit my bloodstream. Before me, there was a formal invitation to meet with the Watanabe family, one of the smaller suppliers from Japan. They weren’t the ones that we were doing the most business with, but we had a mutual trust to keep out of each other’s way, occasionally help each other out and otherwise not cross each other’s paths.

Whether they knew what these little fucks were planning or not, it seems that a connection between them was established. And as such, I couldn’t let it slide. Especially since the dead rat wanted to keep it secret so bad. There must have been something going on.

For the Watanabes it would be beneficial to try and get us out of the way, since we were blocking their way to most of Seoul, but I couldn’t believe they were this fucking stupid.

“That explains a lot,” I said, reverting back to my business self, “and here I was, thinking we were cordial with each other.” Hobi hummed. I looked at him and let him feel the full force of my anger with the behaviour of our supposed allies.

“Let them know just how disappointed I am with them for me, please,” I told him, voice full of ice. This wasn’t a playground, we weren’t kids messing about in the sandbox. We had to act quickly, before someone got the idea that they could cross our path.

The conversation was a little stunted after that, both of us thinking about the implications of an alliance between these two; so once Hobi finished his drink, he moved to leave, finally deciding it’s time to get back to his boys and make sure everything’s going off without a hitch now. He turned around, mouth opening to tell me one last thing, when he opened the door and promptly bumped into someone. I stood up from the chair, worried for a moment, only to grin wide when I realised who it was.

Hobi had managed to catch the nosy detective before she fell, and I had the best view in the house for when she looked up and realised who was it that she slammed into at my office. As every time, her face was an open book there for everyone to read and I saw it go from apologetic to absolute mortification to some sort of astounded glee. I watched her like a hawk while she stared at Hobi and the wheels in my brain were turning full speed. Huh, could it be?

Even when she snapped out of it and Hobi started to tease her, her eyes remained glued to the man with clarity and determination. If I was a jealous man, I may have even gotten a little angry at the display of open interest, I thought to myself jokingly while I watched them amused. So this was her goal, huh? She was after Hoseok. It did make sense, he would be someone the police found interesting, but he also had considerable experience at dodging them.

Once Hobi left and I could see her gearing up to bullshit me to the max, clearly totally out of her depth here, I decided to test my theory a little bit. But I would need help with that. I gave her a little bait and only waited for her to bite. She did. She didn’t even ask how I knew about what was happening in the docks, just started scrambling to explain herself somehow. I pulled out my phone again and texted the one man I knew could accomplish this.

Me, 16:29: how fast can you get here? need a distractor asap

TaeTae, 16:29: be there in 15 hyung <3

I chuckled a little at his fast reply, but quickly got up to move towards the bar. I had to distract her well and leave her distracted enough to slip a little bug on her. I weaved my web, pulled her in different directions, and I lied.

“We had nothing to do with it,” I said, though I had ordered the strike as retribution. But some things she wasn’t prepared to hear upfront, with some honesty I would have to wait until she was too deep to be appalled by the reality.

Taehyung burst into the room just as he always did, in the perfect way to steal all the attention. Her head snapped to the door with panic, and I seized my opportunity. I moved behind my table and fished around in the first drawer for the small device. I checked on Taehyung who was doing his best magician act, though by definition he would be more of my beautiful young assistant tasked with distracting the crowd while I faked the magic trick. It took only a second for my skilled fingers to slip the tracker beneath her phone case and by the moment she looked at me in horror at Taehyung’s behaviour, I was already sitting on the side of the guest chair satisfied with myself and watching the man work.

I couldn’t help the pleased hum when she grabbed her phone and flustered stumbled out of the door.

The moment the door closed behind her Tae looked at me curiously. “What was that about?” he asked full of mischievous keenness. I shrugged and smiled at him mysteriously. “Just trying to prove a theory of mine,” I uttered nonchalantly and thoroughly enjoyed the eager interest of the younger man.

“That was a tracker, wasn’t it?” he asked again, ever so observant. I gave him another grin. His curious eyes never missed anything, they always flitted around wherever he was, taking in people’s actions and expressions, that’s why he was my favourite spy. People didn’t take him much seriously, they didn’t see him as threat and he knew how to take advantage of it perfectly and bring every little dirty secret right to me.

“Hmmm, we’ll speed up the process a little bit and Kookie will hopefully relax now,” I told him. He hummed too and got up to get himself another drink.

“Guess we’ll see.”

Maybe we were having a little too much fun pretending like we didn’t know she was tailing us. How do you school your face while talking when you know that a cop is sitting 10 metres away from you? Though we did agree that we like the upgraded look with the motorcycle, so I guess that’s what she was up to the whole time we didn’t see her following us.

It would be a little better had Hoseok been in the country, but we had to entertain ourselves while he dealt with the traitors. I hadn’t heard from him really for around two or three days, which surprisingly was a good thing. It meant he was too busy solving problems to reply. In the end Jin decided to go with him and I had absolute confidence that they would deal with it no matter what that entailed.

I heard Jungkook lightly complain that she’d gotten craftier and how he often had to drive around to lose her to be able to go about his day peacefully. She did go after Namjoon for a little bit and then promptly gave up, which didn’t surprise me as he only spent time home or in the office, she did try to follow Jungkook, but he never gave her a chance. Tae and Jimin didn’t seem to be her targets in the slightest, much to Taehyung’s displeasure, who grumbled about how he’s also interesting. So she mostly stuck with me. But I was patiently waiting for Hobi to return and see.

The moment Hoseok and Jin stepped foot into the country, I warned him to not show up around for a while. He was very confused, but when I said it’s related to the police, he obliged happily, though we had to meet up to discuss his trip to Japan and its conclusion. One day when her little red dot didn’t move from the station, I called him over.

I had to go to the Magic Shop, which was one of the newer clubs Tae was trying to transform into a popular spot, and Jimin came over too. He was still trying to “sweeten my rage”, in his words, which I no longer felt but didn’t tell him. I’d never admit it, but I quite liked the way he was trying to be so damn cute and play up how much he loves me, though I was pretty sure he knew and that’s why he hasn’t stopped yet. I was just laughing at the two younger men’s antics when Jungkook’s car pulled over to the club and the two newcomers jumped out.

“Hyung!” Jimin shouted out, “You’re finally back!” Hobi laughed and threw himself at the blond, tackling him into an aggressive hug, both of them giggling. Tae couldn’t stay still and joined them, with me and Jungkook watching them fondly with smiles on our faces.

“Okay, okay!” I talked over the commotion and pulled them apart, “Unfortunately I have to steal him away for a bit, you can have him later.” The youngsters pouted at me, but it was all in jokes. But when I looked over at Hobi, he had a guilty expression on his face. I sighed a little and smiled at him.

“Sorry hyung, I actually have to go check on the warehouses in Songhyeon-dong, the boys have been asking for me,” he explained and gave an apologetic smile, “You can come too, though. If you have time.” I pursed my lips and thought about it, but I already knew I couldn’t make it.

“It’s across the whole city, unfortunately it’s not convenient for me today,” I told him. We needed to debrief properly; it would be best if Jin was present too, but the man was hard to come by during the weekdays due to his clinic. Every rich person in whole of Seoul wanted him to attend to them and he usually ran from patient to patient, while Hobi was the number one contact for those who worked in or around the warehouses and thus found himself driving around Seoul just solving shit that went wrong. If he couldn’t wait here to have a conversation, it must have been pretty serious there. He was looking at me stressed, most probably trying to think of a way to make it work for everyone, but I patted his shoulder and smiled reassuringly.

“It’s okay, Hobi,” I assured him, “I’ll visit you tomorrow or the day after. I’ll bring Jin too.” He returned my smile and moved back to Jungkook’s car.

“Wait, Hobi-hyung!” Jimin shouted out again, “I drove here with the silver Porsche, you can take it cause Tae’s gonna drive me back.” The blond-haired man fished around in the pockets for a moment and then threw something small and black towards Hoseok, who caught it without problem with a cheeky wink and a smile.

He was gone in a minute, and I soon followed with Jungkook. In the end Jimin took my car and I asked Kookie to drive me to the office, since he was going to stay there with me and Joon anyway. I kept thinking back to the Japan issue, wondering what the boys found out and what the Watanabes tried to claim. And whether we should prepare to burn some bridges.

The next day, though, started in a somewhat peculiar manner. When I came out in the morning and got into the car, Jungkook was sitting next to Soobin with a sombre expression. I immediately straightened and prepared to hear whatever it was that went wrong in those few short hours I was gone.

“I messed up hyung,” he said sheepishly and handed over his phone. The little tracking red dot wasn’t in its usual spot, by my house or by one of the clubs, not even by the office or the station. It was in Songhyeon-dong. Right across from our warehouses. I laughed and Jungkook looked at me nervously.

“Where’s Hoseok right now?” I asked immediately and the younger man snapped into attention.

“He’s in there right now, got in about 7 o’clock, was talking about some papers that have been waiting for him to approve,” Kookie answered, mind back on business and unpleasant feelings left behind to focus on this fully. I grinned at the man wildly. “Perfect.”

I swiftly pulled out my phone and started writing a simple and quick message.

Me, 8:15: stay in the warehouse, don’t walk out at all

Hope, 8:17: what do you mean hyung? are we in danger?

Me, 8:17: no, don’t worry. our little spy is on you and i’m trying to prove something

“Do you want to go to Dynamite today, or are we expected at the hotel?” Soobin’s voice pulled me away from my phone, back to a nervous Jungkook sitting next to the unsure bodyguard. “The hotel, thank you Soobin,” I answered politely with a mild smile and redirected my attention back to Jungkook.

“Don’t worry Kookie, I’m not mad,” I said with a smile, “This is actually exactly what I wanted, just hoped that I would have more time and control over when she found him. Guess she must have been on us yesterday.” The young man stiffened and looked back to his phone.

“Do you think she’s aware of the tracker? Left it at the station purposely to mess with us?” he asked all business-like, probably already trying to come up with a new plan. “It’s possible,” I hummed, “It’s time to find out.”

Silence took over the car as we made our way through the city. I smiled to myself. Even though it happened a little faster than I was planning, but I was glad she was still going in the direction I had predicted. I look away for a moment and you leave for one of my friends, huh? You definitely work fast.

I laughed again, earning a strange look from the two younger men, but only gave them a mysterious wink. We might be able to deal with this shortly, if everything goes well. The key was to find out what the goal was, then I could control what she found and make sure she’d stay away from what we needed to hide.

“Let’s give her a few days,” I told them and gave them another grin.

Me, 8:25: how would you feel about going to the warehouse every day and just staying there?

Hope, 8:26: ???

Four days later I sat into my car and instructed Soobin to drive to the warehouse with a shit-eating grin. Jungkook had been keeping me updated on her movements and she spent her days either at the station or staking out in the building across the premises.

Hobi, as promised, had been going to the warehouse and just sitting on his ass there, thoroughly complaining through his phone the whole time. I had been trying to calm him down and keep him there, while Joon and Kookie took it upon themselves to tease him all the time with pics and cheeky texts about eating in restaurants and hanging out in clubs together, so he was slowly losing his patience with my plan. I had to move forward quickly for the benefit of us all, even though I did find it awfully funny.

Reaching our destination, I took the time to walk around very self-assuredly for a moment knowing she was watching this angle. When I tired of putting on a show of how free and relaxed I was this day, I finally made my way inside. Through the door you entered straight to the short hall which led to our office, so it was a relatively short and quiet trip.

Hoseok and Jungkook were already sitting inside, Hobi behind the table and the maknae occupying an armchair sitting a little more towards a corner to the left of the door. With the sound of the door opening, their heads snapped towards me and as soon as they saw my smug smirk, Hoseok groaned loudly.

“God, please tell me this is over!” he whined and dramatically draped himself over the surface of the table, “I can’t take another day of this! I’m going to fucking lose my mind here!” Jungkook chuckled at him and retorted with a slight smirk: “You should have treated this as a holiday or something. Watched Netlix and all that stuff.” To that Hobi screamed out loud and grabbed something on his table to throw at the now laughing Kookie. “Yah! You think I have time to burn? I’ve got shit to do!”

I snickered at them and moved inside, Soobin following me in. I gestured at Jungkook. “Did you bring the cup as I asked?” The man nodded at me. I smiled, as relaxed as I haven’t been in a long time, and sat down on a chair by the table. Soobin remained standing by the door so I gestured at him to also sit somewhere, as this would take a while.

“So what’s next in your amazing and genius plan that involves the literal torture of your beloved dongsaeng?” He asked, suddenly pretending to be all business-like and serious, while Jungkook still occasionally giggled in his spot to our left.

“Now we talk for a bit, draw it out a little,” I said smirking meanly, “Then we send in Soobin and wait what he brings back.”

“It’s pretty cold outside, hope she’s dressed for the occasion,” Hobi noted cheekily and relaxed into his chair. I hummed and schooled my expression. I did have to bring up Japan, we haven’t had a chance to talk about it properly yet and I couldn’t visit him sooner cause we were planning what to do about our little spy.

“I don’t think she knows about the tracker,” Jungkook mused out loud, “she keeps bringing it. I don’t think it’s a statement like ‘look where I am’, it wouldn’t make sense to let us know.” Hobi nodded, humming in agreement, and they carried on for a moment, the conversation heading to the clubs as Hoseok asked about how it went while he was gone. I let them speak for a little while, just enjoying the company, until their chattering died off and they both looked at me questioningly.

“We have to talk about Japan,” I said simply, not feeling the need to beat around the bush. Hoseok immediately sobered up and straightened in his chair, while Jungkook looked on curiously, no doubt also dying to know the situation in which we found ourselves in.

“Well, they claimed innocence,” the dark-haired man said sombrely, “I’ve heard bullshit enough time in my life to smell it a mile away, but there wasn’t anything I could really pin on them. I checked the dates of their stay, and it was relatively recently, there wasn’t much correspondence between them, that I found. And we did thrash the dealers’ hiding spots. They must have gotten rid of it. But the head of the Watanabe family is such a slimy motherfucker that I don’t believe a word he said. They surely must have been planning something together.” He shrugged and sat back. “I’m afraid right now we can’t do much about it unless we want to seem like vicious usurpers.” Jungkook leaned forward and looked at us thoughtfully.

“Japan is outside of our turf, if we did something rash without substantial evidence, we could risk losing the support of the Satos,” he contemplated out loud, “God knows what’s going on between them right now.” I hummed and nodded, smiling at the man satisfied. He really did grow up, god. Time flies so fast.

“There seem to be two main issues right now,” I surmised solemnly, “First, the Watanabes are small and cowardly. The reason why they’re where they are is because they just suck up to others and hug their thighs to drain all the benefits from them. If they stirred up trouble with someone, they would no doubt end up eradicated before sundown.” The men looked at me with similar serious expressions. I took a moment to get myself a glass of water and continued talking standing up by the office desk.

“So, what gave them the confidence to get involved with an effort against us?” I mused thoughtfully, “There is a chance that they couldn’t have known that their new friends would immediately go and cross us and get themselves all killed, but I trust Hobi’s instinct. The fucking clown that leads the family now is a sleazy bastard, one with an ego that doesn’t match his wit nor his guts. He loves to gloat and provoke, but only when he knows someone stronger’s got his back.” Hobi nodded. He knew the man well since he had the displeasure of meeting him a few times when we were in Japan and had to attend a few of the same events as he did.

“If he knew he was at risk, he would have met me already grovelling,” Hoseok muttered with distaste, his immense disdain towards the man showing through, “that’s the kind of a pathetic vermin he is.” I agreed with him and carried on.

“So that means he probably feels comfortable timidly opposing us, cause there’s someone that’s got his back,” I concluded, “Someone who’s probably on our side of the puddle, someone who probably hooked him up with the rats we just got rid of. They probably weren’t expecting them to go against us immediately and die, but they don’t feel intimidated by the fact that we suspect something.”

The room sunk into silence as we all pondered about it. I could be looking too much into it, but in this world one never knew. You couldn’t survive here by assuming everyone’s best intentions. Quite the opposite. The little shits feeling confident enough to swindle us, them trying to desperately hide the invitation before they lose the chance to, the Watanabe’s approach to a meeting with Hobi. It wasn’t much to go off of, but it was suspicious enough to keep track of and keep in mind. If there potentially was a beginning of a plot against us, we had to stay alert and monitor the situation before it spun out of control.

“The confidence means their alliance is already pretty sure, then,” Jungkook broke the silence and took turns looking at us both. I gave him a single jerky nod in return. “Probably. Who knows.”

“What’s the second issue?” Hobi suddenly asked. Kookie looked at me questioningly and his face suddenly looked so much younger with his eyes wide, it almost shocked me speechless.

“The Japanese families,” I shook off my surprise and continued, “If we do decide to make take some precautions, we need to properly communicate so with the Satos and get their support. They need to be in full agreement with whatever we choose to do with the Watanabe clan.” Hobi scoffed and turned to me.

“That shouldn’t be too hard. They’re not that influential and going against us means they’re going against the Satos too.”

“Still,” I repeated, “We need to test their alliance to us too.” A realisation hit Jungkook’s face and he nodded enthusiastically. That made me laugh a little at his earnestness. Hobi also smiled, but it was still strained.

“Let’s bide our time for now,” my voice carried through the office resolutely, “Lay low, pretend we’re over this issue and gather our wits. And prepare for potentially dealing with this.”

We nodded at each other. Even if years have passed since our youth and the fire and passion and determination that comes with it, we were still prepared to fight for what was rightfully ours. We climbed our way here through hell and there’s no way we’d let some snotty little brats try to take everything away from us.

“I’ll keep my eyes and ears out,” Kookie stated, phone in hand ready, “They’re bound to come across something juicy.” Hobi murmured his approval and turned his attention back to me.

“Today we should deal with the other issue at hand, or I am actually going to go insane between these four walls,” he complained whinily and I laughed at him. I moved towards the little kitchenette in the right corner from the door and started preparing some coffee. I made a cup for all present and then one extra into the cup Kookie brought with him, which I promptly handed to Soobin.

“My boys scoped it out and she seems to have her hideout on the sixth floor to the left of the staircase,” Hobi instructed the young man, who patiently waited on me to send him off.

“Tell her something that will piss her off,” I said only, grinning wildly. The blond man smirked at me and disappeared out of the room swiftly and silently.

“Now we wait,” I told the room, sitting gingerly back into the chair with my fresh cup of coffee, playing with the spoon like a spoiled little kid waiting for his birthday present. We all stayed silent, too much on our minds to keep mindless convo. Kookie was typing furiously on his phone, a slight scowl sometimes tugging at his features, while Hobi relaxed into the chair and serenely looked off into the distance. I tried to keep the self-satisfied smirk on my face while my mind slipped to more serious issues.

I couldn’t help but be worried about the current situation. Their potential ties to a stronger gang, or maybe even a family, would explain the surprising difficulty with which they went down. I knew I stepped on many toes when I stole half the fucking Seoul right from under their noses, and even more when I proved impossible to dethrone. It didn’t surprise me at all to uncover a supposed scheme like this. Truly, this didn’t even have to necessarily be aimed against me and my gang, but the boys fucked up by involving us in their business. But no matter what, we would emerge victorious from this, that I had no doubt about. Once someone crossed a line, we would make an example of them and teach a lesson to whoever it was that wanted to mess with us.

Over the years in this “business”, I had learnt a lot. One of the things was: what couldn’t be solved with threats, would be solved with blood. And it never failed me before. I looked at Hobi and Kookie again and smiled. We had each other’s backs and I trusted their abilities more than I trusted myself. The truth was that we were more a family than many around us that were actually blood related. That was the second reason of our success.

Soobin returned within 15 minutes, of which he probably spent most time going up and down the stairs. He walked back into the office slightly breathless and a little red, so I gestured for the single cup of coffee left on the mini kitchen counter. He walked over and took a tentative sip, probably finding it the perfect temperature since it’s been waiting for him here and slowly cooling down.

We all found ourselves hanging onto him with our eyes, some excitement coursing through the room at what he was about to divulge to us. Kookie broke first.

“How did she react to you?” he asked eagerly, waiting to confirm his theory about the tracker.

“She was shocked and surprised, and frankly pissed off,” Soobin answered immediately, his deep voice having a calming effect on us, “She didn’t seem to understand how you were able to find her.”

Jungkook exclaimed happily. “Perfect, that means she doesn’t know about the tracker,” he said satisfied. I was about to destroy his whole joy though, so I let him bask in it a little before speaking.

“We’re gonna mess with her a little, make it obvious,” I told the room and Kookie immediately groaned. “Hyung, having her tracked without her knowledge is the safest way to let her be but still have control over the situation. Why would you want to give that up?” I winked at him and pursed my lips teasingly.

“To provoke her. Rile her up, frustrate her, push her to her limits,” I explained, eyes flitting between the three men, “She’ll reveal herself then.” Kookie hummed in understanding, but Hobi squinted his eyes at me somewhat suspicious. I quickly averted his eyes and focused back onto Soobin.

“What else did she say?” I asked him. The man immediately snapped to attention at me addressing him and answered. “That you’re annoying and she hates you.” His voice was neutral, but I could detect some undertones of amusement. I agreed it must have been an amusing sight.

I laughed lightly and finished my coffee in one gulp. The game was on.

Now that Hoseok was free of his prison, he went back to flitting between the docks and ships like a mother bird trying to take care of all of her young. Jin was similarly busy by his practice, so he also missed out on all of the fun. Namjoon kept saying he was above messing with the police, even though I caught him sneaking smirks and grins every now and then, and Kookie was just as disapproving as ever of my tactics. Jimin tried to stay neutral as he hadn’t met her yet, but thoroughly enjoyed our shenanigans.

That left me and Tae on the shit-stirrer team, and we did milk it for as long as we could. Just the ultimate annoyances, hoping to send her into a complete rage over this. She still had the tracker regularly on her, so we were forced to assume she was none the wiser, but the longer it dragged on the more suspicious I was becoming.

Once she started showing up to the office regularly, cheshire grin firmly plastered on her face, tracker still firmly attached to her, I pretty much guessed she must have known. Suddenly I was spending my afternoons making her tea and watching her leisurely stroll about my office, studying every inch of it and grinning from ear to ear. I waited patiently for her next move, and admittedly, I found myself quite excited with this game we were playing with each other. She was a fast learner and had a quick wit, and I did appreciate her readiness to throw all laws aside to try to stick it to a guy that mildly annoyed her once. The anticipation was steadily rising the longer we just danced around and pretended we both knew nothing.

I did start to slip. I watched her move about less, focused more on work. I would always suddenly shake myself out of the work-induced haze to find her still sitting at the sofa curiously eying everything in the office like a little kid first time in an amusement park. But while we were in this strange stale-mate, I didn’t dare refuse her visits. I was truly curious, dying to know her next move, especially since she suddenly became such a showman.

I didn’t immediately realise what was happening when she suddenly stopped showing up. One day she was sitting there, smirking up a storm, and the next there was no trace of her. I found myself walking around my office, inspecting the objects at display and the decorations, trying to catch anything different. I even allowed Jungkook to thoroughly comb through the room to make sure there weren’t any planted bugs or things in the same vein, but the space was clean.

We kept checking on the tracker app, but it became quite obvious immediately she had gotten rid of it, as it was moving in areas that she never went to. So she did know. And she did do something.

It wasn’t until two days later, when Jungkook stormed my house and decided to comb through my clothes with a device detector; and found a corner of my coat beeping curiously. I had to stop him from tearing into it in his haste to find out what she planted on me, and instead took it upon myself to inspect the piece of clothing. I managed to find a small tear and smirked at her craftsmanship. I fished the little gadget out and handed it over to the younger man.

Jin and Hobi were sitting on the couch watching this whole ordeal go down with curious, slightly amused and mildly alarmed faces, but I wasn’t too worried about it. Jungkook was grumbling something next to me, but I paid him no mind. My fingers felt something else slipped into the coat and I was trying to get a hold of it. By its thinness and elusiveness, it must have been a piece of paper.

“It’s a tracker, similar to what we planted on her,” I heard him explaining it to the other men present, but suddenly exclaimed in victory, startling the three men, as I finally managed to pull the mysterious note out. I took a single look at it and burst out laughing.

They snapped their eyes to me and Jungkook immediately rushed to my side as if prepared to defend my life against a piece of paper. I lifted my gaze to look at their confused faces and flipped the paper around for them to see.

fuck you min yoongi :p

Only Hobi seemed to be as amused by it as I was, Jungkook deliberating something silently and Jin watching us all like a hawk, his sharp eyes taking in the interaction with burning interest.

Once I had calmed down and sent Kookie off to the office to get Joon and figure out what to do about the little device, I found myself sitting between the two other oldest of the group, amusement slowly slipping into nervosity. I knew them well enough, I could see the cogs turning in their heads, I could feel they were on the doorstep of a discovery, and I wouldn’t like the conversation that would follow, but I truly didn’t expect Jin to just jump into it head first.

I had leaned towards the table to grab one of the snacks Jin had graciously prepared for us, when he cleared his throat.

“Kookie had been talking to me a lot about how this whole situation is unfolding. Hobi too,” Jin said, seemingly just holding mindless conversation, but I still tensed up. I turned to look at him.

“Yeah?” I turned to the other side to look at Hobi, who avoided my eyes.

“Yeah,” Jin reiterated, his voice gravelly, “So can you fucking explain to me why have you been testing this cop like you did the boys before they joined?”

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Taglist (open) : @wobblewobble822 @viankiss @jjkwifestyle

[murdocksapostasy]

Hello sweetheart, my heart and body aches for a fic with frank and matt. Both want reader. Matt always dissapoits reader (because he cant call back or gets busy at night doing his thing) and frank is the cutie he is and comforts her (like let her forget matt) he hears her little wimpers while patroling. Frank and matt always being cocky at each other bout reader and who shes gonna like more? You know that typical frank matt dynamic I LOVE THAT ❤️

hi hun, matt and frank are an incredible duo i totally agree so here you go!

*3am*

you wake up from a shallow sleep, you feel wind blowing on your skin, “odd” you think. your bedroom window is wide open, you turn over in bed realising you’re alone, for fucks sake matt. again? when are you ever gonna get a good and peaceful nights rest with him, you get up trying to adjust your eyes to the dark looking for your phone. you call and you call, with each voicemail driving you more into worry and anger. eventually matt answers

“i can’t talk right now my love.” before you can get a word in the phone hangs up. you’re sick of this. worried to pieces and so pissed off. this is horrible. you start crying, you can’t help it anymore with how unreliable and dismissive he’s being all the time. it’s not fair. you make another phone call this it’s not to matt, but to frank. he barely gave your phone time to ring before picking up. “hey is everything okay?” he says,

“yeah um. it’s just matt again im worried” frank can tell by the way you’re speaking that you’re tired and anxious it isn’t the first time you’ve called with something like this. “do you want me to get ahold of him?” he asks dreading your answer. “i don’t know frank. it feels useless, he’s gonna do the same thing tomorrow anyway” the hopelessness in your voice is undeniable

“how about i come get you?”

“yeah i’d like that” your answer is almost hesitant. he’s never suggested anything like this before.

“i’ll be there, we can give red a scare when he gets back. see how he likes you not picking up the phone huh?” a slight smile appears on your face. “thanks frank i’ll see you.”

*4 am*

you’re sitting franks apartment on your third drink. kinda slurring your words, you’re laid out on his couch dumping your drunk babble on him “he thinks he’s so mysterious.. i hate it if i’m so important why is it-” “you are important”frank cuts you off. silence lingers in the air for a little, “i should get you to bed maybe, i’ll take the couch don’t worry”

“i don’t know. i don’t wanna worry my matthew”

“worry him then. it’ll be a taste of his own medicine. fucker hasn’t a right to treat you like that anyway” franks words are filled with a bitterness, like seeing you mistreated genuinely *hurts him.*

“but what if he thinks something happened to me frank?”

“nothing has. and nothing will i’ve got you”

[omoracheese]

if you are comfortable with natlan characters can you do kinich and mualani omo headcanons 🙏

Thank you for the ask! Kinich and Mualani are my favourite Natlan characters, so I do have a few headcanons. Sorry for the long time replying tho, I struggled a bit to write them.

Mualani :

Big bladder, takes a lot of time to empty it

Doesn't leak much. One or two small leaks max, usually pees full force right away and couldn't stop if her life depended on it.

Doesn’t notice her need until it had already gotten pretty bad

Basically goes from feeling nothing to being completely desperate and minutes away from peeing herself

The fact that she’s often in the water, therefore being used to just let go whenever she needs to doesn’t really help when she’s on solid ground with no water near

When she does notice, cannot ignore the urge, and will try to find somewhere to go as soon as she realizes. If there are no bathroom, she would go for the first place where peeing would be acceptable. Sink? Fine. Potted plants? Sure. Outside, in plain view? Excellent. Would pee anywhere, doesn’t care if people are watching

Can and will continue chatting as she pees, sometimes even while maintaining eye contact and facing the person she’s talking to

Potty dance queen, doesn’t feel any shame in squirming for her life with both her hands between her thighs and bouncing on her heels

Very vocal about her need. Lots of whining, complains a lot if she can’t go for any reason

If she wets herself, would genuinely laugh it off and either forget about it or tell it as a funny story later on

Loud sighs of relief when she lets go

She’s probably peed a few times in the hot springs because she was too comfy to leave

When she’s on a tour with tourists, she would easily excuse herself. She’s a professional, so she would try to hold it for a bit, but would quickly give up.

If one of her friends gets desperate with her, she would do her best to help, but oh how much she would tease them afterwards. Not during it, tho, she’s been there before and it is not a pleasant experience.

Would comfort anyone, even someone she absolutely doesn’t know, with but not only telling the times when she wet herself, or the weirdest places she peed in with no shame and no care about all the people around that can hear.

Would talk about the weirdest places she peed in during casual conversation.

Kinich :

I’d think his bladder isn’t that small, but it’s probably not that big. I’d say he’s the one with the smallest bladder between the Natlan trio.

Kinda used to hold it during missions, but also used to notice the need early and go as soon as he can to avoid any ulterior troubles.

Leaks a lot before completely losing control

Since he’s good at evaluating costs, he’d rather avoid wetting himself, because damaging his reputation wouldn’t help with business, but if he really can't avoid it he’d prefer that rather than holding for too long and damaging his health. (Would also avoid wetting himself because Ajaw would be a dick)

Often pees ‘just in case’ before leaving for a mission to avoid being troubled during it

Boy has grown up in the mountains, so he has no trouble going outside. However, he isn’t really comfortable going inside. He’d rather avoid using an indoor bathroom if he can find a spot to pee outside.

When desperate, doesn’t really show it much. More static, probably fiddles with his accessories, shifts his weight from one foot to another, slightly swings one of his legs, tapping his foot… If sitting, would reposition himself often to put less pressure on his bladder.

Not vocal at all. Would probably click his tongue or let out some annoyed sighs.

If he needs to excuse himself, he would, however he wouldn’t explain himself unless he’s being asked directly.

If he needs to go, would not say it out loud unless he’s being asked directly.

If the one asking is Ajaw, would not answer. He probably wouldn’t let him know, because Ajaw is a little fucker and would use that to annoy him to hell. He won’t actively hide it, though, because he knows Ajaw would mock him even more.

When letting go, would let out a long, soft sigh.

When wetting, holds his breath until everything’s out. Would be very conscious about the fact that he's pissing in his pants.

Would not let go (more of less) on purpose unless there is no way he can't access to a bathroom or spot to pee in in time

While not pee-shy, definitely prefers to be alone to do his business. Usually doesn’t pee with people near, unless it’s someone he trusts or is familiar enough with. Peeing is a moment you're vulnerable, and he’s used to living in the wild.

Would pee in a container if he can avoid peeing his pants, doesn’t like it. There is also some limit to the objects he’d use. Wouldn’t pee in someone else’s things, unless they’re insisting a lot that he can use it, and he would repay them, in mora or favor.

If he ends up wetting himself, would definitely get embarrassed, but would try to not to show it too much.

Ajaw wouldn’t help, as he would 100% shout for all of Teyvat to hear, doing his utmost to mock him and humiliate him further. Would end up being on time out, but would think it worth it.

Fortunately for Kinich, Mualani is here to comfort him. Kachina would awkwardly try to comfort him too, and he’d be thankful for that. After some time though Mualani would probably tease him when in private

Mualani would also bother him while he’s peeing. At first, he would be quite embarrassed, but after a while he got used to it, and would even occasionally speak back

Also, his outfit?? The overall?? I’d love to imagine that sometimes he wears the top part too, zipped until the very top, and that he sometimes struggles to get the zipper down and the overall down in time, or that the zipper gets stuck…

[emojellyace08]

Ahh! I love your writing and I'm curious about how Samuel would take witnessing the person he is in love with confessing to Jake. Just fun lil angst I thought about 💜

Samuel Seo x Reader feat. Jake Kim "I shouldn't have cared in the first place" Angst oneshot

Damn this is actually a good idea @vibinbugg. (I like Jake Kim more in terms of character but I tend to relate with Samuel sometimes...). And sorry if this is late and rushed but I tried my best lol so I hope you like it. Genre: angst 🥀 Slight warnings: insecurities, third wheels, inferiority complex (not recommended in real life go talk to your buddies when you have problems like this), arguing/shouting, always being the second choice (Samuel's POV) Reader is gender neutral

He's like a raging storm that comes in everybody's way. When he gets ticked off, you're facing off a dangerous monster. He's destructive, fearless, and most especially not the best person to cross with. He'll get what he wants, no matter who or what fuckers comes in his way. He just doesn't care.

When it comes to love, Samuel is having a bit of mental crisis on it. Romance, caring, social and emotional connection? He doesn't need any of those. He looks down to love as a big sign of weakness. His mom never cared about him in the first place, his so called "friends" in Big Deal couldn't stand him, and most especially,

he couldn't even care for himself.

Samuel's ego gets in the way sometimes no matter how hard he tries to ease himself down. And no matter how he doesn't want to admit it, he's somehow insecure. He wants to be the best, the strongest of them all even he does cruel and unforgivable things just to be satisfied. But no matter how many money he is payed, how many enemies he took down with his brutal strength, he couldn't find the satisfaction that he's looking for. Something is, what's the word? Missing?

Then you came into his life.

Your fragile, naïve, and most especially weak. You are the thing Samuel hated the most. He sees you as someone who couldn't even protect themselves and is always looking for love. Ready to please everybody even though you're already being abused. It kind of reminded him of himself when he's younger. He can see his own reflection on your eyes as you pleaded for help. He wants nothing to do with you. And he couldn't even empathize anymore. He will always try to stop the tears that threatened to fall from his always gloomy and dark eyes, letting himself to feel numb. He just felt tired and exhausted to even cry, let alone live. But something about you caught his attention. You may not be the best in looks, but you got that thing called "charm". Is it because the way you smiled? The way you're always genuinely complimenting him? Your innocence? Your body? Your positive and optimistic thinking? He couldn't even find the answers for himself.

Samuel wants to avoid you. Samuel wants to be away from you. But you're like the flaming light on the dark and he's the moth who's attracted to you. You're the light that he's been looking for all of his life. You feel so warm in the cold and dark nights. You're like the burning fire that makes him comfortable on his own skin. You thought him to be not so hard on himself. You thought him that opening up to someone isn't a sign of weakness. It's in fact a sign of strength, that building memorable and fun memories isn't something to be ashamed of. It may be a slow and steady process, but Samuel was thankful for it.

You thought him to be more human.

He can't help but to admire you more and more as he stays on your side which gladly you didn't mind. You protected him when everybody is going up against him even though he knows he's on the wrong. He really appreciates you a lot even when it's not so obvious. He does try to be caring and open. It's not only because of you who taught him to love himself even more, but you also thought him to love others. And that person that he only cared about is you.

But no matter how many times he wants to be more honest and open about his feelings, Samuel couldn't seem to do it. He felt like someone is stopping and threatening him.

He could have confessed to you on the first place.

Samuel is standing there, watching you and Jake hug as you sobbed on his arms as he smiles and patting your back. Not going to lie, he does find this suspicious at first. You promised him that when you're having issues with your personal life you will open to him. Why is Jake touching you? Hugging you? He knows he has no right to be jealous about. You and him are probably just friends and you even said to himself that it's okay to talk to others and still be loyal to one another. But he soon did change his mind when you announced that you find yourself a loving boyfriend.

"Guys, I want you to take a seat and listen to Jake right now". You asked as Sinu, Jerry, Lineman, Jason, Brad and other Big Deal members sat down, including no other than Samuel Seo himself just standing and leaning on the door. He notices the change of atmosphere on the place as you and Jake held hands together. This can't be happening.

"I just found myself a perfect girlfriend/boyfriend!" Jake shouted as the crowd cheered and congratulated for the both of you. You're smiling and happy. But of course Samuel isn't pleased with this as it let a bitter taste on his mood. It's like his life just shattered into pieces. He couldn't have you, the only person he cared and he would die for. He felt like his life is back from square one. He's the monster he is again. The hateful and prideful monster.

He's agitated, stressed, and most especially he wants to let out his rage. From all the other people you can pick besides him, you chose Jake? His enemy? His rival?

The celebration continued as you noticed your best friend missing. He wasn't in the party as Sinu poured more Soju on Lineman's shot glass as everybody cheered and half of them drunk, knocked down on the floor.

"Looking for someone?" Jake embraced your body as he leans on your shoulder making you chuckle. "I was just looking for Sammy, did you spot him around?" you questioned in an octave whisper as he answers that he didn't even have a chat with him on the first place. You managed to convince your boyfriend to look for him alone as he does seemed to be a bit curious. But he still let you go on your own.

After looking around the street and other places, you managed to find Samuel on one of the terrace buildings. He stood there watching the view as you can smell the hint of cigarettes.

"Smoking again?" you teased him as he doesn't respond to you. He just stood there minding his own business. You decided to go stay beside him. But the moment you looked on your side he was now walking away from you.

"Hey what's wrong? Are you alri-" he slapped your hand away as you tried reaching out to him. You were completely confused on why he's acting like this again. Did you do something bad?

"Hey, why are you acting like this? I didn't get into trouble again!" you shouted as he sighs. He is now walking towards you, but something felt different. Something odd and disturbing as you felt like a lamb on the wolf's trap.

"Fuck off."

"Wha-what?"

"Didn't you hear me? Fuck off."

You stood there frozen on your place as you felt offended by Samuel's words. He's not like this, well of course with you. 'He-hey what do you mean by that?" you confronted him as you felt desperate for answers. "Did I do something wrong to offend you this badly?" "Shut up." "Why?! You promised me that if you have a proble-" "I said shut the fuck up!" he shouted as he kicks the wooden table filled with ash treys and the pack of cigarettes he has bought for himself. You're now crying as warm tears fall down on your doe-like eyes. You're scared of Samuel, you're scared of something that he hates. This side of himself that he couldn't even control.

"What did I do wrong huh?" "Wha-what do you mea-" "Am I not good enough? Am I still acting like an asshole to you that you made yourself pick that retard!". It then clicked on you. Does he likes you in that way? "I fucking sacrificed myself, my own well being and pride just so I can be a good influence on you, but YOU DON'T FUCKING APPECIATE IT! YOU DON"T FUCKING CARE ABOUT ME!" "I DO CARE ABOUT YOU!" "THEN WHY HIM!" he shouted as you can see for the first time Samuel crying. It's mixed with anger, fear, desperation, and betrayal.

"I-I..." You tried to to find your words but your sobbing makes it everything worst as Samuel chuckles. It's not because of mockery. But he's desperate for words, for answers. But it looks like you couldn't even talk straight.

He walks away with him picking his coat and his fresh pack of cigarettes while you limp down on the floor crying out. He doesn't mean to hurt you, but he doesn't know how to apologize now that he had made you cry, the thing that he promised to himself that he wouldn't do so that you can trust him more.

"I'm leaving".

"What?"

"I'm not coming back to this place. Jake better treats you right because I'm not going to be here to save you". he huffed as he exhales the smoke coming from his mouth. You don't want him to leave. You want him to be on your side, but it looks like you couldn't even convince him to stay for a little longer as he walks away from the scene leaving you emotionally wounded that the scars will probably not fade for a very long time.

Samuel walks down the stairs as he sees no other than Jake himself. Panting as he ran as he noticed the muscular male smoking, but this times his eyes looks so sore and red.

"Where's Y/N?" He raised his eyebrow in question as he hears your cries of agony echoes the staircase. He stood there in shock as he tries to reach to you but Samuel is blocking the way.

"Move!"

"Get out of the way." "I said, MOVE YOU FUCKING BASTA-"

Jake couldn't even complete his sentence as Samuel punched him on the face. This continued for a while as they fought on the building throwing kicks and punches on each other until they are both bleeding and limping.

"Listen to me you little bitch, you better take care of Y/N or I'm taking her away from you myself". Samuel whispered onto Jake's ears as he pulls his ear then smashing his face on the concrete floor then walking away on the scene, bloodied and bruised. Good thing Jake was able to walk up and check on you. You told him the whole thing that happened of course. He was worried that something else might have occurred. But you reassured him that Samuel didn't inappropriately touched you, but he did sure hurt your feelings a lot making you feel guilty and shameful about your choice.

He could have been more honest with you. Now he realizes that it's not Jake who is the threat that is trying to take away you from him. It's himself. The devil inside him who's been feeding on his insecurities and feeling like you're too far from his league. The way he shouted and screamed at you, the way he handled the situation poorly and immaturely makes him hate himself more. He will never ever forgive himself.

Now Samuel is back on the streets, hungry for blood and power. You are indeed a burning flame. You're warm and you are his comfort. But the moment he has tried to get closer to you, your passion and caring side slowly burned him like his moth wings. Leaving him hurt and blinded by the illusion that he'll be ever be good enough to be with you.

[prince-liest]

can i just say - having vox continue to date val and having that be like. completely a non-issue is SO. FUCKING. APPRECIATED. like i’m used to people putting voxval and radiostatic against each other, or saying vox loves alastor more etc etc. YAWN. well no sometimes it’s done in a really compelling way but ALSO i think this was is the most canon like. i promise you none of them (al, vox, and val) give a fuck. in fact i think they all enjoy it to a certain extent (al doesnt have to sate vox’s sexual needs, val is the type to gain amusement from radiostatic’s bullshit [canon btw], and vox gets two hot bfs [ish. 1.5]). not that alastor would have to do that if vox Wasn’t dating val, but id imagine it certainly takes the pressure off. idk im rambling. just thanks for having such good poly rep!

Aw, what the fuck, thank you so much! I'm ngl, I'm so poly-pilled by now (god I hope that's not an actual thing people say on 4chan or whatever, I can only imagine the horrors) that I full-on forgot that people might, like, wonder what happened to staticmoth in a radiostatic fic because it truly just didn't occur to me that one of those relationships might preclude the other until people started commenting asking whether Valentino is going to get jealous (the answer to that is 'no,' by the way). My best friend is poly as fuck and I think that the ideals of relationship anarchy that accompany healthy poly ideals are extremely in-line with an aroace perspective on non-standard relationships, and we've very much ended up two sides of the same coin in that respect in a way that definitely helped me figure my own shit out, haha.

Also, on a more 666-specific note: as toxic as staticmoth often can be to each other, I think it's worth noting that, from my perspective, Valentino is very much supplying the romantic (and sexual, given how high of a sex drive I write Vox with) fulfilment in Vox's life that Alastor never will. I'm a very firm believer in "radiostatic can be genuinely one-sided on the romance front and that doesn't have to be a sad thing for Vox," and while I'd still stick with that if staticmoth wasn't also a thing, I think that also dating Valentino definitely helps Vox with processing it.

Like, these fuckers are all unhealthy in a number of ways, I'm way too fond of positive poly rep to make that be a part of it, which is very much a deliberate choice on my part at this point! And I'm so, so glad that you're enjoying it, too!

[andydrysdalerogers]

Troublemaker ~ 3 ~ The Best Friend

He is one of the best goaltenders in the league. He's also hated by his teammates. He didn't mean to be a troublemaker but why not lean into it? There wasn't anyone to stop him.

Until he met her...

A Jeremy Swayman AU x OFC Stella Williams

Story Warnings: excessive drinking, SMUT!, an asshole Jeremy, angst

A/N: Hello and welcome to a spin-off "Cross-Checked" so plenty of characters from that story are crossing over here! If you want a more detailed story of how we ended up here, read the first store HERE Also! The taglist is open. If you want to be added or removed, please let me know!

2nd A/N: Well, I had to take a moment to mourn the loss of our beloved goalie hugs. We'll miss you Linus!

Previous: "Fun" Decisions

Please note that I do not give permission for my work to be translated, reposted, or published anywhere other than my Tumblr. Reblogs are most welcome though!

Banners by me! Dividers by @firefly-graphics

Series Masterlist // Main Masterlist

The first two days of my “injury” was spent drunk in my apartment. I drank everything I had. I woke up on the third day to a ringing phone. Fuck does my head hurt. I reached for my phone and answered. “What?” 

“Morning to you too, punk.” Its Linus. Fuck me.  

“Morning,” I grumble.  

“Just checking on you,” he replies.  

“It's early, man. Couldn’t it have been check later?”  

Linus sighs and I know he’s shaking his head. “It is later, Jeremy. It’s noon in Vegas. Which means its three PM in Boston.”  

I pull my phone away from my head and check. Yep, it sure is three. I put my phone back to my ear. “So, it is.”  

“Just tell me you aren’t drinking and driving.” I can hear the genuine concern in his voice.  

“I promise, I’m not. I’ve been drinking by myself at home.” I get up gingerly and head to the kitchen for coffee. That’s when I notice all the bottles on the counter. “Shit.”  

“What?” 

Whoops, I didn’t mean to say that out loud. “Sorry, I’m just out of coffee. I’m gonna head to the coffee shop.”  

“Ok, if you want to talk, just let me know.” Now he sounds sad. A sad Linus is depressing AF and I don’t want that. I never want that.  

“Thanks bud. I’m ok right now. I promise, I’m being safe.”  

“Try to get a workout in,” he says. “I’ll talk to you later.”  

“Later.” I hung up and banged my head against the wall.  Ow. I really do need coffee, but the kitchen is a mess.  A mess I need to clean up after coffee. I shower and dress and head down the block to The Addicted. I love the name of the place.  It's quiet since the morning rush is over.  I order and sit in the back. With my hat and sunglasses, I don’t get recognized much. I’m checking out my calendar on my phone when the door chimes. I look up to see Stella Williams walking in, phone to her head.  

“I am in public, so I am not discussing this again... You want to sleep around, go right ahead but it won’t be with me any longer.”  She hung up with a sigh and ordered her coffee with an apology.  

I’ve never really looked at Stella. My eyes were on Leia but now... now I see what I had been missing.  While Leia was short and beautiful, Stella is not tall, maybe five-six, but she is gorgeous. She’s a light brown brunette with pale blue eyes, a compliment to her best friend’s espresso hair and green eyes. Her olive skin is flawless with a few freckles around her nose. As a trainer, I knew she was fit but in the yoga pants and hoodie she is wearing, I can tell she is a smoke show.  

I try not to stare as she picks up her coffee and heads out. I watch as she walks away and wonder what her call was about. I thought about asking her to sit and talk, but I can’t at the moment.  I need to get back home and clean up.  

I decided to go out instead of drinking by myself. I also know that Mark has Andy and Linus on speed dial if I were to show up without them. Fuckers can’t even trust me on my own.  So, I headed out to the south side of Boston. I went to a dive bar and ordered a whiskey. I look around. Its dark and dingy. I don’t expect to run into anyone here. Except for the brunette sitting at the end of the bar.  

Stella.  

I debated if I should go over there. She is obviously going through something if she missed the team road trip. She always flies with Leia but since Leia stopped flying a couple of months ago, she’s mostly kept to herself or with Andy and Luke.  She was the only female on the training staff, so I had to guess that had a lot to do with it.  

Ah fuck it.  I threw back my drink, ordered another and sat one stool away from her. “Hey Stella.”  

Her head snapped up and I got the full picture. Red eyes, blotchy skin, bottom lip bitten and swollen. “What are you doing here?” 

“Stella, what’s going on?” Concern flooded my entire system. I’ve never seen her cry. Angry, yes but not this... broken. I watched as another tear rolled down her cheek. “Stella?” 

“I thought you were injured,” she replied, wiping the tears from her face.  

I looked away. “Not physically injured.” I took a sip and looked back at her. “Why aren’t you on the trip?” 

She signaled the bartender, and he poured another shot of tequila for her.  She threw it back and made a face before she answered me. “Well, when your co-worker decides to sleep with your boyfriend and you can’t do anything about getting rid of her from your workplace, you take a vacation right when they need you the most.” She gave a sad smile.   

“Holy fuck.” I didn’t mean for that to come out. “That is a cluster, Stel.”  

“Tell me about it.” She looked at me. “Wait, never mind. You’ve already fucked up with the best person in your life.”  

I flinched. Ouch. Her statement is hit perfectly. But she isn’t wrong. Leia was the best person but not for me. I snort. “She had been Andy’s girl from the beginning, and it took them a stupid amount of time to realize it. I just took it badly.” I shake my head. “I regret a lot of things.” 

Stella looked at me with big eyes. “You actually regret...” 

I cut her off. “Yes, I do.” I threw back the rest of my drink. “She didn’t deserve my attitude and actions. Fuck, I didn’t know she was having a difficult pregnancy, and it kills me that I made it worse. She’s a sweet girl and she deserves the world and I hope that Barber gives it to her.”  

We're quiet for a few minutes. “Why were you pulled from the trip?” The question comes from left field. “I mean, if you were injured, I would know about it.”  

It’s my turn to take a moment before answering her. “I was drunk when I showed up to practice.”  

She gasped. “Jeremy, why would you do that?” 

“I didn’t do it on purpose. I just... I miss my teammates and they all ignored me because of the thing with Leia and it just got to me.  So I went to a bar and met a girl but then I went back to my place, alone, and kept drinking. Linus woke me up and then I was late, but I still had booze breath.” I sigh. “Coach pulled me off of the trip and I’ve been drinking ever since. I didn’t go to the Red Line because Mark would rat my ass out.”  

Stella was quiet for a few minutes.  I ordered us another round. “Have you tried talking to her?” I shake my head. “Why not?” 

“Do you actually think that Andy would be ok with me talking to her? Especially, now with her pregnancy? If I thought I could have a moment with her to just say sorry, I would. I know she won’t forgive me, but I have to apologize.”  

Another silence.  

“You’re not a bad guy, Swayman.  Maybe a man whore but not a bad guy.”  

I husk a laugh. “Thanks, I think.”  

She stares at me for a second. “Would you do it? Be committed to someone?” 

I think about it. “If I found the right girl, I would do everything I could to make sure I never made her cry.” I look at her when another tear escapes. “You want me to kick his ass?” 

She laughed. “No, but thanks. I just want to forget him.”  

I took a beat and thought of an idea. “I could help with that,” I say.  She looks at me. “I’m just saying, use the man whore, I guess.”  

“I don’t know where you’ve been, Swayman.”  

“Oh fuck you, I’m responsible and I get tested because I’m not that big of an asshole.” I took another sip. She’s chewing her lips again, but now it's in apprehension, not anger.  I pull it away gently. “Don’t do that. Wouldn’t want you to hurt those beautiful lips.” Her breath hitches at my words. I look into her pale blue eyes and tuck a lock of hair behind her ear, but I don’t stop touching her. I cup her cheek. “Beautiful.” I lean in and press my lips against hers.  

She tastes like tequila and sunshine. I can’t explain it. She moans into the kiss, and I deepen it. One kiss was all it took for me to be addicted. I pull away gently, keeping my forehead pressed to hers. She blinks and open her eyes. “Why did you kiss me?” 

“Because it looked like you needed to be reminded of what it feels like to be desired. Come home with me.”  

She pulls back a little more. She finishes her shot. “Drinks are on you, pretty boy.” She extends her hand so I can take it.  

I smirk and throw down some bills. “Anything you want, gorgeous.” I take her hand and lead her out. I go to hail a cab, but she stops me.  

“Just for one night right? We’ll stay friends?” 

I don’t how I feel about that but if this is all she can give me right now, I’ll take it.  

“One night.”  

We stumbled into my apartment, neither one of us wanting to let go of the kiss that started in the cab.  I push her jacket off of her and she does the same. I finally separated us so I can get her shirt off of her fantastic body. “Oh fuck,” I whisper, staring at her tits as if I’ve never seen some before. She has on a pale green lacy bra on, showcasing her perfect tits.  

“Like them, Sway?” She runs a hand over her body. I grabbed her wrist.  

“This body is mine tonight,” I growl out. I spin her so my front is on her back. I ran my hands over her. She’s as soft as I predicted. I pull the strap of her bras down and kiss her shoulders and neck, listening to the little gasps and moans she’s letting out. My hands drift down to her jeans, and I open them up and let my fingers slide down into her panties. “Wet, gorgeous? Did I do that?” 

“Yes,” she moans.  

“Good.” I slowly pull her jeans and panties off and then run my hands up her legs, feeling her shiver. After they were off, I spun her around, so she faced me while I was still on my knees. “I want to worship you, gorgeous.” I kiss right over her pussy, and she moans softly, her head tilted back. I lay her back on the bed and hike her legs up so she’s nice and spread out for me.  I stand to look over her. 

“Jeremy, please,” she begs. I can see her pulsing and clenching over nothing. I get on my knees.  

“Fuck, you smell delicious.” I flatten my tongue over her slit and moan. “Tastes delicious too.” I suck on her clit a little before running my tongue. She bucks up but I catch her and hold her to the bed. “Let me eat this delicious pussy, gorgeous.  Did he do this? Did he make you feel good and cum on his tongue?” 

“N-no,” she replies shakily. “He never...” 

“That is a fucking travesty.” I fuck into her with my tongue, listening for the tall-tell sign that she is ready to let go. I let my thumb rub her clit softly. I don’t want to overstimulate her.  Her cunt begins to squeeze my tongue and I pull away. “He’s an asshole and a moron if he didn’t taste this.” I smirk, “then again, I like that I’m the only one that’s been here.” I blew on the wet skin to make her shiver. “Cum, Stella.” I latched onto her clit as I shoved two fingers into her. She cries out as I feel her clamp down on my fingers and pulse around them. Her back is bowed, skin flushed. She has never looked more beautiful. I slow my movements before giving her pussy one last kiss and moving Stella higher on the bed.  

Her gaze is glassy, but a soft smile is on her lips. “Fuck, you wrecked me.”  

“Only a little, gorgeous.” I climb on top of her and kiss her so she can taste how sweet she is. “But I will fulfill that statement in just a moment.” I settle between her legs, my hands on either side of her beautiful face. “Let me worship you, Stella.”  

“Yes,” she whispered. I rolled on a condom and then set myself at her entrance. I pushed in slowly. She stopped breathing as her eyes rolled into the back of her head.  

“Breathe, baby.”  

“So big,” she gasped. I kept moving slowly, not wanting to hurt her. I didn’t do this with others. I was used to having it fast and rough. But with Stella, I wanted to savor it, make her feel good, brng her pleasure that she’s never had. She wasn’t just somebody. And I wasn’t sure when that changed but she is someone I wanted to hang on to.  

When I finally bottomed out, I groaned in satisfaction. “You take me so well, gorgeous.” I pump my hips slowly, relishing her heat. 

“Jermery,” she calls out, her nails digging into my back. I growled at the pain and just drove into her a little faster. “Oh God,” she cried.  

“Not God gorgeous,” I said, kissing her hard. “Come on baby, let me feel you. So hot and wet I know you can soak me.” She moaned louder as I flipped us over, so she was on top. I guided her back down onto my cock, pushing up to make her scream. I took hold of her hips and forced her down on me. Her breast bounced in front of me, and I took a nipple in my mouth.  

“I’m gonna cum,” she called out. I made her continue her pace as I let my thumb graze her clit. “Oh, fuck, Jer.” I don’t know why her calling me “Jer” made me lose my rhythm but now I was determined to have her cum all over me.  

“Let go, gorgeous.” I thrusted up into her and rubbed her clit harder.  “Ah fuck, Stel!” 

I watched her crest the peak with a silent scream as I pushed my hips up and released into the condom.  She collapsed onto me, and I caught her, twisting us so we would be on our side. Our breathing was labored but I reached to kiss her forehead. “You are a goddess.”  

“You’re not so bad yourself, Sway,” she giggled.  

I stared at her, basking in her beauty. I tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear. “Stay,” I said.  

“Ok,” she breathed. I pulled her into my arms and felt her breathing slowed as she drifted off to sleep.  

My eyes blink open when the sunrise begins to filter in, bathing my room is soft yellow light. Something tickles my arm and I turn to see Stella sleeping next to me.  I smile as I remember the feeling of her body beneath me, myself buried in her. We woke three times in the night, taking each other to the brink and back. She’s a rockstar, a goddess, a fiend.  

I wanted to keep her.  

She has a wave of hair in her face, so I gently tuck it back and kiss her shoulder.  I get up, dragged on a pair of boxers and go to the bathroom. I smiled as I pull a new toothbrush from the drawer, along with a washcloth for Stella.  As I am finishing brushing my teeth, I hear a cell go off.  Shit, I didn’t want to wake her.  I rush out and stop.  

Stella is sitting up in my bed, with my shirt on, frowning at her phone as she types. “Morning, Gorgeous.”  

She looks up at me and gives me a tight smile.  “Morning.”  

It's my turn to frown. “Stel, what’s wrong?” 

She sighs. “Bret is standing on Leia’s porch.”  

“What the fuck?” That fucker is the one guy I will always be pissed at.  The way he left Leia and then never came back when he was told she was pregnant is despicable. “Why is he there?” 

“Miranda says he wants to talk to her, and Leia is telling him to leave.” Her phone buzzes and she looks down.  “Oh shit, he’s going to wait by his car until she talks to him, and Leia is freaking out.” Stella looks at me. “Can you come with me to get rid of this asshole?” 

“Let me get dressed. You can keep the shirt, gorgeous.” I wink at her as I reach for a new shirt with a smirk.  

She looks down at the shirt. “What am I going to tell Leia and Miranda?” 

“Tell them that we were working on my hip at the gym.”  I look at the clock and its 10 AM.  

“That could work.  I’m just gonna wash my face.  

“I left a toothbrush for you on the counter.”  She passes me and I stop her. I kiss her forehead and tug her bottom lip from her teeth. “I’ll take care of him, okay?” 

“I don’t want anything to happen to Leia or the baby.”  I can see the worry in her eyes.  

“I promise nothing is going to happen, and I won’t make anything worse.” I watch her head into the bathroom, and I think about how I’m going to handle this.  He’s maybe five-ten. I’ll just talk and let my 6-2 frame do the intimating.  

And use this chance to start my apologies to Leia. 

NEXT

Taglist:

@patzammit

@texmexdarling

@slutforchrisjamalevans

@firephotogrl74

@tinkerbelle67

@before-we-get-started

@bunnyforhim

@alexakeyloveloki

@sunnyhummingbee

@whiskeytangofoxtrot555

@peaceinourtime82

@saucy-sassy-sparkly

@kmc1989

@kandis-mom

@lokislady82

@raven-blue3000

[radioiaci]

Wanted to answer all the nice things I was given in one post, so find them under the read-more cuz it's long. <3

@radiiosugars ⧐ you are a wonderful writer and i enjoy seeing your portrayal! I smile when you're on my dash <3 the little details you include with his perspective really do paint a picture! (and i hope your day gets better! )

WEH THANK YOU SO MUCH SALT, you're a blessing and I wholeheartedly appreciate whenever you spam me on Discord with SILLIES even though I don't always have the capacity to respond right away fjkdjgjdg I LOVE YOUR PORTRAYAL AND YOUR ART TOO and thank you for the kindness 😭

@copaceticjillybean ⧐ You are…soooo good at stuff! Your Alastor portrayal, your art, it’s all just really really cool! I’m always so excited, when I see you post your animatics, or a new drawing, or a reply, because I know it’s gonna brighten up my day a bit! ; I know you’re having a hard time today, but I just wanted you to know that I think you’re really neat and good at what you do. ^w^ ; Oh, and I almost forgot- you’re also just FUN. Like, your ooc posts are just cute and funny, and I like seeing you pop on and tell us what you’re thinking. You’re easy to talk to, and that means a lot, especially for someone like me who can get nervous talking with people >u<;

AAAA THANK YOU, I really do try to be as approachable as possible given the type of person that I am, so I really don't want anyone to feel like they CAN'T talk to me. sometimes the RPC can feel really limited and exclusive and I like to change that in whatever way I can. you are always very kind and fun to write with as well AND I CAN'T WAIT to see what sort of sillies Alastor and Jillian can get up to

@helluvaflames ⧐ I love the way you write Alastor and I'm still loving writing Fizzarolli and him in these scenes. You write Alastor so well and its been so fun to get to know him through our threads!

YES THANK YOU YOU GET ME, I love writin' with your lil Fizzy too! I'm also excited for Alastor and Angel's "date" LOL I'm sure there will be RIDICULOUSNESS there, just knowing how they generally interact. Thank you for putting up with me and my silly deer boy!!

@tinyfieryghost ⧐ YOUR ART IS SIMPLY INCREDIBLE. I love how you draw Alastor and writing with you is always a pleasure! I also love how you write Alastor! Silly guy who can and will murder and maim!!! Also you're great to talk to in general!

LISTEN YOU, YOUR ART IS ALSO PHENOMENAL and I didn't think I genuinely would get as invested into Alastor/Ghost's relationship but him in my brain was just like? ? ? ? "this one is mine? ? ?? actually???" so I MEAN IT JUST HAPPENED THAT WAY and I'm not mad about it. I'M EXCITED for Al's encounter with Reaper fr fr and I love writing with you!!!

@visage-of-hell ⧐ *violently kicks in the door* DID SOMEONE SAY POSITIVITY???? ; Bitch, you're one of the most TALENTED fuckers I know on this site. Amazing writing style? Check. Brilliant character portrayal? Check. AND knock-your-socks-off gorgeous artistic skills to boot???? Dude, you are a triple threat of sheer creative genius--don't you DARE be doubting that for even a second!

WUH HUH BUH LISTEN you are ALSO very talented and I VERY MUCH love writing with Al and Vis together because they're a real ENEMY TO LOVER ARC MAYBE? AND I KNOW IT'S SLOW MOVING BECAUSE ALASTOR IS STUPID but I LOVE IT ALSO??? Thank you my friend, I love to talk with you too and share funny sillies and fawn over them being so STUPID

@damnedrainbows ⧐ //you’re one of my favorite alastors and truthfully I admired from the sidelines for a while because I felt inadequate hehehehe I can!t wait to interact with our muses more and see where it go for him and lucifer ; also forgot to tack on, amazing artist ; like seriously I link my friends your art all the time on discord lol

WHAT???? ONE OF UR FAVS???? STOPPIT. That always means a ton to me, especially because I know how many TALENTED and wonderful writers there are playing Alastor out there so that RLY MAKES ME FEEL GOOD AND VALUED and YOUR writing is also fantastic! Al/Lucifer's first thread is so weirdly deep after starting off as like almost a meme and I'm LIVING for it LOL. AND I'M GLAD YOU LIKE MY ART LMAO maybe some day I'll draw something like actual serious for people to share jgdljgd but I enjoy drawing shitpost Al too much BUT THANK YOU this means a lot.

@lilitophidian ⧐ HEEEEY YOU, I LOVE YOUR LITTLE DEER, AND WE GOT SOME DOPE ASS SHIT GOING ON LIKE??? your writing is so fucking good I wanna do more threads with you at some point even though I have verbal diarrhea ; BUT YOU DESERVE THE BEST LIKE I TAKE TIME ON MY REPLIES TO YOU SO THEY ARE GOOD EATS??? Like, let me love on ya!!! ; Also your art ; I'd tattoo the pink dress wearing Alastor on my body fr

MY LIL DEER BOY YES I'M SO EXCITED for him to be.... tortured... mercilessly (that sounds bad LMAO) but LISTEN we are both wordy and I do NOT hate that one bit, I EAT IT UP YUMYUM gimmi all that good good exposition and artsy prose I LOVE that shit and you do it SO WELL. Also thank you for recommending frilly pink dress Alastor, I think he will never live that one down LMAO.

@ducktastic-dad ⧐ you are SO funny and sweet pascall, i love writing with you ( and your writing is amazing obviously i cannot live without it ) but even just our conversations ooc bring me lots of joy !! you have fantastic art and i am FLOORED by how creative you are ! thank you for making me funny shitposts and indulging my horrible brainrot 😭💜

I'M GRABBING YOU AND SHAKING YOU BY THE SHOULDERS listen the fact that you have put up with my dumbass over the last few weeks just constantly spamming you with radioapple shit means that you should get some type of AWARD HONESTLY. every IC interaction we have is so good and whenever you reply I'm like *VACCUUM NOISES* as i ABSORB IT. YOU're the one indulging MY horrible brainrot and u know what there's something beautiful about that. THANK YOU ily ily

--------------

Thank you all for such kind words, it really did make me feel better about my poopy day. <3

[geneeste]

I’ve been ranting about this in the group chat, but the more I think about it, the angrier I get.

So J, our 10yo, took state testing before the break and apparently scored high on one of the reading sections. Now I put almost zero weight on testing like this, but this was a win for J in particular because she’s always struggled mightily with reading. But she did well on the test, and it was a confidence boost for her, but I’m fully aware she managed that because of reading interventions, and not because of “gifted” instruction.

Anyway, we got this email before the winter break:

So this is…weird. Especially this part:

Your child's performance on the CogAT indicates a need to gather more information in order to support the school team in making instructional decisions. Student scores in the 95th percentile or above initiate the Gifted Identification Referral Process, which includes gathering additional achievement, performance, and behavioral data for a comprehensive body of evidence.

All of the other kids save our youngest have been in gifted programs at some point, and in all of the seven school districts we’ve been in so far, I’ve never been asked to justify their selection for the program. Add to that, a 30-minute questionnaire seemed excessive, but I thought, hey, maybe this is just a standard I haven’t run into yet. (Also, neither linked letter elaborated on this; one was related to testing, and the second was this email in PDF form).

And then we got into the survey, y’all. Y’ALL.

I ran into the image limit for this post, so I can’t post the whole questionnaire, so I tried to pick the most egregious parts:

So. We start going through this thing and to say I was (am) livid is an understatement. Just. What the fuck.

Asking me to justify my kid’s specialness

Basing giftedness on totally irrelevant and also classist, ableist bullshit things like vocabulary, how quickly they learn something, attention span I COULD GO ON AND ON

Asking my kid to design instruction?? She’s ten fucking years old?

Asking my struggling reader, whom you’ve already identified as both needing reading intervention and having demonstrated huge growth, to give a fucking reading list to justify access to services?

I’m seriously so mad about the last part because talking about that question made J feel ashamed about how she dreads reading so she doesn’t actually read much, so when she does it’s short books and graphic novels, and we lost a lot of ground we’d gained about how she should be proud of her ability and progress. Fuckers.

So. We were not pleased. Here’s what I wrote back, which was almost certainly not as mean as I should have been:

My husband and I started this survey and although we completed it, I found it frustrating and prejudiced and genuinely insulting.

It is not at all clear what relevance many of the questions have to J’s academic ability and frankly with 4 neurodivergent children, 3 of whom (including J) having been in gifted programs previously, some of these questions were worded in ways that implied that a child had to think in a certain way in order to be gifted. For instance, why would a child needing some repetition to learn something mean that they can't be gifted? It's insulting and neuro-normative, to say the least.

I have never been asked to fill out a survey justifying my child's intellectual ability in order for my child to get access to educational services. I mean, what parent would answer otherwise? And what child wouldn't flourish when given engaging content?

I understand that district resources might be limited, but surely there is a less prejudiced and discriminatory way to screen for access to additional educational resources.

Here’s what the coordinator responded with:

Thank you for filling the survey out and for the feedback. The purpose of the survey is to gain valuable insight from parents about their child's strengths, interests and abilities that may not be evident in a school setting. We are looking to build a comprehensive portfolio of information to be used in the Gifted Identification Process to inform our programming and align it with student needs. The responses on the Gifted ID Referral form are not "weighted" or assigned points or used in any way that might preclude a child from Gifted Identification. They are used for informational purposes to gain a deeper understanding of a child.

Which is, frankly, total bullshit. Remember up there where the initial email where it said the survey was for instructional decisions and gathering a body of evidence? And the survey itself says:

Once this form is complete and submitted, your school's Gifted Education Facilitator will be notified. They will then gather additional necessary evidence/data to complete the process.

The coordinator has been so persistent since this reply - 4 emails asking us to talk about J’a participation when we’ve already made it clear that if the qualification process is any indication of how the gifted program is run, J’s much better off staying in class with her peers.

Anyway. Phew. I’ve been stewing about this and just writing it down has been very cathartic.

[randomxfiction]

I think I got a few more in me. Let's see where this goes! :)

-

There's No Such Thing As A Normal Morning in Kabukicho Sakata Gintoki x Haruno Sakura (Part VII)

Previous A/N: Just them living the domestic life because why the hell not.

"Phew! Glad that was over," Gintoki sighs. "Come, there's a corner shop nearby," he exclaims, inviting Sakura for a quick walk.

It is still early in the morning but the Edo sun is already starting to feel a little hotter on the skin. It's summer after all, Sakura thought. She looks around to observe the unfamiliar surroundings, carefully trying to figure out where the hell she actually is.

Children are running around in laughter, playing with nothing but sticks and stones. Old people are up early tending to their businesses. The street is starting to feel more and more alive as they stroll.

She thinks of Konoha, her friends... her beloved Sarada.

They passed by a ramen shop that looks like it's just about to open. The sight of it felt awfully nostalgic. Gin notices her expression.

"Everything alright?" The samurai asks, hands behind his head.

"O-of course!" she turns to Gin with a forced smile. "Just thinking of what to cook for the kids," she lies.

"Ahh, they'll be fine with whatever." he replies, sensing her facade. He decides he won't get into it if she doesn't want to.

"The girl is a glutton though. She eats way too much!" he adds.

Sakura looks up trying to suppress her tears. She sees the skies of Edo looking clear and inviting, while a bunch of weird aircrafts hover around a tall structure sticking out from a distance.

It dawned on her that she is undoubtedly far from home. In fact, way too far. Her chest tightens at the thought of it.

Gin hears a quiet sniffle.

"We'll just go with the usual eggs, rice, and some furikake. Hell, maybe we'll throw in bacon for you, too." Gin tries his best to derail whatever's going on with her head.

Sakura didn't respond, still in deep thought. She wonders how she'll get home, or if there is even a way to.

"Which reminds me, we're also low on dog food. Gotta restock on those, too. Have I already mentioned we have a dog? It's actually Kagura-chan's, but of course I'm forced to take care of it," Gin rolls his eyes, ranting.

She stays silent.

"That mutt is big - actually, no - he's huge! Bites like a fucker, too!"

Still no response from the lady.

At this point, he resigns. Gin grabs her by the waist and pulls her closer to his side.

"Oh!" she snaps back to reality.

"Sorry, you were just about to step on a puddle of poop back there." Gin hangs his right arm over her shoulder. "You should stay close to me, ya know?" He leans in to her face. "It's dangerous in Kabukicho. Lots of thugs and poop everywhere," he adds, shaking his head.

Sakura understands what he's trying to do and finally cracks a genuine smile. He catches this at the corner of his eyes and felt relieved.

"Say, Sakata-san," she starts as they continue walking in the same position. "Do you have any idea what happened the night that I got here?"

"What do you mean? I was piss drunk on the counter, enjoying my sake, then the next thing I know you were pounding my face," he answers bitterly.

"No, I mean..." she paused and lets out a chuckle. "I mean, do you actually have any idea how I got here?"

Gin thinks for a second before responding with a flat tone.

"No... "

Looks like this isn't going to be easier than I thought. Inner Sakura panics. We can't be stuck here. We need to go home.

"I see," she replies, visibly defeated.

"Well, do you?" he asks back.

Sakura looks down and shakes her head. Gintoki exhales.

"I guess we can ask the old lady downstairs. She owns the bar you trashed. Prepare your ears for some scolding, though."

"Okay, let's do that," she says under her breath. "Thank you, Sakata-san. I really don't know what's gotten into me that night, let alone how I got here."

"That's fine. Shit happens here all the time," he replies. "And didn't you say you'll make up for it by cooking us a nice breakfast?"

She smiles at him, eyes weary but full of hope.

My god, she's beautiful.

He held her gaze for a second, then breaks it. "We're here," he says, pointing at the humble store beside them.

***

After grabbing all the ingredients they need, they proceed to the small checkout table near the door where an old lady is painstakingly bagging the paid items one by one.

There is a short line of customers. Gin and Sakura patiently wait in line when they notice what the man in front of them is carrying in his grocery basket.

"Ungodly," Gin remarks, already knowing who the maniac is. Sakura looks at him completely puzzled but he just signals her to keep her voice down.

"That's the police," he whispers in her ear.

"Are we in trouble?" she responds, confused.

"No, of course not."

"Then why are we whispering?"

"I actually don't know," Gin shrugs, still whispering.

"What is he going to do with that much mayonnaise?" Sakura asks with genuine concern.

Gin retches, "You don't wanna know."

"Morning, Yorozuya," Hijikata greets him without turning his head. "I rarely see you this early," he adds.

Caught!

"Oh you know, just doing some groceries.. the usual," Gin fake laughs.

"The kids are finally tired of you bossing them around, eh?" he mocks. "Serves your lazy ass right."

"Shut the fuck up, mayo addict," Gin claps back.

Hijikata glances over his shoulder and sees an unfamiliar woman with a bright pink hair. She looks young and fit, presumably in her early 30s. He took a quick scan of her and noticed Sakura's hand unconsciously pinching the side of Gintoki's yukata. Like a child not wanting to get separated from her mother.

"I don't recognize you, miss... are you new here?"

He looks back at the counter to pay for his mountain of mayonnaise. The old woman starts bagging them one by one.

Sakura caught a glimpse of his face and oddly reminded her of Sasuke. She shakes her head. "No... uh, officer. I'm afraid I don't live around here."

"Are you lost? Have you been kidnapped?" Hijikata interrogates casually as he helps with the bagging.

"Hey! She's with me, dumbass," Gin protests. "No kidnapping involved. Tell him, Haruno-san."

"You are with a dangerous man, miss. You should be careful," Hijikata cuts in with a straight face. "Don't hesitate to run to the station if he starts harassing you, alright?"

"Stop ruining my morning, you corrupt dog!" Gin hisses back.

Sakura chuckles at the two bantering knuckleheads. It seems like they're actually good friends after all.

"Don't worry, officer. I can handle myself just fine," she joins in.

Hijikata grabs his paper bag bursting of mayo bottles and turns to Gintoki's face. "Make sure you bring her home safely or I'll fucking slit your belly," he warned, thinking that she's another innocent woman he coerced to join him with his antics.

Gin stares him down.

"I'll keep an eye on you, Yorozuya," the vice-captain threatens him for the last time before leaving the store.

***

The two adults walked back in comfortable silence, both hands carrying heavy paper bags full of groceries.

"Bar is still closed," Gin mentions as soon as they arrived, "We'll come back later."

Sakura nods as they went up the stairs.

Gin slides the door open and immediately got his head chewed on. Blood starts dripping all over his face. "We're back," he said flatly. His voice echoed inside the giant dog's mouth.

"Gin-chan! Sadaharu is back!" Kagura runs to the door to greet them. "Hello, pinkette!" she adds, acknowledging Sakura's presence.

"Oy, don't be rude to our guest," Gintoki scolds the girl while as he removes his head from the dog's mouth. "Here, take these to the kitchen."

They both handed Kagura the heavy paper bags and she runs back in, excited for the food. "Shinpachi, they're back!"

"Oh, she's strong," Sakura remarks and Gin smirks.

"You have no idea."

Shinpachi greets them in the living room as soon as he finished sweeping the floor. "Welcome back, Gin-san, and uh..." he pauses, unsure how to address the lady.

"Haruno Sakura," the lady holds her hand out to the boy, inviting a handshake. "Sorry again for earlier," she says, bashful.

"D-don't worry about it, Haruno-san," he shakes her hand back, not knowing what the gesture meant but just kind of went along with it.

"How are the legs?" Gin asks, looking at Sadaharu curling up in a corner. The dog has bandages wrapped around both hind legs.

"The vet says he'll be fine, but..." Shinpachi hesitates. "I'm afraid Sadaharu won't be able to run as fast anymore. Kagura-chan was also advised not to ride him."

"Ehh, he can still walk, he's fine," Gin says dismissively.

Kagura runs back to the living room and tugs on his yukata. "Sadaharu is going to be okay, right, Gin-chan?" Her eyes getting misty.

"Get off of me!" he nags. "I told you not to play too rough with him!"

Sadaharu growls.

"Do you mind if I take a look?" Sakura cuts in.

"Oh, right. You are a doctor," Gin remembers. "By the way, Haruno-san here is a doctor in her town," he explains to the kids. Their faces light up, hopeful.

Sakura sits on the floor and faced the dog. Gin crouches behind her, and the two kids watch them intently.

"Hello, Sadaharu," she starts. "I'm here to help you, okay?"

The expert medic nin inspected the legs first, then worked her way throughout the whole body. She slowly pets the dog until it grows more and more comfortable with her touch.

At the back of her head, this reminds her of the countless times she tended to her sensei's dogs. She silently shakes the memory away so she can focus.

"I can sense a few broken bones there, but it can be fixed," she assures the trio. Kagura grins from ear to ear upon hearing this.

Sakura's hands glow green as she hovers it over the poor dog's legs. Sadaharu whimpers a little, and in a few more seconds, the dog stands up, jumps around, and barks happily.

"There, all done," Sakura smiles, wiping the sweat on her forehead. "And such a good boy, too!" Sadaharu licks her face excitedly, and the trio is stunned with what just happened.

"You're amazing, Haruno-san!" Shinpachi remarks with wide eyes. "How did you do that!"

"Sadaharu!!!" Kagura cries in happiness. "Are you feeling better now, Sadaharu?" she hugs the dog and rubs its chin. "I promise I'll be more careful!"

Gintoki stands up and extends a hand to Sakura. She gets up with his help and their eyes locked in a gaze for a split second.

He's grateful, yet he doesn't know how to tell her. He wants to kiss her right then and there... But maybe not in front of the kids, he thought. Yeah, not in front of these two dorks. He shakes the idea away.

"Kitchen?" he asks, and the lady happily follows.

-

Next

[alexturne]

13 and 15 for the ask game 🫶🏻

Hiii hope you're well ❤️

13. what are some of your favourite lyrics alex has written? (doesn't have to be arctic monkeys, can also include tlsp/ other artist collaborations/the submarine soundtrack)

This is sooooo difficult, and I feel like Alex in that interview with Jo where he can't answer a single thing in fear of getting it wrong 😂 I'm certain I'll pick something and then spend the rest of the day remembering more favourite ones 😂😂

But!! He has written so so so sooooooo many perfect lyrics. I genuinely don't think he has ever written any bad ones which is quite the feat.

I love when he gets all deceptive and crinkled and does twists and turns and almost gets lost in the abstraction and then I also love when he gets so direct that it's almost painful.

"I caught you talking to the real me, can't tell you how unhappy that shit makes me." The Bourne Identity, basically all of it. It hurts so good and it's so unique to his catalogue and he couldn't ever have been so open and endearingly and painfully honest if it hadn't been for the support of Miles 🥰 I love that song to bits.

"There's a set of rickety stairs in between my heart and my head. And there ain't much that ever bothers going up them." From The Element Of Surprise - another example of how writing with Miles brings out a totally different side to his writing. It's such evoking imagery and such a cool way of saying what he's trying to say. So clever but so simple and straight forward, yet still incredibly layered and thoughtful. Also I love when he writes more directly about his personal inner life and thoughts and how he feels about himself. That's when I find him at his best.

Another set of absolutely gorgeous lyrics with powerful imagery is Love Is A Laserquest, the most heartbreaking thing ever. "When I'm pipe and slippers and rocking chair, singing dreadful songs about summer. Will I have found a better method of pretending you were just some lover." It's just so impressively well put and makes us feel SO MUCH with such simple words. Contains MULTITUDES.

Also, I've always enjoyed the way he makes his lyrics feel like almost rap verses, and he has the most amazing flow and he shoves in so many words and different rhythms and tongue twisters and I just love the creativity he applied to his lyrics. An all time favourite song of theirs for me is Red Lights Indicate Doors Are Secured, and especially this bit just sounds so delicious "Drunken plots hatched to jump it, ask around "are you sure?" Went for it but the red light was showing, and the red light indicates doors are secured."

Another example of this is him spitting in Curtains Close "Cause I'm a mad mother-fucker with my curtains open, sitting tucked up in bed."

15. favourite arctic monkeys b-side?

Uuughghjjjj I looooove their b-sides, they're literally incredible.

Nettles is a massive fave, Temptation Greets You, Red Right Hand, Electricity, Wirral Riddler, 7, You And I, I.D.S.T... I could keep going forever 😂😂

Thank you so much for the lovely questions ❤️

[sp00kymulderr]

omgggg i'm sorry it took me forever to get to this but damn if it wasn't worth the wait. oof what a chapter. I have things I want to scream about, to no one surprise.

Ugh okay sorry if this is long and rambly and nonsensical!

one I am so so loving the interactions with Frankie and his friends as you write them, what a supportive group even if Benny is a little himbo fucker. It's so sweet that Frankie calls them together to plan out a date! They really are brothers, and they really love each other and I wanna cry every time I read them being accepting of him because he needs that so bad, he is so lucky to have them! 🥹🥹🥹🥹

Frankie getting ready for the date and being all cute and nervous again. I'll never get tired of it. He's so smitten already it's adorable, the way he worries about his hair and just wants things to be perfect. He's an angel actually. 🥺

RIVER well you know how I feel about River 💗. God.

they had a collarless shirt buttoned up all the way, tucked into plaid pants, and nice dress shoes. All black, of course. They wore no lipstick today, their makeup was simple, and their hair was perfectly straight. It looked like they’d freshly shaved the right side of their head as well.

I know they looked so hot. I want them, tbh. I also love all the little details about them you're giving us, like:

River talked with their hands a lot whenever they got excited about something

You put in all these little moments of detail that paint such a picture of the kind of person they are, how they appear and how they act. I feel like I'm really getting to know River.

Their date was sooo sweet in the diner, they seem so comfy together and the calm energy between them? Beautiful. Frankie being the quieter one, the listener, while River is a little more confident and easily carries the conversation is a dynamic I definitely feel suits them. I feel like Frankie needs someone like River with this like more confident, relaxed energy to keep his anxious little mind at bay. They’re perfect for each other. River is so calm about the revelation of Frankie being a dad and I think it’s fitting, just in how it seems like they can adapt to situations easily – maybe just me but that’s like such an queer thing like we have learnt to be cool and adaptable to all sorts of situations cause we’re so used to people not being able to adapt to our situation. (I think that makes no sense idk I'm hopped on up cold meds.)

“That’s because you’re old–” “I’m only a few years older than you,” Frankie deadpanned. “Details.”

Their banter makes me giggle and kick my feet every time. Cutie pies. 🤭 They are so in to each other it's disgusting(ly beautiful). 🥲

Had a small squeal at the passing mention that River has had top surgery ngl. Very special to me personally. Just, nice to read a character with those details. Thank you.

The smut is delicious and GOD they are so hot for each other I'm MELTING over here. Need a cold shower rn. 🔥

But the main things I am taking from this chapter? And I'll be honest reading this kinda made me cry. I think you understand why.

“The complicated answer, especially for someone so new to this, is that gender is a societal thing. How you’re perceived, presented to the world is just through the eyes of society. How you see yourself is what actually matters, though. And when all that societal bullshit doesn’t affect your life, the roles you’re ‘supposed’ to play don’t matter anymore.” “I’m River. River is me. I don’t care how people see me. I did all of this,” they gestured to their body. “For me. Not for anyone else. Because if I didn’t, I would be unhappy. And my own mental health and happiness matters more than some so-called church-going do-gooder’s opinion.” Frankie looked at River in awe. Their confidence and respect for themself was one of the most attractive things he’d ever seen.

I just...I aspire to have this level of confidence and care for myself and be so authentic to who I am. You've genuinely written a character who is actively inspiring me. I can't tell you how important that is, and how much it means to me.

And THEN you hit us with this:

“Exactly. Another way you could see it is you being attracted to people that are like you,” ... “And people who aren’t.”

And I am a mess, because yes. I have been told I can't be non-binary and identify as bisexual. I have been told bisexual people are not attracted to me, because I don't fit some gendered construct.

Sorry, too much detail about me and not enough about your FANTASTIC writing and wonderful story and brilliant oc and loving characterisation of Frankie and generally just how incredible you are.

I hope you know how incredible you are, erin.

Thank you for writing this.

into the beat of the night (ch 3) "self control"

moodboard by the lovely @hellishjoel, gif by me

pairing: frankie morales/enby!oc!river price (they/them) rating: 18+ (minors dni) chapter warnings: fingering, one (1) handjob, discussions of sexuality/gender (in an... interesting way), goth stereotypes abound, swearing, more cute shit word count: 3k dividers by @saradika beta: @scenaaario (ily adrienne ♥)

for notifications, follow @oakslibrary and turn on alerts ♥

series summary: frankie thought he had himself figured out by now. he liked both men and women, had dated both in the past. but when someone that challenges what he thinks that means comes into his life, in an unlikely place, he truly learns who he is, and more importantly, who he loves.

series masterlist

“What’s their name again?”

“River. I already told you, Benjamin,” Frankie chuckled, taking a drink from his beer.

“Right, sorry. I’ve just never met a non… what was it again?”

Frankie, Benny, Will, and Santiago were at their usual bar that night. It was in a different part of town than The Night Owl, with a completely different vibe, but it was cozy. The four of them had become regulars and knew the staff by name.

“Non-binary person,” Will said, shoving Benny on the shoulder. “Are you listening at all?”

Benny shot his brother a look and stuck his tongue out, because apparently Benny was still five. “Of course I’m listening! Non-bi-nar-y,” he sounded it out, tapping his finger on the table with each syllable. “What does, uh… What does that like, mean, Fish?”

Frankie furrowed his brows and took another drink. “I haven’t actually asked yet. All they told me is that they’re like… both, and neither, at the same time.” He hummed thoughtfully. “I was a little distracted after that and didn’t get to ask.”

Santiago grinned, slapping Frankie on the shoulder. “Good for you, Fish.”

Frankie rolled his eyes, but smiled, thinking about the kiss he shared with River the other night. They kept texting, and he’d even asked River out on a real date, which brought the guys to the bar. It had been a year or so since his last date and he needed advice on where to take someone like River. He wasn’t as familiar with the goth subculture and thought maybe his brothers would have experience. At the very least Ben, who’d been with a few different kinds of people.

“I did look it up that night after I got home, but I’m still a little confused,” Frankie shrugged.

“Just ask them, man,” Will offered. “They seemed cool with your first question.”

Frankie nodded, a look of determination crossing his features. “You’re right. It couldn’t hurt, right?”

Frankie was sweating. Marisol was with her mom this week, so he hadn’t had to worry about having that conversation yet. He was planning on telling River about her tonight. He checked his hair in the mirror again before he left, deciding to go without his hat tonight, but worried all his nerves would deflate the work he put into it. He sighed as he messed around with the unruly curls again. This is why he stuck to hats. Frankie’s phone vibrated on the bathroom counter, startling him.

ok im ready, eddie 😉

River still thought it was hilarious that Frankie had worn an Iron Maiden t-shirt to a goth club, claiming that it fit his “old man aesthetic”, whatever that meant. This led to River referring to Frankie as “Eddie”, after the band’s skeleton mascot.

Yeah yeah i’m coming

Frankie saw the typing dots appear and disappear a couple times before disappearing completely. He sighed to himself and checked his hair one last time before leaving his apartment. 

When he got to the neighborhood of the address River had given him, he checked his phone again, making sure he was in the right place. He slowly crept up the hill towards the last line of apartments and immediately his heart started pounding. Frankie really liked River. He didn’t want to fuck this up, and hoped him being a dad wouldn’t ruin that. Or his big dumb mouth.

River was standing at the bottom of the staircase of the apartment complex and waved, a huge grin on their face. Frankie stopped the truck and leaned over to open the passenger side door for them to climb inside. The scent of bergamot, clove, and sandalwood filled his nostrils again as the truck door shut. Frankie calmed down, and smiled, leaning over to give River a kiss on the cheek. “You look amazing,” he breathed, taking in River’s outfit; they had a collarless shirt buttoned up all the way, tucked into plaid pants, and nice dress shoes. All black, of course. They wore no lipstick today, their makeup was simple, and their hair was perfectly straight. It looked like they’d freshly shaved the right side of their head as well. River’s look was so new for Frankie, he couldn’t help being captivated by them every time he saw them.

“Thank you,” River smiled, heart skipping a beat. “Where are we off to?” They rested their ring-clad hand over Frankie’s larger one in between the two of them on the seat. “When you said it was a surprise, I admit I got a little nervous.”

Frankie placed his hand on the back of the truck seat and looked behind them as he backed up to leave the apartment complex. River’s eyes were glued to Frankie’s neck and subtly licked their lips at the sight of the thick muscles and veins. Their eyes moved up to Frankie’s side profile and they swooned.

“How come? Don’t trust me?” Frankie smirked, making eye contact before his eyes moved to the road, and started heading toward their destination.

River shrugged, even though they knew he couldn’t see them. “Maybe. Maybe not,” they smirked. The red light of the clock on the console caught River’s eye; 7:30pm. 

“Well, that’s a shame. I had a nice dinner planned and everything,” Frankie showed them an exaggerated pout, a twinkle in his eye.

“Oh, well, in that case.”

The restaurant Frankie picked might’ve been a little more… casual, then he remembered. The last time he was here was with Jackson. He shook off the memory. He was here with River now. The place was actually more like a diner, with vintage photos of women in pinup-style outfits and poses.

Frankie reached for River’s hand and laced their fingers together as he found them a table, letting River sit first.

“Such a gentleman,” River teased, squeezing his hand before getting comfy in the booth.

“I try,” Frankie smiled bashfully as he joined them on the opposite side. The light shining down onto the table lit River beautifully. He noticed that River’s button-up was actually a dark green, with subtle velvet roses all over.

They ordered their food and made easy conversation. River talked about their job as an architect. They were working on designing a building that was be built in the next couple of years in the city. Frankie found it fascinating but couldn’t focus on the words, too distracted by their calming voice and watching their mannerisms. River talked with their hands a lot whenever they got excited about something, and Frankie thought it was adorable.

“Sorry, I know I’m rambling now,” River shook their head, cutting themself off. Frankie frowned,mouth full of french fries.

“Please, continue, I don’t mind listening.”

So River did. They talked about anything and everything. Frankie interjected here and there, but was more than content to listen to River talk. When there was a lull in the conversation, Frankie’s palms started to get sweaty. Their plates were empty now, but River still had half of their milkshake left.

It was now or never. Frankie took a deep breath.

“So… I’ve been meaning to tell you something,” he started. River raised an eyebrow and rested their chin on the palm of their hand, listening. Frankie cleared his throat before continuing. “Um, so I know this is a dealbreaker for some people, so I won’t be offended if you want to stop things after tonight. B-But I would like to stay friends if that’s the case.” He rubbed his sweaty hands on his thighs. “I’ve got a daughter.”

River was quiet for a second before a small smile appeared on their face. “I’m actually not surprised. How old is she?”

“You’re not?”

“Of course not. You’re an incredibly handsome man of a certain age–”

“Hey.”

“And any woman would be stupid not to make an honest man outta you,” River winked.

Frankie blinked a couple times before chuckling softly. River continued to surprise him. “Well, her mother isn’t in the picture, at least not with me. Marisol, my daughter, sees her half the time, and stays with me the other half of the time,” he explained, crossing his arms comfortably over the table. “Oh, and she’s four.”

“Aww, can I see a picture of her?”

Frankie’s heart fluttered as pulled his phone out, opening the album of photos devoted just to his little girl. He slid his phone over to River and they started scrolling through the photos with a smile on their face.

“She’s adorable, Frankie,” River hummed, returning his phone back to him. “I can tell you think the world of her. I won’t lie, I’m not really… uh, a kid kind of person. I always just planned on being the cool cousin and not a parent,” they muttered, resting their chin on their palm again.

Frankie nodded in understanding. “I totally get that. I just figured it wouldn’t be fair to you, or to Marisol, to keep her a secret, y’know?”

“Absolutely, and I appreciate you telling me,” River nodded back. “But I like you. A lot. And I’m willing to give this a shot with you. So I don’t think Marisol is a dealbreaker.”

Frankie’s heart soared at River’s words. “I really like you, too,” he grinned like an idiot, cheeks warm. “C’mon, we still have another part to this date.” He stood up and held his hand out for River to take.

After paying, the two found themselves back in Frankie’s truck heading down the highway. It was starting to get darker and the roads were clearing. They pulled up to a drive-in, but there weren’t any other cars.

“What is this, Grease?” River teased. “A diner and then a drive-in movie?”

Frankie snorted and reached out his window to pay for their tickets before finding somewhere to park. “I happen to like drive-in movies and diners, thank you very much.”

“That’s because you’re old–”

“I’m only a few years older than you,” Frankie deadpanned.

“Details.”

About a third of the way into the original Halloween, Frankie put his arm around River’s shoulders and pulled them close. River happily cuddled into Frankie’s side, loving the warmth and softness they found there.

Halfway through, River’s eyes started wandering elsewhere. They looked down at the crotch of Frankie’s jeans, and wondered what lay beyond the tight denim. They looked up at Frankie’s face and kissed the little patch in his beard that refused to grow hair. Frankie looked down at them, deep brown eyes looking over River’s features. He went from their dark-rimmed eyes, to their collarbone, and back to their plush lips, his heart pounding. He didn’t need any further convincing and started kissing River deeply, holding the side of their face.

River hummed into Frankie’s mouth and slowly crawled into Frankie’s lap. They grinned as Frankie huffed a breath against their lips, holding River’s hips in his large hands. River kissed the corner of Frankie’s mouth before moving down to the side of his neck and sucked a mark where his neck met his shoulder. Frankie shuddered, moving a hand down and squeezing River’s ass. They lifted their head and looked at the far-away expression on his face.

“Are you one of those guys that doesn’t like to fool around on the first date?”

Frankie blinked up at River, thinking about it. “I mean, no, but–” “Good,” River growled, latching back onto Frankie’s neck and sucking hard.

Frankie moaned openly at that, but pulled them away. “Wait,” he breathed. River tilted their head to the side and didn’t say anything, letting Frankie continue. “Um, I had another question.”

“Okay.”

“Well, uh. I don’t mean to kill the mood, because God, I really wanna get back to that, b-but I was curious,” Frankie swallowed, not making eye contact again. “I looked up what non-binary was after you told me and I was a little confused, and basically I just– Um, I wanna know like, how… this would… work,” he trailed off, gesturing between the two of them and at the bulge in his jeans.

“You’re asking what I have so you know how to proceed.” It was a statement, not a question, said softly in understanding. River played with the curls at the back of Frankie’s neck.

Frankie nodded. “If that’s an invasive question, I’m really sorry, and–”

“Shh,” River chuckled, pecking Frankie on the cheek. “It’s okay, I promise. I’m not offended. You’re actually being really sweet about all of this. I know this is new for you.”

Frankie smiled shyly and shrugged, but let them continue.

“I was raised as a girl. ‘Assigned female at birth’, is typically what we call it,” River looked down, playing with the collar of Frankie’s shirt. “You were assigned male at birth. The doctors looked at your parts and decided that’s what you were, and you never felt like it was incorrect, right?”

Frankie nodded, listening carefully.

“Right. Well, it felt wrong to me. I didn’t really know what the feeling was growing up. It’s actually kind of a recent development for me.”

Frankie chewed on his bottom lip, one question still buzzing around his head. “How do you… How did you know? And did you… have any… surgeries? To um–” he didn’t know how to word any of this.

River laughed softly. “Yeah, I had top surgery. I no longer have breasts, as I’m sure you’ve noticed. Everything below the belt is still intact,” they grinned, moving their crotch closer to Frankie’s. “The complicated answer, especially for someone so new to this, is that gender is a societal thing. How you’re perceived, presented to the world is just through the eyes of society. How you see yourself is what actually matters, though. And when all that societal bullshit doesn’t affect your life, the roles you’re ‘supposed’ to play don’t matter anymore.”

“I’m River. River is me. I don’t care how people see me. I did all of this,” they gestured to their body. “For me. Not for anyone else. Because if I didn’t, I would be unhappy. And my own mental health and happiness matters more than some so-called church-going do-gooder’s opinion.”

Frankie looked at River in awe. Their confidence and respect for themself was one of the most attractive things he’d ever seen. “You’re amazing,” Frankie breathed, surging forward to kiss them deeply. He gripped River’s ass again and pulled them closer, grinding his hardening cock against them.

River moaned softly, grinding back, and tangling their fingers into his hair. Suddenly, Frankie pulled back, catching his breath.

“Wait, does that, like…” He thought for a second. “While I was doing my research, I came across a couple other terms I didn’t know.”

River chuckled and kissed down Frankie’s neck softly. “Go on.”

Frankie’s breath hitched, speaking shakily. “Um, I’ve always considered myself b-bisexual– oh– a-and if non-binary people are technically a th-third gender, then does that change?”

“No,” River hummed, licking underneath Frankie’s ear, before taking the lobe into their mouth and nibbling.

“It doesn’t?”

River shook their head. “Bisexual is more like an umbrella term. People interpret it differently,” they reached a hand down between them, trailing their fingers to Frankie’s belt buckle and undoing it. “For example, you’ve always assumed it just meant you were attracted to men and women, right?”

Frankie moaned softly as the pressure was relieved from his hard cock, and nodded.

“Exactly. Another way you could see it is you being attracted to people that are like you,” they gripped Frankie’s cock tightly, making him gasp sharply. “And people who aren’t.” They grabbed his hand and placed it onto their crotch, grinding against him.

He was so hard he was throbbing, and so turned on his head spun. He started undoing River’s dress pants and slipped his hand down to their panties, finding their pussy impossibly warm and wet. 

“Fuck,” Frankie groaned, rubbing at their clit through the fabric of their underwear. River moaned sweetly and bit their bottom lip, moving Frankie’s boxer briefs out of the way so they could grip around his cock.

“You’re so hard,” River grinned, rubbing their thumb over the tip. They started stroking him slowly, watching as the head of Frankie’s cock appeared and disappeared underneath the foreskin. 

Frankie was breathing heavily, resting his head on the back of his seat and looking at River through his lashes. He moved the tips of his fingers in small circles for a few moments before he moved his fingers beneath their underwear and touched bare skin. River gasped at the contact and nodded, giving him permission.  Frankie slowly sunk his middle finger inside them and started pumping in and out. His thumb rubbed in time against their clit. River started moaning louder, throwing their head back to expose their throat to him.

Frankie saw an opening and latched his mouth onto their neck, marking them in return as his free hand held the back of River’s head. “You’re so fucking sexy,” he groaned, biting at River’s skin.

River shuddered at the praise, rocking their hips against Frankie’s hand. “‘M close,” they whined, panting down at him. They started to lose their rhythm on Frankie’s cock and squeezed him tightly in their fist. Frankie nodded in understanding and started moving his fingers faster, adding a second one as the slick sounds coming from between River’s legs filled the truck. 

“C’mon, baby. You gonna come for me?” he breathed against their neck, leaving soft kisses against their skin. The contrast between what his mouth and what his hand were doing was overwhelming and River wouldn’t change it for the world. 

River nodded, their brows moving downward in pleasure before stilling above him as they came. Their hips rocked back and forth over Frankie’s hand as they came down, moaning and biting their lip. 

The sight of River coming was enough for Frankie and his cock twitched hard as he erupted all over River’s hand. He grunted and hid his face in their neck as his balls emptied messily. He whined softly, twitching in the aftershocks. 

River giggled quietly and held him close after licking their hand clean. “Gonna have to blow you next time,” they hummed thoughtfully.

Frankie groaned as his oversensitive cock twitched between them. “Don’t say shit like that while I’m still vulnerable, you menace.”

River bit his cheek, then kissed it softly. “You love it.”

He did. He really did.

a/n: please enjoy this meme that inspired the scene above

[cherry-colored-petals]

Update: I sent one (1) more ask because I swear to the Gods I am not well HAOSHISJS

I AM NOT OKAY IM LOSING IT— THE UPDATE OF DAY 7 IS SO.

OUGH.

IT ITCHES MY BRAIN SM THAT I WANT TO PUNT THE ALCHEMIST HELP

[drabbles-mc]

Home Safe

Juice Ortiz x GN!Reader

Request by Anon: From your prompt lists can we get fluff 6, “I can’t believe you’re real and mine,” and smut 7, “i know, baby, I know,” with juicey boy and f!reader pretty please?? Thank you and I hope you’re having a great day! (Prompts are from This List)

Warnings: 18+, fluffy soft goodness

Word Count: 1.4k

A/N: I know that the request was for f!reader but this felt doable for me to do a gender-neutral reader, so that’s what I did! Loved writing this softness for our boy. Hope you enjoy!

SOA Taglist: @garbinge @masterlistforimagines @espieviolet99 @mijop @chibsytelford @thanossexual @xladymacbethx @i-just-read-stuff @bport76 @toni9 @unicornucopia-fuckers @buckybarneshairpullingkink @shadow-of-wonder @punkgoddess-98 @paintballkid711 @black-repunzel99 @lexondeck @jitterbugs927​ @fanfic-n-tabulous​ @mijagif​ @frattsparty​ @winchestershiresauce​ @bellisperennis0​ @crowfootwrites​ @redpoodlern​ @beardburnsupersoldiers​ @mveggieburger​ @xeniarocks​ @choochoo284​ @littlekittymeow​ @beardsanddetectives​ @juicyortiz​ @bruxasolta​ @i-love-scott-mccall​ @be-my-dear​ @withmyteeth​ @passionatewrites​ (If you want to be added to any of my taglists, please let me know!)

You’d been half-asleep when your phone began buzzing on the pillow beside your head, the pillow that had been cold for much longer than you liked. Club business was taking longer than the guys all bargained for, which was par for the course these days, but it still left a knot in your stomach until you finally got the message that they were all safe and on their way home. Which was why even though you weren’t fully conscious, your hand flew and grabbed your phone with no hesitation. It took an extra few beats to get the words out, to get your brain to work, but you answered.

You cleared your throat, though it did nothing to make you sound any less groggy, “Hello?”

Even though he laughed, you could hear the exhaustion in Juice’s voice, “Hey, baby. Sorry I woke you up.”

“No,” you rubbed at your eyes with your free hand, “I wasn’t asleep…all the way.”

He laughed, “Still. Sorry it’s so late.”

“Everything okay?”

“Yea,” along with the tiredness, there was relief in his voice, “Just got to the clubhouse. I’ll be heading home in a few.”

“Yea?”

You could hear the smile on his face, “Yea.”

“I’ll unlock the door for you.”

“No,” he chuckled, “Stay in bed. I have my keys—it’s fine.”

“Okay,” you paused, butterflies still in your stomach despite all the time that had gone by, “I love you. Ride safe.”

“I love you too.”

You didn’t get out of bed, but you felt the exhaustion quickly dissolving from your body now that you knew Juice was on his way home. No matter how many times you told him to ride safe, you knew that he always went a little faster than usual when he was riding home after a run. You chastised him but part of you enjoyed it, that extra determination to get home to you as quickly as possible.

Even from the other end of the house, you could hear the sound of the front door opening. Your eyes were closed as you laid tucked up in bed, but the smile on your face grew. Rolling so that you were facing the bedroom door, you waited for him to appear. The sound of his boots against the hardwood slowly but steadily got a little louder with each stride towards the room. Your house wasn’t that big, the hall wasn’t that long, but that walk always seemed like it took him forever and a day on nights like this.

But then he was there. You smiled, propping yourself up so that you were resting on your elbows. He chuckled and shook his head, more than relieved to be home with you, the sight of you tangled up in blankets with an old shirt on of his made his heart soften after all the chaos he’d been through. The grin on his face was still genuine no matter how tired he was.

He quickly slipped out of his boots, shrugging off his kutte before flopping onto the bed with you. He didn’t even take the time to change out of his jeans and t-shirt that he’d come home in—he just wanted to hold you. He wasted no time in hooking his arms underneath yours and pulling you tight to his chest. You burrowed your face into the crook of his neck, wrapping your arms around him as you did so. Neither of you said anything for a moment, just taking a few deep breaths and enjoying the fact that you finally got to hold each other again.

Pulling back, you pressed your lips to his in a searing kiss, hand sliding up to cradle the back of his head as you did. You felt his fingertips pressing harder into your back, trying to find a way to pull you closer still. His lips moved hungrily against yours, trying to make up for lost time.

When you finally pulled away, you searched his eyes, trying to make sure that everything was really okay. Tracing your thumb along his cheek, you said, “That was way longer than three days.”

His laugh was soft, tired, “I know, baby, I know. I’m sorry.”

You shook your head, “Don’t be sorry,” you paused, “You’re alright, though?”

He nodded, “I’m good. I’m just, you know,” his hand ran up and down your back, “I’m glad I’m home.”

You smiled, pressing a soft, brief kiss on his lips, “Me too.”

The two of you shifted around slightly on the mattress, trying to get as comfortable as possible. Juice didn’t slither underneath the blankets with you, still didn’t change out of his clothes from the day. Instead, he just rested his head against your chest and wrapped his arms around you, not caring that they’d end up losing feeling if you two laid like that for too long. You smiled, resting one hand on his back between his shoulder blades, and the other on the back of his head, your fingers raking gently over the short hair of his mohawk, over the stubble growing in on the sides of his head that he hadn’t been able to shave while he was on the road.

His breathing started to slow, and you could feel him relaxing more as he continued to lay on you. You would lay there and stare at him forever if you could. It wasn’t like you never got to have these moments, but there was something extra precious about them when he was coming back from a long stint away. He was always tired and clingy, always more soft than usual.

You were starting to think that he might’ve fallen asleep but then you heard him take a deep breath, his voice gravelly as he asked, “How were things here?”

You smiled, your hands gently roaming over his body of their own accord as you spoke, “Fine. It’s always too quiet here when you’re gone.”

“Am I that loud?” he chuckled, still not lifting his head from your chest.

“No, no,” you pressed a kiss to his head, “Well. Only when you play video games,” you gave him a light squeeze, “I just mean it feels more like home when you’re here. That’s all.”

He let out a quiet hum of approval, “Oh. Okay.”

You chuckled, “Okay.”

The room fell quiet again, just the sounds of an occasional deep breath coming from one of you. For as tired as Juice was, he knew that he wasn’t going to be falling asleep anytime soon. Whenever he came home from a run, especially one that went sideways and dragged on like that one had, he tried to stay awake for a while no matter how tired he was. There was something different about the comfort during that first night being home again.

Your hands began to slow, and eventually they stilled completely. Lifting his head, Juice looked up at you, smiling at the sight of you passed out beneath him. He managed to pull his arms out from underneath you without waking you, wiggling his fingers to try and get the feeling back into them. He started to pull away so he could get up off the bed, but you groaned, reaching out even in your sleep to pull him close to you again. He chuckled, bracing himself and carefully maneuvering out of your grasp.

Only then did he finally shed his jeans and t-shirt. Walking around to his side of the bed, he pulled the blanket back just enough to be able to crawl in beside you. He wedged himself up against you, draping one arm over your stomach as his head rested by your shoulder.

The contact began to stir you from your sleep. Your eyes were still heavy, barely open, but you still turned to look where he was laying. A sleepy smile crossed your face when you saw the way that he was looking at you. Your voice was hoarse as you whispered, “What?”

He kissed your shoulder, “You.”

“Me?”

“Yea,” he pulled himself a little tighter to you, “you. I just, you know, I can’t believe you’re real and mine.”

You hummed in approval as your eyes started to drift the rest of the way shut again, “Better start believing it. I love you.”

Relief coursed through his chest at the words. Finally letting his eyes close, he said, “I love you too.”

[obeymeoasis]

Demon Bros React: MC Defends Them From Nasty Remarks

Warnings: Explicit language, MC being mildly violent (throwing/kicking things).

Lucifer

Lucifer had just finished some paperwork for Diavolo and was on his way to R.A.D to deliver it.

In the hallway he could hear two demons talking and laughing. As he got closer he heard them say "Lucifer" and instinctively ducked into a nearby alcove.

"Lucifer's such an asshole." "I know, right? He acts like he's so much better than the rest of us when really, he just has a huge stick up his ass. It's no wonder he doesn't have any friends. Even his own brothers don't like him!" "He'll probably spend the rest of his life being Diavolo’s little bitch."

He would be lying if the comments didn't make him angry. But it was far from the worst thing he had heard about himself and would definitely not be the last time someone spoke ill of him.

With a weary sigh, Lucifer turned toward the south entrance where he could walk in order to avoid the demons. He could have strode past and glared at them menacingly. He could have made them grovel on their knees. But he was honestly exhausted and looked forward to this day being over as soon as possible. Plus, it would reflect poorly on Lord Diavolo if he started a fight with some lesser demons over this.

Suddenly, the chatter of the demons was interrupted by a loud thumping sound followed by the sound of one of the demons screeching in pain.

Lucifer quickly turned around to see- Oh no. You were standing in front of the demons, rage clear on your face. The demon who had yelled in pain was crouched on the ground holding his bruised shoulder. A History of the Devildom textbook was open on the ground, pages crumpled.

Did you... did you just throw a textbook at a demon?

Before he could even move, he heard your angry voice. "Listen here you fuckers. How dare you talk about Lucifer like that. He's one of the kindest, most intelligent, most thoughtful beings I've ever met. And you have no right to speak of him like that! I love him!"

Lucifer's heart burst at your declaration, his cheeks warming in pleasure. The two demons however, who had been gaping at you in shock, were now beginning to look murderous. The injured one stood up and slowly inched toward you, a vicious grin on his face. "Oh, is that so? And what the hell is a weak human like you going to do about it?"

You opened your mouth to speak but before you could say anything, Lucifer picked you up and threw you over his shoulder. "Love, I appreciate how you stood up for me. There's not many people who have done so for me before. But any more would cause trouble. And also, please don't throw textbooks at others, no matter how much you think they deserve it."

With a smug smile on his face, Lucifer began to walk toward the dorms. You, however, were struggling to turn your head around, still yelling and pointing angrily at the demons. "This isn't over! Sleep with your eyes wide open! You'll be hearing from my lawyer!"

He really did love you.

Mammon

Mammon was at the casino on a Monday night. It was lively as always, crowds of people playing group games and others drinking and mingling.

But for some reason, Mammon felt like being alone. He was in one of the more quiet corners, playing the slot machines.

He honestly should have been back at the dorms doing his homework. He was here because he felt like he had to, but his heart wasn't really in it. Mammon thought about packing it up early and texting you to see if you wanted to hang out.

The sudden sound of glass shattering broke through his thoughts. There was some sort of commotion going on and Mammon could hear angry yelling and cursing, some kind of argument.

Like many of the other customers, Mammon drifted toward the noise wanting to see what had happened. His heart sank when he saw you in the middle of the crowd, still in your R.A.D uniform, arguing with an older demon who Mammon recognized as a regular. They had played some games together before that always ended in angry accusations. The remains of a drinking glass lay shattered on the floor.

Mammon quickly rushed to your side. "MC, what the hell are you doing here?! What happened?" Up close he could see how livid you looked, you were trembling with fury.

The older demon opened his mouth while gesturing at his ruined clothes. "This bitch threw a drink at me! I should have them arrested! Do you know how much this tuxedo costs?" Ignoring him, you turned to face Mammon.

"Mams, Lucifer told me to check up on you and you weren't answering my calls. So I decided to come in person to make sure you were okay. But then I heard this asshole saying terrible things about you to his friends, calling you a liar and a cheater and all kinds of horrible names that you're not!"

Mammon was shocked to see you were struggling to fight off your tears, your lower lip quivering. "I know how caring and genuine and loving you are and I couldn't stand by while he said those things about you! None of it’s true!"

Overcome with emotion Mammon embraced you fiercely, shielding you from the other demon. "Oh, babe. Ya really are a special one.” Mammon gently stroked your hair and whispered in your ear. “I don't care about what he said, but thanks for sticking up for me. I love ya so much."

"Now let's make a run for it so that demon doesn't kill us."

Leviathan

Levi was slowly getting used to being in a relationship with you in public. At first, interactions were limited to the privacy of his room: cuddling and watching movies, gaming together, reading manga together. But now he looked forward to waiting for you after classes and walking home with you while holding hands.

His face got really red and he had a hard time making eye contact with you but still, he thought it was an improvement.

Right now he was waiting for you outside your classroom, scrolling through his D.D.D to kill time. Suddenly, he heard someone call your name.

“MC, you’re dating Levi right?” At the sound of his name he peeked in the window to see you cornered by three demons. He saw you nod. 

The demons began to barrage you with questions. “Why are you with a loser like that? Doesn’t he like never leave his room?” “He’s honestly the ugliest out of his family. I don’t believe that Levi and Asmo are related.” “You don’t actually find him attractive, do you?” “Are you with him ‘cause he’s like the easiest to control?” 

Each word felt like someone was piercing his heart. These were all things that he had thought or wondered himself, days when the darkness seemed to win over his mind. But to have them spoken out loud, especially in front of you, it was unbearable. It was as if his lowest and most shameful thoughts were being justified.

He was afraid to hear what your answers would be. Biting his lower lip, Levi turned to head home by himself but flinched at the loud sound of something slamming into the wall. He peeked inside the window again and saw you standing there, furious, your hands clenched into fists. You had apparently kicked one of the desks into the wall, black scuff marks clearly visible against the white paint.

“Alright, listen here you despicable fucks because I’m only going to say this once. My relationship with Levi is private, meaning all of your questions can be answered with ‘none of your damn business’. But since you’ve gone out of your way to waste my time, I’ll let you know this: Leviathan is more beautiful, inside and out, than any of you will ever be in your entire miserable lives. I honestly don’t think you deserve to breathe the same air as him and I hope Levi summons Lotan to devour the three of you."

Levi’s jaw was on the floor. He had never heard you speak that way. He had never had someone defend him so fiercely. His thoughts were interrupted by the classroom door suddenly slamming open as you walked out."

“Oh Levi, tell me you didn’t hear anything just now.” Your eyes were wide and you looked at him nervously.

Levi grabbed your hand and held it tight between two of his own. “I did, but it’s alright. Thanks for what you said.”

“Anything for my Lord of Shadows.”

Satan

Satan was heading to the library, your usual after-school spot. Some days you two spent hours there doing homework, reading, or just chatting quietly about your day before heading to dinner.

As he approached the table he saw you sitting down with a stranger seated opposite you. Leaning closer he was relieved to see it was a classmate you were friendly with, someone he knew you hung out with occasionally.

Satan was about to say hello when he stopped at the mention of his name. "MC, are you sure it's wise to be this involved with Satan?"

He quickly ducked behind a nearby bookshelf. Satan usually wasn't one to eavesdrop like this but the question concerned him.

"MC, I'm asking you for your sake. Satan is dangerous. He's violent and cruel. There are rumors about him beating up other demons and doing horrible things to them. What if he tries to hurt you too?"

Satan flinched. Sure his wrath had led him to do some destructive things before, but it was never without reason. Is this how you saw him as well? His thoughts began to spiral. What if you grew scared of him? Of his wrath? What if you flinched at his touch? That would hurt more than any of the rumors that swirled about him. 

Satan saw you take a deep breath before speaking. "Well, I appreciate you talking to me about this. I know you meant the best and were just thinking about me. But I promise you, you have nothing to be worried about. Satan would never hurt me."

He saw your friend shake their head, exasperated. "But you don't know that! What if one day he can't control himself and has an outburst or something?"

You replied carefully. "Satan is gentle. Incredibly so. He always treats me with nothing but respect and kindness. And Satan's not some kind of monster. He knows how to control himself and his powers. I love him. I really do. And until he decides to stop loving me, I want to be by his side."

He saw your friend huff irritably and get up to walk away. "Suit yourself, MC. Don't say I didn't warn you."

Satan took this as his cue to walk over. Your eyes brightened at the sight of him and you started to ask him about his day, acting as if nothing had happened. Satan played along for a bit, but then reached across the table for your hand and began playing with your fingers.

His hand was shaking. "I'll never stop loving you, you know. For as long as I live you're the only one for me. I love you, MC."

Asmodeus

Asmo was thrilled when you said you wanted to go dancing with him because he was usually the one pestering you to do things. He was having so much fun with you tonight, twirling you around on the dance floor and marveling how beautiful you looked under the shimmering lights of the club.

He was beginning to feel a bit hot, however, and excused himself to the bathroom, making sure you were safe on of the couches with a bottle of water in your hand.

Asmo had just finished touching up his makeup and adjusting his outfit when he heard two demons near the entrance of the bathroom gossiping loudly about him.

“Did you see what he was wearing tonight? He might as well have come naked instead of wearing those scraps of fabric he thinks counts as an outfit.” “My friend slept with Asmo once. She said he’s super easy, he’s willing to pretty much sleep with anyone.” “I bet him and that human won’t last another week. Once he’s done with them he’ll trash ‘em and move on to the next one, like he always does.”

Being the Avatar of Lust meant that Asmo had heard these kinds of comments before, whispered in the hallways at R.A.D or the dark hallways of nightclubs. It never really got easier listening to them though, and he realized he was biting down hard on his lower lip, his nails digging into his palm. 

Asmo contemplated what to do. He didn’t want to keep you waiting by yourself outside but he also didn’t want to run into the demons talking about him. Their comments affected him more than he thought they would. Maybe it was because you were involved. He wouldn’t do that to you. You knew that right? He would never treat you like a plaything.

Taking a deep breath and steeling his nerves Asmo schooled his face into an expression of careless indifference. He took a step outside, ready to greet his "fans", but was surprised to see that you had gotten there first.

And what a sight you were. Despite being much shorter than the two demons, it seemed you were the least bit intimidated. Your glare was ice cold as you gestured wildly at the two of them, and moving closer Asmo realized you were screaming.

"How fucking dare you say such vile things? You don't know the first thing about Asmo. You're really going to shame someone for what they wear?! For what they do in the privacy of their bedroom?!"

You pointed angrily at the demons, who seemed too stunned to move or say anything. "People like you make me fucking sick. You're despicable! Talking as if you're so high and mighty when all you do is judge others! How dare you? You cowards!"

Asmo could see you were getting more and more enraged and your hands were beginning to tremble. He leapt forward to stand between you and the demons and put his hands gently on your shoulders. Once he saw that you were okay, he gave you a passionate kiss, his mouth hot and needy against yours.

You kissed him back for a moment but moved away to hiss, "Karens, Asmo! Karens in the fucking Devildom, who would have thought?!"

"I know, darling. Let's head home. We can have a nice, relaxing bubble bath together."

Beelzebub

Beel was looking through the menu, deciding between a couple of his favorite dishes. It was your one year anniversary and despite his insistent protests, you had remained firm in your decision to pay for that night’s meal. Ever since you and Beel began dating, he pretty much always paid for your meals together because of how much he ate. But tonight, you wanted to be the one to treat him for once.

Beel knew you had secretly been saving up Grimm and he’d feel so guilty if you spent it all on him. Which was why he was trying to decide between a couple of different things, when normally he would have ordered everything on the page.

“Babe, please order whatever you want. I can practically see the thoughts turning in your head. I told you that I wanted to pay for tonight and I’m going to keep that promise. I want this to be a special night for us, so don’t worry about it.” Before he could protest, you called the waiter over.

Beel sighed and knew there was no changing your mind on this. You were incredibly stubborn when you wanted to be. He rattled off his usual order as the waiter frantically scribbled down notes, struggling to keep up. Once finished, Beel handed over the menus and smiled at how cute you looked, a mixture of pride and smugness on your face.

But your expression soon turned sour as you heard the conversation from a couple sitting a few tables over. Their voices were intentionally loud and they kept sneaking glances at your table as if to watch your reactions.

“Oh my lord, honey did you see how much food that guy just ordered? What an absolute pig!” “I saw, darling. I honestly pity his date right now, they must be soooo embarrassed.” “Is there anyone who wouldn’t be ashamed to be seen in public with such a selfish glutton?”

Beel’s heart felt like it had sunk. Embarrassed? Was MC embarrassed to be seen with him? Panicking, Beel thought back to all of the dates he’d had with MC so far. He realized that they ate out a good majority of the time they hung out, with Beel eating his normal enormous portions each time. Oh no, what had he done?

Head bowed, Beel slowly looked up at you, afraid to see what kind of expression you were making. But to his surprise, you didn’t look embarrassed or ashamed at all. You looked like you were going to murder someone.

He watched as you cleared your throat and then began speaking even more loudly than the couple had been. “OH BEEL, MY HANDSOME, KIND, LOVING, STRONG, SEXY, TALENTED BOYFRIEND. I LOVE YOU SO MUCH! YOU’RE HONESTLY SO AMAZING AND ONE OF THE QUALITIES I LOVE ABOUT YOU MOST IS THAT YOU’RE NOT A JUDGMENTAL ASSHOLE WHO MAKES RUDE INAPPROPRIATE COMMENTS TO STRANGERS ABOUT THINGS THAT ARE NONE OF THEIR DAMN BUSINESS!” 

Beel felt his lips inch into a smile and he flushed with amusement and happiness. But you weren’t finished just yet. “EXCUSE ME WAITER?” 

Your waiter practically ran to the table and looked between you two nervously, then at the couple glaring daggers in your direction. “COULD YOU PLEASE BRING US ANOTHER MENU? MY BOYFRIEND WASN’T FINISHED WITH ORDERING WHAT HE WANTS. OH BEEL, I LOVE HOW MUCH YOU EAT. HOW COULD SOMEONE BE EMBARRASSED OF A WONDERFUL GUY LIKE YOU?”

Beel took the menu and began listing some more foods at random, not really paying attention. He was too busy thinking about how much he loved you, how nobody aside from Belphie had ever stood up for him like that, had protected him like that. His cheeks felt like they were about to split from how much he was smiling.

When the waiter finally left, looking frazzled, Beel made his way over to your side of the table. He knelt down and nuzzled into your neck before giving you a tender kiss on your forehead. “MC, you’re amazing.”

Belphegor

Belphie had to admit, the gardens were a pretty nice place for a nap. Earlier in the day you had practically dragged him outside claiming that you were bored of sleeping in his room. As if that was even possible.

At first he was pretty annoyed that you were making him get up and move around. But the newly washed picnic blanket, the cool breeze rustling through the trees, and the light smell of flowers in the air all contributed to a very nice environment for a nap.

Belphie rested his head on your lap, already feeling his eyelids growing heavier. Your fingers gently combed through his hair, lightly scratching against his scalp, and he practically purred.

He guessed he had been asleep for about ten minutes when he awoke to the sound of your voice and something prodding against his knee.

Irritated at the disturbance, Belphie looked up to see two R.A.D students he recognized for always causing trouble. He looked over to see you scowling and guessed you had been telling them to leave so they wouldn't wake him up.

One of the students leered down, blocking out the light, and used the tip of his foot to poke Belphie's knee again. "Well the two of you make an odd fucking pair, huh?” He sneered, “Personally, I don’t date people who have MURDERED me in the past but what do I know? Love works in all kinds of mysterious ways.” You flinched as if someone had slapped you and Belphie growled, his hands curling into fists.

The other student leaned down to clap Belphie on the shoulder. “I gotta admit I didn’t know you had it in you, chief! I always thought you were...” He gave Belphie a once-over before adding “Well, everyone thinks you’re a bit fucking useless, eh? But I’m glad to see you’re capable of something.”

Belphie opened his mouth to reply venomously but was interrupted by the most horrifying sound coming from your mouth. It sounded like a combination of wailing and screeching as fat tears rolled down your cheeks. It was difficult to hear what exactly you were saying because of how hard you were crying, but Belphie could make out “How could you say that?!” and “Leave him alone!” among the screams. 

The two students had their hands over their ears, their faces twisted into grimaces of pain. One shouted, “What the fuck is wrong with you?” Worried, Belphie put a hand on your shoulder in an attempt to calm you down but you shrugged it off, continuing to cry and wail. Pretty soon other students began gathering around you, whispering amongst themselves and looking to see what all the noise and commotion was about. It was difficult to ignore you when you kept yelling things like “You’re horrible! Horrible! Leave us alone!” 

The two instigators looked at each other for a brief moment before deciding to run off, not wanting to get involved any further. And as soon as they left, it was like a switch had been turned off. You stopped crying and screaming immediately. If he hadn’t been there from the beginning, Belphie never would have guessed that you had been crying. Your face was perfectly calm and you sat relaxed with your hands folded, the picture of innocence.

“Belphie, don’t worry about what those two idiots said. We’ve talked about it enough and we’ve both worked it out, haven’t we? And you’re not useless. You know how much I love you and care about you. You mean so much to me.” 

Belphie leaned over to take your hand in his trembling one. He reached down to brush a stray leaf out of your hair before whispering, “MC, you’re fucking terrifying sometimes. I love you.”