#g: forced proximity

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𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐑𝐎𝐑𝐒 — part one (i – vii)

nonidol!ji changmin x f!reader

your sister's dead, but apparently that's not the most shocking news. maybe she wasn't killed on accident, maybe ji changmin isn't really human, and maybe the monsters were never under the bed but all around you...

▷ genre, warnings. strangers 2 reluctant allies/friends 2 lovers, slow burn, demon/supernatural creatures au, angst, action, murder mystery-ish au, forced proximity trope, suspense, gore, depictions of violence and blood, themes of death and grief, use/description of weaponry, swearing, a slightly unreliable narrator bc she has no idea what's happening, reader's sister is dead, mentions of stalking, humor bc coping mechanisms, reader has hair long enough to braid sorry, blood drinking, the barest of proofreading and editing done...

▷ part word count. 22.3k words / 47.4k - read part two here

▷ associated songs. teeth (5sos), wet nightmare (bibi)

a/n: i tried to make it scary I SWEAR but changmin brings the clown out of me 🤥 anyways i ripped a chunk of my heart out and im serving it to you bloodied on a gold platter, i hope u love her :') read the warnings ofc and lmk your thoughts <3 also i completely gave up on wrestling w blr so im dropping it in two parts, but both of them at once 🤣 pray for me.

#1—NEXT OF KIN.

THEY TOLD YOU YOUR SISTER'S DEATH WAS AN ACCIDENT, they being the authorities who had shown up at the front door of your apartment with their caps in hand, solemn faces pressed into lines that you could not read between. The world had fallen out from beneath your feet like someone had just yanked the carpet out, and you hadn't yet stopped falling.

The funeral was set on the rolling green hills of Elysium Memorial Park, the cemetery where your parents were buried, where your grandparents were buried, and now, where your sister joined them six feet under. Generations ago, your grandparents had purchased plots for themselves and their future family members while the land was cheap. When it came for your time to leave this mortal coil behind, you too would join them in the dirt of Elysium. It almost seemed right that the sky had opened up to reveal a blindingly hot sun, not a cloud to be seen in the sky. Perhaps the sky would not weep for your sister, but celebrate her life instead.

But while the heavens above would shed nary a tear, you could make up for that loss yourself. Having little to no living relatives left, you had been expected to take responsibility for all the arrangements, all while grieving, all while studying, all while trying to not fall apart some more. You were holding it together by the zipper of your dress pants and the caffeine from your coffee. You couldn't stop crying for the entire service, the forced silence of your cries balanced by the violent tremors in your shoulders.

Your sister Sena's patch in the land was now marked by a heaping pile of dirt. She had a lot of friends—most of whom gathered behind you and had thrown their flowers upon the dirt hill. You had a few distant relatives as well who you'd managed to remember (somehow) amongst all the madness. A couple of them were able to fly out for the event, but most had to decline.

When you heard your name being called, you drew your blazer sleeve over your eyes in a futile attempt to dry them.

Walking towards you now was a couple, middle-aged, dressed in black from head to toe, not far from how you looked right now. You knew them from about a week ago when they had sought you out after the news of your sister's death spread.

You hadn't the heart to sue them when they confessed who they were. It's our fault, they told you in the quiet of the hallway outside your apartment, we're so sorry. We understand if you'd like to press charges.

Sena was a victim of an automobile accident. You didn't know the entire story—was too tired for the whole story—just shocked she was even in the country. She was supposed to be across the world for a study abroad program, but why was she discovered on the side of the road, a few towns over, inebriated and dead? She became nothing more than roadkill and a statistic in death, and maybe that was why you were so bitter.

"Yn, it was a beautiful ceremony," said the woman—Julia, she had introduced herself as that week ago. Her nose was reddened from the friction of tissue paper, her eyes damp and glittering in the sunlight. "I'm sorry you—that you have to deal with all the pomp and circumstance."

"We know you deserve your time alone," joined her husband, Carter. He tucked his hands into his pockets, mustering up a smile for your sake, but you could still see the guilt flooding his eyes with water. "We just wanted to say thank you for letting us come and pay our respects."

And for not pressing charges. But you dashed that thought away. That was the bitterness talking, but these were good people. They had come forward and been honest, and it wasn't their fault Sena was drunk. (Why in the world was she drunk and here and why didn't she tell you the truth—?)

"Thank you for coming," you replied, "I wasn't sure if you would take me up on the offer, to be honest."

You wrapped up conversation with the couple and watched them depart across the grassy hills toward their car. Your eyes surveyed the last bits of the lingering crowd for familiar faces—anyone at all. But all you found were strangers.

These were all Sena's friends, after all. She had always been the more adventurous of the two of you.

You sighed and resigned yourself to start looking for the funeral coordinator to discuss payment and the like. Though the event was over the worst was just beginning. There was so much to do, and so little energy left to perform them.

But as you began trudging through the plush grass toward the far end of the plot, you noticed a man standing beneath the shade of a nearby oak tree. He wore typical funeral attire—the black dress shirt, pants, shoes, and even a pair of rectangular shades to cover his eyes. Like many of the others, you didn't recognize him—at first.

And then he shifted, lenses of his glasses reflecting sunlight and you could just barely put together the puzzle of his face and his identity. Ji Changmin.

What was he doing here?

They were friends, too, Yn, you reminded yourself. Yet, you weren't sure why you were so surprised he was here. Maybe it was because you never remembered extending the invitation to him (but someone could have spread the news by word of mouth). Maybe it was because several months had passed since you last saw him. Maybe it was because you always thought there was something… strange about him (but that could have been your bias; there was always this thing about him that irked you). Either way, you never had anything to say to him before, and that had yet to change even in light of your sister's death.

The two of you stared each other down, and for a moment, you believed he was going to walk over to you.

But instead, he pushed off the tree trunk and made his way toward the trickle of funeral goers up the hill, leaving you to wonder after him.

The next time you saw Ji Changmin was a week after the will reading.

Because you were Sena's next of kin, you were contacted by your shared attorney about Sena's will. Apparently, she had a will. After all these years, you couldn't even fathom the idea of needing one so early, but for some reason, she had. (Maybe that worried you a little more.)

The strangest thing was that your attorney had delivered to you a flat lockbox made of steel and secured with an old fashioned lock and key. Along with the stash of money in her savings account (where the Hell had all of that come from anyway?), Sena also gave you that. Whatever it was.

You had yet to open it when you bumped into Changmin on your way out of your college's academic counseling center. With recent events, your departmental advisor called you in to discuss your academic plans for the foreseeable future.

You can take as long as you like, Yn, she'd said to you. You're already ahead of schedule to graduate anyways. But that wasn't the point was it?—

"Oh." You stopped short as you rounded the corner and nearly crashed into something. "Sorry," you said before you even recognized him.

A pair of dark, feline eyes looked you up and down. "Yn, right?" Changmin drawled. A pair of white wired earbuds hung from his ears and his shoulders were fitted with a dark colored bomber jacket that was familiar to you. You'd seen it draped over the back of one of your kitchen chairs once when Sena had him over for a project.

Your eyes shuttered. "Yeah. Changmin?"

His nod was barely there. He cocked his head to the side in a way that felt like he was trying to gaze into your soul. "I'm—I'm sorry for your loss," he said, grappling for the right words. "Sena was a good friend."

"I didn't realize the two of you were so close," you told him. This was probably the most he'd ever said to your face, and you to him.

Changmin gave a small shrug. "We worked closely together, so it was kind of inevitable. How are you doing?"

You didn't think the conversation would last this long. "Oh, uhm, I'm fine." You inwardly knocked yourself over the head. He's probably just trying to be nice, Yn. "I mean—" you amended, "—I'm doing as well as you can imagine, I guess. Just lots of legal stuff and…" Her room. Cleaning out her room. Opening the lockbox. Reading her last will and testament for the fiftieth time.

When you didn't finish your sentence right away, he nodded again, shuffling on the balls of his feet. Was he feeling as awkward as you were? "I get that. Hey, if you—y'know, like, need anything—"

"You don't have to do that."

"What about coffee? Just… to talk."

Coffee? You considered him for a second. Before, you nor he had ever given any indication to the other that you acknowledged the other's presence. In fact, you confessed to Sena once that he intimidated you, even if he was just sitting there in your shared living room while pouring over JSTOR academic essays.

He was patient, you realized. Then you relented. "Okay. When's good for you?"

You thought you saw a glimmer of relief in his eyes, but that could have just been the afternoon sunlight. "Now?"

Your eyes widened a smidge, and you coughed. "Uhm now? I—I have class…?" You didn't, but the curve ball that was an impromptu coffee session with Ji Changmin wasn't something you needed right now.

His eyebrow lifted as if he didn't believe you. "Okay," he dragged out. "Tomorrow morning?" He offered as a counter.

Your brain did cartwheels in an attempt to figure out if you would have the willpower to do that. "Okay," you said. Better to get this out of the way, right?

"Do you know that one place on Magnolia?"

"The one across from the Eight Ball?" You perked up in recognition. You and Sena used to go all the time. The two of you liked to say that Magnolia was her street because it housed all her favorite places; just the thought of taking a stroll down it made your eyes water. "Yeah, Sena and I used to go all the time."

Changmin paused, his mouth opening, then closing.

You guessed what he was thinking. "It's fine if we go. I'm not gonna like, burst into tears or anything," you chuckled awkwardly, clearing your throat when excess tear fluid made you congested.

His lips pursed, impressing a dimple into his cheek. "Okay, only if you're sure."

"Yeah, I'm sure." It seemed that everything you said to people was something like a lie nowadays.

It was late when you finally faced the lockbox.

The box was an unassuming hunk of metal, flat and slim and no bigger than a standard piece of paper. You warmed the key in your palm until it was hot to the touch and made your skin redden. The sky outside your apartment window had darkened to a blot of ink, the white shutters drawn shut to create a white paneled shield. You just finished up a very lazy dinner, washed up, and decided to confront the last thing on Sena's will.

The lockbox in the bank under my name goes to my sister, Yn Ln. She is the only one allowed access to it until she opens it; what she decides to do with the contents is her choice.

There must have been something important inside it, you reasoned, otherwise it wouldn't have been a part of the will and it wouldn't be under lock and a single key.

"What is this, Sena?" You asked aloud, venturing to twist the lock open with the key. The locking mechanism gave way, and you set the lock and key aside. The shorter end could slide open like a hidden door, and you peered into the dark depths, almost afraid of what you might find between its jaws.

You could make out the silhouettes of shapes at the bottom, the soft-cornered texture of a wad of bills. You reached in.

One of the things she had left for you in her will was all of the money in her savings account. It had shocked you to see the number—you always thought her only job was at the library, but clearly, she was not just on a librarian's salary.

Pulling out a stack of cash from the box was yet another thing that helped solidify in your mind that something was off. The confusion settled first, and then the betrayal. Had she not trusted you with this knowledge while she was alive? You were the one going into accounting and finance, and yet, she hid all of this money from you? Was she afraid of something? Afraid of judgment, of the law?

You tossed the twenties onto the table. The note slipped between the rubber band and the first piece read something along the lines of 'in case of emergency.'

You made a plunge into the box again. This time, you pulled out the last two things at the bottom, a standard white index card and a small, fabric pouch. The card displayed Sena's familiar scrawl:

You're probably wondering what any of this is, but if you're reading this, it means that something's gone wrong—like really wrong. The necklace in the pouch is super important. DON'T TAKE IT OFF. Don't let anyone touch it before you do. Don't trust anyone. This is really important to me, Yn. Please be safe; I love you.

x, sena.

Please be safe? Safe from who or what?

You held the note in your hand for a moment and couldn't believe this would be the last thing you received from her. It would be a tangible legacy, in a way, and you weren't sure how to feel about that. You moved the note to the table and turned your attention to the pouch.

You carefully tugged it open. She said it was a necklace, right?

"Oh," you voiced aloud while fishing out a thin, silver chain.

There was a pendant attached to the end with some heft to it. It was a deep, bloody red in the loose shape of a teardrop. There wasn't a sharp peak, but a slightly flat end on one side and a rounded end on the other. You would guess it was some kind of precious stone, but when you stared at it long enough, it looked like the color pulsed… like a heartbeat.

Your breath hitched.

Eyes narrowed, you held it up to the light by the chain. The vibrant red remained stagnant—perhaps you were just tired.

Don't let anyone touch it before you do. Don't take it off. Don't trust anyone.

Strange request about a necklace. For a moment, you wondered if your sister had indulged in some unsavory acts to achieve the numbers in her bank account and the previous stone in your hands. If you put this on, would you be counted as an accomplice to robbery?

"God, you just need to go to sleep, Yn," you muttered, swiftly clicking the chain into place around your neck. There was no way your sister would have anything to do with—

You froze.

From the other side of your shutters, you swore you heard the sound of shuffling. It wasn't unheard-of that the leaves and tree branches knocked against your second-floor window once in a while, but there hadn't been much wind as of late.

A chill spider-crawled up your spine as you strained your ears to hear more.

When you came up with nothing, you shoved the pendant under your shirt and cleaned up the lockbox. You had an early day tomorrow, after all; sleep was dire to face Changmin.

But as you crept into bed, you couldn't help but feel as if the stone on your sternum did have a heartbeat, and that something in the dark was watching you.

#2—GHOSTS ONLY HAUNT.

YOU STEPPED FOOT ON MAGNOLIA STREET looking for signs of your sister.

The morning air was a little cooler as spring filtered into town, and it also meant that this street in particular would begin to swirl with baby pink petals from the trees of the street's namesake flowers. There weren't many people around on a Thursday morning, but the sun peered between the buildings to say hello, at least.

You were in good company.

"Hey."

"Holy shit—" you whipped around to find Changmin almost right behind you. Your heart stuttered against your ribcage, your hand flying to your sternum where the necklace was. You were still getting used to its presence.

He gave nothing away with his facial expression. Damn him.

"I didn't realize you'd be early," you breathed as you tried to get a grip on yourself. Did this guy just materialize out of thin air everywhere?

Tongue in cheek, he said, "Well, I couldn't really sleep, so I figured the morning air might freshen me up a bit. Shall we?" He gestured with his elbow and chin to the establishment to your right.

There sat the quaint, little coffee shop you'd both agreed on yesterday. This one was one of Sena's favorites. She always claimed that their blueberry scones were the best in the world.

When you didn't say anything for a little, he cleared his throat. "We don't have to, if you can't or don't want to."

You hadn't even realized you were being quiet. Thoughts had been muddled as of late. You cleared your throat and stumbled for the door. "No, we can go in."

Two cups of coffee arrived at your table seven minutes later in compostable cups and a pile of artificial sweetener packets and creamer. You straightened in your seat across from Changmin and began ripping open sweetener packets and wondering if you should have gotten something of substance to eat. (You had stared at the blueberry scones for a long minute before deciding that today was not the day you wanted to cry in front of someone, especially this someone in particular.)

Changmin moved his cup toward his side of the table but made no move to add sugar or cream, or to even drink it.

This place was so familiar to you that you knew exactly how many packets of cream and sweetener to mix in, and you gently blew a breath over the steam floating off the surface. When the liquid hit your tongue and your throat, its warmth enveloped your nerves in a warm embrace, assuring you everything was going to be okay. The emotion hit you like a freight train.

You pressed your thumb against the rear gland in your right eye and willed it away. "So uhm," you said, fanning your eyes gently as you attempted to pull yourself together in front of him, "what… what did you wanna talk about? If there was anything?"

He folded his arms over his chest while leaning back in his chair, and you thought you saw his gaze soften. "Why don't you take another sip?" His eyes went to the coffee. "It'll help."

You couldn't deny that suggestion, and you reached for your cup to take another small gulp. The breath you let out rattled.

This was a bad idea.

"Are you gonna be okay if I talk about Sena?"

You nursed the coffee cup in your hands and nodded slowly.

He eyed you for a moment, then relented. "Did she happen to leave anything that was marked for me? Before the—the accident, she said there was something she needed to tell me."

Something she needed to tell him? You racked your brain, eyes drilling into the wood grain of the coffee table between you two. The will hadn't mentioned anyone else but you. And all of the letters or notes from Sena that were given to you were all for you; the attorney would have handled the rest and mailed them off to anyone else she'd written something for.

You narrowed your eyes at him. "No, I can't think of anything. You say you were expecting something?"

The resolve in his eyes steeled over, and that little bit of softness you'd seen before disappeared as if it had never been there in the first place. You couldn't read him anymore. "Yes, I have her texts."

He fished out his phone from his pocket and you pursed your lips as he maneuvered to a screen of his and your sister's last messages to each other:

sena: i think i'm going back home soon, so i'll c u then changmin: okay that's fine changmin: wait ur still over there?? i thought u left already? sena: had to talk to someone abt the thing, but it was a dead end sena: just remind me that i have something to tell u changmin: what? sena: it'll be better if i said this in person

That was all Changmin let you see.

You leaned away from his phone, head reeling more from the fact that he knew she had been out of town and knew where she was and why she was there. Never mind the fact that apparently, Sena was holding onto important information for Changmin. You couldn't care less about that.

You supposed the texts were for him to prove to you he was telling you the truth. It wasn't like you weren't telling the truth either.

"Why was Sena out of town?" You asked him. "Did she ever go on any of those study abroad trips?"

Changmin paused, then something flickered in his eyes. "I think I showed you too much."

"I think you showed me too little."

"Yn, did she tell you anything about what she needed to tell me?"

You were going to push against him for your own agenda again, but the slight pressure in his tone made you think twice. There was something urgent in his words, his expression, his body language. You couldn't tell what it was, but something about this had to have been important.

Absentmindedly, your hand rubbed the area where the pendant sat on your chest beneath the collar of your shirt, and his eyes followed for a moment before flickering back up to your eyes. "No," you told him quietly. "She didn't tell me anything."

He must have believed you, because defeat shuddered across his face, and he said goodbye to leave. He didn't even take his coffee with him. Asshole.

You told yourself it would be months before you could bring yourself to go through Sena's things, but after this morning's run-in with Changmin (because it wasn't even a session; you could hardly call it anything but a run-in because it lasted maybe ten minutes), you were determined to unlock her door and do some digging. Clearly, she was hiding more than her money and jewelry(?) from you.

Changmin… he completely ignored your questions confronting him about Sena's whereabouts and her purpose for traveling. You were getting more and more suspicious as to what your sister had been up to lately. Changmin had to be in on it, too, then. He had to be.

Sena's door took up your entire vision as you stood before it with the key in your hand.

You weren't entirely sure what you were expecting when you opened it, but it was as if she had never left. Everything was where she left it—plum-purple covers tucked beneath the mattress, vintage national park postcards hanging from fairy lights by wooden clothespins, jackets layered over the back of her desk chair. There was an empty mug on her desk with the remnants of a red lip tint on the edge, and you knew you weren't going to remember to take it out to the sink later.

The small shelf-nightstand hybrid next to her bed was filled to the brim with books and notebooks and magazines. You settled gingerly upon the edge of her bed, palms pressing against the comforter.

The room still smelled like your sister.

You took the small bottle of perfume on the nightstand and spritzed a little onto your wrist. You pressed it to your nose, letting the scent make your senses woozy. It wouldn't bring her back; it didn't smell exactly the same when it was on your skin.

You set the bottle back onto the nightstand, then lowered yourself to your knees to pull all of the books off the top shelf. You stuck your head into the empty cupboard—you weren't really sure what you were looking for.

All of the titles here were the normal things you remembered seeing her read: assorted mythologies, books on the occult and supernatural, her textbooks for anthropology and archeology. There were about a dozen and a half National Geographic magazines that you flipped through within the next two hours, as well, all of which turned up nothing of curiosity.

None of the bound books were notebooks of any kind.

You crawled over to her desk—rifled through those. Nothing. They were all school related and completely, utterly ordinary.

Disappointment weighed you down into her desk chair as you hit another dead end.

Was there nothing she could give you?

No, she's dead, you thought to yourself. You'd never known Sena to be a secretive person, especially with you—in fact, you were the quieter of the pair, and she always managed to coax the right things out of you.

Sometimes you had felt like the older sister because you handled so many of the logistics and practical things, but when the world became too scary, you could always count on running to her to feel safe again…

Safe.

Sena, were you ever safe? You were beginning to think not so much.

"Do I need to file for a restraining order?"

It was getting ridiculous how many times you ran into Changmin in the past two weeks. It was outside the advising office, on your way to the store, in the hallway outside your finance lecture. And now, he loitered in the lobby of your apartment complex with a wired earbud in one ear and the other dangling freely.

He seemed to be unfazed by your remark as he peered over at you from beneath the brim of his cap. "What if I just live here?"

"But you don't," you huffed, coming to stop right in front of him. You had a feeling you would have definitely known if he moved into this building. "What do you want from me, Changmin? I'm not going to magically lead you to my sister's secret stash of whatever. I just want to get to class."

"Then go to class," he said simply. He gestured with the phone in his hand toward the door. "I'm not here for you."

You narrowed your eyes at him. Perhaps you were being a little silly, and this was just some weird trick your brain was playing on you to make you notice him more. "Answer me something."

"Only if you answer something for me."

"This isn't a negotiation."

"Worth a shot," he said with a sigh. "What shall I answer for you?"

"You and my sister weren't dating, were you?"

He must have choked on his own spit because he coughed, furiously thumping his chest. You would have laughed if this was any other circumstance, and if you and Changmin were friends (but you weren't). He shook his head at you. "No. Your sister wasn't interested in me like that and neither was I. We were strictly colleagues."

You cocked your head to the side. Colleagues… you let that marinate. "Okay, so did she have anyone she was seeing then? Just out of curiosity." A former lover you didn't know about would make sense, something like a Bonnie and Clyde situation maybe. Or perhaps you were chasing after ghosts to get a glimpse into the past.

"Someone I suspect, but I don't have their contact," he replied, mimicking your head tilt and narrowed eyes. "If you had her phone—"

"I don't."

"Ah, a shame then."

"Do you?"

"And why would I withhold such an important item from the next of kin?" He drawled.

Changmin suddenly jolted upright from the relaxed position he stood in. It was so abrupt, it gave your heart a start. "That's my cue."

You followed after him out the front doors. "What cue? Did you hear your microwave go off or something?"

You swore to God you saw his mouth curl up in amusement. But it might have been just your imagination. He yanked his other earbud out and lifted a hand in goodbye. "Something like that! See you around."

He disappeared around the corner before you could follow after him. Plus, you really did have a lecture to get to. (Wait, did he say that she was seeing someone—?)

You sighed, wondering if you should follow him… something in the back of your mind told you it would be safer not to.

#3—MONSTERS AMONG MEN.

YOU SWORE JI CHANGMIN HAD TO BE a psychic with the amount of times he predicted your whereabouts. Every time you saw him in your vicinity, you and he shared either a verbal sparring match or stared one another down. He seemed amused by it; you were growing increasingly concerned, even if it was all just coincidence.

(There was this one time, on a Wednesday this past week, where you were the one who appeared at the anthropology department to see one of Sena's old professors. Changmin was there, as it was his major's headquarters, and shot you a curious glance. The meeting was innocent and an accident. No, you definitely weren't stalking him. Absolutely not.)

(It was interesting to consider whether both of you thought the other would lead you to something of Sena's. You were certain he knew more than he let on, and perhaps he thought the same of you… Shit, maybe you should invest in a taser.)

Additionally, the weird sounds around your apartment had increased. Sometimes when you walked around in the evenings, the hair on the back of your neck and your arms stood at attention, as if you could feel the gaze of someone or… something watching you. However, every time you turned to look, the crazier you were convinced you'd become.

It didn't help that the necklace Sena left for you kept mimicking your heart beat when you weren't paying attention. If you willed it to repeat the steady beat in the light so you could observe it up close, it would cease.

It was as if distance from your skin or touch left it without a heart to echo.

You were half certain you were losing your mind. It had to be all this stress and emotion overwhelming you.

Saturday morning, you decided to pick yourself up and go see your sister. The funeral home had called you earlier this week to say that her headstone was complete, so this would also serve as a trip to ensure everything was engraved correctly before it was placed over her grave. You dressed yourself up in a dark top and comfortable jeans, something you might be able to sit in on the grass as you lingered in her presence, even if she was dead.

Ever since you went through her things, you hadn't ventured into her room again. You thought it might preserve the way it looked, smelled, felt… preserve something of her.

Once you'd gone to the funeral parlor and management center at Elysium Memorial Park to confirm the engraving, you took a brisk walk up the hill to where you remembered Sena's plot to be. The sun peered out between clouds this morning, giving the sky a dual-toned appearance, one half a dark gray, and the other a gossamer yellow.

You started down the hill, head ducked to watch for any graves or hills so you didn't trample over other people's bodies. A bundle of flowers from the grocery store sat cradled in the crook of your arm—a bundle of pink carnations ("I'll never forget you") and dark crimson roses (mourning). You didn't often pay attention to the meaning of flowers, but you thought if you weren't able to choke anything out today, then at least they could speak for you.

Just as you neared the grave between oaks, you lifted your head, your footsteps slowing at the person who stood over your sister's grave. "You have got to be shitting me."

"Isn't it a sin to curse over someone's grave?" Changmin asked as you stopped short of where he was. There was a single stem of sunflower (adoration) seated at his feet on the bundle of earth that was Sena's resting place. "Well, I wouldn't know. That's not my expertise."

"What are you doing here?"

He gave a loose gesture with a flourished hand. "Visiting a friend. Don't leave on my account. She's your sister."

It was as if he could read your mind. You didn't count on anyone being here when you saw her, but he had a right to visit her, too. The bitterness seeping into your bones would have to be squandered for today; the universe just needed to stop making the two of you bump into each other.

You ignored the quickening pitter-patter of your heart and the necklace, and trudged over the grass to where he was.

You gently placed your bundle of flowers next to his, then straightened to stand beside him. The two of you stared at the patch in the ground in silence.

A frown etched itself onto his face, along with a crease between his brows. He seemed almost angry—at what, you couldn't tell. Not you, you hoped.

Quietly, you lowered yourself to the grass to sit down and be closer to her.

I miss you, you voiced into your head, as if you could transmit these thoughts to the dead body in the ground. I'm so… it's too much, Sena. I can't do this. I don't know what you want from me, I don't know what Changmin wants from me. The apartment is cold. Why didn't you tell me you were home all this time?

For the moment, you let your vision blur with tears.

You covered your mouth with your palm to dam the emotion inside, especially with someone else right next to you, but dignity be so fucking damned. Your body trembled with the weight of everything and beyond—you were Atlas carrying the world upon his shoulders. Pressure mounted in your cranium from how hard and freely you sobbed, your fingers pressed to your face to support your head as your tears wet the earth beneath you.

A presence lowered itself to the ground beside you, and Changmin remained politely quiet. He breathed in deeply, but you heard the slight tremble of his breath when he exhaled.

Maybe you were crying for the both of you.

After what seemed like eons, you sniffled, pawing at your puffy and reddened eyes with the sleeves of your shirt. You hadn't brought along any tissues or anything, an oversight.

You gathered your wits about you and clambered to your feet, your knees knocking together like a baby deer. Changmin still had his eyes pinned to the ground.

"Whatever the Hell you want from me," you told him hoarsely, "I don't care. Just leave me alone."

You watched his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed. Without another word, you walked away to head back to the bus stop.

Your skin prickled when you returned home. The air was oddly… off, and a strange smell lingered in the air. It was subtle, only becoming apparent to you with deep, focused inhales. The identity of the smell eluded you and it wasn't something you were familiar with.

You kicked the front door shut behind you, and noticed that the window was ajar. Had you accidentally left that open before you left?

Strange.

You padded across the room to peer out at the street below. There sat the usual tree that occupied the space in front of your window, the one that you assumed (hoped) was the thing making all of the noises outside the past few weeks. (Because if it wasn't that, you didn't want to know what it really was.)

The thought occurred to you that you might have opened the window before you left to air out whatever smell had crept through the air vents. Yes, that made a whole lot of sense.

Settling with that explanation, you cranked the window closed slightly, only leaving a sliver so you could muffle as much of the sounds outside as possible. This part of town wasn't the noisiest, luckily, but when there were vehicles that drove by, they tended to be loud for no reason.

You sighed, settling down onto your couch with your bag. The whole rest of your day was open, and the only thing you had thought of was to go see Sena.

The feeling of eyes on you loitered on your skin like an invisible ant crawling over your body somewhere. You swiped at your neck, rubbed your arm… you couldn't identify it when you swung around to observe your own home.

This was your home, wasn't it? Why did it feel like you weren't alone in it?

You were going to go close the window—

A shadow appeared on the ledge of your window sill and you let out a scream.

The mass gnarled its teeth at the sound, pouncing at you with claws and fangs that glinted in the daylight.

You scrambled backward on the couch, toward the opposite end, your heart throwing itself up against your ribcage. "What the fuck?" You breathed, trying to figure out what in the world it was.

Bad idea. Oh, baaaad. Bad. Bad. Bad idea.

You shouldn't have stared so long; then you wouldn't have realized it had multiple rows of teeth, a face pale as a full moon, and two beady eyes narrowed into slits. Saliva dripped from its maw and down its chin as it crawled on its haunches and arms to you.

It made a guttural noise, then lunged.

You swore and fell over the arm of the couch, dragging along the lamp on the side table. You tried to move your right leg off the arm—it didn't budge. Oh god, it had its claws in your pant leg—

"Mine," it snarled, surprisingly sentient. "Master wills it so."

You kicked it in its face and managed to scramble away, clutching the lamp in front of your body as a weapon.

It ran after you, and your body leapt into instinct.

You nearly slipped as you fumbled to your feet and tipped the coffee table over the creature. "What the fuck are you—SHIT."

Wood splinters exploded as the creature smashed clear through one of the legs and went careening for you.

"HELP! SOMEBODY PLEASE," you begged, running for the kitchen and the block of knives in your sight.

Your knees hit the wood floor with a vengeance, and you had no time to mourn over bruised knees. You twisted around and just barely shoved the lamp between its jaws before it could enclose them around your neck—

Somebody pounded on your front door. "YN? YN!"

Familiar—that was all that went through your head. "HELP ME," you screeched, your hands growing slippery from the slobber. Desperation filled your veins and you gave a violent shove.

Your front door bursted open, the handle banging against the opposite wall and leaving a dent.

Changmin charged into the room with a dark look in his eyes, a swear on his tongue. "You're the little weasel who's been fucking with me."

The creature shifted his attention to Changmin. "Your Disgrace," it gave a mocking bow.

That seemed to be his ticker.

You couldn't comprehend what happened—only an exchange of blows, a blur of body mass—Changmin brawled with the creature on your floor and you dragged yourself behind the kitchen counter to hide. You reached for a knife from the knife block up above and pulled your knees to your chest, the sounds of snarling and wood breaking and bones cracking—then—complete silence.

You slapped a palm over your mouth, eyes going toward the ceiling to pray to anyone who could hear you.

This was when you died. The creature had killed Changmin and now it was coming back to finish what it started.

You held your breath with your eyes wide open. You strained your ears. The sound of a sigh met your ears, one that was oh-so familiar to you.

"Shit," came Changmin's voice. "Yn. Yn? Yn, where…?"

He rounded the counter, his hair sticking up in different directions and a large tear at the top of his shirt, but other than that, he seemed no worse for wear. He eyed the knife pointed outward at him, and he showed you his palms as if placating a rattlesnake. "Woah, hey, it's okay. It's gone now."

Your body trembled from head to toe with all of the pent up fear and adrenaline. You shook your head, your hand still clapped over your mouth to keep your screams or cries in.

Changmin lowered himself to your level slowly. "Hey, I'm not gonna hurt you. I promise, it's gone and you're okay now. Let's put the knife down."

You slowly, slowly brought your extended hand down, letting the blade point toward the ground and away from the man in front of you. "What—" you choked, "—what was—who are—"

His facial features arranged into something short of stress. "It's a long story…" He roughed a hand through his bangs. "That thing back there? Yn, that was a demon."

You blinked.

He exhaled sharply. "I'm a demon."

"Don't fuck with me."

"You think I'm fucking with you?"

Your free hand clutched at the pendant around your neck. "You—you don't look like that thing though."

He gave a nod. "Right, I don't. I'm… a different kind of demon." When you remained quiet, he prodded, "You're not going to fight back? You're not gonna tell me you're going crazy?"

"Oh, I know I'm going crazy," you nodded vigorously, wiping away the snot that dribbled down your nose inelegantly. He reached over the counter to grab the roll of paper towels and slide it over to you in an act of (rare) kindness. Your head made contact with the cabinet behind you. "Is the carcass lying on my living room floor, Changmin? Tell me it is not lying on my living room floor."

"It's not."

"Then where the fuck is it?"

He licked his lips, closing his eyes. "It escaped."

"Out the window?"

"No, through a portal—"

You wheezed, and you were sure you looked half mad to him. "Oh my god, I really am off my rocker." A portal. A portal! Of course it was a portal.

He pinned you with a look. "Yn. Yn, listen to me. You're not safe here."

"No shit. I almost died two minutes ago." You saw his unimpressed expression and forced an apology out of your mouth. "Sorry. Humor is a coping mechanism. You can't just tell me demons exist without me thinking we've both gone absolutely insane."

Changmin settled into a more comfortable position on the floor, gripping onto the edge of the counter behind his head. "Yeah, your sister reacted similarly when she found out."

Everything came to a screeching halt.

"What?"

He stuck his tongue in his cheek. "Supernatural creatures exist. The ones that you read about in books and in myths and legends, and watch in silly movies and TV shows?" He gestured wide with both his arms. "They exist—we exist."

You could hear your heartbeat thundering in your ears. You swallowed. "And she… she knew this?"

A nod. "Yes. We've all been walking among you this whole time."

"What does this have to do with Sena?" What did any of this have to do with your sister? Was this even worse than you imagined it was?

He pursed his lips, exposing the little mole beneath his bottom lip for a moment. "Sena and I were… business partners. We were in the bounty hunting business, essentially."

There were words coming out of his mouth, but it was too much. All of it hit your head and fell straight to the floor, and none of it truly sank into your sense of reality.

Sena was a supernatural bounty hunter? And she died while on a case. A personal one, he said—?

"—I was coming over to show you something when I felt my trap get triggered."

"Wait, wait, wait," you cut in. "Trap?"

"I've been hunting that demon for weeks now," he explained to you, but the words were coming out slowly like he was reluctant to let them go. "It's been… avoiding me, and I tracked it to your apartment and realized what, or who, it was after." His teeth ran over his bottom lip and his eyes narrowed on you. "You're wearing it, aren't you? The pendant?"

On instinct, your hand shot up to your sternum. "How the Hell—"

"That's what Sena and I were looking for." His sharp, feline gaze remained pinned on you as you slowly lifted the chain to take the pendant out. It glistened like a fat, red ruby in the daylight. "What did she tell you about it?"

"Absolutely nothing," you said plainly. You set the knife on the ground beside you and adjusted your sitting position with a shaky exhale. "Except that I shouldn't let anyone touch it before me, that I shouldn't take it off, and to not—trust anyone."

You stiffened when Changmin reached for something in his back pocket.

"Relax, this is what I wanted to show you." He held his hands up after retrieving a cream-colored envelope from his back pocket, majorly bent and crumpled in some portions, but intact for the most part. He slid the envelope across the kitchen floor to you, and you immediately recognized your sister's handwriting.

You gingerly picked it up off the ground and inspected it. It couldn't have been forged—the way she wrote her R's were too distinct. She was so weird about always writing capital R's even if it was supposed to be lowercase.

You opened the flap and tugged out the letter inside. As you made your way down the note, it came to you that this was his evidence. This was his evidence that Sena knew him personally and that, according to past-Sena, you could trust him.

Your fingers shook as you pushed the letter back into the fold, and you shoved the envelope back over to him. "Okay," you muttered. "What now?"

Something akin to relief washed over his face. "She didn't tell you anything about the pendant? Nothing?"

You shook your head, fondling the stone between your fingers. "No. I found it in the lockbox she left for me with cash and a small note."

"Lockbox?" He perked up. "Are you certain there wasn't anything else in there? Not a second stone or a second necklace? Nothing?"

Your eyebrows furrowed in thought, and you pressed your thumb and forefinger to your closed eyes when they began to sting from dehydration. "No. It was just those three things I mentioned earlier. Why?"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," you said. "I am absolutely sure. You don't think I turned that thing upside down?"

Changmin stood up and began to pace around his side of the kitchen, his head buried in his two palms. "Oh fuck," you heard his muttered swear.

"What is it?"

He rubbed his hands down his face, and it reset him to that careful blankness from before. "Do you trust me?"

"No," came your automatic answer.

He rolled his eyes to the ceiling. "Your sister was after something important before she died. She—she was supposed to update me about it when she got back, but she never did." He carded a hand through his hair again. "It could reveal to us more about what happened. Didn't she mention anything about how important this was?"

He wasn't wrong, unfortunately. Sena wrote it plainly in her final note to you about how important this necklace was, and keeping it with you. You supposed you could dash out any thought that she stole this from a bank or jewelry store… a mortal one, at least.

What the fuck was this thing made of?

You enclosed your fist around the stone. "So what are you saying?"

"We need to finish what she started." He considered something for a moment, then added, "And you're not safe here."

Something panged in your chest. "I'm not teaming up with you."

Changmin took a couple steps toward you and from this distance, there was an unmistakable ferocity in his gaze. "I would agree with you, but unfortunately, if I want answers and the pendant, then I'm stuck with you."

Your blood pressure spiked. "You're such an ass."

"Ass or not," he drawled, "you can stay here and risk that cretin coming back for you, or you can come with me, and we can figure out what the Hell happened to your sister."

Your bones, your joints—everything ached as you clambered to your feet. God, you were tired. A grave sort of determination trickled into your mind, though, at the thought of getting away from this. It didn't seem like there was much other choice anyway.

#4—SURVIVE THE NIGHT.

IT WAS LATE WHEN THE CAR pulled into the motel parking lot. Your ass was on fire from the long drive, and your mind hazy from sleep deprivation. Fear kept you awake for the entirety of the eight hour trek between home and nowhere. You would have worried about Changmin in the driver's seat, but considering you found out he was a supernatural being literally eight hours ago, your worries consoled themselves.

"This was the best out of the selection," he murmured, barely audibly, as he put the car in park. The glow from the motel lights was the only light for miles, and the red-violet from the neon sign washed over Changmin's sharp side profile like a grungy teen thriller show.

A yawn stretched out of you and you reached for your seatbelt. "Wasn't complaining."

He sent you a pointed look. It was a silent "Really?" You pointedly ignored it.

The two of you clambered out of the car and you massaged your back and butt with reprieve. Your hand reached for the red ruby settled beneath the fabric of your T-shirt, the warm stone solid and present between your fingers. Changmin slammed his side of the car closed as he slung his bag over his shoulder, and you were swift to follow his lead.

Your fingers drummed against the side of your pants just as the main office came into view. There was someone seated behind the front desk with her head buried in her phone and Candy Crush on the screen. You and Changmin walked up to the counter and her head flicked upward.

Her eyes darted between you two and something or other clicked in her head. "Room for two?" She droned, already clacking away on her computer screen.

"Yes please," you sighed. You knew there was no way you were getting around her assumptions.

She smacked the gum in the side of her cheek, twirling around in her chair to reach for a key on the wall behind her. "It'll be thirty bucks," she said, sliding the key across the counter, "and we don't have condoms."

You and Changmin both coughed, heat rushing to your face. "None needed," he muttered as he slid a twenty and ten dollar bill over to her.

You collected the key and checked for the room number. Sleep crept into the corners of your eyes again and they were starting to sting from dehydration.

Changmin eyed you from his peripheral vision and nodded his silent thanks to the girl. He swept an arm loosely around your shoulders to guide you back out to the night beyond the main office. The room you were assigned was on the second floor of a building just a little ways down the complex. It was outfitted with a single queen-sized bed and bathroom, and the lights fortunately worked well enough. You couldn't decide if it was a good thing that you were too tired to assess the cleanliness of this room, but you made a beeline for the bathroom.

"I'm taking a shower," you announced, already closing the door.

The last thing you heard was his grunt from the other side.

You dumped your backpack on the lid of the toilet then braced your forearms on the sink counter. The lights in here were a dull gray and made you look sickly in the mirror. Dark bags hung beneath your pinkened eyes—the receptionist probably thought you were drunk or high. Exhaustion hit you like a bus, your limbs sluggish and heavy.

So much had happened in the past 48 hours.

You ripped the shower curtain back and fiddled around with the shower until cold water spouted from the top.

Changmin was a demon. He was Hellspawn. You'd messed around with the idea of him being a pain in the ass before, but you never expected his demon-ness to be true.

When the water warmed as much as it could, you stepped beneath its drizzle. The ruby pendant from your sister sat on your sternum, safe and warm, and you watched it pulse with a glowing scarlet beneath the stream of water.

Your sister.

A few weeks ago, you watched her body lowered into a ditch in the ground. A little before that, you were told her death had been an accident. Now, you were on the run.

From who or what? You weren't completely sure. That was what Changmin was here for. Well, technically he was here for the necklace your sister left with you, but after what happened at your apartment that caused the two of you to go on the run, here you and the necklace were. Plus, the note your sister left explicitly instructed that the necklace be kept with you—on you. (You still weren't too certain of anything.)

When your fingers began to prune, you reluctantly stepped out of the shower to slip on a new set of clothes from your backpack. You went through the motions of getting ready to sleep, too, mind fuzzy and unable to make sense of anything.

You wrestled down a sigh and desire to cry. You were tired, for fuck's sake, you were so tired.

But when you opened the bathroom door, flicking the light off, you paused. The room was dark.

Your breath hitched in your throat and the hair on the back of your neck stood at attention. Heart pounding, you took a step into the main room.

"Chang—" A palm closed around your mouth, another cupping the back of your head.

Panicpanicpanic—

A warm breath by your ear. "Calm down. It's just me." Changmin.

Fucking Hell.

You found his eyes as yours grew more accustomed to the dark. His head twisted over his shoulder to the window by the door where you could see silhouettes walking past, silent and stalking.

"Someone's here," he exhaled as he slowly removed his hand from over your mouth. His dark bangs hung in his eyes, his mouth set in a firm line. "They can sense the pendant, I think."

Your heart thundered against your ribcage—ba-boom, ba-boom, ba-boom—

Changmin's head whipped back toward you and he fished something out of his pocket. He reached for your hand, closing your fingers around something cold and metal. "Slowly put your backpack down and barricade yourself in the closet over there," he instructed quietly, finger pointing in the direction of the sliding doors just to your left. "If it comes to it, use the knife, Yn."

You bit your tongue to keep your breathing as steady as possible. Your hands shook around the switchblade he'd passed to you, and under his sharp eyes, you carefully lowered your bag to the ground without making as much noise as you could. Then, with his go-ahead, you crept as quietly as possible toward the closet.

Just as you reached for the slot in the door, all Hell broke loose.

The window shattered open, the door kicked off its hinges. Your entire body tensed as you dropped to the floor behind the bed, clutching the knife in front of you.

Changmin swore, nice and loud.

Shadows pummeled him to the ground until he was tangled in darkness, like nightmares brought to life. You saw a flash of claws in your view, your scream caught in your throat.

"You."

A blur of shadow whisked across your vision and your eyes went wide.

The creature crawled over the bed and pounced toward you—you rolled away from him, blade held out in front of your body. Oh, there was an awful wave of déjà vu coming over you.

"You are a difficult being to find, pet," the creature hissed. You were beginning to make out its features now—dagger-like eyes, claws that could easily rip flesh apart like cloth, and a maw of knives for teeth. Shit straight out of nightmares.

It cocked its head at you, crouching on the floor a few feet away. Why hadn't it attacked you yet?

"Curious," its scratchy voice croaked. "The master will be pleased when the asset is brought home to her."

The asset? It must have meant the necklace.

You heard a snarl from your right, and in horror, noted the thick, dark liquid splattered all over Changmin's clothes and body. When he snarled at the demons holding him down, you spotted the gleam of fangs.

"What do you want from me?" Your voice trembled, returning back to your main problem. The necklace sat warm and present, the pulses matching your racing heartbeat.

The creature released a sound like grating metal, something akin to a laugh. "Your guardian is more dangerous than he appears," he said instead while tilting its head to the side. "Clever being, that one. Master will be pleased when we bring his rotted corpse home."

You didn't anticipate how quickly it would move. You screamed as the creature dove for you and you swung out of the way. Its claws dug into the meat of your thigh, clinging to the flesh there with all of its might.

Fear struck painfully through your chest and you desperately twisted around to stab the blade into the side of the creature's neck.

It screeched. You drew the knife out to impale it in the back area, messily splattering an arc of its black blood everywhere.

You sucked in a sob as you scrambled backward. Its body dragged along the ground from its claws still sunken into your leg. The body was limp, but your nose wrinkled from the acrid, hot smell reeking from the corpse. It smelled burnt.

You peered at the blade in your fist with new eyes. The silver glowed gold in the darkened room; you shouldn't have expected anything less. Why did you think a mortal weapon could defend you from demonic creatures?

"YN!"

Too late.

Claws sunk into the sides of your throat and trapped your voice there. You thrashed around; panic stabbed your chest. Pathetically, desperately, you reached your arm back to try and drill the blade of your knife into the creature behind you.

Hot blood squelched down your throat—you were losing feeling there. Numb numb numb—it hurt, oh fuck, you were going to die—

All at once, the pressure subsided.

Breath could only flood into your lungs as quickly as blood spilled from your throat. You were choking, eyes wide up at the ceiling.

This was it, this was it. Maybe you'd see your sister in Hell.

A face appeared above you, sweaty but familiar. Your blurry vision couldn't make out the emotions on his face, but you could hear him… boy, could you hear him.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck," he cursed, rustling around and adjusting his position above your body.

His rough palms cupped your face. You could hear your heartbeat slowing in your ears. Ba-boom… ba-boom… ba… boom.

"Stay with me," he panted. His left hand pressed against that side of your neck to staunch the blood flow. He sucked in a breath and he ducked out of your view.

You felt a different wet sensation over your open wound. His tongue was rough, yet soothing as he lapped and sucked on the gouge in your throat. Feeling sparked in that area; you could feel your skin physically stitching itself together. If you could squirm, you would have.

He was swift to switch to your other side and copy those actions there. He groaned low against your skin, one hand cupping the side of your head to hold you in place.

Oxygen rushed through your lungs and you gasped. You tore your neck away from his mouth to dry retch. Blood dripped from the side of your lips to the dusty carpet. You had been asphyxiating on your own life force.

You flopped back onto your back, tears rolling down your cheeks as you gestured wildly at the steaming demon carcass still attached to your thigh. "Ple-please," you whimpered. "Please, get it off."

Changmin crawled onto his arms, sliding down toward your leg. "Yeah, sweetheart. I got it."

He looked up at you as he dug his fingers into the creature's skull, ready to pry the thing's claws from you. Something dark was smudged over his face—his nose, cheeks, across his eye. "It's gonna hurt," he warned, voice hoarse.

You moved your head in a microscopic nod.

Tears pricked at your vision, and your leg screamed. Blood filled your mouth even more from the force you used to clamp down on your tongue. Changmin was swift, but gentle as he removed each claw from your thigh, then tossed the body somewhere behind him. He lowered his face to your leg to carefully lap at your wounds like he'd done before.

When he was done, he flopped onto the floor with you, his sigh filling the awful silence.

You could feel everything. It was pulsing all over your body. Your skin, threading together, tingled and ached and throbbed. Your cheeks were damp with tear tracks and your fingers finally loosened their grip on the switchblade. Your mouth was coated in the metallic iron taste of blood.

The only familiar feeling was the pendant on your sternum. The bane of your existence.

"So you have magic spit?" You croaked, your voice scratchy from your sore and bruised throat.

You heard his huff, the closest thing you'd ever heard to a laugh from him. "It's regenerative," he exhaled deeply.

You snorted, then winced when it hurt.

If you could look up, you would've seen the corner of his lips twitch.

"Are you sure you're not a vampire?"

You heard a soft shuffling sound as he clambered upright to lean against the wall. His head thumped against it, eyes fluttered closed. "I don't drink blood, sweetheart."

"I didn't say you drank it."

You grimaced as you struggled to swallow. Reality was swooping in on you like a vulture above a carcass. Doom swirled in your stomach—you almost died just now. You choked on a sob, and you reached up to your face to brush away your tears.

Oh god, everything hurt.

"I want to go home," you whispered. It wasn't even to Changmin, just to whoever could hear you. Homehomehome, but where was home? They could find you anywhere.

A beat passed.

"I'm sorry." Changmin's head hung, either out of exhaustion or genuine regret. "I promised your sister I wouldn't get you involved."

You still couldn't move your head much, so you kept your gaze on the speckled ceiling. "What?"

"I have… had sisters."

You didn't hide your surprise. You didn't think you would ever get anything personal out of this guy, let alone the fact he had family. But his confession planted a seed of sympathy in you… maybe he was human before, or maybe he wasn't at all, but he had family. That had to count for something.

He released another haggard sigh. "So that was one of the few things we could agree on—keeping you out of this unless necessary."

Necessary. You should have never put on the necklace, should have never touched the cursed thing. Now, you were literally chained to it and its fate.

He went quiet again and you could hear your heartbeat in your ears. You thought he was going to say something else, but instead, he rose to his feet. Taking slow, careful steps, he made his way over to your body.

"C'mon, let's get out of here," he murmured as he tucked his hands under your armpits to haul you upright.

You cursed under your breath at the ache and the blood rushing to your head. Your left leg was pretty much useless, and he had to cup the nape of your neck to his shoulder so you could lean on him.

"Can you walk?" He asked, his breath by your ear again.

You shook your head, pressing your mouth against the muscle of his shoulder. He smelled like demon blood, and you shifted to lean your cheek on him instead, holding in a gag at the wretched stench.

"Okay. Hold on a second."

He helped you sit down on the ledge of the bed, before going around the room to collect things. He plucked up your backpack from the floor, then his own bag, hoisting them both over his shoulders before returning to you. From your vantage, you could see all the limp demon corpses lying on the ground, unmoving. You wrestled down the bile creeping up your throat and looked away.

Changmin scooped you up in his arms with a grunt, and you looped yours around his upper body, tucking yourself into him. "We have to get out of here before someone comes to check this shit out," he said to you as he exited the room.

You gave a nod. "Aren't you tired? Hurt?" You asked, guilt and fear twisting something horrid in your chest.

"Don't worry about me."

"How could I not?"

His lips twitched. "Oh, so you care about me now?"

You closed your eyes against his shoulder. "Don't be an asshole."

"Sure, sweetheart." He made it to the car and instructed you to reach around his back to get the car key hanging from his bag strap. Changmin managed to get the car door open and deposited you in your seat. Your body molded into the material, exhaustion settling once more into your bones and joints.

In a blink, the two of you were back on the road.

Changmin carded a hand through his damp hair as he pulled out onto the barren street. You rolled your head to the side, eyes drinking him in. There were scratches over his exposed skin, barely there, but still present as if they had healed over already. His clothes were splotched and stained, as well as ripped in other places. And of course, there was the blood smeared all over his face, his neck. The bastard didn't even look fazed.

Right, demon. What did that even entail?

Your eyelids were beginning to droop, yanked down by the force of gravity and the human necessity to sleep. You didn't want to sleep though; you didn't want to be attacked a third time. Though most of the adrenaline had dissipated, your shoulders were still tense, your senses alert and unable to relax just yet.

Changmin glanced over at you briefly. "You should sleep."

You moved your head. "Can't," you rasped.

He reached over then, his palm warm against your head, as he gently brushed his thumb over your eyelids to coax them closed. "You're safe with me, Yn," he promised. You were reluctant to believe him, but after what just happened, at least you knew he could take care of himself and you.

Sleep was already coaxing you into its jaws to devour you, and the pendant under your shirt pulsed to a steady beat to encourage your descent. "Morning will come soon."

All you could do now was trust him.

#5—THE ANGEL BLADE.

THE DINER OFF THE INTERSTATE was like the ones from the movies: red, vinyl seats that squelched when you scooted over them; blind fluorescent lights that flickered every time a fly died against them; people minding their own business as they hunched over grainy coffee and burgers that looked a little too good to be true. You sat across from Changmin, hands laced over the white table surface while he had his arms braided over his chest.

Another eight hours had passed since the motel. You'd found a rest stop to clean up and change clothes on the way, but when you could no longer deny your need for food, Changmin made the executive decision to feed the monster that was your stomach. Executive decision meant he was driving you somewhere to eat something so you wouldn't pass out from stubborn, self-induced hunger.

You're not gonna die if you want fries and chicken tenders, Yn, he'd said with a roll of his eyes.

Easy for him to say. He wasn't the target of every other supernatural being within a fifty mile radius. Perhaps by association, but still.

It was fascinating what a few hours of rest and magical demon saliva could do to help the human body. All of your wounds had pretty much closed up—albeit a tad sore, but nothing as awful as the pain you were in when being clawed in the moment. It was even more fascinating how alive Changmin looked despite literally not being alive. And the fact he hadn't slept a wink within the past day at least.

You, on the other hand, looked like a dumpster fire. Your hair was a bird's nest, eye bags more expensive than Louis Vuitton. Your stomach gave another whining growl; you'd ordered not five minutes ago with a middle-aged woman in too-bright red lipstick and a blue collared dress uniform.

"Are you sure you're not like, a vampire?"

His face dropped into a deadpan you'd seen before. "Oh my God."

"You can say His name?"

Your lips curled into a self-indulgent smile at the way he rolled his eyes so hard, he could probably see his brain back there. (If he had one.) "Sorry."

"You're not sorry," he said, eyebrow arching. "Do you have any real questions?"

Your hands shifted to your lap as your gaze moved to the window next to you. The sky was an ugly, sickly shade of gray-green. It reminded you of the lighting from the first Twilight movie, and you gagged at the thought. The bright red and neon of the diner clashed horridly with the sky, too. All of it was a little disconcerting.

Back in the car, when Changmin was first introducing you to the real world, he'd given you the short version of the supernatural who lived amongst oblivious humans. He hadn't gotten down to the nitty-gritty, just the shit he needed you to know so he could justify hauling you across the state, and to understand all the supernatural creatures after the little pendant resting beneath your shirt collar.

Two mugs of coffee were set onto your table, the dark liquid sloshing over the sides to stain the white below it.

You reached for your mug first, gently cooling it down with a breath. When you took a sip, gingerly, you grimaced. You somehow managed to wrestle the liquid down, but the searing bitterness was enough to make you push the cup away and reach for the sugar packets at the end of the table.

Changmin watched you in amusement, tongue poking the inside of his mouth.

You narrowed your eyes at him as you ripped a Stevia packet open. "What're you laughing at?"

"M'not laughing," he shrugged. He picked up his cup of coffee, clinked it against yours for good measure, then chugged the cup of shit in one sitting.

You watched in ill-concealed disgust, horror, and… maybe you were a little impressed.

When he set the drained cup on the table, he wiped his smug mouth with a napkin from the aluminum dispenser.

It was your turn to deadpan. "Show off," you muttered, stirring your artificial sweetener into the dark brown brew.

He shrugged again. "What? Like it's hard?"

"Oh my god, you can be funny."

Your chicken tenders arrived. Steam wafted from them and you closed your eyes to inhale the beautiful smell. Happiness on a plate, you liked to think.

Changmin thanked the waitress who had also delivered him a plate of blueberry pancakes. He eyed you quietly as you inhaled the food on your plate, despite the dull throbbing in your throat.

You caught his gaze, stopping mid-tender. "Want some?" You asked after swallowing the bite, gesturing to your fries.

He shook his head and began buttering up his hotcakes. "Nah. Have at it."

The two of you settled into a comfortable silence as you ate your separate meals. Changmin had told you before that demons didn't need all the typical things humans needed to "survive" or "live." Technically, since he was undead, there were only a handful of ways he could die. Eating and sleeping were necessary for human life, but they were more so preferences for him. If he wanted to eat, he could eat. If he wanted to close his eyes and dream, he could try.

The thought had you waving a fry at him. "The switchblade," you began, drawing his attention and pancake-stuffed cheeks, "what was it? It definitely wasn't something human-made."

Changmin swallowed his bite. "It was an angel blade."

"You're kidding," you drawled in disbelief.

He challenged your stare. "Believe it or not, it was. Forged up there." He lifted the prongs of his fork up toward the ceiling, shaking his bangs out of his eyes.

Your jaw dropped. "So the Big Man Upstairs does exist?"

"I mean, I don't really know. I've never met him if he does. I just know the angels are ruled by the Seraphim," he told you. "Lots of hierarchical bullshit I didn't care to pay attention to."

He impaled another piece of pancake. "Angel blades are one of the few things that can kill a creature like that."

"A demon?" You asked.

"Yes. Lower level demons are easier to kill, especially with a blade like the one I gave you." He shoved the bite into his cheek to continue, "That's why I was able to take on multiple at once."

You made a noise of indignation. "So you're telling me you're a higher level demon?"

His shoulders fell in a half-hearted shrug.

"Helpful," you muttered as you washed your meal down with bittersweet coffee. You paused for a moment, cleaning your fingers off with a napkin. "The… the licking thing."

Changmin's eyes could not meet yours. "Mhm."

"Do you… do you do that often?"

"No," he said curtly. "That party trick only works on humans and I don't really enjoy the taste of blood."

You pursed your lips at his rather clipped response. "Oh." You recalled the sound he'd made as he cleaned your blood up with his tongue at the motel… maybe it was something out of disgust. You suddenly felt out of place, like you had made his shoulders tense up and the air crackle. You racked your brain. "I—thanks, by the way."

With a cough, he murmured, "Welcome. Couldn't have you dying on me."

You nursed your coffee cup, reaching up to absentmindedly fondle the pendant under your shirt. "Yeah."

"Have you ever met an angel?"

The car was quiet as Changmin peered over his shoulder to switch lanes, the blinker tick-tocking away until it was turned off. "Yeah."

You stared out the front windshield to count the white colored cars on the highway amongst you. "What're they like?"

"They're like every other species," he said, unenthused. "Some are more asshole-ish than others. You'll find good ones and bad ones." A sigh. "The ones I've met have largely been the latter though."

"Oh." You weren't sure if you were disappointed by that answer.

The diner had been less than half an hour ago and you were back on the road again. Yours and Changmin's ETA to your sister's safehouse was supposedly another five or so hours. You couldn't believe she owned safehouses. For fuck's sake, she lived with you for majority of the time before she went to study abroad… she probably wasn't even abroad all those times, you realized anxiously.

It was like he could sense your change in mood from bored curiosity to tense overthinking. He dug around in the pocket of his pants and handed you the pommel of the switchblade from the motel. Angel blade, he'd called it.

You glanced at him in question, but he only pushed it into your palms.

"Get comfortable with it," he said. "It's a decent size as far as angel blades goes, since those fuckers don't really like to give them up. It's good for self defense."

The blade looked like something one could buy at a gift shop, slim with some heft, painted a shiny white color. There was no logo on it, but if you looked at it from the right angle, it shimmered. You unlocked it and let the blade whip out of the slot. The blade was shaped like any other box cutter you've seen before, but the underside had a serrated edge for extra ease in slicing through tougher materials. Your finger ghosted over the glowing metal, silver warming to a yellow-orange, but only if you didn't blink in the daylight.

You killed a demon with this. The blade burned the creature.

"How'd you get this if they don't like giving these up?" You asked as you figured out how to put the blade back into its sheath.

His fingers drummed against the wheel. "Won it in a poker game," he said.

Your eyebrows lifted. "Seriously?"

You swore there was a ghost of a smile on his lips. "Seriously."

With nothing better to do, you flicked the blade in and out, in and out. You'd only ever really held blades in the kitchen and when opening packages. "Do you have a name for it?"

"A name?"

"Yeah," you said, shifting slightly in your seat as an ache crept into your spinal cord, "y'know like the fantasy books where they name their blades." You inspected the switchblade again, rotating it in your hands. "Looks like a Clyde."

Changmin let out a huff from his nose. "Clyde?"

"What? Got any better ideas?"

"How about we don't name dangerous utilities for murder," he drawled.

"I can't believe you didn't just say 'weapons.'" When he didn't answer you, you made an indignant little noise you hoped annoyed him and admired the angel blade in your hand in a new light. Clyde. Hi, Clyde. You're pretty.

"Don't tell me you're communicating with it," he said to you.

You ran your finger over the flat side again with a fond smile—just to annoy him. "It doesn't give me lip."

A sigh. He tended to do that a lot. "How's your neck?"

Your hand lifted to your throat and massaged it lightly. "It's doing alright. Does it still look bruised?"

You tilted your neck so he could take a good look at it. He eyed the span of flesh there, his dark irises taking on a strange tint. The corner of his mouth curled downward as he turned his focus back to the road. "Yeah."

"It doesn't hurt as bad anymore, if that's any better."

"I guess," he grumbled. "Humans are so fragile."

"Hey man," you huffed, "is it my fault that I don't have magic spit or my skin doesn't heal fast—"

"How many times do I have to tell you? It's not magic spit. That's just how human biology reacts to demon saliva." Changmin tapped the back of his hand on the steering wheel as a vague gesture.

You shifted in your seat to look at him and so that you could take pressure off one side of your back. "I have a question. Why does demon saliva have healing properties when usually lore says that you guys are opposite in nature? Actually, that kind of sounds prejudicial," you thought aloud.

"It is prejudicial," he replied. "Well, mostly. It depends on the demon, but we're just like any other species. It's just that most pop culture depicts us as evil. Demons and vampires are derivations of each other in that—"

"So you are a vampire!"

He didn't even try to counter you this time. "Both species have saliva that can heal wounds, not large wounds, but you can probably imagine that vampires use it to seal puncture marks post-meal."

That made sense to you. "But why do demons need it?"

"Human blood…" he trailed off for a moment as he narrowly missed a car zooming past, his glaring eyes trailing after them, "...is like our saliva. It regenerates us. It's kind of like an energy drink, so it's not a necessity, but more so like a luxury or privilege."

You swallowed and you could've sworn you heard a soft huff from his mouth like a laugh. The thought of your blood being like an energy drink for him—and he'd literally licked your wounds clean at the motel that night. Was that how he was able to heal so quickly? It was a marvel he hadn't drunk you dry. But then again, he'd also said blood wasn't his taste…?

"Are you sure you don't like human blood?" You asked, sounding like a broken record, but more apprehensively this time.

"Sweetheart, you really think you'd still be here if I did?"

Touché.

Out of the corner of your eye, you caught Changmin stiffen. His hands tightened the slightest amount around the steering wheel, his eyes darting from the front windshield to the rearview mirror.

"What?" You asked, taking a look through the side mirror on your side. "What's wrong?"

Changmin's face washed over in a careful blankness. "We're being followed."

Your whole body tensed and you had to physically restrain yourself from twisting around in your seat. "What?"

"Hey, stay calm." He flicked his turn signal on casually as he exited off the freeway.

"Why are you telling them where we're going?!" He was literally signaling to whoever was following you exactly your next move.

"Just because we're on the run, doesn't mean we shouldn't follow basic driving safety."

You sent him a very emboldened stink eye. "Out of all the times, you choose now to have a sense of humor and to be an upstanding citizen?" Where was this during the entire road trip thus far?

Changmin made no other comments as he turned right onto the street leading further away from the freeway. You sat quietly for a moment, monitoring the cars behind you from your side mirror. Your knee started bouncing as you took note of the white sedan following behind, not tailgating, but its intentions were clear enough where even you could pick it out.

"What're we gonna do?" You murmured.

Changmin glanced over at you briefly. "We're gonna be fine. We just have to lose them."

"No shit."

"And you say I give you lip?"

Without any forewarning, Changmin jerked the car to the left, practically zooming across the intersection to catch the yellow light. Your whole body sailed across the center console, and before you could give him a piece of your mind, he was sending you crashing into your doorway from another sharp turn. You glared daggers at him, but turned to peer out your window.

The white car was still following after you. They must have run the red light then.

Changmin's sharp eyes sliced across the rearview mirror, and his foot lowered on the gas pedal like a challenge. His eyes whipped back and forth for somewhere he could go next, brain working double the speed. "Hold onto something, sweetheart."

"I don't think that would—HELPPP!" You sputtered and yanked on the handle above the door, hugging yourself to that side of the car.

You could hear the tires of Changmin's car burn rubber and squeal as he zigzagged through streets. You were pretty sure half of this was residential, you thought as the landscape blurred past.

"Do you even know where—" You swore as your body flailed around from another one of his god awful swerves, "—we are?"

He shook his head and floored the gas. "Nope."

Great.

It was about fifteen minutes of this supposed drag racing before his driving finally began to even out. You were seconds from hurling up diner food when you realized…

"Where the fuck did the trees come from?" You asked, lowering your tense form from the door handle.

You pressed your nose against the window to gawk up at the towering trees on your side of the vehicle, all dark green and beautiful. A light fog clung to some of the leaves, making the sunlight streaming through them look like golden strands of gossamer. The road you drove on held to the side of the mountain, but from what you could tell, Changmin had officially lost the white sedan.

Changmin visibly relaxed. "You might wanna pull up a GPS."

You reached over to your phone in the cupholder. But you pretty much tossed it right back. "No bars. Where did you take us?" You didn't even realize there was so much forest in this area. How come you hadn't seen it from the highway?

He gave a sigh, raking a hand through his hair. "Shit."

The car sunk into silence. Changmin could do nothing else but follow the road until you hit civilization or some kind of sign as to where you two were. You hadn't been in this part of the state before, so it wasn't like you could point out any landmarks. But as you both continued along, you settled into a sort of calm—the trees here were beautiful, untouched by man. Even from inside the car, you could feel the serenity.

Your finger pressed down on the button on your door to lower the window. You stuck your head out, hair flowing behind you. With a great inhale, your mouth broke into a smile. It smelled just as gorgeous as it looked. Fresh and clean and—

"You've got to be shitting me."

You pulled yourself back into the car and raised the window back up. "What?"

Changmin's mouth was set in a firm line, a dimple pressing deep into his cheek. "Wolves."

Your brows knitted together. "Huh?"

"We're in wolf shifter territory."

Just as he said this to you, the car rounded the side of the bend and revealed a large green sign that read: WELCOME TO MOONSTONE CREAK! Population 276.

The sign following it did not make you feel any better: CAMPERS! BEWARE OF WOLVES.

#6—BEWARE OF WOLVES.

AT THE FIRST SIGN OF WOLVES, you sunk low in your seat. You'd made eye contact with one of the furry creatures hidden in the brush, their sharp predator eyes narrowing at the sight of a foreign entity in their woods.

"By wolf shifters," you said quietly, holding onto Clyde in your lap, "you mean like… werewolves?"

Changmin's eyes stayed on the road ahead, but every once in a while, you would catch him scanning the forest, too. "Those aren't the same things. Werewolves are the things you read about in lore, half-man and half-wolf. Wolf shifters can change completely from man to wolf and vice versa."

"Oh." Well, that cleared some things up. "I'm guessing they don't take kindly to trespassers?"

He bit his lip. "I mean, it depends on the pack. If my hunch is right about where we are though, we shouldn't have to worry."

You gulped. "And if you aren't?"

"Well, I told you to get used to that angel blade, right?"

The trek further into the forest and mountains continued. The scenery around you was still as stunning as it was before, and you thought to yourself how dangerous a beautiful thing could be. Every time you peeked out of the car window, you saw a flash of something in the woods beyond the road. There had to be a reason why they hadn't attacked the car yet, right? If this was a pack of wolves who didn't like trespassers, then why were you and Changmin still alive?

Maybe they wanted you in a place where there was no chance of outsiders hearing you scream…

Your intrusive thoughts were getting to you.

There was a dead end, a near broken road sign and fence directing all passers-by that this was the end. Changmin was forced to take the off-road path, beaten into the dirt as it wound through the forest. If you didn't have signal up on the main road, you definitely would not have any here.

It was a few more minutes of traveling down the path that two wolves appeared before the car. Changmin brought the vehicle to a slow halt. The wolves were relatively large, spanning about six feet and about as tall as the bottom rim of the car door window. One of the wolves had black hair like a raven, and the other had hair like a field of grain.

Your heart stuttered in your chest as the wolves stared right at you. "Changmin…?"

He met their staring contest with little intimidation. "It's… it's fine. I think they recognize me."

After a moment, the two wolves broke their strange staring contest and trotted off to the side of the road. They were back so quickly, you almost didn't realize what had happened. Like magic, they had transformed into two toned young men, both nicely built with their lean upper body on display. They must have had a strategic stash of shorts hidden behind a tree for after they shifted to their human forms. One had cropped black hair, the other blond. Well, at least that made sense.

Changmin slumped in his chair, relieved. The corners of his mouth curled upward in an almost-smile, as the two wolf shifters came over to greet him at his window.

The brunette bent his head down to the window with a broad smile, the kind that made your stomach fill with butterflies. (Not to mention the eyeful of abs you and Changmin were getting…) He leaned his arms over the top of the car window, eyes flickering from the demon to you. "Long time no see, Changmin. Who's your friend?"

"That's Yn," your demon guardian said, clasping one of the man's hands in greeting. He reached for the second wolf shifter. "Haknyeon, nice to see you, too."

"Good to see you, Changmin" said the blond.

Oh, so he knew them.

Changmin gestured to the two men. "Yn, this is Kevin and Haknyeon. They're with the pack."

"Not that we're unhappy to see you," Kevin drawled, "but how did you find us?"

Okay, wait. If Changmin knew them, then why wouldn't he know the location of their pack? You sat quiet, waiting for someone to explain it to you… or just explain everything to you.

"Someone was following us and I lost them," Changmin told them, "but I managed to get us lost, too. Coincidence that we ended up here. I'm glad it's you guys and not another pack."

Kevin's eyebrows flew up. "Yeah, for sure. Well—" he turned his head up toward the treetops and scanned the skies. They were beginning to bruise like your skin as the sun sank somewhere amongst the trees and into the horizon. You hadn't even realized how dark it was starting to get. "—sun's already pretty low right now. Why don't you guys shack up with us tonight and then we'll help you out in the morning?"

"That would be great actually." Wow, really? You kept your surprise at bay. "Lead the way."

With no further discussion needed, Kevin and Haknyeon disappeared behind the same large tree trunk from before, then re-emerged as the wolves from before. Kevin, the one with black colored fur, pointed with his snout in the direction the path would take you. The two wolves began to trot down the path, and Changmin waited for them to get somewhat ahead before he flicked his headlights on and followed.

It was a curious act of consideration, you thought.

You watched as the wolves began to pick up speed, your eyes flickering to the speedometer. "So…" you drawled, "what the fuck just happened?"

A sharp huff, his version of a laugh. "They're old friends," he said.

"How'd you not know this was where their pack was if they're old friends?"

"I met them out of the pack," he explained. "It was somewhere in the New England area, and we just happened to be hunting the same thing."

Hunting? Oh, bounty hunter. Right. "And the—the shifting thing."

"What about it?"

You made a face of frustration. He always made you pull teeth when you wanted background information. "Everything."

He glanced at you. "I think it'd be better if one of them explained it to you. Better to have one of their own say it right than risk me getting something wrong."

That was, unfortunately, a very fair answer.

Instead of pushing on the wolf topic, you had more questions that he could answer. "So what now? Are we just gonna stay the night? Is it safe?" What if that white car found a way in here? Neither of you could see who the driver was, and so how could either of you be sure they weren't trying to perhaps get you both here? And if they also had the means to come in here without being marked as trespassers?

"It's safe," he said with such confidence that you arched your brows. He saw your expression, making a soft turn along the road as the wolves had, the pads of his fingers lifting off the steering wheel for a second in gesture. "I know what you're probably thinking, but it's safer than sleeping out in a motel off the highway, alright? Packs usually don't drive cars, and they have maybe one or two for convenience sake. They can smell trespassers from miles away, and they usually have people on watch all the time, which is how they found us so quickly."

You supposed that made sense. The forest here seemed denser, and with the quickly fading light, it made it all the more unnavigable. If you were to try to run… good fucking luck.

You opened your mouth to say something, but nothing came out. As the car rounded the bend, yours and Changmin's faces illuminated with the glow of light.

The town was laid out flat before you, not over a ridge, not over a mountain, but a path that led into a central meeting place with wooden buildings all around it. The lights were all from candle-lit lanterns rather than the LEDs and fluorescents of the human world. There were a mixture of both wolves and people milling about, an air of warm cheeriness that you could feel even from the car. You felt a fuzziness manifest in your chest at the sight.

Kevin and Haknyeon directed Changmin toward a back road to the right behind a row of buildings. It was most likely to avoid getting in the way of the pack members, you guessed. You kept silent as you averted your eyes from the void-like darkness of the forest beyond to your right.

Up ahead, you saw the two wolves trot into a small paved area with one other car parked along the walkway. It seemed to be like a makeshift alleyway of sorts between two blocks of buildings. With some maneuvering, Changmin managed to parallel park into the space that was just big enough for his vehicle.

When he parked, he gestures for you to follow his lead and get out of the car. "You should be safe to come out with me. We'll probably meet the pack alpha and get everything settled—" His head tilted to the side, "—hopefully."

Your eyes shuttered. "Hopefully?" You echoed. Pack alpha? What the fuck did that entail? From what you remember in the books and shows, you thought to yourself as you clambered out of the car and stretched your sore limbs, wolf packs had an alpha that would lead everyone. You weren't sure if you would have to go through some kind of cult initiation or something to be granted permission to stay the night.

The angel blade sat tucked into the pocket of your pants along with your phone, and you slammed your car door shut. From here, you could peer down the alley and see out into the glowing atmosphere of the town center. It sounded like fun, actually—all of the chatter and laughter. You hadn't been anywhere so lively-sounding in awhile.

"Yn right?"

You startled a little, whirling around to find the brunette—Kevin was his name—smiling at you sheepishly. He was back in human form with a pair of shorts and a plain white T-shirt on. "Sorry I snuck up on you," he said.

"Oh, it's totally fine!" You laughed bashfully, smoothing a hand down your hair. "And yes, I'm Yn. You're Kevin, right?"

Man, he was so much prettier up close…

Kevin nodded. "Yeah, it's nice to meet you. Changmin says this is all pretty new to you." He gestured loosely to the world around him, an all encompassing notion to the entire world you had just unearthed beneath your nose.

Your eyes darted behind Kevin where Changmin and Haknyeon were gathered on the other side of the car, pulling yours and Changmin's bags out the backseat. Changmin caught your eyes, lifted his eyebrows, then returned to his conversation.

So he was just gonna leave you in the hands of the very handsome wolf shifter? Cool.

"Yeah, it's kind of a crazy story," you mused. Understatement of the century. "Thanks for taking us in, by the way.

"It's no worries," he chirped. "Changmin and us? We go back pretty far, I'd like to think."

"Oh, cool! He mentioned something about that… and something about meeting the pack alpha?"

Kevin's eyes flickered to something behind you, and you turned around to see what or who it was on instinct. "It's nothing to stress about—he's coming this way, actually."

You felt his hand, warm and large, gently settle between your shoulder blades to guide you toward the two men making their way down the alley toward you both.

One of them… well you could feel the subtle shift in the air. It was as if molecules in the air moved for him. He boasted a powerful sort of stature, with dark hair parted neatly to frame a carved face. For a moment, you didn't know if you were supposed to bow or something, but then he smiled, and you nearly fell over from that alone. He wasn't so scary once he smiled.

The man next to him was a lighter brunette with a cheery expression engraved onto his face as if that were his default setting. There was something about him, however—you thought he glowed a little in the dim light. The angel blade in your pocket seemed to warm slightly at the sight of him.

(So was everyone just super attractive in the supernatural world?)

"Changmin-ah," greeted the man with darker colored hair. He clasped his hand with Changmin's in greeting. "It's been awhile."

"It has," your demon counterpart agreed. "Thanks for taking us in on such short notice. I wouldn't have intruded had I known."

The man brushed the thought away. "It's okay, really. Nice to have a couple new faces around."

"Speaking of new faces," drawled the second man. He beamed a pretty smile your way, waving. "Hi, little one."

Something warm blossomed in your chest. "Hi," you said softly. You weren't certain of etiquette—if you were expected to speak for yourself, to bow…

But it seemed Kevin had your back. He clasped his warm hand on your shoulder. "This is Yn. She came in with Changmin."

"Nice to meet you, Yn. I'm Sangyeon." This was the man with black hair, who felt like the tangible version of power. He must have been the pack alpha. He had to be.

The other man placed a hand on his chest. "And I'm Jacob!"

"We're just looking for a place to stay for the night," Changmin piped up. He tucked his hands into his pockets, eyes shifting over to yours.

"Well, why don't we head over to the pack house and we can talk about all the details of a plan," said Sangyeon. He inclined his chin in the direction of where you assumed the pack house was. Then his eyes, you watched their keen movements, latched onto Kevin's as if they were communicating silently. "Yn," you nearly jolted when you realized he was addressing you. "Kevin's gonna take you to the small inn we have here. It'll give you a little more privacy, and I'm sure you've felt pretty overwhelmed."

It didn't sound like he was asking you, but there was a warmth to his smile. You couldn't help but feel inclined to agree.

Changmin's head went on a swivel. "Wait, she's not coming with us?"

Haknyeon and Jacob were already rounding on either side of him to guide him in the opposite direction Kevin was leading you. Something in the back of your head made you turn over your shoulder to look at him. Was being separated such a bad thing?

Haknyeon suddenly tossed Kevin your backpack, the latter shouldering it.

"Come on, Yn," Kevin chirped, angling his body as he nudged you along so you could no longer see Changmin. "There's a lovely hearth in the main lobby, and the auntie who runs the place makes the best cookies ever."

You nodded slowly as your brain struggled to think of any reason why they would separate you from Changmin. And why did he sound so surprised? Your hand drifted toward the pocket that hid your angel blade. "Oh, really? That sounds nice."

They didn't drug them, did they? Your shoulders tensed at the idea.

Why did they separate you and Changmin—

The inn was the building right outside the alley with a porch that spanned the front facade. The architecture reminded you of an upscale cabin with large oak logs piled atop each other to make up the structure. A warm light emitted from the front windows and glass doors, and you swore you could smell the cookies from here.

When you and Kevin entered the building, he called out a greeting to an older woman stationed behind a reception desk in the back corner. She greeted the both of you with a cordial smile, wiggling her fingers in a wave. Her head tilted curiously at you, however, her eyes zeroing in on…

Your attention was drawn away and you were directed toward the seating area on the other side of the lobby.

"Can I get you any water or anything?" Kevin asked you as he motioned for you to take a seat in the armchair adjacent to him. He set your backpack at your feet for you.

You lowered yourself onto the edge of the seat, hand reaching for the pendant beneath your shirt—you stopped short. Could he sense the power of the pendant? Was that why they separated you from your demon bodyguard? Oh fuck—

"Hey, hey," Kevin suddenly said softly, face morphing into an expression of concern. "No need to get panicked, okay? You're safe now."

Wait. What? You wrung your hands in your lap, heart still throwing itself up against your ribcage. "Safe? What do you mean safe? Safe from what?"

Kevin considered you for a moment, but the gentleness from his voice and body language never left. "You're safe from Changmin."

"Safe from Changmin?"

"Yes," he affirmed patiently. "The bruises on your neck—"

Your hand went to cover the side of your throat where it had been pierced by the maw of a demon, but not Changmin.

"—does he feed from you? They look fresh—"

You immediately put your hands up to gesticulate in wild opposition. "Oh, no, no, no. He—he didn't feed from me; he saved my life, actually. We were attacked by other demons and I was bleeding out, and he just closed the wounds. He… he isn't, uhm… yeah."

Kevin's posture changed, and his smile became relieved—sheepish even. "Well, shit. I'm sorry for assuming, Yn; it's just that a lot of people end up here because they're in unhealthy relationships, and I saw the marks on your neck and just assumed the worst." He cupped the back of his neck. "This must have been really confusing for you. Sorry about that."

Okay, now that made a lot more sense. Your adrenaline was slowly teetering out and the tension left your shoulders. "No, please, that's honestly really nice that you would help victims like this. It did give me a little scare, but… yeah no, this wasn't Changmin's doing."

"That eases my mind a lot," he chuckled. Then he turned and nodded to the auntie behind the reception desk. You watched as she disappeared out the doors of the inn. "She's just gonna let Sangyeon know that everything's good."

"I thought you said you and Changmin go way back…?" Did they not trust him?

Kevin leaned back in his armchair. "We do. It's just protocol, you know? Whether or not we know them, it doesn't matter."

That was good for victims, you thought. Though, you couldn't imagine what they were really discussing with Changmin then… "So Changmin…"

"Sangyeon, Jacob, and Haknyeon would have taken care of him if I told them he was harming you," he replied, lips pressed together. "They really are talking about how you both ended up here though—that, and plans for the morning."

It was like he could read your mind.

A lot had happened just now, and you were still reeling from the fact that you didn't need to prepare to run. Though, you were still hyperaware of Clyde's warmth in your pocket.

Kevin noticed your far-off expression. He leaned forward onto his knees, that kind smile of his curling onto his face and making you feel some sort of woozy. "I know it's probably been a lot for you. Do you have any questions for me?"

He was so different from Changmin. While with the demon getting information was like pulling teeth, here was Kevin offering you information. They were polar opposites, really. You wondered what it might have been like if Kevin had been the one to take you on this quest instead—your mind shuttered. What a strange thought. Changmin might have been a pain in your ass in the beginning (and still now), but… it wasn't like he hadn't protected you. You didn't know.

"I guess," you started, "what's gonna happen now?"

He thought about it for a moment. "Well, uhm, I think we're both gonna find out once Changmin gets back. See what they've all decided on. But for sure, you and he will be able to shack up here for the night."

You gave a slow nod. "Is Sangyeon the pack alpha? Kind of a stupid question—"

"It's not a stupid question at all," Kevin said. "But yes, he's the pack alpha. You can just consider him as a community leader, essentially."

"And you're all wolf shifters?"

A nod, then he paused, tilting his head. "Yes, but Jacob's not a wolf shifter; he's an angel."

Your eyebrows flew up. Everything was suddenly making a lot more sense. "An angel? So he and Changmin aren't, like, mortal enemies or anything?" You hadn't noticed any wings on him…

Kevin laughed. "Oh, you're cute. No, thankfully they are not mortal enemies. Jacob's too nice to have enemies."

"Even someone like Changmin?" You jested.

"Even someone like Changmin," he said, humoring you. "Speaking of the demon, you two aren't…?"

You sucked in a breath. "Definitely not. We're not together or anything. It's a long story, but our meeting and traveling together is just because of a common goal." You couldn't tell why the thought of you and Changmin being an item made your heart cartwheel. Perhaps it was simply the anxiety of being thought of as Changmin's significant other that made you want to jump to correct that assumption. Yes, that was it.

Kevin bit his bottom lip like he was trying to hide a smile. "Ah, I see. That's good to know."

"And why's that?" You asked.

You could have sworn if he was in wolf form, his ears would have been tucked against his head. "Nothing!" He insisted. "It would just be a shame to not take a chance when it's presented, you know?"

You weren't quite sure what he meant by that, but for some reason, you were eager to find out.

It was late still when Changmin knocked on your open door, lingering on the threshold. You had just stepped out of the shower in the private en suite your accommodations had, a towel settled upon your shoulders to act as a barrier between your wet hair and dry clothes. He didn't look any worse for wear—then again, he never did.

"Everything okay with Kevin?" He asked, clearing his throat. You felt his eyes on you, scanning your body as if searching for any signs out of the ordinary.

You were searching for your phone charger in your bag. "Yeah, it was good. What—what happened with you?" You asked and lifted your eyes to meet his as you fondled the cord between your fingers.

He stuck his tongue in his cheek. "Well," he drawled, "Sangyeon offered to send a small group out to scout for any signs of our pursuers from today. In the meantime, we're invited to stay here to recuperate for a couple days. If not, then they'll restock our supplies and help us out of here."

"I'm guessing you already made a decision." You paused when you realized there weren't any outlets in this room. Anywhere. A curse fell from your lips and you dumped your cord and dead cell phone into your bag.

"I figured you could use the rest," he said.

Your head whipped upward.

He arched a brow at you. "If that's alright with you."

Was he really asking you? No buts, no ifs, no snark? "Yeah, that's fine with me."

"Maybe a couple days here will be good for your frail, human body anyway."

There it is. You rolled your eyes so far back, you swore you saw your brain waving at you. "And maybe some fake demon sleep will make you less grouchy."

You thought he smiled. It could have been a trick of the light or sleep deprivation. "Whatever."

Just when it seemed like he was about to turn and leave, he stopped. "Kevin's taken a liking to you."

You stilled, attention piqued. "Really? How could you tell?"

Changmin gauged your reaction, and again, you couldn't quite tell what he was thinking. "You need to sleep."

"Wait, you're just gonna ignore my—and he's gone." You huffed and collapsed onto the bed. It was awfully comfortable.

Leave it up to Changmin to leave you high and dry like that.

You rolled over the surface of the bed to close your door. Quietly, you went around the room to close the knobs of the lanterns to put out the lights like Kevin had showed you earlier. The only light now came from outside the window, the campfire and lanterns in the pack center streaming through the shutters to create an elongated stripe pattern along the walls and floors.

You climbed into bed—it was a strange, but welcomed feeling.

Only a couple days without a bed, yet it felt like years had passed. You could only hope you didn't wake up to a demon at your throat this time.

#7—THE ONLY ONE.

WOLVES BEAT EVEN THE SUN from her slumber, you came to find out. The next morning, you rolled out of bed to hear the sound of muffled voices outside your window. Your body ached in places you didn't even think they could ache, and you stretched your arms up over your head as you opened the shutters.

Just a little off from your window stood a small gathering of creatures, both in human and wolf forms. You recognized Kevin as one of the human ones among them. It was the noise of your open shutter that had him turning his head up toward your window. He saw you there, and a smile blossomed on his face, bright and easy. He wasn't wearing a shirt again, as was the other man standing beside him. The other two in their group were wolves.

Kevin waved at you, catching the attention of the others with him. The man beside him beamed and waved, too.

You chuckled to yourself and returned the gesture.

Kevin beckoned you down with his hand.

You searched the window sill for the latch, muttering in triumph when you managed to notch it open.

He had walked over to stand directly below your window by the time you stuck your head out. "Good morning!" He chirped. "Good sleep?"

"Good morning, and so far I think so," you mused, unconsciously smoothing down your hair. You hadn't even checked the state of your bed head. Yikes.

"There's breakfast in the pack house if you'd like," he offered. "I can walk you over?"

You leaned your cheek against your fist. "Sounds great. Give me some time to get ready."

"Take your time!"

You locked the window back up, dropped the shutters, and hurried to get changed. It occurred to you, as you were getting yourself prepped and primed to face another day in a new world, that you hadn't felt so giddy in awhile. And about a boy nonetheless. The skip in your step was crazy to you, and—did you even have anything nice to wear?

You just managed to yank one of the nicer of your graphic tees over your head when you heard a knock at the door.

"Just a second!" You called, carding your fingers through your hair and separating into three so you could braid it out of your face.

You ripped the door open. "Hi."

Changmin stood on the other side looking slightly refreshed with his dark hair damp and plastered over his forehead. His eyes narrowed slightly at your lightened countenance, the way you actually cared about how you were doing your hair, the… everything. He sent you a look. "Breakfast is in the pack house, but I have a feeling you already knew that."

"Yeah, I was just headed down, actually." You stepped out into the hallway with him, closing your bedroom door behind you. Clyde sat in your pocket, replacing where your phone would have been stashed had it any use.

He cocked his head to the side. "You seem a lot more…" He made a gesture with one of his hands. "Alive."

"Well, considering I don't have magic regeneration—"

"Forget I said anything," he said, shaking his bangs from his eyes and beginning to walk down the corridor toward his room. "Go get sustenance, Yn."

A small smile tugged at the corners of your lips. You watched him disappear into his room before you made your way to the stairs.

Kevin was waiting for you in the lobby, perking up when you appeared on the stairway landing and made your descent. He took a couple steps to meet you in the middle, and you noticed that he had found a shirt to put on. Damn. "Hope you like waffles," he said as the two of you fell into step beside each other to head out of the inn.

"Love 'em."

It seemed that the entirety of Moonstone Creak was awake, even at such an early hour. The sun had yet to even clamber up above the treetops, leaving the sky a soft mesh of purple and orange. The air was as fresh as it had been yesterday, cool and pure, washing your lungs and waking you up some more.

"Is everyone awake so early?" You asked him, inhaling as much of the peace as you could.

Kevin nodded. "Pretty much, unless you're just coming back from a night watch. We usually encourage the pups to come out and exercise with us."

"Us?"

"The pack's primary watch," he clarified. "You probably saw me talking to a few of them earlier."

"Ah," you hummed. "That's nice though. You're all such a lovely community… It's refreshing."

His eyes twinkled as he smiled at you. "Thank you. I like to think we're a really big family."

You could see as much. By the way Kevin greeted all of his fellow pack members, a part of you wondered what it might have been like to grow up somewhere like this instead of always chasing after safety and security.

You and your sister had always got by somehow, but it had never been like this. With your parents gone so early in both of your lives, you only really had each other to rely on, besides the occasional aunt and uncle who took turns caring for the both of you until your sister turned 18. And now with your sister gone?

For some reason, it felt like you were still taking care of her in death. But perhaps that was the cost of seeking closure.

You weren't sure what you were expecting when they said pack house, but what you saw was about what it sounded like it was going to be. It was similar to the inn and many of the buildings around the area with its log cabin likeness, but this one was much, much larger. You could hear the squeals of children from out here, and there were smaller wolves chasing each other's tails around the wraparound porch. A few stopped to sit and cock their heads at you as you passed, their tails tick-tocking behind them.

It was strange seeing wolves carry around infants and toddlers in their hulking jaws, too, and Kevin chuckled when you almost stopped in your tracks. "It's no harm to them, don't worry."

"Yeah," you laughed nervously, fingering the pendant at your sternum. "It'll take some getting used to. Are you born as a wolf or as a human?" You asked him as the two of you stepped up the front steps of the porch and walked through the entryway.

"Depends—woah, hey guys. Careful!" Kevin clicked his tongue as he caught and lifted one of the younger boys off his legs just before he accidentally knocked over a table holding a vase of flowers.

The kid and his friend giggled as Kevin put him down away from the table. "Sorry Kevin!" And they were gone, out the front door.

He shared a smile with you, cupping the back of his neck. "Where was I?" He gestured to your right down a hallway; you could smell the sweetness and buttery goodness of breakfast. "Oh, right. It depends: since wolves and humans are mammals, giving birth is a little easier than other non-mammal shifters."

"Non-mammal shifters?" Your eyebrows shot up. "What other shifters exist?"

"Any you can think of, to be honest," he said. "All pups learn about their own growth and development though, especially since learning to shift and stay in touch with both their animal and human sides is so integral. It would probably be better if I connected you with someone who identifies as female to talk about birth specifically though," he admitted.

The kitchen was painted a pale shade of yellow that reflected the golden rays of sun and made the whole room much warmer and brighter. There was a mishmash of wolves and humans milling about the central island where a buffet-style breakfast was being served. The variety of food before you was enough to make even—as you liked to think—Changmin's mouth water. (He didn't need to eat, your ass. You saw the blueberry pancakes on the far end and wondered if he had some yet.)

Kevin passed you one of the plates stacked at the end before grabbing one for himself. "Lily, thank you for breakfast!"

Lily, you identified, was the woman leaning against the sink with a pale blue apron tied around her waist and baby bump. "You're welcome! Haknyeonie helped out, too."

Haknyeon's blond head poked in from where he was partly hiding in the butler's pantry, his cheeks stuffed with food. "Hm?"

You laughed to yourself as you started off by transferring a waffle to your plate. "Yes, thank you so much for breakfast. It looks delicious."

"Oh, no need for that," Lily beamed as she came over to the island across from you and put more food onto your plate. "Take more, please. We have so much to go around."

"Oh," you blinked, watching Kevin start to pile things onto his own plate. "It's so much; I don't want to take more than I can finish—"

"I'll help you finish," Kevin offered, shoving a strawberry into his mouth. "I'm sorry if it seems like we're pressuring you, though. I guess we're all just used to making sure the other is fed around here."

You could melt like a slab of butter between two warm hotcakes. "Thank you—I appreciate the thought."

Kevin ruffled your hair as the two of you continued around your tour of the island. "Of course."

From the entryway you had just come in, Sangyeon arrived whistling an offhanded tune under his breath. "Good morning, everyone!"

"Good morning!" Chorused around the kitchen at differing intervals as everyone greeted their pack alpha.

Sangyeon beelined around the island and over to Lily, the two of them exchanging fond touches and a warm kiss in greeting. "Morning, love."

"Good morning," Lily said. "Eaten yet?"

The dots connected in your head and you nudged Kevin as the two of you finished up at the island. "Lily and Sangyeon—?"

"Yeah, she's our alpha female," Kevin confirmed. "Six months pregnant. They celebrated nuptials about a year ago."

"Ah." You didn't mean to stare, but they were such a beautiful couple. Though you thought Sangyeon's smile was warm, it was nothing compared to the one he saved just for his partner.

He must have felt your eyes on him, and he lifted his gaze to yours while he held one of Lily's hands. "Yn, sleep well?"

Your eyes widened. "Oh, uh, yes. Yes, thank you."

"All of your accommodations are to your satisfaction, I hope?"

"More than satisfied," you stammered with a sheepish smile; he was talking to you, right? Everything was way beyond what you had been living with for the past couple of days. A demon-infested motel or this? Well, no competition there. You could still feel the impression of Changmin's passenger seat in your back.

Sangyeon nodded. "Good, I'm glad to hear that. I was hoping to speak with you and Changmin after breakfast about your situation. It'll be with myself and my closest advisors, plus the two of you."

"Yes, of course," you said. "Does Changmin already know?"

"I'll have someone run and let him know."

You and Kevin were dismissed to go forth with breakfast. The two of you settled in a room next door to the kitchen fitted with a long dining table that reminded you of a cartoon rich people banquet table. You sat adjacent to each other, Kevin at the head, and you with the seat to his left.

You smeared butter over the slots of your waffle. "Do I have to worry about what Sangyeon's gonna talk about at the meeting?"

Kevin shoved his bite into his cheek. "To my knowledge, no, but if you're worried, Sangyeon's advisors are a pretty cool crowd."

"Oh yeah?" You asked.

His lips turned up as he chewed. "Mhm," he hummed before swallowing, "I should know since I'm one of them."

Sangyeon had an office deep within the first floor of the pack house. It was tucked away somewhere between the living room in the back and the door down to the wine cellar. (Kevin joked that the first pack alpha had planned the layout of the first floor deliberately.)

Following your hearty breakfast, you found yourself seated in one of the armchairs in the leader's office chambers, amongst Changmin (in the chair next to you) and the other members of the so-called inner circle. Kevin lingered nearby, leaning against the office's hearth with his arms and ankles crossed idly. It seemed that the advising board included not just Kevin, but also Jacob, Lily, and someone named Juyeon. You learned that he was out on night guard when you came in last night, so you weren't able to properly meet him until now.

Sangyeon stood next to the office chair seated behind the grand, mahogany desk; Lily was automatically given the chair because of her pregnancy, and because she'd been working all morning. "Concerning the white sedan you said was trailing after you two yesterday—" he said, "—none of our scouts could follow a solid scent past the freeway entrance. It was interesting, actually."

Changmin leaned forward onto his forearms. "How so?" He asked, eyebrows creasing.

Sangyeon nodded to Juyeon, who filled in, "Well, we couldn't figure out what their scent is."

"How is that even possible?"

You blinked, brain whirring into overdrive. There was something you were missing yet again. What was the context here?

Kevin stepped over to your side and murmured to you, "We can usually pick apart scents to identify the layers, so this is why it's… concerning."

"Ah," you nodded. "Thanks."

"It was distinct for sure," Juyeon supplied with a vague gesture of his hands, "but it was nearly impossible to tell what species they were. It was easy enough picking apart the entity from the car smells—" Exhaust fumes, metal, seats, you assumed, "—and we could follow the smell as far as the entrance to the highway you guys came from, but…" He shook his head. "No-go. In all my years, I've never come across anything like it."

The helplessness that settled into the grooves of the room made you squirm, and your fingers fondled the red pendant at your collar again. Here was a space of the all-powerful, and yet, something as simple as a scent was throwing them all for a loop. You couldn't begin to wrap your head around the implications, because, well—you didn't know the implications.

(Dark. You were always sitting in the dark.)

Changmin passed you a glance, and you couldn't tell what he was thinking, as usual. "There has to be a way to somehow analyze it. Could we consult a witch?"

"I've already called an old friend," said Lily. "They're on their way over presently."

"Could I see the pendant?" Jacob's voice carried out into the room. Though he himself was soft-spoken, one could not mistake his volume. Everyone's attention cut over to you, and you wanted to be swallowed up by the earth beneath your feet. "If that's okay," he added. "It feels familiar."

"Feels?" You echoed, gripping the stone in your hand. The chain dug into the flesh of your neck as you anxiously yanked on it.

Changmin's eyes darted from the stone to you. "What do you think?"

"What do I think?" You were overwhelmed; that was what you thought. You fisted it in your hand, suddenly reluctant to part with the thing that had caused you so much trouble as of late. You felt… an uncanny urge to keep it in your possession. "Uhm… you can see it, but I won't take it off."

Your devilish counterpart narrowed his eyes slightly, cocked his head to the side, at your behavior. He didn't say anything though, as if this truly was just all your decision. Perhaps this was because he knew that you weren't exactly buddies with these people yet. In retrospect, they were still strangers, and thus, potential threats to you.

Jacob took easy strides over to you from where he was standing by the desk. He passed you a reassuring smile as he knelt in front of you, close enough that you could see the eyelashes brush his cheeks. There was something warm radiating from him, and you swore you saw a flash of gold in his eyes.

Angel, right.

He rose up on his knees, holding out his hand, but not touching you. "May I?"

You pinched the part of the pendant attached to the chain and stuck it out toward him.

Jacob's eyebrows knitted together as he touched the pendant with only the tips of his fingers. You held your breath throughout the entirety of his assessment. When he finally leaned back onto his haunches, you blinked away whatever angelic warmth still lingered. "Juyeon, come smell the pendant."

Your eyes widened. "Uhm—"

"Hold on, what?"

"Wait, Jacob."

The latter two responses came from Changmin and Kevin, respectively, the two startling at Jacob's request.

There was a swift exchange of glances between everyone else and the alpha wolves in the room.

Lily said, "Yn?"

"Why are we sniffing the pendant now?" You asked, finding your voice.

Jacob looked up innocently. "Sorry, I probably should have explained myself. I think it might smell like the scent Juyeon was trying to track."

Something in the room shifted. You glanced down at the pendant in your grip and the questions in your head accumulated and accumulated and accumulated. What in Hell did you get me into, Sena?

"Okay," you said, "you can… smell the pendant."

You weren't sure why he couldn't smell it from where he was, but he took a couple steps over to you and replaced Jacob's position. Changmin's hand appeared on the arm of your chair as he leaned forward slightly.

Juyeon took a cautionary sniff, and his eyes widened. "That's it. It's—it was slightly different, but similar enough where it has to be the same entity." He looked up at you. "Is this the only one of its kind?"

You met Changmin's eyes.

He looked away first. "No."

Your gaze became earnest in his direction, and if you could, you would burn twin holes in the side of his head like a snakebite. More shit he hadn't told you. Were you surprised?

No? What did he mean no?

"We need to talk," you forced out of gritted teeth, gripping onto the arm of his chair now.

He passed you a glance. Later.

"Well, we can only really assume that the person following you was most likely after the pendant," Jacob said plainly as he stood from the ground and dusted off his pants. "But now that we know the origin of the scent, per se, it'll make the hunt a little easier."

Sangyeon gave a bob of his head. "Kevin, you're leading the search party for the day."

Kevin's head perked up, hand on the back of your chair. "But—"

A single look from his leader made his mouth snap closed.

"Yes, sir," Kevin murmured with a shallow nod of acknowledgement. He gave the back of your chair a small pat, then departed without another word from the office. You thought you could feel his presence leave your side, from the room. All of this feeling… was this how the supernatural operated? Was this what a sixth sense entailed all along?

"Juyeon—" the man in question raised his head, "—go find where Haknyeon and Eric are." Sangyeon scratched his temple with a sigh that sounded suspiciously like exasperation. "Grab them and round up the pups."

Juyeon brightened. "Are we taking them down to the creak?"

Lily nodded her approval. "Ooh, nice idea. Yn and Changmin, you're both free to join us. It's lovely down there."

You forced your hand to fall away from the pendant, but not before tucking it back beneath the collar of your shirt. It felt too exposed out here, sitting on your sternum for all to see. You nodded though, trying for a small smile. "Sure, sounds nice."

Sangyeon patted the desktop. "Excellent! The two of you can continue to make yourselves at home."

Though this was a physical conclusion to the meeting, your stomach continued to sit uncomfortably. This conversation should not have been over so quickly… right? Was there not more to discuss? Perhaps not now then. Maybe it was better to take your time letting this all sink in.

"Ah, before the two of you go join the little ones," Jacob cut in. He shot Changmin a pointed look. "You owe me something."

Changmin roughed a hand through his bangs, but you could have sworn his lips curled up with a smile. "Aish… your memory."

"It never fails me when I need it."

You glanced between the two; Changmin did owe you yet another explanation, but if there was something these two planned to settle… "What? What is it this time?"

Jacob grinned, and you definitely hadn't been hallucinating when you saw flickers of gold in his irises. "He owes me a sparring match."

a/n: i am clasping my hands in prayer for a reblog, comment, or ask. take a moment to grab a snack, drink some water, and head over to the second part! thanks for reading

read part two here (if it's not linked yet, refresh and it'll be at the top)

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[so-very-small]

wow… two characters with vastly different heights who also hate each other….. Forced Proximity those bitches now!!!!

[bluetiefling]

so i was thinking, and had a 💡 moment.

this season paralleled sauron getting betrayed with s1 galadriel being mutinied against. and we know their finale fight will parallel their s1 finale fight. so a lot of emphasis on the parallels.

now, how did s1 fight end? with elrond saving galadriel "from" sauron. what did galadriel tell elrond in 2.05? to not save her if it would mean letting sauron win. "the last temptation" ends with elrond's theme and he is supposedly near that hill sauron and gal are at.

wouldn't it be only fitting, if this time around, elrond does not save galadriel from sauron? like, i know i'm not unbiased when theorizing about the ending, but no matter how i think about it, simply redoing s1 conclusion would be too jarringly repetitive.

I'm with you, on this. Her warning to him about painful sacrifices and asking him to promise to stop Sauron even at the cost of her own life should be foreshadowing something, no? Elrond of course didn't take that as seriously as he should've when she said it, and I feel that means he's going to be faced with that very choice and have to make the hard one. It's even been noted that Elrond has to make "impossible choices" by reviewers and repeated by the showrunners that we'll see Elrond's "hopes for what would happen come crashing into the reality of what has happened" and his innocence and optimism give way to world-weary jadedness.

We know of course he's going to fail to save Celebrimbor and that'll be one of those devastating things that shatters his hopes, but that conversation with Galadriel also focuses his arc on making a choice regarding her life as well. I would say too there's more emotional weight there than with Celebrimbor?

It'll be a letdown for sure if the s2 Galadriel/Sauron confrontation plays by the same beats as the s1 one ending, even the part where Elrond shows up to comfort Galadriel afterwards lol. I really hope they offer something deeper than "he makes the offer again, she rejects him again, says some platitudes, something conveniently happens that allows her to escape or for him to get away, and we're back to where we started in the beginning of season 2." :/ I'm just praying for something more daring than a standard marvel movie ending. Season 1 was a good ending and did move the story forward in a dramatic way, but you can't fall back on the same thing and make that the "formula" - you have to up the stakes.

[hp-fanfic-archive]

The Room Knows Something I Don't know by Robottko Pairing: Harry/Cedric Rating: G Word Count: 1k Podfic available here Read by: lalaspodfics Length: 10-30 minutes The Room of Requirement had a strange sort of magic that Cedric could never really figure out. Most of the time, the magic was helpful, conjuring things that students needed. But recently, the room seemed to have it out for him.

find the full podfic library here

[kflixnet]

Check out our member Lana's series!

TROUBLED HEARTS 💭 hoon written series

SYNOPSIS! finally a teenager has gotten her own apartment, the only problem is that she's sharing it with the most popular boy in school, and they have to keep it a secret without getting expelled

or in which park sunghoon is a total jerk who you've been scammed into living with, will you be able to get through this no feelings involved?

✶ ﹕ find themes & genres here

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[holeforzenin]

MEGUMI FUCKING HIS DAD’S GIRLFRIEND!!

Tw- Cheating, Megumi is twenty n reader is a bit older. Not Proofread

⊹ ｡ ﾟ⁖✦

Something about Megumi passionately pounding you into the mattress that you and Toji shared while he’s away for a mission makes me soo horny

Both of his hands are firmly squeezing the back of your thighs—keeping them pressed against your bouncing tits while he’s plummeting his stiff cock deeply into your stimulated, used pussy. His mushroom tip nudging against your g-spot sending waves of ecstasy coursing through your entire body, which is by no means difficult for him to find because ohh, he knows you and your pretty pussy sooo well.

He’s remaining eye contact with you, with a dark twisted grin plastered on his face. Pride swelling in his chest knowing he’s splitting open his dad’s girlfriend’s little pussy in half with his cock while you moan and cream around his shaft.

It’s such an accomplishment to him.

“Fuckk You’re such a pathetic whore, y’know that baby?” He groans grumbly, with a hint of laughter and amusement, watching as your brows furred together cutely, as you pouted. “M-not a whore!” You muttered defeatedly, guilt washing over you as you broke eye contact which made him laugh as it echoed in the room, piercing through your defense—he brought one of his hands up to grip your jaw, forcing you to look at him.

“Awe baby, look at me while I ruin this pretty little pussy, no need to be shy—don’t worry, I love cock starving whores like you—ones that cheat on their boyfriends with his son while he’s away. Soo pathetic” he says in a mocking sardonic tone, making both your eyes and pussy leak with shame and guilt.

“Fuckk that’s it, this hungry pussy is sucking me in so well, fuck you're so tight and wet, all f'me” he moans out like a horny teenager.

His fat, swollen tip expertly brushes against your most sensitive area, hitting it precisely with each vigorous movement of his hips, bullying his cock into you like it has a mind of its own. Your eyes roll back in pleasure, drool steeping out of your mouth and pussy as your brain grows foggy.

The familiar sensation building up in the pit of your stomach, making you mewl as he trails his hand down and lightly brushes his thumb across your clit, his touch tracing gentle but fast circles on the sensitive bud.

“Mmm, are you gonna cum baby? Gonna make a mess on your stepson’s cock? Fuck, such a little horny slut, what would your boyfriend think if he found out his slut of a girlfriend is about to cum on his son's dick?” He chuckles mischievously, his deep, husky laugh resonating in the room, as he slowly brings his thumb up to lick the slick building up on it, a low groan escaping his lips as he savors the taste of you before returning to teasing the bundle of nerves—helping you towards your pleasure.

You moaned out pathetically, you can’t lie, Megumi was so much like his dad in bed, it drove you crazy. Whether it was the way he dominated your tight pussy with his cock or his rough demeanor. He was Toji’s son, alright.

“Gumii, m’gonna cum! please, fuck! s’good, please don’t stop”. You begged, desperately holding onto his forearm for support. His hips buckled against you so eagerly, so desperately to feel you cumming on his cock. He licks his lips in anticipation—watching your pretty tits bouncing in syne, accommodating his powerful thrusts into your dripping pussy.

"Don’t plan on stopping baby—Fuckkk” he groaned, putting both of your legs over his shoulders and folding you into a mean mating press. Gradually descending, moving down, down, down into you to the point where your knees are almost touching your ears, The close proximity allowed his minty breath to trace across your face, mingling with the heat radiating from his body and the sweat that glistened as it dripped from his tousled hairline onto you.

The new angle of penetration had his cock drilling deeper into you, making you see stars as your release washes over you. “Fuckfuckfuck Megumiii” you cried out, your nails instinctively gripping his toned biceps, causing him to hiss with a mixture of pleasure and pain as he leaned in closer, pressing his forehead against yours. Your pulsating hole fluttered uncontrollably as you came around his cock. You both breathe heavily, he sticks his tongue out—licking the tears leaking from your eyes as you felt his cock twitching inside of you. Your release was enough to make him cum right on the spot.

“Yesyesyes—fuck yes!, love this pussy so much hah! M’gonna cum, fucking take ittt” he moaned in a breathless whisper against your ear. The room echoed with both of your needy moans and the loud sound of his fat balls slapping against the curve of your ass.

You bit your lip as you felt his balls draining into your little stretched pussy, his seed spurting deep into you as he continues fucking it further and deeper into you. At this point, you both were so utterly fucked out. His warm semen began to overflow, cascading out of your pussy and trickling slow and steady onto your sensitive asshole, and onto toji’s bedsheets.

His body collapsed onto you as he tenderly nuzzled his face into the crook of your neck, his erection nestled within your already overfilled pussy to cockwarm him.

You squealed at the heavy weight of his body crushing yours so suddenly as you combed your fingers through his hair and that was one of the main differences between Megumi and Toji, Megumi is always so soft with you after he fucks you because he’s always gets fucked out as much as you do after sex whereas toji, he can control himself and maintain his dominance and doesn’t show any ounce of weakness.

[gracieheartspedro]

Me and The Devil

pairing: qz!joel miller x fem!reader

how to help the palestinians and what it means to write for the last of us characters

description: joel seeks out revenge on the man who stole from him. he finds you in the process. 14k words

warnings: mdni!, dark content, DUBCON, joel is a bad man, no mention of age (but joel is older than reader), murder, weapon use (g*ns), mentions of drug and alcohol, excessive alcohol consumption from reader, nicknames for reader (sweetheart, little one, etc.), stockholm syndrome, forced withdrawals from alcohol, mentions of non-con, forced proximity, physical violence/assault, reader is freaky and insane, reader has a vagina and boobs, sub!reader, dom!joel, orgasm denial, masturbation, unprotected p-in-v, oral (m receiving), fingering, throat fucking, cumplay/cum eating, dirty talk, name calling, spanking. PLEASE LISTEN TO THE WARNINGS.

author’s note: hi everyone! this fic came to me literally like... january of last year. it sat in the docs forever. and then my wonderful and beautiful friend @amanitacowboy told me to pick it back up and it spiraled from there. she also helped me edit, so i've forever indebted to you, lindsey!! it's probably the meanest joel you will get from me. some of the story has loose ends, but it's intentional *brow wiggle* (; also thank you @pedgito for listening to me blab about this shit forever. lindsey and ali have heard every detail and tidbit in this fic, I swear. thank you for putting up with me! anyway, hope you dirty lil whores enjoy this one!

You thought he was a myth. 

The crime-riddled streets of the Boston QZ seemed to lace different stories about him together. You could not understand how a pill dealer could also kill countless guards and top honchos. People would conjure up the wildest lies about the man, so you were always morbidly curious. 

You would sit in your apartment organizing the weapons you and your partner laundered through the streets of the QZ, pondering what it would be like to meet the man. You were never the one to deliver the weapons, only ensuring you were getting what you paid for. Your partner, Roger, would dispense the weapons to God knows who. 

It was enough to get you by. You never ran out of rations and your alcohol dependency was never a problem. 

You were too young to be this beat down. That’s what Roger would tell you, at least. 

But the truth of the matter was that before the QZ, you were free-roaming the US with no purpose. You killed a lot of people. When you arrived at the QZ with an ounce of ‘normalcy’ within your reach, you promised yourself never again. The darkness you harnessed would have to be forced down, sitting in the very pits of your being. 

When you met Roger, he just needed someone to live in his apartment and watch his stash when he was gone. You did just that and eventually, you formed an odd bond with the older man. He would let you count his rations and drink his liquor. Four years later, you depended on him to bring you back alcohol in return for your watchful eye. If a shipment came in late, you would panic, thinking your addiction would get cut off. You needed something to numb the scrambling thoughts, violent tendencies, and crippling anxiety. 

After one tough deal, Roger stumbles back to your shared apartment, venting about the man. 

“Fuckin’ Joel screwed me again. Gave him two .22’s and the motherfucker shorted me a bottle of Oxys.”

You were already too far gone to listen to the rest of the rant, finding yourself dozing off on the couch. The alcohol too often consumed you, sending you into dark nightmares that would have you waking up in the dead of night screaming.

By the time you woke up, though, Roger was no where to be found. Him being gone was not the worrisome part, though. 

No, what worried you was all the drugs and guns he left out on display. 

Springing up from your spot on the couch, you instantly get to work hiding the paraphernalia. When you grab a handgun from the table where you remember Roger sitting before you close your eyes, you feel eyes on you. 

You are still drunk and now your stomach is churning. You feel like you may throw up. 

There’s a figure standing by the window. Too tall to be Roger. 

Your instant dazed reaction is to hold the gun up, and point at the large man who stands in your messy bedroom. You blink away the sleep that’s still in your eyes and stumble a bit as the intoxication still riddles your bones.

“You were sleepin’ when I came in,” His voice is slow and deep and it sends chills down your forearms. 

“Who are you?”

You managed to sound pretty confident, even though you were scared shitless. You had not been so rattled since you almost got bit by some infected a year ago. You can make out his clothes, but that’s about it. Dirty jeans, an old green flannel with holes, and dark brown boots.

“‘M Joel. Roger ever told you about me?”

He finally turns to face you. You’re shocked to see a handsome dark-haired man and not some damaged old mug. His eyebrows are perpetually furrowed it seems, but you could also tell he was annoyed you were pointing a loaded gun at him. 

You were so terrified, you could not even speak. 

He puts a hand up, holding it over the barrel of the gun. “You shouldn’t be pointin’ that at me, sweetheart.”

You just nod, slowly putting down the weapon. You did not want problems with him. You knew what he was capable of. 

You also knew your aim would be off if you did try to shoot, still feeling like you were rocking on a boat. 

“Sorry,” You mutter, bringing the gun down and to your side. You swallow hard as his eyes rake your entire body, “Yes, he’s told me about you. Other people have, too.”

He looks pleased with that response. He steps away from the window and begins to saunter over to you. His footfalls are heavy. You assume it is because of his filthy brown boots. Or maybe it was the intimidation factor he was playing for you. He did not need to scare you, because you were fucked up and not on your game. He could kill you at any time. Why has he not killed you yet? 

“What have people said about me?”

You gulp, sucking in a whiff of his musk. He somehow still smelled good, even though it looked like he had been rolling in the dirt. His hair was pretty greasy but the curls laid perfectly on both sides. He looks like a guy you would avoid in the street, especially in this QZ. The attractive ones were usually the ones who would take advantage of any woman who looked their way. 

“They said you’re dangerous,” You manage, holding the grip of the gun a bit tighter, “That you have killed a-a lot of people.”

“Yeah,” Is all he says, before stepping an inch closer, “Yeah, I have.”

You can not look away from him. You are so rattled at the fact that he is good-looking. You vividly remember hearing a couple of dealers talk about how formidable he was and for some reason, you mocked up a man who looked like The Joker from Batman. 

He inspects you and your gun and crosses his arms, almost like he is guarding himself. “Now tell me… What did Roger say when he came home last night? I need to know how to handle this situation without spillin’ any more blood.”

You start to panic a bit, but you know you can’t be rash with your emotions. You did not want to be more blood that Joel Miller spills. You did not need to be a notch in his belt. 

But you also did not want to rat out Roger. He had done so much for you and you knew deep down, he cared for you in his own sick ways. If you told Joel everything, would that come at cost to him? 

What were you thinking? He was a dead man. 

He notices your demeanor change and his eyes soften. “Don’t worry, little one. I don’t kill just anyone. Unless they cross me. You haven’t crossed me, have you?”

You do not know why or how, but tears start to spill from your eyes. You know you are not guilty of doing him wrong, but you have heard before that it does not matter in his eyes. By proxy, you are associated with the man who fucked him over. You would be next.

“I have not crossed you, Mr. Miller,” You start to slur a bit, your face getting wet quickly with more tears, “Roger just said you fucked him over. I was too fucked up to hear the rest. Said you didn’t give him enough oxys.”

Joel raises one hand and grabs the bottom of your chin. His skin is rough and callous against your sheeny skin. His whole aura gives off danger. You are too afraid to look at him. You’re trembling, waiting for the other shoe to drop. 

“That fucker stole them all, that’s why. When I tried to get him to confess his wrongdoings, fucker dipped out of there,” He explains, using his thumb to push one of your falling tears, “We followed him and luckily he swallowed too many pills even to realize we were breaking in. You were pretty out of it, too.”

“I w-was d-drinking last n-night,” You knew you had to get ahold of yourself. You were like sand in his hands, slipping right through his fingers.  You were so easy to get information out of. “Where did you take him?”

Joel clicks his tongue, tilting your face so your eyes would look into his, “Don’t worry bout that, sweetheart.”

“Is he going to die?”

“Probably.” He states plainly, his eyes scanning your figure, “You’re going to show me where his stash is and ‘m gonna take back what’s mine.”

Your heart sinks to the floor. Roger was all you had. Without him running the guns and ammo, you had no way of income. You could not do these things yourself, especially now that Joel Miller knew who you were. No one would come near you when they heard he paid you and Roger a visit.  

“I’ll show you,” You respond, trying to steady your voice. “Are you going to kill me?”

It was selfish. With him admitting to having to kill Roger, you knew you were fucked either way. Without a dealer or runner, you had no earnings. You were going to rot away in this apartment, dying from starvation. Joel killing you would be a mercy killing and from the sounds of it, he did not show much mercy.

“Just tell me where everything is.”

You shake your head as you step back away from him. Your instinct is to hand him the gun in your hands, proving to him that you are not a real threat. You grab the barrel and give him the grip, shaking it in his direction. “Here.”

He stares at you, the divots on his forehead still prominent. He slowly lifts his flannel. You first see his hairy tummy and then you see he has a 9mm strapped in his waistband. “Don’t need it, sweetheart.”

You keep the gun extended out to him, “You can have another.”

There’s a beat of silence, a bitterness in the air.

“Are you stalling?” Your blood runs cold. You were not, you were just afraid and unsure of yourself. You also assumed he would want your weapon so you would not use it against him. So many assumptions run through your head, that you are not even aware you are creating more uncertainty for him. 

Your eyes drop, looking at the gun. “No, sir. Here… Follow me.”

You turn on your heels, walking back out to the dining room, right off the kitchen. You scoot the table away from the rug, the ammo and pills on the table vibrating as it moves. Joel watches your every move, the same unimpressed expression written on his face. You put the gun down on the table before you get on your knees at the corner of the rug. You pull it back, revealing a large trap door Roger installed before you moved in with him. It had a deadlock on it that was only able to be opened with a code. 

You think for a moment, your muddled brain trying to remember the numbers.

8-3-6-7-1-9-6-9. 

You say it out loud as you open it. When it clicks, you pull down and unhook it. As you toss it away from you, you hear Joel clear his throat. “Move.”

You instantly throw your hands up, crawling back onto your knees and sliding away from the trap door. You glance back at the tall man, seeing he has his gun trained on you. You did not even hear him pull it out. You sit back, pressing your shoulders into the wall opposite of the entrance of the storage cut-out. It’s lined with different drugs, handguns, some shotguns, and lots of pornography. 

Joel chuckles darkly, looking into the unit. “Seems like you two are freaky, huh?”

You never assumed Joel thought Roger was your lover, but the inclination made you want to throw up. You shake your head, “He was. Not me.”

His addiction never really affected you in any way. He saved those vices for when he was alone. You do recall one night accidentally walking in on him doing something very disturbing that was forever etched inside your brain. Jerking off over a pillow with a magazine full of very young girls. You never looked at him the same way after that. 

Roger was sick in the head, but he gave you drugs. He gave you alcohol. He gave you a place to stay. 

Joel clicks his tongue, crouching down to loot through your stash. “You’re too young for’a man his age, anyway. Too pretty.”

The hairs on your arms and shoulders raise at such a comment. You cock your head to the side, watching the man curiously. He thought you were pretty. 

He does not say anything else the rest of the time he is picking up bags of pills. He inspects each one, sniffing some of the bags as he does. The illumination from the window in the dining room lights up his face with golden stripes. It made you take note of his amber eyes. They were not dark brown in the sunlight. You can hear people on the street from the partially shattered panels, some dragged-out footsteps, and some hushed conversations. Screaming for help would be no use, people hear women screaming in the streets in broad daylight and do nothing. This QZ was not about justice. It was every man for himself. 

Joel stands up, tucking his gun back into his waistband. His eyes laser toward you and you feel his gaze pierce you. “Stand up, you’re comin’ with me.”

You do not try to hide your fear. While you knew better, you silently hoped that he would just shoot you here, let you drown in your own blood in the comfort of your own home. But he was going to take you to a secondary location. You would be dying on his terms. 

You push yourself up off the floor, your feet stuttering as you walk over to him. “Can I put on some shoes?”

He nods almost robotically. He watches you carefully as you drag yourself across the living room. You start to realize how torn up the place really is. Roger must have put up a fight because the side table is in pieces on the rug. You step around the splinters and grab your boots. After you tie up your laces, Joel is yanking you up by your bicep and dragging you into the dark alley your apartment opens up into. You were so fucked. 

-

Joel is a harsh man, but he does not kill you. 

You did not understand why he kept you around. You were eating his food, occupying a room in his apartment, and you were going through horrific withdrawals. He refused to give you an ounce of alcohol. The first couple nights at Joel’s, you were so sick that you violently shook for a whole day straight. You begged Joel through the door to shoot you and put you out of your misery. It was the worst feeling in the world. Your heart felt like it may beat out of your chest. 

After the third day, your shakes had subsided and your mind was a bit more clear. You still felt like shit, but it was tolerable enough that you just laid in bed and stared at the floral wallpaper in your new bedroom.

You did not mind being spared, but being locked away was almost worse than death. You noted the mold smell the day you arrived in Joel’s apartment. You could not stop smelling it, no matter what you did. You kept telling yourself you would get used to it, but it always lingered.  He restricted you to a bedroom where the window was completely caged. You had spotty natural light that only really peaked through in the evenings. 

Joel would bring you a small meal every morning, usually stale bread and a mug of water. On rare occasions, his footsteps would stomp over to your rotting wooden door and he’d unlock the door to feed you for lunch. That only happened twice, though, and it was a bare-bones meal. But every night, right after sunset, he would barge in with a Spam sandwich and a cup of ice water. You would sit on the rusty framed-out bed as he sat in the armchair in the corner of the room by the window. Occasionally he would have a sandwich for himself, other times he would just sit there and watch you slowly eat the meal he provided.

And for some sick reason, you always thanked him. 

He would never reply, his jaw slack and arms crossed. You only heard his voice a handful of times since he brought you here. 

After two weeks of isolation and staring contests over dinner, Joel finally asked you a question after you finished your Spam sandwich. “Do you want to shower?”

You had not washed yourself in weeks and you could smell yourself. The idea of being able to shower was so appealing, that you actually smiled as he asked it. 

Joel guided you across his expansive apartment into his bedroom. The entire place was falling apart, but Joel’s room seemed completely untouched by the times. It smelled like pine as soon as you bounded through the threshold. His bed was made up perfectly, with two pillows on each side. His side table only had one single lamp and a novel that’s title was in another language. Joel snatched you away from soaking up his oasis and forced you into the dated bathroom. He shuts the door behind him, clicking when he rattles the handle. 

You swallow, “Are you joining me?”

He shakes his head, turning and grabbing the bar of soap on the edge of the vanity. “No, ‘m just making sure you don’t try anything.”

You narrow your eyes at him, not completely believing him. Joel had not made any moves towards you, so you are not sure why you are suddenly skeptical of his intentions. Even if he did try something, you knew you could not do anything about it. 

You were at Joel’s mercy. You did not completely comprehend why he was locking you down in his home and you did not get why you were just going along with it. You used to be a ferocious fighter, but after everything with Roger, you did not know where else you would go if it was not with Joel. 

You turn your back to him, hesitantly undressing. Your clothes were disgusting, stained with sweat marks that you left when you were going through withdrawals. As you drop them onto the cold tile, Joel clears his throat. 

You cannot remember the last time you were nude in front of another man. Another person. It had to be over 10 years. “I got ya some new clothes. I’ll grab them when you get in the shower.”

You just nod. While you were grateful for new clothes, you were still confused as to why you were here. As you turn on the water, you peek back at Joel. He is not looking at you, he’s looking out the window. His hands are tucked in his pocket and you have truly never seen him look at peace. His face is relaxed and his shoulders are eased down. 

You use your hand to gauge the water’s lukewarm temperature before you slip in behind the curtain. The bathtub is an off-white color. As soon as you get under the shower head, you note the dirt and grime combining with the water and spinning down the drain. 

You use the bar of soap Joel gave you to clean off your frigid skin. The scent is just a hint of lavender. It must have been an old bar and with age, the smell has faded. As you massage it in, you hear the door creak open and click shut. You assume it’s Joel doing what he told you and then your mind circles back to your previous observation. 

Why is Joel doing this?

You ponder the idea that maybe he is a sadist psychopath who just likes the idea of having someone held captive. But you had heard a lot about this man, and while he was a murderer, you never heard about him kidnapping or hurting women. If anything, he was easier on women who did him wrong. 

But you were not a woman who did him wrong. You did nothing to him. You simply were in the wrong place at the wrong time. You did exactly what he asked and then you went along with his plans for you. 

Maybe he was just lonely?

His deep voice slices through your thoughts, “You almost done in there?”

You nod even though he cannot see you. “Yeah, I’m almost done.”

You rinse the soap out of your hair and turn off the faucet. You peek your head out from the curtain and Joel stands there with a towel in his hands. He laid a pile of clothes on the sink and you noticed that your clothes were gone from off the floor. Joel extends the towel to you and you reach around and grab it. 

It’s scratchy, but it absorbs all the beads of water off your body. You wrap it around your body, tucking the end under your right armpit. You pull back the curtain and Joel is still standing there. 

You step over the edge of the tub, letting some of the droplets run onto the cold tiles. Joel’s eyes never leave yours, but as soon as you step towards the clothes on the counter, his eyes trickle down your body. 

Your heart picks up when his hand comes up to your cheek. Your natural reaction is to flinch away from him, but his motion is quicker than you. He wipes away a water drip off your cheekbone, pulling it down to your jawline. “All better?” He asks, his voice low. You nod, sheepishly. “Yes, thank you.”

He smiles. 

“So polite. So pretty.”

And then he leaves you alone, clicking the knob shut as he exits the bathroom.

You get dressed quickly. Joel somehow knows your exact sizes because the cargo pants, long sleeve, and undergarments are a perfect fit. You never even managed to find clothes to fit you this well when you were doing your own stealing and looting. 

His words rattle around in your head and you start to panic a bit. You start to formulate a plan. You had to stop thanking him. You had to stick up for yourself a bit more. You had to see where your boundaries were with him. You had to figure out his motive. 

It was scary. Daunting. But you knew you could not live like this much longer. 

You reach out for the door, but the knob was already turned and being pulled forward. Joel stands by the entrance of the door and you stride out, your head held a bit higher than usual. His face shows confusion, but you do not falter. 

“I’m still hungry.”

It is like all the air is sucked out of the room. Suddenly, Joel is nine feet tall and you are an inch short. Your voice was confident enough to pass, but it was like he saw right through you.

“I fed you.”

You swallow, your eyes averted from his face for a moment, “Can I have a snack?”

His frown is more memorable than his smile. It is a permanent fixture in his big scary man aesthetic. 

“A snack?”

You almost want to laugh at his condescending tone. But you also realize how you are playing with fire and at any moment this man could snap and kill you. You had to know if you were able to test him, see if you could truly ask him for something and he would be willing to give it to you. This would be your lesson. 

So you nod, very matter-of-factly.

He is looking at you like you have four heads, but he bites.

“Fine, I’ll getcha a snack. Why don’t you have a seat on my bed?”

His cadence is giving him away. You can already tell he is not good at hiding his annoyance. You hesitantly walk over to his bed, plopping down rather obnoxiously. Your feet swipe the rug like a child’s would as you wait for him to return to the room. When he comes back, he has a single piece of beef jerky between his fingers. 

You narrow your eyes at the so-called snack. You hated cured meats and you were sure to let him know that. “Jerky?”

You are really testing him now. And you can tell by the way his chest rises and falls in one quick breath.

“You seem very ungrateful, little one.”

You reach out to grab the bark but he snatches it back in a quick motion. You crinkle your eyebrows at him, trying your best to feign innocence. With the way he is staring daggers at you, you should fear his next move. 

“Beg.”

You feel like your chest cannot take any more air in. Your hand is still hanging in the air, trying to reach out to his offering, but his hand is holding it far from your grasp. 

You do not want to beg, this standoff would be part of your resistance to his captivity. In your mind, something would have to give way eventually. You could not sit around and just take his crumbs and passive weird behavior. So, you shake your head no.

“Go to your room. You’ve pissed me off,” His tone is abrupt and rushed. You do not want to push this further, knowing that you have made it an inch with him and were not completely ready to run the mile. You needed to game plan your next move.

You stand up, walking painfully slow to the door and leaving his space. His steps trail behind you, ensuring you did what he asked you to do. You can smell his musk, which makes the hairs on your arms stand up. He smelled good for a man as rugged as him. 

When you reach your bedroom door, you grab the handle and turn around to face him. He stares down at you, his pupils dilated. 

You make one last plea. “So, no snack?”

You regret saying it immediately. He puts the jerky bit up to his lips, opens them deliberately, and takes a huge bite of the meat. It pulls apart with a crackle and watching it, you know it probably would hurt your teeth if you did something like that. His flexed jaw is a lot stronger than yours. His action is animalistic in a way, reminding you of a lion tearing into an antelope. 

And for some reason, it brings a rise of heat from your shoulders to your cheeks. Watching his teeth gnaw on the jerky sends your mind traveling to la la land. 

His voice forces you out of your thoughts. “Go to bed. Now.”

-

He stopped bringing you breakfast. Instead of your usual routine, Joel started giving you one small meal a day. You start to resent him and by the looks he is giving you, he is still bitter over your whole scheme with the snack. 

You woke up hungry, which only started your day off wrong. You are regretting ever testing him in the first place. You were biting the same hand that literally fed you. The more you think about it, the more you realize that you should be grateful he is even keeping you alive. Why are you even trying to rock the boat with him? In some weird twisted way, he gave you a second chance. You were completely sober from alcohol going on a month now. And while most nights you grieved the burn of it going down your throat, your mind was more clear. You felt more grounded in reality. You did not want to go back to the way you were. Sure, you were hungry, but you were not plastered and sleeping 18 hours a day, and that seemed like a fair enough trade. 

But the ache of your chest started to set in. You were feeling impulsive. You do not clearly remember how your body felt before you started drinking so much, but you do recall the aggression that would riddle your bones from time to time. The knee jerk reaction just to let loose. It had gotten you in some very sticky situations, but it was a sort of rush you craved. 

After three days of the stalemate, he brought you the Spam sandwich and a short cup of water for dinner. You do not look at him when he walks into the room, and you do not thank him. 

You had to get on his good side again. Somehow.

“Are you on a hunger strike or somethin’?” His deep Southern drawl always extending out the end of his sentences. You loved hearing it.

You shake your head no.

“You stopped giving me breakfast,” You grumble, reaching out to the plate he offers you. He shrugs, plopping down in his usual chair in the corner. He does not have his dinner in hand tonight. He leans forward, his elbows resting on his knees. 

“You were bein’ an ungrateful little bitch. I am offerin’ you a second chance here and you are not appreciative,” He states, almost sighing. You grit your teeth at his name for you, but you decide it is not worth the argument. 

You take a bite of the stale bread. The moan of your stomach subsides for a moment. 

“I am appreciative…”

He sits back, his shoulders flexing under his jean button-up. You scan his body, noting his dirty clothes and muddy brown boots. He was always tracking things into your bedroom from the bottom of his shoes and it ate away at your need for wanting things more clean. Your sober mind needed tidiness. 

He grunts, “Doesn’t seem that way, sweetheart. Didn’t thank me just now.”

You try to get your thoughts in order before you respond. You take one careful bite into the sandwich, trying to read the man sitting in front of you. He got you sober. He feeds you and houses you even though he could have shot you in the face for being involved with a man who screwed him over. And he is not a bad view to look at when you eat. 

“Thank you, Joel.”

He stands up and saunters over to you. As you swallow your bite, your eyes trail up his large frame. You start to worry a bit. Maybe he did not see your answer as genuine. 

His thumb begins to trace the outline of your jaw, before slowly making its way up to your cheekbone. You grasp onto the plate tighter, your eyes piercing his as he focuses in on your lips. When you think he’s about to pull away, his palm goes over your mouth and his hand squeezes your cheeks together. His grip on you is painful, his fingers sinking into the divots of your upper jaw. 

“You are receptive to feedback. Which is a good thing…” He trails off. Your heart starts to pound against your rib cage as you wait for the other shoe to drop. His hand jerks your head to the right, inspecting your side profile. “You will be good for me.”

You do not know what he is insinuating and are too afraid to speak up. You dip your head down, trying to promise him silently. Yes, I will be good. Please don’t kill me.

He slowly lets go of your face. He brings his thumb up to his lips and licks the very tip of the finger. You watch him bring it back down to your level. You flinch when he brings it up to the very corner of your lip. He wipes away at something like a father would to his young child who had food left on their face. 

Joel was violent. But he was quiet about it and that scared you. He moved with such intention and you found yourself occasionally hypnotized by his aura. He was unlike any man you ever met. It could be the fact that others around you made him out to be some enigma, but maybe he was one. 

You finally manage to speak up, the sudden tender touch starkly different from the aggression just minutes before. 

“What do you want with me?”

It comes out as a whisper, but with Joel being so close, his ears perk up. 

His face does not change from the steeled expression. “Time.”

-

He gives you breakfast one morning. You have been sleeping in, trying to use slumber as a substitute for food and it seemed to work for a couple of days. Joel brings in a plate with eggs and some stale bread. You had not seen him bring in eggs before and it shocked you. Your eyes almost well up in tears when he hands it to you in bed. 

“Thank you, Joel.”

He sits in his usual spot and watches you scarf down the meal. “I am going to be gone for a couple of days.”

Your eyes shoot back at him, confusion laced in your countenance. “What about me?”

“I’m letting you have access to the kitchen and living room. You’re not allowed to leave. The door will be locked from the outside.”

The thought of being alone for that long scares you. Your thoughts start spinning. Why is he leaving you? Why would he let you be alone? Would you be able to eat? 

Joel can see the cogs turning in your brain. 

“You are leaving me alone?”

He claps his hands on his thighs as he stands, “I have a run to make. I usually have other guys do it for me but I gotta do this one myself. You will be okay.”

For some reason, your instinct is to worry about him. Going out of the QZ walls is always a very dangerous feat and you knew he would be unprotected from the elements and infected. Joel seems more than capable, but anything can happen. What would happen if he died out there?

“How long will you be gone?”

The question comes out desperate and you do not mean it to. You crawl out from under your covers, planting your feet on the ground. You suddenly felt hot. When the cold air hits your bare legs, you realize that you forgot you discarded your pants in the middle of the night. You were just in your underwear in front of him. 

Joel’s eyes flicker down your unclad legs. You had a good radar when it came to men checking you out and as much as you did not want to admit it, you knew Joel was doing just that. 

His lips twitch, “Not long. Two days, max.”

You cross your legs, holding your hands in front of your crotch in an attempt to try to shield yourself a bit. You watch him meander over to you, his steps purposeful. Once he reaches about a foot away, your breathing slows as his hand trails up your arm. 

You felt this tension rise within the room and for a second you think he may act on his reaction to your legs. But instead, he just clears his throat. You are a bit disappointed and you do not know why. 

“I’ll be good, Joel.”

-

You survive the first night. You busy yourself with stuff around his apartment. You decide that you would not snoop through his belongings, only organizing the kitchen cabinets and alphabetizing his record collection. You had found a sense of purpose, filling your day with pointless tasks. 

When the second night comes, you decide that you finally need a shower. Joel did not tell you that you could use the bathroom in his room, but you became aware that the other tub did not work and was covered in mold. The smell in the bathroom was enough to make you gag. 

You were starting to reek of body odor and you did not want to sleep another night smelling the way you did. Plus, you knew the soap you used when Joel called you pretty was in that shower. He could not be that mad. 

So, you tiptoe into his room and wander into his bathroom. When you flick on the light, you notice some of his beard shavings in the sink bowl. To the left of the shower curtain, you spot a jumbled pair of boxer shorts. You feel a pang in your stomach. His face appears in your mind. You cannot stop yourself from imagining him in the room with you, just like he was when you stripped for your shower before. 

You step into the cool water, letting it soak you as your hands traveled around your body. Your nerve endings were buzzing as your thoughts pondered the idea of Joel being there with you. 

The glimmer of his eyes when you were pantsless days before still rattled around in your head. You had not been desired in so long and with that action alone, Joel made you feel wanted. The tension was so palpable. His close proximity to you, the occasional gentle touches, it was enough to fill your mind with all the dirty possibilities. 

Your hand travels down to between your legs. At first it’s only to clean, but as you explore, you cannot help but slip your fingers between your folds. The titillating motion is enough to have you throwing your head back in pleasure. You squeeze your eyes shut, thoughts drifting to how you need an explosive release and you sickeningly want Joel Miller to give it to you. 

Your pointer finger and middle spread your folds, rubbing carelessly and eagerly. You have not felt this driven to orgasm in years. You recall the sight of Joel’s stomach the first day you met him. Then you think about the boxers right outside of the shower next to you. Your thoughts spin and suddenly he’s naked in your mind. 

Your hand only moves quicker with the thoughts. Your clit is aching with such intensity, you are shuttering and using your free hand to balance yourself on the tub’s wall. The water is pounding down your chest, dripping through the valley of your breasts. 

Your eyes open a bit as you try to find your footing and you notice a bar of soap that’s covered in his short hairs. You snatch it up, bringing it up to your nose as your lips quirk up into a smile. 

Of course, it smells like him. 

You finger yourself faster, his name spilling from his lips as you press the bar into your face. It is almost like you are imagining it is his face stuck to your face. 

“Joel… Oh my god, Joel-”

The sound of the curtain being ripped away from its spot makes you completely jump out of your skin. His fierce brown eyes raking down your completely nude frame, hunched over and in a compromising position. He slams his fist against the faucet, shutting the water off in one swoop. You drop his soap to the floor, scrambling backward trying to dodge his rage. 

He is pissed. 

His hand wraps around your bicep, ripping you out of the tub and onto the tile. Your hip hits the ground first and it sends a shooting pain up your back. He is panting like he just ran a mile, standing over your sopping naked frame. 

“What are ya’? A bitch in heat?” He spits. You are so dazed and a bit afraid, you start to shake and raise your hands in defense. 

He squats down to you, his eyes scanning your dripping body. His hands work so quick to reach out and grab your face. With clenched teeth, he brings your face close. “Answer me.”

His grip is tight on your face and you do not know if you can even respond effectively. You feel your core pulsate with the way he has a hold of you. 

“I-I wanted to s-shower.”

He mocks you, “I-I… You are fuckin’ yourself in my shower like a dirty whore.”

He turns back to check to see if he actually saw you holding his bar of soap. It’s in pieces at the bottom of the tub surround. He pulls his hand away but the sting still remains. 

“I-I’m sorry, Joel.”

His gaze falls upon you again, a little less aggravated. “Dry off and get dressed. Sit on my bed when you’re done.”

-

Your mind is all over the place when you sit down on Joel’s bed. He is not in the room but you hear him in the kitchen moving around. You hear the clatter of some plates and then him grunting. 

When he barges in,you can tell he is annoyed still. 

“You reorganized?”

Your heart pounds with uncertainty. You did not believe that would ever set him off, but you are starting to realize you have gauged Joel incorrectly. “Yes.”

He stops his pacing, his hands still propped up on his hips. “Why?”

“Because I needed to keep busy while you were gone. I also went through and-”

“Alphabetized the records. I saw.”

Nothing was getting past him. Your breathing is labored, the idea of him killing you for helping him be more orderly is so pathetic. You had to go out in a better way. 

You clench your hands in your lap, “I did not mean to make you angry.”

He does not say anything, staring at you with an askane expression. He pivots to the dresser beside the bed, opening up the top drawer. He pulls out a pair of gray sweatpants and a beat up white t-shirt. He folds them meticulously, stacking them and then handing them to you. 

You reach out for them, putting them in your empty lap.

“Put them on and get under the covers.”

Of all the things he could have said, this surprises you the most. “In my own bed?”

“No, this one.”

You look back at his perfectly made bed. He wanted you to sleep with him?

“Joel-”

“We are tryin’ somethin’ new tonight. Change your clothes while I take a shower with my soap, and be under those covers when I get out,” His outline of directions is seriously rattling you to your core. You felt nervous but almost excited? 

You watch him turn on his heels and amble over to the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. Your stomach sinks when you hear the lock click. You look down at the clothes he gave you, raising them up to check the tags. 

Just your size. 

-

His bed is way more comfortable than the mattress you were cursed with. The blue quilt feels soft and worn under your fingertips. You lay on your back, feeling out of your own body. You hear the water shut off in the bathroom and your heart starts racing. You hear the rip up the curtain and some small stomps as Joel must be exiting the shower. 

When the door creaks open and you see him standing in only some boxer shorts, your breathing hitches. His hair is brushed backward and his hairy upper body is a sight to behold. You silently wished you had this image earlier when you were rubbing your clit. 

He walks over to his dresser, the same dresser he pulled clothes for you out of, and grabs a plain white t-shirt. He tosses it over his head, pushing his arms out of the holes on the side. It was slightly stained at the collar and it was see-through enough that you saw his dark chest hair still. 

“You are sleeping with me tonight,” He announces, walking over to the opposite side of the bed. Your stomach flips when you watch him pull the blanket back and crawl under the blanket. You observe how drastic his mood shifted from ripping you out of the shower. Why did he want you in his bed? What was his end goal? Your core is still sticky with your desire. You secretly wish he would just take advantage of you already. 

But he does not even turn your direction. You watch him face his back to you, tuck one arm under his pillow and shut the lamp off. 

Your mind starts to race. The bedroom door is unlocked, you can see it in the moonlight. You could easily slip out of the bed in the middle of the night and head for the front door and run. 

But it’s the same thought that slipped your mind when Joel left you a couple days ago. You could have jumped out a window, rigged the doorknob to the apartment to get out, but you just never did. Instead, you sat idle inside Joel’s apartment and waited for him to return. 

And now you have access to him when he’s at his most vulnerable. What was preventing you from sneaking a pointy object into the bedroom and stabbing him directly in the throat?

Because you needed him. And while your demented and violent thoughts of all the ways you could kill him rattled around in your mind, you knew deep down you would never do it. You craved the need to impress him. To be good for him. 

He’s silent next to you, not a sound leaving his body. You are not even sure if he is asleep when you slowly turn on your side, facing away from him as well. 

Somehow, you sleep better in his bed than your own. 

-

The routine changes after that night. 

Joel wakes up as soon as the sun breaks the sky and he leaves you in his bed as he prepares you breakfast. When you hear the door reopen, you always wake up to his frame standing over you with a plate. You rub your eyes as you grab the handoff, propping yourself up on his headboard. He would sit on the end of the bed, nibbling on his own meal. 

And then he starts asking you questions.

It starts off with him asking you where you were from originally. You explain how you traveled with a group of people that were essentially raiding other established communities. You had escaped the Baltimore QZ when a bunch of people got infected practically overnight and there was no oversight. When you got out, the people who survived with you became vicious and desperate. 

Then he asks you about your relationship with Roger. 

You give him the overview. You tell him you relied on him to fund your mind-numbing habits and he left you to look over his stash. When you press him about what he did to him, Joel gives you those eyes. Almost to say “you don’t get to ask the questions here.”

Most days you sat on the couch and read his collection of books. You were not the fastest reader so it took days to get through some of the stories. He had a lot of books about space and a variety of science fiction. He would leave every day, running his usual business. When he got back home, you would still be planted on the sofa, reading. He would slam his keys down and get to work on your Spam sandwich. 

Every other night you would shower. After the soap incident, he kept his soap on the very top corner of the shower. When you first noticed it, you smiled sickly. 

The sleeping situation is the same every night. You lay on your back, Joel lays on his side, completely facing away from you. Sometimes in the middle of the night, your arms would brush his back and he would stir. You tried your very best not to test his limits even though you had no real clue what they were. 

One particular night, the window he kept cracked was letting in the most frigid air. You always ran cold while Joel was like a furnace when he slept. He radiated enough heat to keep a whole house warm. But this night you were shaking under the quilt, your toes feeling like they may fall off. 

You turn on your side, facing his expansive back. You are so deliberate with your movement that when your arm falls over his waist, his body jolts. Instead of slapping you away or turning to face you, his body just stills completely, not even a rise and fall of breath. 

“What are you doing?” He asks through the darkness, his sleepy voice. Almost wholesome. 

You stifle a response, trying your best to sound confident. “I’m cold.”

He finally breathes out, his arm moving down over yours and holding it against his waist. Your heart races so hard you can hardly fathom falling asleep, but at least you were warm. 

You start to do it every night, even when the air is balmy outside. You settle on your side, your arm swinging over his waist and pulling your lower half taut with his butt. You never expected you would ever be spooning Joel Miller every night, but here you were, wearing his clothes with your pelvis flush to him. 

Your hand finds his hips one night while you adjusted your position. Your hand graces right below his waist and you feel his member half-hard in his boxer shorts. It makes your eyes snap open, the shock of your body waking him up. Your hand does not move, though. You hover it over that spot, curiously wanting to touch him through his shorts. 

“Do you feel me?”

His voice makes your throat tighten, unsure of how to respond to such a question. So you just hum and shake your head. 

He takes your reluctant hand and pushes it down to his clothed cock, his body pushing back into a bit. Your mind is still a bit fuzzy from your slumber, but when you feel him harden under your touch, you do not want to stop until you finish him. 

He is deliberately moving your hand around, pulling it over and under his boxers until you are touching his bare cock. You shutter at how large it feels in your hand and you cannot even see it from how you are laying. Your hand cannot completely wrap around it due to its girth. 

“Joel…” You practically whimper, clawing his back to get him to lay back so you can see him. He does not budge, still laying on his side. 

Your hand massages the very base of his dick, his curly hair poking your fingertips as you do. You are so eager that as you jerk him off, he grabs your hand to start guiding you slower. When your hand graces his tip, he hisses. 

“Gotta take me slow, girl,” He groans, holding your wrist so tight you know it will be bruised in the morning. You do as he says, slowly and methodically following how he likes to be jerked off. After a minute, you can hear his shallow breaths increasing as you bring your speed up just a bit. 

“Are you gonna cum?”

You try to say it in a sultry voice, but it comes out rushed and desperate. You just want to see him seize by your own hand. Joel grunts, his grip on your arm practically stilling your movements before he can even finish. You resist his persistent handle on you. You craved to make him orgasm. Eventually, he pushes his hips forward into your hand, sighing as he releases.

You feel the ropes of cum spill all over the back of your hand. As soon as the warm seed empties onto you and his tummy, he rips back the covers and stumbles into the bathroom. He shuts the door so fast, you hardly see him through the dark. 

You look at his clear-white fluid on your knuckles and smile in satisfaction.You want him to see your next actions. 

The bathroom light spills into the room as he holds out a wash rag to you. It’s obvious it’s the one he just used on himself. You shake your head, bringing your hand up to your lips, extending your tongue, and licking the spend off your knuckles. You swallow, willingly. 

He gawks at you, his eyebrows still knitted together, watching you clean off your hand entirely. “Didn’t even need my help. What a good girl.”

-

You wake up with Joel standing over you. It rattles you a bit, his stare zeroed in on your face. 

“Mornin’,” He uttered, holding out a small pile of clothes for you. “We are goin’ on a field trip.”

The last thing you expected after jerking the man off last night was an outing. You sit straight up, holding out your hands for him to shove the clothes in your palms. 

“Where are we going,” You stammer, pushing the covers down your legs.

His eyes rake down your body as you stand up, almost standing at attention in front of him. 

“You’re comin’ to work with me.”

You look down at the clothes he has given you. Some cargo pants, a short sleeve gray top, and even a new pair of underwear. 

This is the first outing you have had since being with Joel, so you are a bit nervous thinking about how the outside world may be. It cannot be any worse than it already was, but you worried about how you would be perceived walking down the street with Joel Miller. 

The more you ponder the idea, you start to feel more reassured than anything. If you were placed beside anyone, you would want it to be with the guy everyone feared. No one would ever think to give you a hard time. 

Joel’s line of work was dangerous but it was also a powerful role to have in this fucked up world in the QZ. You were on the right side of the insanity, in your opinion. Joel was your protection in some demented fucked-up way. 

You get dressed as he makes breakfast. This morning, he decides to make you two some eggs that he said were getting old so he had to make them. He likes his eggs runny, so you had to like yours runny, too. 

You two sat at the dining table as you ate. He scarfs his down in a minute, while you take your time to savor the different flavor. You missed eating food that was not Spam or plain bread. Joel notes your painstakingly slow chews. 

“Hurry up, we got places to be.”

-

The people on the streets pay mind to you now. Before, when you did leave your former place with Roger, everyone kept their heads down. Occasionally people would slam into you with their shoulders, acting like they could phase right through you. 

When you walk with Joel, people move out of the way.

The alleyway is not too far from Joel’s apartment. He forces you to walk in front of him, copying every step you make with his loud footfalls. He grabs your shoulders to direct you down a concrete staircase that seems to lead to nowhere. At the bottom, a brute man stands with his arms crossed. You hesitantly stop right in front of him, your eyes taking in all the scars littering his face. 

Joel grunts. “She’s with me, Pete. Thomas and Garrett in there with him?”

The man, who’s now known as Pete, just nods minutely. Joel pushes the door beside him open and grabs your forearm to drag you through the threshold. It’s a dimly lit hallway that smelled like dampness and gunpowder. There’s two light bulbs dangling from the paint chipped ceiling that guide you to the end of the hallway. Joel pushes open the door, and you smell that familiar metallic smell. 

It was a smell that leaked into your dreams occasionally. It’s so overpowering you can almost taste it. 

When you walk in, the room is occupied by three men. Two are standing over the other, their bodies blocking the entirety of the scene. You do note the huge puddle of blood on the floor near a knocked over wooden chair. Joel clears his throat and the two men step away looking at Joel, then you. They have to be around your age, maybe a bit older. The blond man speaks up first as he scans your body. 

“Bringing your kid along for the show?”

You glance over at Joel who’s jaw tightens. You watch his whole demeanor shift, his body becoming rigid. 

“Get out of here, Garrett.”

The blond man furrows his brows, not understanding why he was really being directed to leave. You can sense a bit of hesitance. “Joel, I’m just kidd-”

“Get the fuck out, now. We don’t need you.”

The man scrambles past you and Joel, shutting the door behind him. The dynamic Joel and his men have is very easy to figure out. Whatever he says, goes. The look the other man is giving him is that of unease. 

“He confessed that he stole from our stash. More than once.” Joel walks forward, drawing his gun out. Finally, the man on the floor comes into full view. 

And you recognize him. 

He was a pill smuggler that had come over to Roger’s a couple times before. He always gave off the vibe that he would take advantage of anyone, especially a woman. He would whisper things about you to Roger and you remember a couple times when he had inappropriately touched you. You believe his name to be Don. Maybe Ron. 

His eyes are swollen and bruised. His lip is completely split open and he has a gnarly gash on his left cheekbone. He is tied up, his arms and legs bound by ropes and zip ties. 

You are not at all phased by blood, but his beaten body is a bit hard to look at. He was not a nice looking man already, and surely the swelling was not helping him. 

His lips part almost like he is about to speak up, but Joel swipes the butt of his gun across his face with insane accuracy. 

One thing about you was you did not turn away from violence. Now that you are sober, it's easier to recognize that something was off for you to be so unfazed by the savagery. You sickeningly enjoyed watching people get their karma. 

You had no context as to why this man was bound and brutalized in this random basement, but you knew Joel had good reason to set him straight. 

“Donny boy, I thought we were friends,” Joel’s voice is dripping with sarcasm. He seems in his element as he squats in front of the man, “And you fucked me over good. Sold out people only to get yourself in this position. Pretty fuckin’ dumb.”

Don can hardly sit up, his body completely tilted with his elbow propping up his entire body weight. You can tell he is struggling to respond, but you hear the faintest voice quip up. 

“I told the truth, please,” He begs as he attempts to sit up more. Joel grabs his shoulder roughly, balancing his back on his butt. “I won’t do it again.”

You cannot see Joel’s face, but you know he does not believe that. His shoulders slot back a bit as he stands up and turns to face you. His face is straight, not showing any emotion at all. You notice the gun still in his hand, his finger completely off the trigger. 

“You know him?”

You just nod, your eyes peering down at the gun he has directed at you. His eyes flicker back and forth, seemingly contemplating what to say next. He pushes the weapon into your hand, his fingers curling around the grip so that your hand would follow suit. You watch every meticulous move, pulling the safety clip, slipping his hand away and gesturing towards the man. 

“You’re gonna kill him.”

Your eyes fly open, unsure if this problem should be dealt with by you. The promise you made to yourself when you stepped foot in this QZ rattled around in your brain as you tried not to show Joel your irresolution. Your mouth is dry when you gulp, “Why?”

His hand presses on your back as he pushes you towards the guy. You are about 2 feet from him and Joel’s face is so close to your ear. It’s the closest he has ever been to you. You can feel his breath on your lobe and neck and it makes bumps scatter across your body. 

He raises your arms, pointing the barrel towards Don. As soon as he does that, Don starts begging. His voice shaking, sweat pooling on his forehead, tears pricking at the corners of his swollen eyes. 

Joel’s voice is so hushed over Don’s pleas. “He is the one who told me about Roger stealing from me. Little did I know, he was stealing from me, too.”

It is like a switch goes off in your brain. Your eyes are trained forward on the trembling man but it is as if the whole world went quiet when Joel stopped speaking. You hear white noise in your ears and your mind shuts off for a nanosecond. Your pointer finger slots between trigger guard and trigger and you squeeze, your aim right at his head. 

You feel the spray explode across your face and suddenly you snap back to your reality. 

Your body was overtaken by the need to please. The need to impress Joel. It was also like your own sick revenge. This man is the reason Roger was dead. The reason you got ripped from your normalcy. Your brain had no time to catch up to your body’s actions. Instead of flinching or falling backward away from the body of the traitor, you stand over him like he’s some commodity in a circus. With wonder and curiosity, you lower the gun and smile. 

Joel steps beside you, his face expressing fervor. 

Finally facing him and forgetting the other man in the room who was just a witness to the scene, you speak up. 

“Did I do good?”

A small semblance of a grin spreads across his lips. “Very good, sweetheart.”

-

You and Joel do not stay in the room long after. Very quickly, he ushers you into another room where he checks a cabinet full of guns, looking over each other and counting in a hushed tone. You hear bounding footsteps in the hallway and men talking amongst each other. 

The voices are rushed and surprised. One states, “She didn’t even flinch. Joel’s lucky to have her.”

You feel a tickle on your brow and itch it absentmindedly. As you pull your finger back and look at it, it is stained red. 

You find a shiny surface in the room of arms and paraphernalia, glancing at your own reflection. The smear of blood goes across your forehead, while the splatter itself is speckled across your cheeks like freckles. Joel stops what he is doing to check you out, his steps trailing up to your back. His breathing is quite labored and as you stare at your own mirror image, you note the look he’s giving you. 

His hand goes across your chest, his finger tips starting to dance across your décolletage.

“We gotta clean you up. Can’t have you walkin’ the streets lookin’ like you killed someone.”

He says it while he rubs the blood across your chest, smearing it and massaging it into your skin. 

You loved it when he touched you. Even if it was roughly, you counted yourself lucky that Joel felt the need to do so. 

“But I did kill someone.”

Your voice does not have any hesitance, you are simply stating facts. Joel’s chin tilts upward, his hand grabbing your shoulder and jerking you around to face him. His face is practically millimeters from the tip of your nose. 

He grunts, almost like he’s clearing his throat. “And you didn’t even second guess me. I didn’t even need to push you, you just did it.”

You smirk to yourself, enjoying the slight praise he is giving you. 

“And here I thought I was testin’ ya.”

Your eyes flicker up to his, trying to see right into his soul. Testing you?

“Did you not expect me to do it?” You bite. 

“I had an inklin’ you’d be loyal. Consistent. Even a bit violent. But I didn’t expect a killer.”

Your chest rises at his statement. You are trying to manage your breathing as his words have a visceral effect on you. It was like he was talking dirty to you. Why did his impression of you mean so much? Ever since you met the man, you were at his mercy and you got off at his reassurance. It was like he was your new vice. 

His right hand traces down your bare arm, while his left grabs your jaw. “Let’s get you cleaned up and home, how ‘bout it?”

You agree with a jerk of your head. 

-

Once you walk into the apartment again, you are reminded of the smell of mold again. When the scent hits your nostrils, you scrunch your face. Joel is quick to notice the expression because his eyes and hands have not left your body since you shot that guy. He has been watching your every move. 

You toe off your shoes by the front door as Joel tosses down the keys. He takes the handgun out of his waistband and places it carelessly next to them. 

When he turns to look at you, he crosses his arms. He is studying you as you unzip the jacket he offered you. It was only to cover the blood that stained your new outfit. 

“Take it off slow.”

You shoot him a confused look, still trying your best to follow his instructions. You shrug the jacket off your shoulders, letting it purposefully fall down your arms. The blood on your clothes has left semi-permanent spots on your skin. Once the clothing pools to the floor, you stand there at Joel’s mercy. 

He clenches his jaw, nodding slowly as he inspects you. “Now the shirt.”

You do not second guess his next directions. You grab the hem of your shirt and draw it upward over your head. The fabric goes across your lips and nose lifting them up awkwardly. You smile when you drop the next article next to the jacket. 

The anticipation makes your pussy pulsate. You have thought about this moment for longer than you care to admit. 

“Pants.”

The pants are buttoned so you fumble with getting it undone before you are shoving them down your goosebump-ridden legs. When they get to your ankles, you use the opposite feet to step on the fabric and pull them off your feet. You kick them further away than the shirt and jacket.

You are only in your underwear in Joel’s living room. He is looking at you with such confliction. You have never felt very self conscious until this very moment. 

“Should I keep going?” 

It is an innocent question, but there is lustful intention behind it. There would be a point of no return if he did answer it. 

“I was gettin’ there,” He steps towards you, his guise not giving away any of his next movements. His face was still unyielding. “Panties first.”

Your breathing hitches when his fingers wrap around the elasticity of the waistband.

“I’m still c-covered in blood-” “Shut up.”

You nod, sliding the underwear down and revealing your already dripping core. He sucks in a big breath of air as his hand reaches between your legs and swipes at your wetness with the pads of his fingers. Your entire body tenses, the feeling so foreign and exciting that you cannot contain your gasp for air. 

Finally his expressionless face changes to a small twinge of a smile, “Dirty fuckin’ girl. Have been wantin’ this for a long time, eh?”

You are afraid to admit it out loud so you just nod. His fingers still make work through your folds and your knees feel like they may buckle with every swipe. Joel notes your position and grabs your face with his left hand, squeezing your cheeks so hard it forces you to look at him and stand up straighter. 

His fingers dip into you briefly, making squelching noise so loud that you both groan.

“Joel,” you whimper, sounding desperate and hasty.

He leans forward, pressing his lips to yours. It is a passionate act you did not expect. You did not know that sex would Joel would mean open mouth kisses, but you are thankful for it. His hand releases its grip on your cheeks and wraps itself around the base of your throat. Your lips slip open for his tongue, letting it explore every inch of your mouth. His fingers are making their slow methodical movements around your clit, driving you absolutely insane with desire. 

Your body seems so in tune with every movement he makes, but as you makeout with him, you realize it is because he has molded you this way. To curve and bend to his every will and way.

And you loved every moment of it. You thirsted for this type of control. You knew you would not have to worry or have a second thought, ever. Joel was already ten steps ahead and thinking out everything for you. 

He pulls away from the kiss, his eyes flickering between your lips and eyes. You note the red tinge of blood on his lips from kissing yours. 

“Get on your knees.”

You obey, whining when you realize that means he would no longer be keeping your pussy warm with his hand. Once your knees hit the hardwood, his hands are making work at his belt and jean buttons. 

“You know how to suck dick? Or do I gotta do all the work for ya?”

Your eyes fly open at the vulgarity. You tug your bottom lip between your teeth, “Yes, Joel. I’ve done it before.”

Having his dick in your hand last night was one thing, but seeing it for the first time is jarring. He is definitely the biggest you have ever had the pleasure of being in front of. He can tell by the look on your face that you are a bit stunned. 

“Let’s see how you do,” He inches his waist closer to your face and slightly ajar lips, “Open.”

Complying is what you do for Joel. 

You open your mouth nice and wide as he inches his cock into your warm mouth. You close your eyes, trying to focus on not disappointing him with your gag reflex. You try your best to relax, but his watchful eye is making you feel disoriented. 

He pulls out, letting you take a breath, only to push back in more forcefully. You try to stop his intrusion by putting your hand up on his hairy bare thigh, but it is no use. Your closed eyes prick with tears as Joel pulls out again, this time he is slapping his dick across your mouth. 

“Keep those fuckin’ eyes open and on me. Open nice n’ wide and relax that fuckin’ throat.”

His demands needed to be met, so you nod and adjust your position, laying your tongue out. He inches in again and instead of resisting, you relax and watch him through your eyelashes. His face twists as he draws back, his cock getting so impossibly close to the back of your throat. When he hits your gag reflex, you grip onto your own thighs tightly to contain the urge to empty your stomach. He smiles sickly at your reaction. “Poor girl,” He teases, snapping his hips forward again. Another gag. “Can’t fuckin’ take me? Guess we will have to train that mouth and throat, huh?”

He keeps fucking your mouth as your eyebrows draw together in concentration. Joel’s loving every moment, watching you writhe under him. Your wetness is pooling on the hardwood and you can already hint the embarrassment you will feel if Joel notices. 

You hollow out your cheeks, attempting to assert yourself in the situation. When you do that, Joel pulls out completely. He leans down to grab your arms and lifts you off the floor, dragging your shins against the uneven wood planks. And to your horror, he notices the wetness on the floor. “Drippin’ on the floor like a wet mop, ain’t ya?”

Joel’s eyes were always dark brown, but they look black with his eyes as dilated as they are. His grip on your arms is very assertive and when he pushes you back over the arm of the couch, you can feel your heartbeat in your ears. 

“Please, Joel.”

He grabs you up by your armpits, dragging your body across the couch. When you're lying flat, he settles himself between your legs, holding your right leg taut with his hipbone. 

“Keep begging,” He demands, a smug expression taking over his face. His eyes scour your entire body, “My little killer.”

The word sends your body into overdrive and you start grabbing at his body, trying to take what you want. He fights your hands, grabbing both of them and pinning them against the throw pillow right above your head.

You want to confess everything to him in that moment. The very moment you laid eyes on him, you wanted to give yourself to him. In every single way possible. 

“I want you.”

“I know you do,” He grabs the shaft of his cock and begins his torture. Sliding it through your soaked folds and humming in satisfaction. You lift your hips, trying to get him to slip it in, but he is always quicker than you. “Desperate, ain’t ya?”

Before your face can react to his mocking, his hips snap forward, fully sheathing himself inside you. The meat of your thigh presses against his waist, trying to hold him in that spot, but he does not let up. The pressure is almost too much but the pain is appallingly satisfying.

You cannot even remember the last time you felt this. Your previous sexual encounters were usually hasty and boring. Most were not consensual and left you feeling gross and deprived of release. 

The build up between you and Joel was a months long endeavor that left you feeling borderline insane. You could not help but let your desire for him fester. 

His pace is not slow in the slightest, but it is calculated. You manage to widen your legs a bit allowing more space for his thighs to take up. As he kneels between you, you get a great view of his muscular flexed thighs.

Joel was a specimen. You could not stop yourself from admiring such a sight, especially when his hands are all over you and his dick is driving into you over and over. You had never been in love, never seen it first hand even, but you knew you love this moment. You love Joel for making you feel so good. That’s not a feeling you have ever had for anyone, let alone a man in this sick world. 

“Oh my god, yes,” You clamor, your hands still locked over your head. The tension you feel in the pit of your stomach feels like it may explode, “Please, please.”

He repositions himself, releasing your wrists and pushing your legs up. You are folded in half while his upper body falls over you. You can already see the glistening of sweat across his neck and shoulders. His body locks you on the couch as he continues rocking into you. 

“You don’t cum til I say, got me?”

He fucks into you harder now, and from this angle, you do not know how that will be possible. A couple more thrusts and you know you are a goner. 

“I feel it,” You choke, trying to clench to prevent yourself from letting go before Joel’s instruction. “Joel.”

“I said hold that shit back,” His pace only speeds up, like he is chasing his own high, “Not ‘til I say.”

The friction is too much. You tug your lip between your teeth and you bite so hard that you start to taste blood. He is not letting up and you know the rope is about to snap. No matter how hard you try, when your eyes roll back and your body goes rigid, you let the release take over everything. 

You are screaming, your voice cracking as you do. Joel’s hip stutter when your pussy tightens up around him, but you know he’s only slowing down because you did not listen. 

Your limbs feel like jello and being that you are unable to really shift or move below Joel anyway, you just lay there limp. Joel flexes his arms and you can tell as he pulls away from your body that he is pissed. 

“Roll over.”

You knit your brows together, still trying to manage your breathing. “I’m sorry-”

He slaps your thigh, the sting prickling down your entire leg. “Roll the fuck over.”

The motion takes almost all of your energy. When you are on your stomach, Joel hauls your ass towards his pelvis. With your ass up in the air, you can feel the cold air hit your spent cunt. Your head is tilted, only able to see Joel in your peripheral vision. He looks down at your pussy, dragging his cock head through your seams. You note how he smiles coyly. 

When his lips purse and spit starts to dribble out, you start babbling all sorts of nonsense. The spit lands perfectly between your pussy lips and the top of his red tip. 

“You know what happens to girls who don’t listen?”

You keen as he pushes his cockhead into your cunt, “What?”

“Punishment.”

The thrust is so powerful it has your body almost slamming back onto the sofa. As he ruts into you, the moans that come out of you do not sound human. You are already so sensitive from your orgasm, you know that it takes practically no touch at all to set off the chain reaction again. 

His grip on your ass will leave bruises, just like all the other bruises he has given you in the last couple months. You count all of them like trophies. All the time Joel has touched you. 

When the grip turns into open hand spanking, you know your ‘punishments’ would be something you would enjoy tempting time to time. 

They are brutal. With each thrust, his palm comes down on your left ass cheek. All the while, his right fingers are digging scratches all along your ass and thigh. Between the sounds of the smacks and his balls slapping against your skin, you are being sent back into an ever-growing burn in the pit of your stomach. 

“Fuckin’ pussy is squeezin’ my cock,” He mewls, his voice gravelly, “You like gettin’ spanked? Hm?”

You restrain yourself from screaming out that you love it. You settle for just, “Please don’t stop.”

You can hear him chuckle behind you, his actions continuing as he bucks into you. 

“You’re lucky ‘m feelin’ nice.”

His hips start to stutter as you continue your mewling over his cock. He reaches out to your shoulders, pulling you upward and locking his arm around your neck. He has you in a loose headlock as he fucks you. Your hands rest on your forearm, your nails digging so hard that you leave small half moons on his freckled skin. 

His other arm finds its way between your legs, swiping your clit as his thrusts become more labored. Even with the pace slowed down, the small titillating circles he pushes into your sensitive bud sends you over the edge again. As you fall apart in his arms, he spirals into his own climax, fucking his seed so deep into you that you will probably have it dripping out of you for days. 

The husky moans he lets out as he empties himself inside you rattles in your eardrum. It was like music to your ears. You finally got what you want.

“You came again without permission.”

You do not respond, just grunt and fall onto the couch. 

-

Your body is humming still. Joel’s half-hard cock is still standing at attention as he stands up and walks over to the kitchen. You grab the back couch cushion and push yourself up to watch him wander over the sink. His hand reaches for a kitchen towel and he wets it under the sink faucet. 

His ass is so perfect and you silently curse yourself for not grabbing it when he was balls deep in you. 

“Come ‘ere.”

You scramble up, your legs wobbling with each step. Joel’s eyes scan your entire body again, enjoying the sight of you so bare in front of him. “Didn’t think you were the one for aftercare.”

He furrows his eyebrows, as he extends the towel to you. “I ain’t. Wipe yourself up.”

Your heart pangs against your ribcage. For some reason you thought being so intimate with him would bring something different out. You are sorely mistaken. 

The anger you felt earlier, the blind rage, takes over all your nerve endings again. You cannot stop yourself from lashing out after such a high. A high he gave you. 

You slap the towel away, tilting your chin up at him. He has never seen you defiant. His face twists in confusion. 

“You made me kill for you. Then you fuck me. And you can’t even give me any decency by wiping your fucking cum off of me?”

The words are like vomit coming out of your mouth. You ever thought you would talk back to him like this. It is the kind of thing you could have been killed for months ago. But now, you both are in vulnerable positions. You want to prove a point. Look at me, appreciate me, love me. 

“Excuse me?”

His tone is threatening. But so is yours. 

“You heard me.”

As silence cuts through the air, you notice the gun Joel put on the kitchen counter next to a broken coffee pot. He sees you eyeing it and goes to reach for it, but you are closer and a bit faster than him. When your hand wraps around the metal, you point it directly at his hairy chest. 

Proving a point with violence was always your specialty. Before the alcohol, and now, after the alcohol.

“You fuckin’ bitch,” He bites, his lips tightening inward, “You put that shit down now.”

You are steady with it, your finger not on the trigger, but only millimeters from gracing it. “No.”

“You’re not gonna kill me. Not after all you just did for me,” His voice is more clipped, his words staggered. His hands raise in the air, almost in surrender. “Put it down.”

You are not sure what your next move should be. The rage now turns into confliction. 

You have screwed yourself for snapping so quickly at him and now he was never going to trust you. Threatening him with words would be one thing, but pointing a gun at center mass was absurd. While you wanted to get your point across to him, you knew this was overkill. Your fuse was so short and your urges were unkempt. Acting on impulse was going to get you in major trouble.  

In the time you are second guessing your actions, Joel’s already springing forward and snatching the gun from you. You are easy to disarm when you are not prepared for a naked man springing at you in your time of contemplation. Joel grabs the gun, pushing you backward into the kitchen counter and points it at you. 

“Now…” His southern drawl carries out the word. Your heart is pounding, the same way it was racing last time Joel trained a gun on you. This time was different. Instead of a look of contempt and uncertainty, he appears to be offended by your actions. “You know damn well that shit ain’t gonna fly with me.”

“Joel-” “Shut your fuckin’ mouth,” He steps closer, the gun still trained on you, “You know better, don’t ya?”

The coldness of the barrel on your right collarbone is enough to send you over the edge. Your eyes flicker between his chest, his lips, to his eyes, “I do. I don’t know what came over me.”

His eyes reflect a silent consideration. He is trying to figure out if he believes you or not. You silently pray he does even if you do not fully believe yourself. 

“You are too quick to react to someone tellin’ you no. Knock that shit off now or else we will have bigger issues.”

You knew those bigger issues would lead to Joel putting you out of your misery. You would have to work on impulse control. “It won’t happen again. I will work on it.”

“You’re lucky I love that pussy of yours or else you would have a hole in your fuckin’ head.”

Love.

“You love it?”

He smirks at your candor. He did not even realize he said that. “Get on your knees and beg for my forgiveness. You don’t have time to get a big head.”

“On my knees?”

He clenches his jaw, withdrawing the end of the gun from your skin. It leaves a small circle indentation, solidifying that next time, there may be a much bigger one there. “On your knees, little one.”

divider from @/saradika-graphics

[lune-net]

𝗹𝘂𝗻𝗲́, 𝖼𝗁𝖾𝖼𝗄 𝗈𝗎𝗍 gill’𝗌 𝗇𝖾𝗐 𝖿𝗂𝖼 𝖿𝗈𝗋, wang yixiang ★ !

❪ remember to 𝗿𝗲𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗴, 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲, & 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 for the author ❫

LAB PARTNER LOCKDOWN | wang yixiang

pairings — &team’s nicholas x reader (highschool au)

genre — academic rivalry, forced proximity, romance, and a tinge of angst hehe (wc. 11.2k)

synopsis — Nicholas and you have been academic enemies since year one. A departmental glitch assigns the both of you as long-term lab partners for a term-long research project with 70% of your final grade. The biggest problem? There’s only one workstation — and way too much personal space to invade.

warnings — This is not gender neutral, reader has female anatomy and etc. informal language , alcohol, slightly suggestive scenes, cursing, and they’re also lowk mean at certain points lawl…

note — I’m super proud of this one !! It was originally supposed to be max 3k words and then i got carried away…My &team addiction has been rising nonstop GRRR.. also lowkey this was supposed to be posted last week but I got SALMONELLA 😭💔 like no way bro… i lost 4kg bc of it too… PLEASE REBLOG i worked so hard on this 😇

more works: navigation | &team!masterlist

CURSE THIS SCHOOL and curse the obnoxiously outdated school app everyone’s forced to use that LITERALLY breaks down at least once per week. No way was this happening to you right now. Absolutely no. freaking. way.

You scanned your eyes at the name next to yours—saw how the name Wang Yixiang harassed your eyes in the register despite the fact that you were supposed to be in a group with Harua as decided by the drawn lots back at lecture. And one more thing… This project affects, like, 70% of your term grade.

Now, it’s not like you’ve been partnered up with a delinquent or a freeloader. You could have definitely gotten worse mishaps ( like Fuma right now who has realized that he’ll need to do his group work alone since his partner is a no-show ). In fact, many people would be incredibly happy to be working with Yixiang, or as they call him—Nicholas. I mean, why not? He ranks top 5 in chemistry and isn’t fussy about his work when with others.

But that’s the problem. There are two emphasises here that we need to acknowledge. First: he’s in the top five. Who else is in the top 5, you wonder? Yeah—you. Which, truthfully, wouldn’t be a problem since you don’t have any rivalries with the other top scorers and are actually quite friendly with them. But then, you also have to remember that Nicholas’s “isn’t fussy about his work when with others” does not apply to you.

The both of you had been in the same class since year one of high school and unfortunately for the both of you, had a homeroom teacher that supported academic rivalry through class rankings and verbal comparisons so your class would have morale to study harder. The good results? Your class average ended up to be the highest of all the other classes in that grade. The negative results, however, consisted of you two never seeing eye to eye and being incredibly competitive against each other as the two top scorers of year one’s grade.

Tensions were always high between the two of you when introduced in the academic field, and friendship outside academics diminished before it could be formed because of the pride built from the rivalry you both held.

Even when year two came and you both weren’t classmates anymore, Nicholas and you would always compare your scores to make sure the other didn’t beat one another academically.

Now, in your final and third year, you feel your stomach churn at the thought of having to spend a whole term with your arch nemesis in school—even if it’s for a grade and even if being with him is actually a good advantage to your score.

A bit dramatic? Yes—but is this very much valid? Also yes!

“Professor Lee, please reconsider—“

”[name], I’ve already told you that I put it in the register already..I’m sorry.. I know it was my mistake for not checking before inputting the names, but I can’t change it anymore.”

“But—“

”Dislike me that much, partner?” A teasing voice cuts you off midway through another complaint. That annoyingly deep voice which reminded you of the bane of your existence—

“Nicholas,” you muttered with a grumble.

“[name],” He muttered back mockingly, before turning his eyes to Prof. Lee, “Professor, as much as I dislike most of [name]’s ideas—“ ( you rolled your eyes ) “—she’s right here. Can’t you change our partners to the original? I mean, it’s not even our fault the system glitched. That old app needs to be rebooted immediately.”

Your professor sighed, rubbing his tired eyes, “Like I said with [name] just now, I can’t anymore because it’s been inputted in the system. Look, I don’t see why you both are so opposed to this as well. It’s not like you were partnered with someone inefficient. You’re both two of my best students, getting that A would be easy together.”

You and Nicholas kept silent because the both of you were awkward like that. What the teacher said was valid so there really was no counter-argument for that. Still, despite the silence your professor could see how much you two wanted to disagree.

“Look, I’m sorry for my mistake but look at it this way. You can’t be having this rivalry forever, ok? You both are going to leave highschool soon so it’s best to leave with good memories and no resenting feelings.”

You and Nicholas let out a collective, “Yes, Professor Lee.”

”Alright, you should go back to class,” Professor Lee concluded, returning back to the teacher’s lounge.

It was silent as you heard the door close. Upset, you made a beeline to Econs 3 without saying a word. You were about to turn to the corridor when a hand held your wrist. The moment you turned, that same hand dropped as if it was touching fire ( Um, rude? ).

”What,” you snapped.

”Look—I don’t like this anymore than you do but I really need the grades—“

”For your Lune Uni scholarship?” you finished his sentence, remembering his words from back then.

”Um—yeah,” he answered awkwardly with an even more awkward smile, “You too right? For &University?”

You blinked in surprise, “You remembered?”

He narrowed his eyes at you questionably, before retaliating, “You remembered too.”

You raised your brow in an I-dare-you manner, and he raised his hands in faux surrender. It then went to another awkward silence before he broke it once more.

“Look—so uh, like Prof. Lee said. Um, you know—we should, um..” said Nicholas in an attempt to form a sentence. You let out a small pfft, automatically remembering that he isn’t the best at finding his words despite the fact that he can speak 5 languages ( especially with all the times you saw him public speaking. ).

Deciding to put him out of his misery, you finished his sentence, “We should cooperate and put the rivalry to a truce?”

He scratched his head sheepishly at having you finish his sentence for him, “Yeah, truce.”

As you head to class, you think that maybe—just maybe—it won’t be too bad after all.

You take back your words. Nothing in this world was as frustrating as your partnership with Nicholas other than breaking your nails when you just got them done. Here you are, trying to pick a topic—A topic—for your project and this alone is taking you guys way more time than it should be.

So what if you want to play it safe!? It’s 70% of your grade. Nicholas, on the other hand, wants to pick a risky gamble; says that ‘since it’s a big part of our grade we can’t follow the norm.’ Like? Ugh! If it weren’t for the fact that you just did your hair last night, you’d be stress-holding it like there’s no tomorrow.

And, to top it all off, this stupid high school has the smallest workstations you’ve ever worked in. To be fair, you guys did get individual workstations so there will definitely be no one copying off one another or distracting each other, but it’s just…small. Each group was given one table full of materials, two plastic chairs, and a cupboard; all mushed in together in a 10-by-10 foot room. Still, you feel it hard to breathe in this enclosed space as your heart palpitates ( in anger of course ) in front of the boy.

“Nicholas, can’t you understand!? I need to get a safe 100!” You frustratedly said, raising your voice slightly at the man in front of you.

“A hundred isn’t going to cut it! We need to do something that can turn heads and get us a scholarship! If we can make it work—“

“And if we can’t?! Mind you, I’m better at this subject!”

“Only by 1 point. Unlike your 3 point deficit from my score in Physics,” bit back Nicholas.

You threw your hands up in irritation, and though it’s embarrassing you swear you can feel tears swelling up your eyes. ( Don’t blame a girl for having tears as her coping mechanism! ) At this point, you just wanted it over with. Usually when you’re with Nicholas you feel like you can banter with him for ages, but today has been quite harsh for you.

First, you tripped on your carpet when you woke up panicked, then your milk spills on your uniform so you had to change—which then made you miss the bus and that made you then use your savings begrudgingly for an overpriced taxi because dear Lord will you be late and miss your chance in getting the year-end attendance award.

You genuinely cannot handle this day any longer.

“Fine,” you say in defeat, your voice exasperated as your hand massages your hurting, wet eyes.

“What?” Nicholas asks, in disbelief at how easily he won this.

“I said fine,” You snapped, your eyes meeting his—a mistake. Now he can see your tearful eyes and now you’re embarrassed. He notices too, and you hate how you know he did because his body just freezes in place at the sight of your tears.

Awkwardly, he asks, “Are you sure?” but the bite in his tone is non-existent by now. Now, he’s apprehensive, like a typical blundering high school boy.

”Yes. We’re done here, right?” You speak stiffly, and though you asked a question it was more to an indefinite command as you took your bag and left without his answer.

You can hear a small ‘Yeah.’ before you closed the door, leaving the poor boy in the dark to your situation.

Goodness, you’re genuinely so embarrassed. Topping the day off with having your arch-nemesis in academics see you cry? All you want to do is bury your head in the bed and never wake up again.

…

It’s not until the next morning that you had the displeasure of meeting him again.

“Here,” a voice cuts you and Harua’s conversation.

Nicholas’s hand is in front of your table, laying down a small carton of banana milk—your favorite brand.

‘What the heck?’ Is what you almost said out loud. Because truly—what the heck. Why in the world is he placing banana milk on your table like he’s giving it to you and you’re buddy-buddies? Better yet, how did he know you like banana milk, or that you like it in this specific brand most? Wait, but it technically might not just be for you, right..?

”It’s for you, quit looking dumb,” Nicholas cuts, giving you that don’t-be-nonsensical look.

You quit staring at him, then looked at the drink like it’s a suspicious entity, then made your eyeballs go right back at him before saying in a deadpanned voice, “What for?”

Not really a question and kind of rude—but hey! Are you going to take back your words? Nope!

You’re starting to actually believe you made the right choice when Yixiang rubs the back of his neck in awkwardness. You hear Harua snort beside you like he knows something you both don’t.

( Spoiler alert: he knows all. )

“What she means—“ cuts Harua, which made both your gazes fall upon him, “—is what’s the occasion?”

You’re confused by his intermission because Harua barely puts himself in the narrative, but he gives you a look that tells you to be nice and well—if your best friend’s telling you to be nice then you’re being nice.

( You know when moms would be like—“So if your friend is jumping off a cliff will you jump also?!” when they’re mad at you and you give them the my-friend-did-it-too excuse? Yeah, you absolutely would jump the bandwagon. )

“Yeah, that’s what I mean. It’s not my birthday today,” You responded nicely.

“Oh.” He replied, but then realized his mistake.

��Oh???” Harua and you both questioned.

“No! Wait wait— it’s not that I thought it was your birthday!” Nicholas panicked, flinging his hands around, “I know your birthday isn’t for another three months, okay? It’s just—I felt bad since I made you cry yesterday and you were super duper addicted to this brand during junior year so—“

“You made her cry!?” Exclaimed Harua, standing up in offense.

“I didn’t mean to!” Cried Nicholas. ( haha you see what I did there? )

“Yo—guys, chill…” You intercepted, also beginning to stand up once the story went overboard, “I didn’t cry because of you, I just had a bad day and blew it up on you.”

It was silent for a moment as you three stood in a triangle form.

“Oh.”

Now, you’ve seen Nicholas get red a handful of times. During PE where he’d get red after running too much, when he’s with Eujoo and Maki and they’d make him laugh so much that you could hear his voice from across the room, or when he’s frustrated during debates and arguments. One thing you rarely see, however, is him getting red out of embarrassment. Call you childish? Sure—go ahead. But you were sorta loving this moment. It was a side you’ve barely seen on him before. In a way, it’s sorta…

“I’m leaving,” Nicholas declared quickly, “Meet me Wednesday in the lab so we can get started real quick. Bye.”

Harua laughed like a menace as he watched Nicholas leave, but your eyes drifted towards the banana milk—untouched on your desk. You picked it up, before opening the straw and stabbing it through the plastic and taking a sip.

Not poisoned. Nice.

“Cute…” You muttered subconsciously, only to freeze after you realized what you said.

Please, please, please—

“No way.”

Fuck.

Slowly, your gaze turned to Harua who looked like he just hit a jackpot in his mind.

“No.” You denied strongly.

“No way—“

“No!”

Harua grips your shoulders with both his arms, his mouth dropping in shock.

“You like him!”

“NO!”

“You do!” Harua shouts in desperation for you to stop denying, but you will never stop denying, even as he shakes your shoulders while saying these cursed words.

“He’s my enemy!”

“He’s only your academic rival and school ends this year!”

“I disagree—“

“You find him cute!”

“I don’t! That was for you!”

“Thank you! But do not deceive the truth!” Harua almost shouted, “Mark my words! The truth will set you free, [reader]!”

“AHHH!” you shout.

Your breath heaves, as you sit up abruptly. Sweat leaves your skin like water on melted ice, and the blanket drops down dramatically to the floor.

A nightmare. A nightmare on the former morning terrorizes you still even in your sleep as you pant harder to collect the oxygen needed to recover your absolute damnation of a night terror.

You close your eyes, your body hitting the bed in an attempt for more shuteye.

And there he is again.

Nicholas. His smirk is branded behind your eyelids like some cursed watermark. He’s leaning over your shoulder—correction, imaginary Nicholas is leaning over your shoulder—pointing smugly at a mistake you didn’t even make. His voice, obnoxiously clear: “I told you it was C, not D.”

You know it was D because yours didn’t even end up wrong. You got half a point after explaining to Mr. Min why you were right and Mr. Min did admit he made a mistake.

You open your eyes and throw your pillow at the wall. It hits the calendar.

The calendar you only bought because it had pictures of sheep and just so happens to be in Nicholas’ favorite color. Not that you knew that. Not that you cared that you knew that.

You groan, dragging your hands down your face as you give up at the thought of sleep. You sit up, then attempt to stand. But then, your pen rolls off your desk with a dramatic clatter—his pen. Okay, technically yours now, but you both reached for it at the same time during bio lab last week and you pulled rank. Since then it’s lived on your desk like a stolen trophy.

You swear the ink still smells like his cologne.

How does ink even smell like cologne? You don’t know but it just works.

“Stop it,” you mutter to the air.

“Stop what?”

Harua, ( not him again! ) your best friend, roommate, and the reason for your distress, stands at the doorway holding a bowl of cereal like the bearer of divine judgment. Why’s he even in your dorm this early in the morning? You knew that giving him your password would bite you back in the ass one day.

“Nothing,” you lie instantly, which is pointless. Harua has known you since the Jurassic era and reads your face like it’s the front page of a scandal magazine.

Harua steps inside and eyes the mess—blanket, pillow, pen on the floor. “Another dream?” he asks, tone casual, as they pick up the pen and twirl it. “Let me guess. He insulted your handwriting again and then offered to tutor you in statistics despite the fact that you’re only worse than him by a point in stats ranks.”

You scoff. “Don’t flatter him. As if I’d ever need help from him.”

“Uh-huh,” Harua says, walking slowly around your room like a detective. “So the pen isn’t his?”

“I—maybe? Who knows? Pens are universal. Pens migrate. That pen’s probably been through multiple owners. Nothing special.” You mutter ignorantly, picking up your blanket and going to the bathroom to wash your face.

“Mm. And the calendar in his favorite color is just… a coincidence.”

“Yes.”

No.

Harua leans against your bookshelf, crunching cereal obnoxiously. “You’ve said ‘he’s annoying’ at least twice a day for the past month. You know what that is?”

“Yes. It’s consistency. I am a woman of my word.”

“Ding ding ding! False—it’s obsession.”

You shoot them a death glare. “I hate him.”

Your best friend shrugs. “You know, some people hate people in a quiet way. You, though? You hate him like you’re waiting for a Jane Austen monologue. It’s theatrical.”

You throw a used sock lying on the bathroom floor at his head after you turn off the tap. It misses. You curse gravity.

Harua opens their mouth for another wisecrack—and that’s when your phone rings.

Your heart doesn’t drop. It stutters. ( Completely different, by the way. )

You glance at the screen.

Nicholas.

Why is he calling you this early? Why is he calling you at all?

You hesitate. Then answer. “It’s not Wednesday yet.”

Nicholas’s voice comes through, scratchy and smug, just the way you loathe. “Relax. I’m not calling for a casual chat. Prof. Lee added a new variable to the lab setup—wants us to tweak the data model before class.”

You want to curse Professor Lee.

“…Now?”

“In twenty minutes. Don’t be late. And bring your notes. The real ones,not those sketchy margin doodles.”

You scowl, “I don’t doodle.”

The call ends before you even finish that sentence. Rude.

You stare at the screen like it had genuinely insulted your bloodline.

“What’d he want?” Harua asks, chewing slower, eyes gleaming with unholy interest.

You stand, already yanking on a sweater. “Academic crisis. Lab. I have to go.”

“So you’re saying you’re willingly running off to meet him?”

“I’m running off to protect my GPA, thank you very much. This has nothing to do with him. This is entirely scientific. Controlled conditions. Utterly platonic. No variables of emotional interference. Clean data.”

You’re rambling and you know it, but you’re halfway out the door now.

Behind you, Harua snickers. “Sure. Totally platonic. Just don’t mix up your data with your feelings.”

You slam the door shut before he can say another word.

But not before grabbing his pen.

For accuracy, obviously.

Not sentiment.

Definitely not sentiment.

Weeks go by and assignment after assignment gets tossed left and right at you, as if that wasn’t enough, preparation for finals starts grilling you down to the core of overworking. You feel absolutely cooked by everything the past weeks, and you feel it taking a toll on you physically as well, since it seems that the soon-to-come summer’s heat wants to run by early this year.

The sweltering atmosphere highly distracts you sometimes, but what can you do when your school’s too focused on putting extra ACs only on classrooms where the teachers work?

Once again you curse this school.

( You know you shouldn’t since you don’t want to attract bad energy, but at this point cursing the school has become a second language to you. )

You wipe the sweat off your forehead as you sit in the lab room, that’s basically turned into a sauna now. The small desk fan hums pathetically in the corner, spinning weakly like it’s being kept alive by sheer willpower. Genuinely, these moments make you hate how dedicated you both are to your grades. Who else in the world would work in a room that’s nearly 40 Celcius just for chemistry?

And naturally, you’re also trapped here with him.

Nicholas leans against the edge of the lab bench, scribbling notes, his own hair sticking slightly to his forehead. He’s already ditched his outer layer, now only in a fitted black tank top, that absolutely no one asked for, but is unfortunately very present and very sore on the eyes.

You tear your eyes away. Focus. You’re here for chemistry. That’s it.

“This concentration’s off again,” Nicholas says, voice smooth but annoyingly calm despite the heat. “You measured too fast.”

“No, I didn’t,” you snap back, a little sharper than necessary. “The equipment’s just old. Like this entire school.”

Nicholas tilts his head, amusement flickering in his eyes. “Or maybe you’re just impatient.”

You inhale sharply. Breathe. No, you’re not getting baited today.

“It’s one milliliter, Nicholas. The universe won’t collapse because I moved one milliliter faster than your grandma pace.”

He chuckles under his breath and leans in closer to check the data points, and you have to physically restrain your traitor of a brain from noticing the way his shoulder muscles shift as he moves. The way his jaw clenches ever so slightly when he reads.

The heat isn’t helping.

“You always get defensive when I’m right,” he murmurs.

You scoff, glancing at him. “You always say you’re right, even when you know I am.”

“That’s because I usually am.”

“Oh, you’re unbearable.”

“And yet, here you are.” His voice lowers, teasing. “Voluntarily spending hours with me. In a room. Alone.”

You roll your eyes, leaving the conversation to end there. It’s another round of silence, although not awkward like you expected silence to be when with him. It doesn’t take long before he says something again, though.

“We still need to finalize the error margins,” he says, voice steady. “We’re not going to be able to calculate the final reaction yield until that’s sorted.”

“I know,” you mutter, already scribbling calculations. “You act like I haven’t been doing this with you for the past four weeks.”

“Well, sometimes you get sloppy when you’re tired.”

You shoot him a glare. “I’m perfectly capable, thank you.”

“I never said you weren’t.” He pauses. “You just zone out a lot lately.”

“I do not—”

You stop.

He raises an eyebrow, a tiny smirk forming, but you refuse to give him that satisfaction. You point at your notebook instead. “Focus on the data.”

“Right.” He clears his throat, scribbling again. “Did you finish that lab report for Mr. Min’s class yet?”

You wonder why he’s talking so much today. Unnecessarily too.

“Barely. I’ve rewritten the conclusion like five times because he’s impossible to please.”

“His standards are brutal,” he agrees, voice softer. “I spent two hours reformatting my graphs yesterday because he said the fonts weren’t consistent.”

You snort. “Of course you did. You live for perfect formatting.”

“Well, yeah.” He tries to grin but it wobbles a bit, and he quickly looks back down at his notes. “I mean… it looks cleaner that way.”

For a moment, neither of you speak. Just the buzzing fan and the faint scratching of pens fill the space.

The air feels heavier now—not just from the heat, but something else lingering. You shift uncomfortably, your skin feeling stickier by the second. You tug at your collar.

“Ugh,” you mutter, “how is it this hot already? It’s not even officially summer yet.”

Nicholas exhales, fanning himself with one of the worksheets. “I swear this room absorbs heat on purpose.”

“It’s probably alive,” you joke flatly. “Like some cursed creature feeding off our suffering.”

He chuckles, but it sounds breathier this time, like even laughing takes too much energy in this weather. “Honestly, I believe it.”

You glance at him—only for a second. But you catch the way his neck glistens slightly under the lab lights. The way a drop of sweat trails down the side of his jaw before he quickly wipes it with the back of his hand.

You look away fast.

What the heck! Your brain is doing that thing again where it starts noticing details it has absolutely no business noticing. You don’t know why it does that, but it genuinely needs to stop.

“It’s hard to focus when it feels like I’m being slow-roasted alive,” you mumble, half hoping to break whatever weird tension is creeping in, “I’m starting to feel bad for the ducks my dad roasted last summer.”

Nicholas laughs loudly, but responds in a voice that comes out a little softer. “Yeah. Same. My older sister would bring me to buy roasted pork during the holidays and I feel like I’d relate to the vegans now.”

You swear his gaze lingers on you a beat too long. You can feel it, burning through the side of your face. The fan clicks as it rotates again, blowing hot air your way like it’s mocking you both.

Then, out of nowhere, his hand reaches across the table to grab the pipette, fingers brushing against yours. Brief, but enough to send a spark straight to your stomach.

Neither of you acknowledge it.

Neither of you move.

You can feel your heartbeat hammering in your ears now.

“Uh,” he says, voice catching slightly, “can you… pass me the data sheet?”

You wordlessly slide it over, careful not to let your hand tremble. Why is it so quiet all of a sudden? Why does the air feel thinner? You hear him exhale again, sharper this time.

When you glance up—which was a mistake—he’s already looking at you.

Except—his gaze isn’t at your eyes anymore.

It’s lower.

Your breath stutters for a moment, chest rising a little too quickly. You freeze.

The space between you suddenly feels dangerously nonexistent, like one wrong move would snap the thread holding you both in place.

You open your mouth to say—something, anything—but nothing comes out. Nicholas looks equally frozen now, like his brain is short-circuiting alongside yours.

His lips part slightly. His eyes flick back up to meet yours.

And then—

BANG.

The door swings open with dramatic timing.

“Ah! Found you two!” Mr. Lee walks in, wheeling in a battered old fan like some twisted guardian angel. “Finally got this thing running. Should help cool you guys down.”

You nearly launch yourself backward, stumbling upright like you’ve been jolted out of a trance. “Yes—uh—thank you, Mr. Lee. Great. Amazing. Perfect timing.”

You catch a quick glance at Nicholas, who’s already looking down at his notes again, furiously scribbling like his life depends on it. His ears are flushed red.

You pretend not to notice.

( You absolutely notice! )

Mr. Lee wheels the fan into place, plugging it in with a loud click. The old machine rattles and whirs like it’s struggling to wake up from a coma, but soon enough, a weak but steady breeze starts moving through the room.

“See? Much better!” Mr. Lee smiles, completely unaware of the catastrophic moment he just interrupted. “I’ll leave you two to it. Don’t overwork yourselves.”

You force a polite nod, voice refusing to cooperate yet. “Right. Thanks.”

Nicholas mumbles something that might’ve been “thank you” too, but it comes out so quiet you’re not entirely sure if he even said it.

And then — he leaves.

The door swings shut behind him with a soft click.

Silence crashes into the room like a tidal wave.

The hum of the fan fills the empty space between you now. You stay standing for a second longer than necessary, not sure whether sitting again might physically kill you.

Finally, you force yourself to lower back into your chair.

You can feel Nicho’s presence like he’s a gravity field pulling at your skin. You refuse to look. Absolutely refuse.

Your eyes flick to your notes. They’re blurry. Probably from sweat. Hopefully from sweat.

“So,” you say after a moment, your voice coming out drier than intended.

“So,” his voice echoes, and you don’t miss how his voice cracks just a little.

You bite the inside of your cheek to keep from reacting.

“Back to the error margins?” you try, because pretending none of that just happened seems like the safest option.

“Yeah,” Nicholas says quickly. “Margins. Right.”

He flips through his notebook too fast, a few loose sheets slipping out and fluttering to the floor like traitors.

You bend down to grab the papers at the same time he does.

Of course.

Of course you do.

Your heads nearly collide, and both of you freeze mid-motion, faces inches apart again, as if the universe hasn’t already played this joke on you enough today.

Nicho’s hand hovers just above yours, fingers twitching awkwardly like he’s debating whether to move or not. His breath is shaky this time — you can hear it. Feel it.

“Sorry,” he mumbles, voice a little hoarse now. “I wasn’t— I mean—”

“It’s fine,” you cut in quickly, way too quickly.

Neither of you move immediately.

The fan groans in the background like it’s watching a slow-motion disaster.

You both pull back at the same time, eyes darting anywhere but at each other now.

The heat isn’t helping.

The fan isn’t helping.

Nothing. Is. Helping.

You hear Nicholas clear his throat again. His voice is quieter when he speaks next.

“I… I think I need to check the solution again.”

“Yeah. Go ahead.”

“Right. Cool.”

He stands up — a bit too fast — knocking his chair slightly before steadying it, pretending like that didn’t just happen.

You keep your eyes laser-focused on the paper in front of you, gripping your pen harder than necessary to stop your hand from shaking.

This is fine.

You’re fine.

Everything’s fine.

Everything sort of turned out just fine, actually.

Contrary to your beliefs, the following weeks after the incident seemed normal. You both had practically—and silently—agreed to ignore what had happened. Though you suppose it isn’t technically all that normal with the way the both of you would stiffen up in response to any ‘almost’ physical contact or the way your daily bickerings had changed in tone. Less bite, more talk.

What used to be fights on shallow scores and academic achievements have turned to playful banters like right now.

“Ugh, you like tomatoes? That’s weird,” Nicholas grunts in disgust at your food preference.

“Not as weird as your love for zucchini," You respond without missing a beat.

“Tomatoes are slimy!” He whined.

“And zucchinis aren’t?” You retorted.

“As much as I’d love to watch my show—“ Cuts Harua, “I believe me and [reader] have social studies.”

Before you could tell Harua to shut up, however, another man comes over swinging his arms over both you and Harua’s shoulders.

”What show?”

You swerved your head to the familiar voice, surprised to see Taki of all people in A Maths. Taki was someone easy to talk to; funny though a bit dense. He’s been hanging around you and Harua after you three got grouped for a project in History. However, he’s also someone who swore to never step foot in ‘Hell’s class’ ( His words, not yours! ), so you were surprised as to why he’s here in all his glory.

( Quick commercial break for Taki’s OOTD! His outfit is first welcomed with an orange and yellow striped sweater and cream pants, then meticulously accessorized with a pink hat and finally topped with his khaki boots! )

You can already imagine Nicholas’s judgmental nose.

“Taki? What are you doing here?” You asked.

Before Taki could answer, however, Nicholas voiced out, “Who’s this?”

You don’t enjoy the tone in his question at all.

Harua does, though. You can tell he does.

”Taki!” Taki replies, “From 12C. You’re Nicholas right?”

”Yeah,” replied Nicholas tightly.

It seemed as if Nicholas had a lot more to say, though Taki didn’t let him continue as he picked up the conversation left off with you.

”You know Asakura Jo? From my class—12C?” Taki asked.

“Jo?” You echoed, “Yeah, I know him. We used to be in the same class together.”

Taki then dropped a bomb—”Can you go on a date with him?”

”What?”

”Come again?”

”Yo.”

The last one came from Harua as all three of you had similar responses.

“Yeah, Jo’s never been on a date before and his mom’s been pressuring him to go to a relative’s wedding with a partner,” Taki spoke matter-of-factly, like this is the most normal thing ever.

“Ohhhh, so it isn’t because he’s interested in me?” You asked tentatively.

Taki paused, before thinking over the question, “I mean, probably? I dunno, I never asked.”

”I’m not sure..”

“C’mon [reader], it’s just one day. Help the poor boy.”

“Why does it have to be with [reader]?”

Ah, you sorta forgot Nicholas was here.

Before you could retort in offense, Harua beat you to it.

“Why, jealous?” He teased.

You gave Harua a warning look at the same time Nicholas defensively denied the accusation.

“Of course not,” He replied, giving Harua a judgemental look, “It’s because we have a project together and that’d take [reader]’s time.”

Maybe it was the tone of his annoying voice, or maybe it was the face he made when he denied it pretty harshly; but an ugly feeling bubbled in your chest. In a way, you were offended as to why the thought would disgust him that bad though you’d do the same.

You blame Nicholas for your decisions today and future you’s misfortune.

“You know what? Sure.”

”Serious?” You heard the enthusiasm in Taki’s voice before you saw it.

“What? The project—“ Nicholas started, his brows furrowing.

”I’d be gone at most for one weekend only, don’t be dramatic,” You retorted him with sass, then turned to Taki, “Text me Jo’s number?”

”Sure!”

From across you, you see Harua give you a questioning look. You signal him a small ‘later’. Harua nodded subtly, before taking this as a cue to move on from the topic.

“We should go, Social Studies starts in 5.”

“Ok,” you respond, before turning to leave with them. Of course, you don’t exit before saying a sarcastic goodbye to Nicholas, who was left with an unreadable expression as he joins his friend Maki for Physical Edu.

Do you regret your actions?

Yes.

…Would you do it again if time rewinded?

Also yes.

…

You find yourself in a random person’s wedding the next weekend, regretting all your actions albeit with a handsome escort on your arm.

You and Jo had been acquaintances for the longest time. He’s always had moving classes with you, and even shared a homeroom with you last year; however neither of you had really made an effort to be close though you both share many similarities. For one, Jo’s also ranked in the top 5, and is actually holding the number one spot for Chemistry.

Your escort is wearing a black tuxedo and a blue bowtie, looking a lot more at ease than you are ( Rightfully so since this is his family event… ). You on the other hand wore a soft blue dress to match with Jo.

There’s one word to describe this experience overall: awkward.

All you’ve done so far was smile and laugh when everybody else laughed; sticking yourself to Jo’s arm the whole night.

You know no one, and the jokes his family made about the two of you being cute together had you almost digging a hole for yourself out of embarrassment.

Thankfully, Jo seemed to sense it as he brought you to the dance floor—away from his relatives.

Still—it isn’t what the fiction stories you read when you were 13 made it out to be—that’s for sure.

You want to go home.

You make a note to yourself mentally: don’t go to a wedding for a first date.

Jo’s hand rests lightly on your back as you step away from the dance floor, heels already beginning to ache. He offers you a glass of water and a tired smile.

“You okay?” he asks, voice low and gentle.

You nod, managing a small smile in return. “My cheeks hurt from all the smiling.”

That makes him laugh—an actual laugh, not the polite chuckle he’s been giving his relatives all night. “Yeah. You were kind of frozen for the first half.”

“I was panicking,” you admit, dramatic for effect. “Your aunt asked if we were dating, and I forgot how to speak.”

Jo grins, the tension between you both finally softening. “You could’ve just said yes to mess with them.”

You snort. “And give them hope? I don’t have the heart.”

The two of you share a quiet moment, watching the party go on without you both. It’s not romantic. Not a single spark or lingering gaze or even that disney movie moment. Just two people in the same corner of chaos, making it work.

“You’re actually really easy to talk to,” you admit to him at the end of the night, genuinely surprised.

Jo shrugs, before joking. “I feel the same. I was actually sort of nervous when K broke the news to me at first. This wasn’t a bad first date.”

You give him a look. “It was a wedding.”

“Still counts.”

You laugh, and it feels real this time.

“Alright, alright. Should I say thank you for today and give you a bye bye kiss?” You teased.

Jo laughs quietly, his ears growing slightly flushed. “The ‘thank you’ is a must since this distracted you from your studies, no? Though I think I'd save the both of us from that second suggestion.”

The night ended shortly after the parting goodbyes, and Jo made sure you were in the cab safely before he left to go home with his family, waving a little too dramatically as you stepped in. You appreciated it. He had made the night easier.

All in all, you don’t completely regret coming today.

The cab ride home is blissfully silent. You bask in the silence as you recharge your social battery.

Once you’re back inside your dorm and the shoes are off, you dial Harua before your brain can convince you not to.

“Heyyyyyy, how was it? Did you two kiss during the slow dance?” Harua’s voice comes through way too loudly for 11 p.m.

You flop onto your bed. “Absolutely not. It was… fine. Jo’s nice. Actually, he’s great.”

“Oh?” comes another voice—Taki. You didn’t even realize he was on the other end of the call too.

You groan. “Taki, why are you here?”

“I live for the tea,” he says cheerfully. “So? Spill. Don’t tell me I successfully played cupid?”

“Ha! Yeah right. I mean, it wasn’t awkward after the first hour. We kind of… clicked? But not like that. There’s no spark. He’s more like…” You pause, thinking. “Like a quiet teammate. Supportive, but you know it’s not going anywhere.”

“Like a co-op partner in a romance game,” Taki offers.

“Exactly.”

There’s a beat of silence.

Then Harua, teasingly: “So, not like Nicholas then?”

You freeze. Taki gasps so dramatically it echoes.

“WAIT WHAT.”

“Harua,” you hiss.

Harua laughs. “Oops.”

“WAIT WAIT WAIT,” Taki says again. “YOU and Nicholas?! Since when?!”

You groan and bury your face into a pillow. “It’s not like that—”

“Yes it is,” Harua says, far too smug. “I’ve seen the way he talks about you.”

“There is tension,” Taki adds thoughtfully. “Now that I think about it…”

You toss the pillow aside. “Okay first of all, we’re not talking about this. Second of all, we are absolutely not talking about this.”

“Mhm,” they say in unison, completely ignoring you.

You hung up the phone quickly.

You don’t like him.

You don’t like the way he annoys you with his taunts whenever he gets a higher score. You don’t like the way your neck hurts when you speak to him because he’s too goddamn tall for no reason. You absolutely don’t enjoy how he has a habit of licking his lips 24/7 as if he never puts lip balm on. And it ticks you off especially when he’s frustrated during lab nights because the solution won’t work; resulting in him messing up his hair and uniform—tie loosening and eventually distracting you from your work.

You don’t like Wang Yixiang.

You’re convinced you never will.

“How’s your date?”

The question bombards your face before you’re even able to step foot inside the cramped lab. A question from your incredibly annoying project partner this early in the morning about your personal life? Not the best way to start the day.

Somehow, you feel satisfied at the slightly pissed tone of his voice. You don’t know why—probably because you pissed him off, actually.

Right?

Anyways.

“Why so curious?” You teased, basking in satisfaction at the sight of his furrowed brows and sharp gaze; his jaw locked in a sliver of tension you just know he’s trying to not show.

“Can I not be curious about my partner? I believe I have the right to ask a friendly question,” He retorted in that competitive tone he’d use when being challenged, his eyes narrowing down on you.

Maybe it’s the way he said partner, or perhaps it’s the look on his eyes right now—like you’re prey and he’s about to hunt you down. It sends shivers down your spine. You feel vulnerable under his meticulously calculative gaze. That, however, isn’t even the worst thing about this situation.

The worst part?

You don’t completely hate it.

“Jo’s nice, it was enjoyable.”

”Yeah?” He challenged ( as if it was a challenge ), stepping closer to you, “Sure he was, though knowing you I’d bet you wanted to run back to your bed the moment you stepped inside that place.”

You scowl at how precisely he guessed your thoughts—as if he knew you like an open book.

He doesn’t.

“Hit a nerve knowing I was right?” He taunted, now directly right in front of you; looking down at your eyes.

He doesn’t.

“You wish,” You say, low and steady, placing a hand on his chest and pushing him back just enough to reclaim a sliver of space.

He doesn’t budge. Not really.

Instead, he lets out a scoff—dry and amused in the most irritating way. “Jo must have really low standards then.”

You blink. Did he just—?

“I mean,” Nicholas continues, cocking his head slightly like he’s still deciding whether to go for the kill, “no offense, but you couldn’t even make it through first year orientation without hiding in the bathroom. And weddings are worse. High-pressure, noisy, way too many people—you don’t really handle that well.”

There it is. The line.

A beat of silence stretches between you. Your pulse ticks in your ears.

“…I didn’t realize you thought I was so incompetent,” you say quietly, voice tight.

His expression flickers, but it’s too late.

“Oh, come on,” he says, but you’re already stepping back.

“Don’t worry,” you say with a sharp smile. “Next time I go somewhere public, I’ll bring flashcards. Wouldn’t want to embarrass your standards.”

He exhales through his nose. “That’s not what I meant.”

“Isn’t it?” you snap.

And then you say something—something you shouldn’t. You don’t mean to, it just slips, like instinct.

“At least Jo’s standards don’t go with an ego, that’s why he’s able to maintain his childhood friendships.”

That hits. You see it in the way his jaw clenches, in the way his eyes dart to the side, the hurt buried beneath the irritation. For one dizzying second, you regret it.

You knew it was a sensitive topic to talk about. After all, Yuma was his closest friend for the longest time. Their friendship break off was super public during the end of second year.

But the silence that follows is worse than anything else.

No comeback. No sarcasm. Just cold, heavy nothing.

“Whatever,” you mutter, grabbing your notebook and heading to your seat.

He doesn’t stop you.

He doesn’t say a word.

And for the first time since this whole stupid partnership started, neither do you.

The both of you worked in silence the next few days.

For the first time in your high school rivalry, both your angers were silent.

It’s not like you didn’t try to awkwardly ignore it like you always do with tough situations, but the former did not budge from his pledge of silence despite the academic risks.

The only thing that meets your questions and demands is passive-aggressive silence. Somehow, that ticks you off more than it would if he said shit—even if the said shit hurted.

Fine. You think to yourself.

That’s how he wants to play this out.? Ha! You want to laugh.

You’ll show him play.

…So you go to Jo.

It’s Taki’s idea, actually—some half-serious suggestion made while he was eating lunch and scrolling his phone. “If Nicholas is gonna keep acting like a moody drama prince, just ask Jo. He’s smart and actually nice. Like, a functioning human being.”

You hadn’t thought about it seriously at first. You doubt Taki meant it seriously as well when he suggested it. But after another day of working in silence with Nicholas—where you asked a question and got nothing but the blank stare of a man spiritually throwing darts at your forehead—you decided it was worth a shot.

Which is how you ended up here, after school, in the quiet corner of the library with Jo Asakura.

He leans across the table, pencil in hand, walking you through a particularly stubborn question on your returned chemistry project report. His voice is soft, steady. The kind of voice that doesn’t make you feel stupid for asking something twice.

“So—if you think about it,” Jo says, tapping the edge of your worksheet, “hydrogen bonds aren’t as strong as covalent ones, right? But in water, they matter a lot because of how they stack. That’s what gives it the surface tension.”

You frown slightly, trying to picture it. “So it’s weak… but it’s the repetition that makes it significant?”

“Exactly!” he lights up. “On their own they’re not impressive. But together, they’re stable. Resilient.”

You nod slowly, scribbling down notes to change your model. “Weirdly poetic.”

Jo smiles. “You say that like chemistry isn’t poetic.”

That makes you huff a laugh. “Tell that to my last quiz grade.”

“Well, that was because you forgot to label the electronegativity scale,” he points out gently, “and you better be quiet about that before I tell Harua and he jumps on you because 93 isn’t a bad score.”

You groan and drop your head on the table. “Okay, traitor. I came here for help, not betrayal.”

Jo laughs. “Not betrayal, just honesty. I’m a Libra, I have to be.”

You lift your head just enough to give him a side-eye. “You’re not about to tell me you believe in astrology.”

“I’m not saying I don’t,” he says, cheeky.

You roll your eyes but the smile creeps up anyway. “You’re lucky you’re useful.”

“Wow. And I thought we were bonding.”

You are bonding! In fact, you’re having the most fun you had the entire stressful week with Jo. So much fun that you didn’t realise that the spot you sit on right now was a certain partner of yours’ favorite library spot.

…

He didn’t mean to find you.

He was walking back from his locker, totally minding his own business. Really. He just happened to pass the library. That’s it. That’s the whole story.

That was—of course, until he heard your laugh.

He should’ve kept walking. Should’ve been the bigger person. Should’ve remembered he had better things to do. He definitely does. Probably. He’s not even supposed to care about you anyways—he’s supposed to be rightfully, undeniably pissed at you.

But instead, he stopped.

And now he’s frozen outside the library’s glass doors, watching you lean across the table with Jo Asakura.

Your pen is twirling uselessly between your fingers. You haven’t written anything for a solid minute because you’re smiling. You’re smiling at Jo.

The guy who wears turtlenecks unironically and probably apologizes to the old, battered school vending machines if they were to break down before giving the dude his drink?

He didn’t even like Jo.

Jo, with his annoyingly perfect notes and calm voice and weirdly charming nerd energy. Jo, who’s explaining something about hydrogen bonds like he invented the damn periodic table. Jo, who—what the hell is he doing sitting in his seat? Scratch that—what are the two of you doing sitting in his beloved library spot?

Jo ( and you ) is sitting in his seat. Explaining his part of the project. Making you laugh.

Nicholas grips the strap of his bag hard enough to turn his knuckles white. It’s like a slap on his face—sharp and annoying.

It shouldn’t be a big deal. You’re just… talking. About chemistry. School stuff. Group project things. It’s fine. Completely fine.

Actually, it’s better this way. Yeah! It is. You know what, he doesn’t even have to talk to you anymore this way! He just needs to finish this stupid project and then graduate and hit the sails to never, ever see you again for the rest of his life!

…Except your smile’s the kind of smile you used to aim at him when you’d beat his ass up during arguments.

Except you’re laughing, and you haven’t laughed around him in over a week.

Except Jo looks so comfortable next to you, like he belongs there. Like he was always the one helping you. Like he knows you.

Nicholas scowls and shifts his weight like it’ll shake off whatever this weird ache is in his chest.

You’re just… you’re mad at him. That’s all. You needed help. You asked someone else. Jo was there. It’s not a big deal. It’s logical. He would’ve done the same. It’s useful to him, even. He doesn’t care. This is fine.

He doesn’t care.

He doesn’t—

…

Okay, what the fuck is this feeling?

His fingers curl tighter around the strap of his bag. His jaw’s locked and he’s not even sure when that happened. His stomach’s doing this twisting thing, like it’s trying to strangle him from the inside out ( Does that count as murder if your organs are the ones to kill you? ).

This is so dumb.

He’s Nicholas for god’s sake. He doesn’t get flustered. He doesn’t get jealous. He doesn’t care who you laugh with, who you sit next to, who makes you feel seen or safe or whatever.

He doesn’t care.

…

No.

No, wait—

Oh.

Oh, shit.

He cares.

He really fucking cares.

He likes you.

He likes you.

And he just realized it standing outside a library like an absolute idiot while Jo Asakura makes you laugh.

Awesome. Fantastic. Perfect.

He’s so, so screwed.

It’s around midnight—the day before your project submission date. The time is ticking and the moon runs uphill.

Technically, you’re done with the project by now. Is there such a thing as too much rechecking for a grade as big as this, however? No.

So you’re still in the lab at midnight, when all the other groups have already clocked out for bed. The fan Professor Lee provided buzzes on the corner, and your irksome partner is on the desk rereading the paperwork.

Your hands work tirelessly to check that the model is presentable for the ninth time, analyzing every aspect that could go wrong just to make sure.

The silence is unbearable, though you hate to admit. In a way, you’ve missed being able to banter with Nicholas. The silence is hurting you more than you’d thought. You’re not sure why.

This is your rival you’re talking about. Has been since the first year of high school. You don’t understand why your heart aches in the presence of his silence. You don’t know why you can’t just ignore it like you usually do.

You don’t understand anything much right now.

It’s weird. Because this is the same person whose name you’d find first when class schedules are released. This is the same person whose timetable you know like the back of your hand. The same person who enjoys strawberries more than anyone else you know. The same person who’d rather use up all his allowance on clothes than food.

When it comes to him, you’d usually understand. Know, even.

You’re about to part ways anyway since the universities you’re both aiming for are at different ends of the city. You won’t see him much—not unless you both want to arrange something anyways. For some reason, that made your chest tighten.

You look at your notebook. It’s filled with your incessant jots of notes that no one can understand but you. No one’s been able to make use of your words because your lazy handwriting is unreadable.

Harua once asked if it’s a hidden language you used to store in all your genius tips to be in the top 5. You laughed.

Words after words on plans and notes on the project filling your eyes. Small rants about Nicholas are written here and there. You neared the beginning of the notebook.

It’s a journal on your orientation day.

Same day you almost had a whole breakdown because the atmosphere overstimulated you. You remember trying to write down Economics notes to calm you down. Your inked pages are written in blue.

Fiscal Policy: Government use of taxation and spending to influence the economy. Expansionary: Higher Government spending or lower taxes → lower higher aggregate demand (AD)

You stare at the red ink.

It’s Nicho’s handwriting.

You remember him coming out of the auditorium also, water in hand. It was the first time you met him. Before the competition, before the rivalry, before you knew him.

He sat next to you on the floor. Said nothing about how panicked you seemed. Just pointed out your notes and said ‘It’s higher, not lower.’

You were too baffled to respond back then so you let him use his red inked pen to make the correction.

You shut your notebook fast and shove it in your bag like it’s sin reincarnated as an object. You ignore how the notebook gave you a weird thought. You ignore how the pen in your bag is the object of your weird thought’s pen.

You finish tightening the final bolt on the model, then take a step back with a sigh. It’s done. For real this time.

The lab is still lit with its sleepy fluorescent glow, the fan still whining in the corner like it’s as tired as you both are. The model is perfect—or as perfect as it’ll ever be. The paperwork’s double-checked, the formatting obsessively tweaked. It’s over. There’s nothing left to fix.

He closes the folder of paperwork. You wipe the last bit of glue off your hands. With a silent agreement, you begin packing up.

The building is quiet when you start leaving. Deserted hallways stretch endlessly under flickering fluorescent lights. You walk side by side, but still not speaking. Not really. There’s still a space between you, stretched taut like a thread ready to snap.

You pretend to fiddle with your bag longer than necessary, sneaking glances. Nicholas is quiet again, arms crossed as he stares out the window into the dark campus. His profile is sharp in the moonlight, expression unreadable. This time, the silence doesn’t feel cold. It feels charged.

You clear your throat. “So…”

Nothing.

You sigh, slinging your bag over your shoulder and heading for the exit. The hallway is eerily quiet at this hour—lights dimmed, lockers lined up like ghosts in the dark. You reach the parking lot gate, the chill of midnight air crawling beneath your sleeves.

The campus parking lot is practically empty. A few cars left overnight, streetlights buzzing overhead. It’s colder than you expect—it must’ve dropped five degrees while you were inside.

“Wait,” comes his voice, finally.

You freeze mid-step, turning.

Nicholas catches up in two strides. “Here,” he says, tugging his jacket off with a rough gesture and shoving it toward you.

You blink. “I’m fine—”

“It’s cold,” he says shortly, eyes flicking everywhere but your face. “Just take it.”

You open your mouth to argue but… it smells like him. Stupidly warm. A mix of laundry powder and something distinctively Nicholas—you can’t name it, but it always lingers near his desk and notebooks.

You grumble something under your breath and slip it on.

That’s when the drizzle starts. Just a soft mist brushing your cheeks.

Of course.

“Of course it rains now,” you mutter, half to yourself.

Nicholas exhales a dry laugh. “Of course.”

A pause.

“Funny how you only start talking when the weather’s dramatic,” you shoot, voice clipped. “Did the rain turn your social settings back on?”

You expect a smartass comment. What you get is silence.

Then: “I wasn’t ignoring you for fun,” he says, low. “I was—figuring things out.”

You snort, beginning to get annoyed. “Oh, please. You’ve been sulking and acting like I keyed your car ever since I asked Jo for help.”

“You could’ve asked me,” he snaps.

“You weren’t talking to me!”

“I needed space.”

“And I needed a partner!”

The rain thickens.

You’re both soaked now, but neither of you move. Water runs down your temples, along your jaw. Nicholas’ hair is sticking to his forehead.

“Why do you even care?” you ask, voice rising. “You clearly couldn’t stand being around me the past few days.”

“Because I do care!” he shouts back, eyes wild. “Goodness—do you think I’d spend this much time arguing with someone I didn’t care about?!”

That makes you go silent.

The air cracks, like the clouds above.

Nicholas breathes hard, chest rising and falling. “You asked why I shut down,” he mutters. “It’s because I didn’t know what to do with it. With you. With… this.”

You stare at him.

“This rivalry thing—it’s a joke now. I kept trying to pretend that was all it was. Just competition. Academic tension. Who gets the higher score.”

He laughs bitterly. “Turns out I can memorize a whole semester’s worth of Biology but I can’t figure out what to do when I see you smiling at Jo like that.”

Your heart lurches.

He swallows hard. “I hate that he gets it easy with you. I hate that he doesn’t get on your nerves. I hate that he doesn’t get under your skin like I do.” He steps closer. “But mostly, I hate that I can’t stop thinking about you—because that means you win.”

You look up at him—drenched, messy, eyes fierce.

And somehow still… soft.

He exhales. “You win, okay? You win. You’ve had me wrapped around your finger since the first time you corrected my chemical equation.”

You blink once. Twice.

And the realization—your realization—hits you like a train.

No more denial.

“…Nicho,” you say, voice barely above the patter of rain.

“What now?” he says, tired.

“Kiss me.”

His head jerks. “What?”

You step closer, fingers brushing the front of his shirt. “Just shut up and kiss me.”

And he does.

Like he’s been holding back for years.

His hand braces on the lamppost behind you, the other cupping your cheek with soaked fingers. The kiss is inexperienced, but it’s real—it’s honest. It tastes like rain and resentment and something soft underneath that neither of you know how to name yet.

You kiss him back like you mean it.

It’s not gentle.

It’s desperate and messy and rain-soaked. His lips crash into yours like he’s afraid you’ll vanish if he doesn’t hold on tight enough. Your hands fist the lapels of his shirt, tugging him closer, melting into the heat of him despite the cold.

The rain pours harder.

You don’t care.

Neither does he.

He pulls back after a while—just slightly, breathing hard. His forehead rests against yours.

“…We’re gonna get so sick,” he mumbles.

You laugh, breathless. “Like that’s the first thing in your mind right now.”

You don’t move. You just stand there, tangled in each other, in the middle of an empty parking lot at midnight, with rain running down your spines and a hundred unspoken words finally said.

You close your eyes, still feeling his hands on your waist.

You just pray the rain doesn’t get you both sick tomorrow.

The submission of your chemistry project felt like giving up your baby. It was slightly melancholic—you were sort of attached to it at this point after months of hard work on that. Except in this case the baby was unwanted, so you’re also happy to get rid of it.

It felt like the end of an era. A very long, academically traumatic, sleep-deprived era. But it’s over. Finally.

And that weight—the suffocating, soul-crushing, caffeine-fueled stress—seemed to lift the second you hit “submit.” For the first time in weeks, maybe months, you could actually breathe.

So what do you do with that sudden emptiness?

Eat, obviously.

All-you-can-eat Korean BBQ was the only correct choice. It’s been tradition ever since middle school—just you and Harua, elbow-deep in bulgogi and regret, trying to eat your exam trauma away. But this time it’s not just the two of you.

The whole class is here, filling up the big, noisy, smoky restaurant with overlapping conversations and the clatter of tongs on hot grills. People you’ve sat next to for years. People you’ve argued with, borrowed pens from, partnered with, grown up beside.

Now that it’s over—your final year of high school—you realize something that hits you harder than the delectable grilled pork in front of you: you probably won’t ever see half of them again.

You sit with Harua and Taki, the three of you forming your usual chaos corner at the end of the long table. Taki is already two cans of soda in, dramatically fanning himself from the spice while Harua is absolutely unbothered, folding lettuce wraps with the elegance of a trained professional.

“I’m telling you,” Harua says, tossing a piece of grilled pork into his wrap, “our Economics teacher is going to miss me the most. She just doesn’t know it yet.”

“You traumatized her,” you reply flatly.

“She loved it.”

Taki, through a mouthful of kimchi, chimes in, “You’re both delusional.”

You’re laughing, genuinely. You almost forget how exhausted you were. Almost forget that under the noise and chatter, Nicho is sitting just a few seats down—close enough that you can hear his voice when he talks, far enough that you can’t look at him without being obvious.

It’s not awkward though. It’s weirdly… exciting.

Because no one knows. Not yet.

You’re keeping it secret—for now. You both agreed. It’s easier this way, and honestly? A little fun. There’s something oddly thrilling about hiding in plain sight. Passing glances, little smiles. Knowing something no one else does.

That doesn’t stop people from trying.

“So,” one of your classmates says loudly across the table, “are you and Nicholas ever gonna tell us what was actually going on between you two? You’ve been rivals since year ten, and now you’re suddenly… what? Chill?”

Your brows lift, chopsticks frozen halfway to your mouth.

Here we go.

You smile a little too nicely. “We’re graduating. Gotta let it go sometime, right?”

“Oh c’mon,” someone else teases. “Not even one last dramatic insult before the school year ends?”

You shrug, popping a bite of rice into your mouth. “No point. Besides, university is a fresh start. I can’t waste brainpower on high school grudges.”

There’s laughter. Some teasing. Then the subject shifts.

But from your peripheral vision, you see Harua narrow his eyes at you.

You avoid it. You avoid him like the plague ( you know that if anything slipped he’d be the first to catch on ), which only makes his suspicion worse.

Later, when everyone’s had enough meat to feed a small country and Taki’s complaining that he might pass out from fullness, you start planning your escape.

“I’m going to get ice cream,” you say, standing and stretching your arms.

“You literally just ate three plates of brisket,” Harua mutters.

You grin. “Still have space for dessert.”

“Want me to come?”

“Nope! You and Taki are on dish duty.” You pat Harua’s head before he can argue and gesture toward the chaotic aftermath on his end of the table—used tongs, sticky wrappers, crumpled tissues. “I believe in you.”

Harua glares, but you’re already slipping away.

The convenience store next door is cool and quiet, fluorescent lights humming above neatly lined freezers. You head straight for the ice cream section—and find Nicho already there.

He doesn’t look surprised to see you.

“Let me guess,” he says, reaching for your favorite flavor without even asking. “You suddenly got the urge for dessert after dinner with thirty people.”

“Bold of you to assume I didn’t actually want dessert.”

“You think I don’t know your tells by now?” he says, a faint smirk playing on his lips.

You take the pint from his hand, fingers brushing. “I didn’t exactly see you fighting to stop me.”

He laughs softly. “Was hoping you’d come.”

You lean against the freezer door, looking at him. Really looking.

This boy. This irritating, brilliant, emotionally repressed boy who once called you stupid in a lab report and then stood in the school’s parking lot confessing like it hurt to breathe if he didn’t.

He steps a little closer.

“I missed you today,” he says quietly, like it’s the easiest thing in the world.

“We sat at the same table.”

“Not the same,” he murmurs, eyes flicking to yours.

You exhale. “I wanted to say something, but…”

“I know.” His hand finds yours. Not tightly. Just enough. “We’ll tell them when we’re ready.”

“Until then?”

“We meet by the ice cream freezer.”

You laugh, leaning in just enough that your forehead rests against his. For a second, time stalls. There’s nothing but the soft hum of lights and the rhythm of your breaths.

“I really like you,” you whisper.

“Good,” he says, lips brushing your forehead, “Because you’re stuck with me.”

There’s not much words exchanged from thereon. His lips breathlessly on yours as his cold hands cup your face gently. A quick exchange before the need for secrecy befalls the both of you once more.

Thank goodness you’re not wearing lip gloss.

You end up buying two pints. One for the group. One for the two of you. No one questions it.

Harua gives you a look, of course. Taki is too busy dying from a food coma to notice anything. The night goes on.

And somewhere between the clinking glasses, the greasy chopsticks, and the chaos of old memories—

You realize something else.

This is the end of a chapter.

But maybe, just maybe, it’s the beginning of a better one.

Thank goodness your school never put money on upgrading that class app, no?

— THE END. —

TAGLIST: @ja4hyvn @flwoie @sulkygyu @xiaoderrrr @ineedaherosavemeenow @lonewolfjinji @teddywonss @taerae-verse @bbangbies @Ize325 @hyeinsveil @staytinyzenlexie @yudaies @slytherinshua

NETWORKS: @k-labels @lune-net @k-films

© astrae4 2025 | please don’t copy, translate, or plagiarize my works on all platforms!

[bluukive]

!MDNI: JJK men as Omegas

an - I find this so funny. Warning for explicit detail no one needed or asked for

ᡣ𐭩 G. Satoru

WHINY. Normally, Satoru's so playful. It's in his stupid omega nature. But once his heats kick in, he's rolling around like a rotisserie chicken with his back arched, moaning your name so obnoxiously. He's adamant on getting his scent EVERYWHERE. If he has to feel so ridiculously aroused, then so do you.

As for his scent, it's rather subtle outside of his heats. But during them? It's sickeningly sweet like vanilla and clogs up your nostrils, kind of like how the air does before a storm. Your tongue feels heavy to the point where you can taste it.

Okay, so his slick... silky, clear and also very sweet. He's constantly leaking to the point where if you pull his boxers down, there's glossy strands connecting his twitching thighs together. It tingles when it somehow ends up in your mouth ('somehow' - you ate him out whilst simultaneously jẹrking him off whilst he was on all fours). Poor guy physically can't stop himself from leaking all the time.

CRIES. Especially when he cụms. Every inch of him feels as if it's on fire as he rolls his hips against whatever's nearest to him. Doesn't matter to him if you're an alpha or not. He needs to be in something or have something in him. Both at the same time, even.

Nipplẹs are incredibly sensitive. If you aren't sucking on them, then he's rolling them around between his slender fingers, trying to get as much stimulation as possible. He wants your hands on him at all times and gets very needy. He doesn't want anyone else to touch him but you.

Plugs lol. Wants to feel himself stretch around something, especially if you can't provide him a knot. He likes feeling feel full, and will happily plug himself whilst emptying himself into you.

ᡣ𐭩 G. Suguru

A surprising one. Very vocal during his heats and will let your name roll of his tongue like a prayer. Suguru's extremely feline-like with that purring voice of his, which does crack when the spikes of arousal hit him repeatedly.

Slightly mąsochistic, wants you to edge him repeatedly until his slick pools beneath his ąss and his cọck is drooling with pre. He thinks that the orgasm is better that way when he's forced into being good for you.

Slick, hmm... Slightly thicker than Satoru's and warm. Tastes like his scent (honey) and takes longer to leak out of him. His heat doesn't feel as frantic, and his slick is representative of that. It's kind of sticky when you taste him, but probably makes for a good lipgloss...? Idk I'm just being silly

He gets all antsy when you get too gentle with him. Suguru will let you know if you want it that way, but usually? He wants to be covered with evidence that he's been thoroughly pleasured. That includes hịckies, hand prints, the whole lot.

His scent gets progressively sweeter the more you turn him on. It's not as heavy as Satoru's, and one might consider trying to bottle up his slick to turn into candles (I read this on wattpad once when I was too young and it stuck with me)

ᡣ𐭩 N. Kento

Fake nonchalant final boss. Nanami tries to act like this is another day for him, but the scent of spices become more prominent when you're in close proximity. Once you touch him, he's a goner. He's nuzzling his face deep into your palm, which is cute enough, but he's already tensed up and grimacing at the way his ąss is getting ready for you.

His slick also tingles a tad and is slightly more watery than everyone else's. It's the tiniest bit bitter, sort of how if you lick perfume/cologne DIRECTLY off of someone's neck. It's so, so him. That being said, Nanami hates leaking because of the sensory implications his slick brings him.

He gets so handsy and desperate for the feel of your lips on his since it brings him back down to Earth. Nanami is quiet throughout it all, almost ashamed of how much he needs you. He becomes reliant on your reassurances and holds your hand if he wants to be fụcked.

BRẸEDING. Wants to be THOROUGHLY bred. Unfortunately, he doesn't know how to ask, but at least both of you are incredibly in tune with each other. His ąss will clench repeatedly around you when he's at the bottom (but then he stops because the slick so filthily squelches when he does that, and he gets shy)

ᡣ𐭩 S. Ryomen

Bites, growls, snarls. Sukuna is completely feral, even as an omega. He's into marking you more than he's into being marked, but he does like being clawed at. It just makes the slick leak out of him even more in hot, weighted oozes.

His slick...It feels both solid and the same time somehow, and the smell hits your nose with a tangy note. You'd rather not have it in your mouth since the taste lingers long after his heats are done (which are longer than the average omega). If you won't try it, Sukuna will. I don't know why but I feel like he would.

Destroys the whole bedroom. Nothing is left of the sheets and it's quite comical how he lounges around with an arm behind his head. As if the middle of the bed isn't sinking because of the intensity of how he broke the mattress.

Hates being teased. You're not edging him, you're not licking his cock, and you're definitely not wasting time on fingering his ąss either. He's wet and loose enough to take whatever you're able to give him (personally, I find that outrageous).

ᡣ𐭩 T. Fushiguro

Feral pt. 2. He thinks he's so big and bad pinning you down like that, but Toji's begging for some sort of touch. He cries tears that he tries to wipe away, but you notice anyway (even if he hides them under a growl).

Toji is unashamed of how he drips all over. He takes pride in it, knowing that it doesn't diminish his masculinity in the slightest. His slick is syrupy and incredibly potent, the thick ropes clinging to his ąss and thighs much like Satoru. It gets everywhere.

The scent of his slick (and him in general) is incredibly musky and earthy. There's a smokey undertone to it accompanied by the taste of caramel. The scent gets you almost drunk immediately, triggering your own arousal. It tastes the same but more pleasant than Sukuna's.

Surprisingly wants to be manhandled, which is tough because he's huge. But at the bare minimum, he's rịding you like a pro. His hips are fluid, and you can see the veins in his body become prominent with frustration the longer he goes without cụmming thick, creamy loads all over you both.

Licks a lot and wants to scent everything you both own. Panty thief Toji comes back, and he's got a hoard of your underwear scattered across the bed. One's even around his cọck when you walk in on him (recurring theme I fear).

[luvyeni]

𝐀 𝐕𝐈𝐑𝐆𝐈𝐍 𝐖𝐇𝐎 𝐂𝐀𝐍'𝐓 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 ! 𓂃 ㅤ박성훈 ㅤㅤ

ㅤ୨ৎ no one in your friend group couldn't understand why you and sunghoon stopped being friends after freshman year of college; they all chalked it up as for reasons only you and he knew about , you and sunghoon couldnt get along, and when he threatened to tell your brother something your deepest darkest secret you called him a virgin who couldn't read to your 24k fans and the name spread throughout the campus…

or in which ‧ a year later sunghoon still holds your secret over your head , claiming “future blackmailing” but that's just easier to explain why he's your number one viewer or why he even hated you in the first place …

starring … park sunghoon ‧ female reader

genre. friends to enemies to lovers,written + smau, they hate each other but thinks the other is hot

general warnings◞  mature content, jokes amongst friends not meant for social settings, alcohol usage, drug usage, jake x reader sometimes more tba …

playlist ... slow down chase atlantic collide justine skye nobody gets me sza killin' me good jihyo oh my god g-idle

featuring … enhypen all loossemble yeojin kiss of life natty stayc yoon

status: on going updates: everyday released date: nov. 8

taglist. open — just ask to be added to taglist ends when smau starts !!!

PROFILES ! sugarbabies!! | average drug users activities!!

CHAPTERS ╱

OOO. INTRO: a year ago ...

OO1. a year later …

OO2. so fucking crazy …

OO3. very fucking funny 🙄 …

OO4. get over it …

OO5. evil ingrate …

OO6. academicallye challenged …

OO7. close proximity …

OO8. i put it on jakes life …

OO9. girls… tell us …

O10. too soon 😔 …

O11. here with you …

O12. horrible, so are you …

O13. that’s a lot 😳 …

O14. 35% pity points …

O15. mina? mina who??

O16. im calm …

O17. forgive me??

O18. love ??

O19. cabin fever …

O20. winter extravaganza ❄️ …

O21. minas pov …

O22. after math …

O23. fix this …

O24. a week later …

O25. og crash out …

O26. she got him 😔 …

O27. blind …

O28. our family 😭 ...

O29. i hate it ...

O30. i fear he is …

O31. im helpless …

O32. tell me princess …

O33. he’s mine 💗 …

O34. he’s a demon …

O35. matching set and kidnapping ...

©LUVYENI translations to other sites prohibited, reblogs are appreciated but not forced !

[cruel-as-sin]

what happens when you say “i hate you” to different versions of logan (gender neutral) (smut version)

inspired by a conversation with @lostinlovingrevery, hope you all enjoy!

70s!logan

you’ve been having a really bad day. a really, really bad day. the last thing you need is logan brushing you off because he’s “got shit to do, doll.” so you say it, with a stomp of your foot for dramatic effect. you don’t mean it, he knows that. but you aren’t expecting him to also know exactly what you’re asking for, rough hands grabbing you by the hips and shoving you down onto the couch. he grumbles curses under his breath, fumbling with his belt buckle, and you can’t even process what’s happening before he’s pushing into you. the stretch, the burn, the overwhelming fullness, cause your eyes to roll back into your head. upon seeing this, a pleased expression comes to his face. your mind goes blank within moments, no thoughts except the man pounding into you, cigar still perched in his mouth, smoke blurring your vision as he grunts. “there we go. finally fuckin’ quiet.”

origins!logan

you don’t hate him, you hate the grocery store and those assholes at work and the guy who cut you off when you were driving home. but it just kind of slips out- you’re stressed, anxious, and your sweetheart of a boyfriend unintentionally becomes your punching bag. you’ve barely gotten out an apology before he’s wrapped his arms around your waist, pulling you flush against him. he studies you with a serious expression, hands rubbing circles against your hips. “you hate me, huh?” you try to reassure him that no, of course you don’t, but he won’t listen, the playful glint in his eyes betraying his true intentions. “seems like we oughta fix that.” despite your protests that you’re fine, he carries you to bed with ease, laying you down and using his tongue to work as many orgasms out of you as you need to be happy and satisfied. “feelin’ better, sunshine?”

animated!logan

it comes after he’s slammed you into the danger room floor for the twentieth time that day. you’re utterly exhausted, just wanting one fucking win, but he’s not letting up. he doesn’t take it easy on you- never does. you have a lot of respect for him for it, but goddamn does it piss you off. that was probably the wrong thing to say, though, given the way he’s staring down at you right now. “hate me? that’s harsh, bub.” something predatory flashes in his eyes. “must not wanna touch me then either.” you get to your feet, glaring daggers back at him. he draws it out with a smug smile, waiting for you to admit the truth- it’s not about if you give in, but when. you’re too proud to admit it- so instead you drag him to the nearest closet, sinking to your knees and unbuckling his belt. his hand fists itself in your hair, guiding your pace as he fucks your throat. he makes you take all of him, forcing you down to the base, grinning when you choke on his cock. “don’t worry. i’ll take this as an apology.”

trilogy!logan

you’re play fighting in the kitchen- a common occurrence as he tries to interrupt whatever you’re doing. today it borders on arguing, which is why the exasperated words direct themselves his way, punctuated by a “so much” for emphasis. he just looks at you, with his gorgeous face that has your stomach doing flips, taking a few steps closer until he’s invading your space. “that’s not what you were saying last night, baby.” the memory of last night, his touch and his filthy words in your ear, brings heat to your cheeks. his breath hits your skin, his mouth tantalizingly close to yours, the proximity making you squirm. before you know it, you’re upstairs, a smug smile on his face as he makes you fall apart with his fingers, begging and pleading for more. the way you writhe underneath him confirms what you won’t confess, and he hums in fake contemplation. “guess you don’t hate me that much after all.”

2013!logan

you want to go out into the city, he tells you it’s not safe. it’s a debate that’s been going around in circles for days until you finally let the words slip. his silence, paired with the flash of anger in his eyes, tells you that was a mistake, but it’s too late to take it back now. not that you would dream of it as he drags you to the bedroom, one rough hand grabbing your chin and forcing you to look in the mirror as he sinks you down onto his length. the other lifts your hips up then drops you back down again, a slow but brutal pace. it’s too much, and you feel lightheaded as he growls in your ear. “what do you say, sweet thing?“ still, you’re coherent enough to remember your manners, babbling incoherent thanks and apologies, reduced to a basic vocabulary as he impales you on his cock over and over. tears begin to stream down your face, and his firm hold keeps you there, made to see the way he wrecks you completely, the way you fucking love it.

dofp!logan

you’re tied down to the bed, silk rope binding your wrists and ankles. he’s been teasing you for hours. logan always likes to play with his food- slow, methodical, taking his time with you. and god, you enjoy it, but you’ve been good today and you just want your reward. the words are muttered, frustrated, and you’re grateful when he keeps going. you think must not have heard you by the way he’s bringing you closer and closer to that delicious peak, until his gravely voice is right next to your ear. “careful.” he takes your chin, making you look at him as he pulls his hand away from where you need it most. his eyes are serious, his tone a warning, one that only further turns you on. a whine escapes you, your hips bucking at just how close you are, how much you need this. “don’t want me to leave you here, do you, honey?” he smiles in satisfaction when you immediately shake your head, begging him not to do that to you. “that’s what i thought.”

old man!logan

you know you shouldn’t have said it. of course you know you shouldn’t have said it, but that didn’t stop you from doing it anyway. logan doesn’t move from the armchair he’s sitting in, whiskey bottle lowering from his lips. he raises an eyebrow, looking up at you with an unamused expression. “you done?” meekly, you swallow and nod, mumbling a sorry and thinking that’ll be the end of it. but you think wrong. he sets the bottle on the table, turning to face you again, something serious in his eyes. “c’mere.” he pays his lap. you move to sit, but he stops you with a firm hand against your thigh. “bend over, sweetheart.” your heart races as you realize what your punishment will be. you do as he says, and soon enough, your eyes are filled with tears from the spanking he delivers you. “you know better than to pull that shit on me.” he grumbles, clearly disappointed in your attitude. “don’t do it again, y’hear me? got enough to worry about without you bein’ a brat.”

worst!logan

you’re standing outside the door of your apartment when it happens. you’ve been lamenting to wade and vanessa about how much logan drives you crazy, with his stupid face and huge muscles and unfairly sexy voice. unbeknownst to you, logan is just down the hall, coming back from the grocery store. looking back, you’re fairly certain both wade and vanessa knew he was coming before you did, deciding to leave you to your cruel fate. it isn’t until you feel strong hands on your hips and warm breath on the back of your neck and a suspiciously familiar sexy voice in your ear that you realize the trap you’ve stepped into. “you’re hurting my feelings.” you turn around and are met with a fake pout. who knows where wade and vanessa went, all you know is that he’s backing you up against your door, continuing to get closer even as you stumble through apologies. “that’s it? you’re sorry?” he flashes a toothy grin, something predatory gleaming in his eyes. “come on, angel. i know you can do better than that.” he’s cornering you: nothing to do, nowhere to run- except, of course, his lips. so you give in, tongue crashing against yours, his body enveloping your senses. and trust me, he’s gonna make sure you never think a single damn bad thing about him again.

patch!logan

you’re in the casino, begging him to let you get in on a game. he says your job is to just “sit here and look pretty, darlin’,” but you’re getting really fucking bored. the moment the words cross your lips, you regret it. not just because you don’t mean it, but because you can see immediately that logan is pissed. he gives you a look the likes of which he’s never given you before, and nearly shoves you off of his lap. you wait by the edge of the table until the place empties out for the night, thinking maybe he just needed to get it out of his system. but even when the two of you are alone once more, he still doesn’t say a word, just leans back and spreads his legs- a command, and you must obey it. so you do. crawling towards him on your hands and knees, reaching up to undo his belt buckle. as you pull his cock out, beginning to stroke him, the tip of his boot presses against your thigh, and you realize what he wants you to do. you’ll do anything to make it up to him, including sacrificing your pride. so you do: grinding on his boot, pathetic whimpers leaving your lips, muffled by the way your mouth is wrapped around his cock. all the while he says nothing, staring down at you with a menacing expression, and the only thing you can do is pray that you’ll be good enough that he’ll show you mercy.

cowboy!logan

you don’t even remember what you were fighting with him about. no, that left your head the second the unimpressed expression took over his face and the words “that so?” left his lips. you nod- stupidly, you nod. then you step back, but it’s too late, his lasso wrapping around you and tugging you closer to him. “ooh.” he sucks air in through his teeth, shaking his head with a heavily disappointed expression. “that’s gonna be a problem, isn’t it?” he doesn’t let you answer, pulling on the lasso a little harder and sending you stumbling to the ground. he leans down to be face to face with you, jerking his head toward the empty farmhouse a few hundred meters away. “you’d better find a way to make it up to me, sugar. and fast.” when you still don’t move, don’t say anything, he frowns, clicking his tongue at you. “get to it.” and now his voice has that commanding tone, and suddenly you are letting him pull you towards the dirty mattress in the farmhouse, tying your wrists to the bedpost as he cages you in.

[kflixnet]

Check out our member Duckie's fic teaser!

𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐑𝐎𝐑𝐒 — teaser

nonidol!ji changmin x f!reader

your sister's dead, but apparently that's not the most shocking news. maybe she wasn't killed on accident, maybe ji changmin isn't really human, and maybe the monsters were never under the bed but all around you...

▷ genre, teaser warnings. strangers 2 reluctant friends/allies 2 lovers, slow burn, demon/supernatural creature au, forced proximity trope, murder mystery, suspense; mention of a weapon, one allusion to god (im not religious and this fic does not elaborate on religion), mention of food, mention of blood

▷ est. wc. 30-40k (isn't that range funny 💀)

▷ projected release date. sometime in november? as long as i like it lol FIND IT HERE

▷ comment/send an ask to be added to the taglist! those on my permanent taglist will automatically be tagged.

TEASER BELOW THE CUT (APPROX. 300 WORDS)

The thought had you waving a fry at him. "The switchblade," you began, drawing his attention and pancake-stuffed cheeks, "what was it? It definitely wasn't something human-made."

Changmin swallowed his bite. "It was an angel blade."

"You're kidding," you drawled in disbelief.

He challenged your stare. "Believe it or not, it was. Forged up there." He lifted the prongs of his fork up toward the ceiling, shaking his bangs out of his eyes.

Your jaw dropped. "So the Big Man Upstairs does exist?"

"I mean, I don't really know. I've never met him if he does. I just know the angels are ruled by the Seraphim," he told you. "Lots of hierarchical bullshit I didn't care to pay attention to."

He impaled another piece of pancake. "Angel blades are one of the few things that can kill a creature like that."

"A demon?" You asked.

"Yes. Lower level demons are easier to kill, especially with a blade like the one I gave you." He shoved the bite into his cheek to continue, "That's why I was able to take on multiple at once."

You made a noise of indignation. "So you're telling me you're a higher level demon?"

His shoulders fell in a half-hearted shrug.

"Helpful," you muttered as you washed your meal down with bittersweet coffee. You paused for a moment, cleaning your fingers off with a napkin. "The… the licking thing."

Changmin's eyes could not meet yours. "Mhm."

"Do you… do you do that often?"

"No," he said curtly. "That party trick only works on humans and I don't really enjoy the taste of blood."

You pursed your lips at his rather clipped response. "Oh." You recalled the sound he'd made as he cleaned your blood up with his tongue at the motel… maybe it was something out of disgust. You suddenly felt out of place, like you had made his shoulders tense up and the air crackle. You racked your brain. "I—thanks, by the way."

With a cough, he murmured, "Welcome. Couldn't have you dying on me."

You nursed your coffee cup, reaching up to absentmindedly fondle the pendant under your shirt. "Yeah."

a/n: this is currently my pride and joy, pls do not tear it apart </3 i thought this genre would be a nice challenge, but instead, it became something like a passion project ksnfksnf

tbz m.list

permanent taglist: @flwoie @vatterie @seomisaho @hqrana @ja4hyvn @tinkerbell460 @kaaimins @hyunjaespresent-deobi @otterly-fey @zzoguri @floatingpluto @winterchimez @ethereal-engene @gyulfriend @polarisjisung @jaehunnyy @shakalakaboomboo @loveliestfelix @bless-311 @zhaixiaowen @leaz-kpop-life @amourdsr @pxppxrminty @kqyutie @sseastar-main @kxthleen14 @fluorescentloves @mosviqu @justalildumpling @jaerisdiction @super-btstrash-posts @jundundun @http-gyu @mvvnsseul @outrologist @vernonburger @maessseongs @ericlvr @kflixnet

[natsaffection]

THIS IDEA MIGHT BE HELLAA ASS but we’re stull pushing through👏👏

So basically the team could be heading back from a mission and stuff. And reader could just be like incredibly exhausted, laying across a few of the many seats of the jet. Reader was minding her business, on the verge of sleeping. But soon felt a weight on her stomach, specifically where a large dark bruise resided as her breath was knocked from her . Soon enough, reader realizes it’s Natasha on top of her, making reader squirm and argue because there was way more open seats surrounding them and Natasha had to sit on her. But unbeknownst to reader, that was Natasha’s way of trying to court / flirt with her.

Ends w/ smut? G!p Natasha is the way to go😼

-💋

Footage. | N.R

Warnings: 18+! MINORS DNI!, G!P Natasha, Teasing, oral (r receiving), fingering (r receiving), unprotected Sex, filming, multiple orgasm

Word count: 4,1k

A/n: *sending this my gf. What?

The mission had been grueling. The team was physically and mentally exhausted as they made their way back to the quinjet. The adrenaline that had fueled them during the intense combat was now rapidly draining, leaving behind only fatigue. You trudged up the ramp of the quinjet, your limbs heavy and your mind foggy with exhaustion. You found an empty row of seats toward the back and collapsed onto them, stretching out across the length of the seats. The cool material of the seat against your cheek was a welcome comfort as you closed your eyes, your body finally starting to relax.

The gentle hum of the quinjet's engines as they powered up for takeoff was like a lullaby, lulling you toward the edges of sleep. Your muscles unwound, and you allowed yourself to sink deeper into the comfort of the seats, the noises of the team settling in around you fading into the background. But just as you were on the verge of slipping into unconsciousness, you felt a sudden pressure on your midsection. The breath was forced from your lungs as something, or rather someone, planted themselves firmly on top of you. Your eyes snapped open, and you let out a small, startled gasp, struggling to inhale as you squirmed beneath the unexpected weight.

Looking up, you found yourself staring into the mischievous green eyes of Natasha. She had straddled your hips, her full weight pressing down, an amused smirk playing on her lips as she watched your reaction. “N-Natasha!” you managed to wheeze out, still trying to catch your breath. You squirmed beneath the spy, trying to shift her into a more comfortable position, but Natasha only leaned in further, making it even harder for you to move.

“What are you doing!?” you asked, your voice breathless, half from the pressure on your lungs and half from the proximity of Natasha’s face to your own. Natasha chuckled softly, her breath warm against your skin. “You looked too comfortable.” she teased, her smirk widening as she shifted her position slightly, causing you to squirm even more. “Can’t have you getting too relaxed, can we?”

You glared up at her, though the effect was somewhat diminished by the flush creeping up your cheeks. “You’re crushing me!” you protested, but there was no real heat in your words. If anything, there was a certain warmth in your tone, a softness that you rarely showed. Natasha’s gaze softened slightly as she looked down at you, though the playful glint in her eyes remained. “Maybe I just wanted a more comfortable seat..” she replied, her tone light but with a hint of something deeper beneath it. You rolled your eyes, though you couldn’t help the small smile tugging at your lips. “And you thought I’d make a good cushion??”

“Best seat in the house.” Natasha quipped. You tried to shift again, a little more forcefully this time, but Natasha didn’t budge. You gave her an exasperated look, your brow furrowing slightly as you pointedly glanced around the quinjet. “There are plenty of other seats, Natasha. You really don’t have to sit on me!”

Natasha tilted her head slightly, her smirk deepening as she looked around the empty seats, then back at you. “I know.” she replied casually, clearly aware of the open space around them. She adjusted her position slightly, pressing her weight down a bit more, which made you squirm beneath her again. “But none of them looked as inviting as this one.” You groaned, trying to push Natasha off with more determination this time. “I’m not a chair, Romanoff..”

Natasha chuckled softly, her voice taking on a teasing lilt. “Could’ve fooled me. You're warm, soft, and..” She leaned in closer, her voice dropping to a whisper that sent a shiver down your spine. “Very comfortable.” You were about to retort when you suddenly froze, feeling something pressing against your thigh. It wasn’t the first time you’d felt Natasha’s anatomy during your close moments, but this time, it was.. different. Your eyes widened slightly as you realized what it meant. Natasha was hard. The pressure against your thigh was firmer than usual, unmistakable, and the realization sent a jolt of surprise and something else through you.

You gasped softly, your breath hitching in your throat as you looked up at Natasha, searching her face for any sign that she was aware of what you had just noticed. But Natasha’s expression was still playful, her smirk firmly in place, though there was an added intensity in her eyes that hadn’t been there before.

“N-Natasha..” you whispered, your voice tinged with surprise and uncertainty. “You’re..you’re-” Natasha’s smirk widened, her eyes darkening with a mixture of amusement and desire. “Yes?” she prompted, clearly enjoying the effect she was having on you. You swallowed hard, your mind racing as you tried to process what was happening. “You..like this?”

Natasha’s gaze softened slightly, though her playful demeanor remained. “Maybe you’re just more comfortable than you think.” she teased, her voice low and smooth as she leaned in closer, her breath warm against your ear. Your heart pounded in your chest, your body caught between the overwhelming sensation of Natasha’s presence and the confusion swirling in your thoughts. “I didn’t think..I mean, I didn’t realize..” you stammered, your face flushing with embarrassment and a hint of something more.

Natasha chuckled softly, the sound vibrating through your chest. “Didn’t realize what?” she asked, her voice a low purr. “That being close to you does things to me?” You felt a shiver run down your spine at Natasha’s words, the implications of her tone sending your mind spinning. “I just..I didn’t know you felt that way.” you admitted, your voice trembling slightly as you looked up at Natasha, trying to gauge her intentions. Natasha’s smirk softened into a more genuine smile, though there was still a playful glint in her eyes. “I think you’ve been too busy trying to keep your distance to notice.”

“I wasn’t… I wasn’t trying to keep my distance!” you said. “Weren’t you?” Natasha asked, her voice soft but probing. “You’ve always seemed a little..hesitant. Like you’re afraid to get too close.” You opened your mouth to respond, but the words caught in your throat. You hadn’t realized it yourself, but Natasha was right..you had been holding back, keeping a certain distance between you even though you didn’t fully understand why. Natasha’s expression softened even more as she saw the uncertainty in your eyes. “You don’t have to be afraid.” she said gently, her voice filled with sincerity. “I’m not going to push you into anything you’re not ready for.”

You swallowed hard, your thoughts swirling as you tried to make sense of your emotions. Despite the initial shock, there was a part of you that was undeniably intrigued, even..excited by this new revelation. “I’m not..afraid.” you finally admitted, “Just..surprised.”

Natasha smiled, a genuine, warm smile that reached her eyes. “Good.” she said softly, her thumb gently brushing against your cheek. “Because I don’t want you to be scared. I want you to feel safe..and wanted.” Your heart swelled at Natasha’s words, the sincerity in her voice cutting through the confusion and fear. You could see now that Natasha wasn’t just teasing you, there was real emotion behind her actions, a desire that had been simmering beneath the surface for some time. You took a deep breath, trying to steady yourself as you looked up at Natasha. “I do feel safe with you.” you admitted softly, your voice barely above a whisper. “And..maybe more than that.”

Natasha’s eyes softened, her smile widening slightly as she leaned in closer, her breath warm against your lips. “Good.” she murmured, her voice filled with a mix of affection and desire. “Because I’ve been waiting for you to realize that.”

As the flight continued, Natasha stayed exactly where she was, never giving you a chance to fully relax. Her fingers would occasionally brush along your arm, or her hips would shift just enough to make you painfully aware of Natasha’s arousal pressing against you. Each teasing touch sent jolts through you, making you bite your lip to stifle any sound that might escape. “Natasha..” you groaned, your body tense as you tried to subtly push Natasha off without drawing the attention of the rest of the team. “You’re doing this on purpose..”

Natasha leaned down, her lips almost brushing your ear as she whispered back, “Maybe. Does it bother you?” You swallowed hard, your mind and body at war. “You’re going to make me lose my mind!” you muttered, a mixture of frustration and something dangerously close to desire coloring your tone. Natasha chuckled softly, her breath warm against your skin. “That’s the idea.”

The rest of the flight was an agonizing mix of teasing touches and unspoken tension. Your heart pounded in your chest, your mind spinning with the knowledge of what Natasha was doing and what it meant. You tried to maintain your composure, but every time Natasha’s hand brushed against your skin or she shifted her hips, it became harder and harder to keep your cool. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the quinjet touched down at the Avengers compound. The team began to unbuckle and prepare to disembark, the exhaustion from the mission weighing on everyone except, it seemed, Natasha..

As the others filed out of the quinjet, Natasha finally lifted herself off of you, giving you a smirk that was full of promise. You sat up, trying to catch your breath, your mind still reeling from the intense flight. But as you stood to follow the others out, you heard the soft click of the quinjet door closing behind you. You turned around, your heart skipping a beat as you saw Natasha standing there, blocking the exit, her eyes locked onto yours with an intensity that made your knees weak.

“Natasha…” you started, your voice trailing off as you realized exactly what was about to happen. Her smirk widened, her eyes dark with intent. “I think it’s time we finished what we started.” she said, her voice low and filled with the promise of what was to come. Your breath caught in your throat, a mix of anticipation and nervousness flooding your senses. You knew exactly what Natasha wanted..what she had been teasing you with throughout the flight and there was no escaping it now. Not that you wanted to.

Taking a deep breath, you stepped toward Natasha, your heart pounding as you closed the distance between you. “You’re relentless, you know that?” you murmured. Natasha’s eyes softened just a fraction as she reached out to cup your cheek, her thumb brushing lightly across your skin. “Only when it’s something I really want.”

You leaned into Natasha’s touch, your resolve finally breaking as you allowed yourself to fully embrace the feelings you had been trying to suppress. “And what do you want?” you whispered, already knowing the answer. Natasha’s lips curled into a slow, satisfied smile. “You.”

With that, Natasha closed the remaining distance between you, capturing your lips in a deep, passionate kiss. You melted into the kiss, all the tension and teasing from the flight finally giving way to the overwhelming connection between you. “Nat, we’re still in the jet..” you whispered urgently, your voice shaky with a mix of nervousness and desire. “There are cameras..Anyone could see this.”

Natasha paused, her lips hovering just above your skin as she met your gaze with a mischievous smile. “I know.” she replied, her voice low and laced with amusement. “That’s part of the fun.” Your eyes widened further, your heart pounding as you tried to process Natasha’s words. “You’re not serious..” you breathed, though you could see in Natasha’s eyes that she very much was.

Natasha let out a soft, sultry laugh, her hand coming up to cup your cheek. “Dead serious.” she whispered, her thumb brushing lightly across your lips. “I can watch it over and over again, anytime I want.”

Before you could say anything else, Natasha’s hands were on you again, pushing you gently but firmly back onto the seats. You let out a soft gasp as you felt the cool leather against your back again, your pulse quickening as Natasha climbed on top of you, her body pressing you down into the seat. Her hands moved with deliberate slowness, her fingers tracing teasing patterns along your body, making you squirm beneath her touch. “Relax..” Natasha whispered, her voice like velvet as her fingers slid under your shirt, brushing against your skin. “I’m going to make you feel good. Just let me.”

Your breath hitched as Natasha’s touch grew bolder, her fingers dancing across your stomach before moving lower. “N-Nat..” you breathed, your voice a mix of anticipation and need, as Natasha’s hand slid between your thighs, applying just enough pressure to make you gasp. Natasha smiled down at you, her eyes dark with desire as she leaned in, capturing your lips in a slow, deep kiss. As your lips moved together, Natasha’s fingers began to tease you through your clothes, drawing soft moans from you as you arched into the touch.

Breaking the kiss, Natasha pulled back slightly, her eyes locking with yours as she continued her teasing. “You’re so responsive..” she murmured, her voice filled with admiration as she watched you writhe beneath her. “I love how you react to me.” Your cheeks flushed, your breath coming in short, uneven gasps as Natasha’s hand moved with increasing intensity. “Nat, please..” you whispered, your voice filled with desperation as you felt the tension building inside you.

Natasha’s smile turned predatory as she pulled back, her hands moving to quickly remove your pants, leaving you bare and exposed to the cool air of the jet. You shivered, a mix of anticipation and vulnerability washing over you as Natasha spread your thighs apart, her gaze hungry as she took in the sight of you. Without another word, Natasha lowered herself between your legs, her breath warm against your skin as she placed soft, teasing kisses along your inner thighs. Your breath hitched, your body trembling with need as Natasha’s lips moved closer to where you craved her touch the most.

Finally, Natasha’s mouth found its target, and you let out a sharp gasp as you felt Natasha’s tongue flick against you, the sensation sending a bolt of pleasure through your body. Natasha’s hands gripped your hips, holding you in place as she began to work her tongue with expert precision, her every movement calculated to drive you closer to the edge. Your head fell back against the seat, your hands gripping the edge of the seat as you struggled to stay grounded in the overwhelming waves of pleasure that Natasha was pulling from you. “Natasha..!” you moaned, your voice a breathless plea as Natasha’s tongue moved faster, each stroke bringing you closer to the release you desperately needed.

Natasha hummed in response, the vibration sending another jolt of pleasure through you as she continued her relentless assault. Your body tensed, your back arching as you felt yourself teetering on the edge, the intensity of the moment nearly too much to bear. With a final, precise movement of her tongue, Natasha pushed you over the edge, and you cried out as the orgasm crashed over you, your body trembling uncontrollably. Natasha didn’t stop, her tongue continuing to move, drawing out every last bit of your release until you were left breathless and spent.

As you lay there, your chest heaving as you tried to catch your breath, Natasha finally pulled back, her lips glistening as she looked up at you with a satisfied smile. “You taste even better than I imagined..” she murmured, as she wiped the back of her hand across her mouth. You blushed deeply, your heart still racing as you looked down at Natasha, unable to form coherent words in the aftermath of what had just happened. But Natasha wasn’t done. She rose slowly, her hands sliding up your legs as she came to hover over you, her eyes dark with renewed desire.

“You’re not getting away that easily.” Natasha whispered, her voice husky as she began to undress herself. “We’re just getting started.” Your eyes widened as you watched Natasha, your breath catching in your throat as the redhead’s clothes fell away, revealing her toned, beautiful body. You knew exactly what Natasha intended to do next, and the anticipation sent another wave of heat through you, reigniting the desire that had barely begun to fade.

“f-fuck-” you started, but the words died in your throat as Natasha leaned down, capturing your lips in a searing kiss that left no room for doubt. Natasha’s hands were everywhere, touching, teasing, and claiming your body with an intensity that left you breathless. As Natasha positioned herself between your legs, you felt a mix of nervousness and overwhelming desire.

Natasha broke the kiss, her eyes locking onto yours as she whispered, “You’re mine. And I’m going to make sure you know it.” With that, Natasha pushed forward, entering you with a slow, deliberate motion that made you gasp. Natasha’s eyes never left yours, the connection between you deep and intense as your bodies finally came together. Your hands gripped Natasha’s shoulders, your nails digging into her skin as you moaned softly, the sensation of Natasha filling you overwhelming your senses. Natasha moved with purpose, each thrust calculated to bring you higher, your bodies moving together in perfect sync.

The intensity of the moment built quickly, each movement driving you closer and closer to the edge. Your moans filled the cabin, your body responding to Natasha’s every touch, every thrust, as you felt yourself spiraling toward another climax. Natasha’s breathing grew more ragged, her control slipping as she felt herself nearing the edge as well. “Fuck! Y/n..” she gasped, her voice filled with a mix of desperation and adoration as she thrust deeper, harder, chasing the release she knew you both craved.

Your body tensed, your muscles tightening as the pressure built to an almost unbearable level. With a final, deep thrust, Natasha pushed you both over the edge, and you cried out as the orgasm tore through you, your body convulsing in pleasure as Natasha followed you over the edge, your bodies trembling together in the aftermath. As the waves of pleasure slowly subsided, Natasha collapsed onto you, her breath coming in heavy gasps as she pressed her forehead against yours, your bodies still entwined. For a long moment, neither of you spoke, the only sound in the cabin your ragged breathing as you both came down from the high of your shared release.

Finally, Natasha lifted her head, her eyes soft as she looked down at you, a small, satisfied smile playing on her lips. “You’re amazing, you know that?” she whispered, her voice filled with affection as she brushed a strand of hair away from your face. You smiled weakly, your body still tingling from the intensity of what had just happened. “You’re not so bad yourself..” you murmuredas you try to catch your breath.

Natasha’s expression shifted, a mischievous glint returning to her eyes as she seemed to consider something. Without warning, Natasha moved, pulling you up and turning you so you were on your hands and knees, your body facing one of the cameras mounted in the corner of the jet. You gasped at the sudden movement, your heart racing as you realized what Natasha intended. “W-Wait, no, no, you wont..!”

Natasha didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she ran her hands down your back, admiring the way you shivered under her touch. “You’re going to look so beautiful in this footage..” Natasha murmured, her voice low and filled with anticipation. “I want to capture every moment..every reaction.”

Your breath hitched, your pulse quickening as you felt Natasha’s hands grip your hips firmly. You could feel Natasha’s arousal against you, and the idea of what was about to happen sent a thrill through you. “Y-You’re really going to-”

“Watch it over and over again,” Natasha finished for you, her tone dark with desire. “I want to see this from every angle, to remember how you looked when you’re mine.” With that, Natasha didn’t waste any more time. She positioned herself behind you, her hands gripping your hips tightly as she entered you from behind with one smooth, deliberate motion. You moaned loudly, your head dropping forward as Natasha filled you, the intensity of the sensation overwhelming your senses.

She reached forward, grabbing a handful of your hair and pulling your head up, forcing you to look directly into the camera. The position left you feeling both vulnerable and completely exposed, but the knowledge that Natasha would be watching this moment over and over again sent a new wave of heat through you.

“Look at the camera..” Natasha whispered, her voice a low growl. “I want you to see exactly what I’m doing to you.” Your eyes locked onto the camera lens, your breath coming in short, ragged gasps as Natasha began to move, each thrust deliberate and powerful, pushing you closer and closer to the edge. The pull on your hair kept your head in place, forcing you to watch yourself as Natasha took you, the sight only adding to the intensity of the moment.

Natasha’s pace quickened, her grip on your hair tightening as she thrust deeper, each movement calculated to bring you to the brink of another climax. “You look so perfect like this..!” Natasha murmured, her voice filled with satisfaction as she watched your reactions. “You’re mine..mine to touch, to take, to watch, fuck!”

Your body trembled with the force of Natasha’s thrusts, your moans growing louder as you felt yourself spiraling toward another release. The combination of Natasha’s roughness, the pull on your hair, and the knowledge that this moment would be replayed over and over again was too much. The tension in your body built quickly, reaching a fever pitch as Natasha’s movements became more urgent, more demanding.

“Come for me.” Natasha growled, her voice dark and commanding as she thrust harder, her eyes never leaving your reflection in the camera. “I want to see you fall apart.”

With one final, deep thrust, you were pushed over the edge, a scream tearing from your throat as the orgasm ripped through you, your body shaking uncontrollably. Natasha kept moving, prolonging the sensation, her own breath ragged as she chased her own release. Natasha’s grip on your hair tightened as she thrust one last time, her body shuddering as she followed you over the edge, your moans mingling together in the air as you both found your release.

As the intensity of the moment began to fade, Natasha slowly loosened her grip on your hair, letting your head fall forward as you caught your breath. You collapsed onto the seat, your body spent and trembling from the overwhelming experience. Natasha leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to your back as she whispered, “You were perfect. Absolutely perfect.”

You smiled weakly, your body still tingling from the aftershocks of your orgasm. “I can’t believe you’re going to watch that..” you murmured, your voice barely above a whisper. Natasha chuckled softly, her hand gently caressing your back. “Every chance I get.” she replied, her voice filled with satisfaction. “You have no idea how much I’ve wanted this.”

Your heart swelled at Natasha’s words, a sense of warmth and belonging washing over you as you lay there, completely spent and utterly content. Despite the intensity of what had just happened, you knew that you were safe, that Natasha would never let anyone see this but her. With one final kiss to your back, Natasha slowly pulled away, gathering you into her arms as you lay together on the seat, your bodies entwined as you came down from the high of your shared release.

As you lay there, basking in the aftermath of your passion, you couldn’t help but smile, knowing that this was just the beginning of something new and exciting between you..a connection that would only grow stronger with time. And as for the footage..well, you knew that you’d probably never look at the quinjet the same way again.

[satorena]

᭝ ᨳଓ ՟ SUCK ‘N SQUEEZE !?

featuring. g. satoru, f. toji, s. ryomen.

warnings. explicit content, foul language, a lot of tit play, lots of biting, nipple frottage, riding, true form!kuna, cunningulus, degradation (sukuna calls you a slut and whore), impact play, cowgirl riding, facials, reader has nipple piercings in sukuna’s, sub undertones for gojo, afab!reader + feminine descriptions.

rena’s note. repost cause i didn’t last two minutes without getting a community label… anyway pearl anon if you see this i did it !

☆ ☆

𝐆𝐎𝐉𝐎 𝐒𝐀𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐔.

“holy fuckin’—shittt, ‘m so sensitive—can’t focus baby, ride it faster—rub ‘em harder, ngh!”

both of your moans bounced off the walls of your shared bedroom and echoed into the night. with your thighs straddling over his hips and cock sunk deep into your gummy pussy, you ground your hips and rode him with everything you had to offer.

your back arched whenever the tip of his cock would kiss that spongy area in your cunt that had you blinking stars away from your vision, resulting in your love bitten chest pressed up right against his sweaty one.

the friction of both your nipples rubbing at each other, the weight of your heavy chest pressing up against his, the tender mounds massaged by the proximity your boyfriend forced between you both— it admittedly turned you on more intensely than you’d assume. and judging from the trickle of drool pooling from gojo’s parted lips, it was safe to assume it was working wonders on him too.

“oh shit, babyyyy—this feels so fuckin’ good, god i can’t take anymore but i need it forever!” satoru whines, head thrown back as his arms tremble and struggle to support himself up. his pink buds are painfully erect just like the rest of his body, standing tall in their arousal as your own repeatedly enforce a foreign but welcomed feeling of stimulation.

both your erogenous zones are being attacked—nipples weeping and rubbed against the other, lubricated by body fluids in which eases the slide, and his cock being sucked into the warmth of your sacred cave. gojo swears he’s on cloud nine, a bunch of different mixtures of feelings overwhelming him in a way he hadn’t learned to experience earlier on in his life.

your thighs and back begin to ache from the domination, and so you opt on a change of pace. you switch the motions of hopping to grinding, dragging your hips back and forth as your pussy clamps down the penetrating penis inside of you. you feel your lashes flutter shut, consuming the newfound pleasure of the underside of his dick rubbing at areas you had yet to explore.

“shittt, toru—you’re in so fuckin’ deep!” the words roll off your tongue before you realize, your hands cupping at your breast pressed against his, joints in your wrists twisting as you drag your perky nipples onto his for more precision.

you zero in on him with intensity, analyzing as his cerulean eyes roll to the back of his head, cheeks flushed in an embarrassed hue of rose and thin lips all glossy. he’s crumbling—sweat dripping down his hairline to his chest as his heartbeat thuds intensely against your tits. you feel his dick twitch in anticipation as you proceed to grind down, your wetness suffocating his dick to the point of explosion.

“oh fuck me— c’mon baby, if y’keep doing that, i won’t last, ngh, much longer,” satoru protests with wet snowy lashes, his whines telling you one thing despite his body telling you another. betrayal at its finest, he thinks as he arches further into your touch, the sting in his nipples from overstimulation driving his brain to mush. this overwhelming feeling struck him through all of his six eyes, the pleasure weighing down on him in ways he wasn’t sure he could ever explain into words.

he feels your warm breath tickle the column of his neck and your lips trail up his skin. the plumpness graze at his jawline before moving up to the shell of his reddened ears and bite gently at the lobe. his hips stutter, searching for something more intense and his body jerks as he feels his climax suddenly approach, balls aching and ready to empty their load inside of you.

“oh yeah, y’like that toru?” you urge on, voice honeyed and teasing as you lean forward to ghost your lips over his parted ones. you slip in your tongue in his mouth and he moans eagerly while accepting your intrusion too easily, his own hands sliding down to grope tightly at your plump ass.

when you do pull away, a trail of saliva connects to both of your mouths and you flash your seductive smile at him once more, hips never ceasing to rock against his. “you like it when i rub my tits on yours? does it—fuck— feel good? c’mon, talk t’me baby.”

he nods his head feverishly and god, he wishes he could explain just about everything he’s feeling. the rush of arousal spreading from the tip of his toes up to the top of his head, limbs liquified and heating up, heart thudding so intensely against his rib cage, your sweet and sensual scent filling his senses and clouding his mind.

he’s turned to mush, completely melting down and he thinks he hears himself blabber about how good your pussy feels squeezing the cum out of him, how numb his erect nipples are from this constant stimulation but it’s shamefully turning him on, in ways that his orgasm hits him out of the blue and he wails with tears streaking down his rosy cheeks and his body shuddering against yours.

“shitshitshit—god, fuck, love you baby—love you s’much, fuckin’ love you and this pussy, hnng, fuck i can’t stop cummin’!”

𝐅𝐔𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐆𝐔𝐑𝐎 𝐓𝐎𝐉𝐈.

“ooh shit— work yer way up and down… there we go, fuck, throw some tongue in there, mama.”

toji had always been a boob man. and knowing his woman had the fullest rack, with a perfect amount of naturalness and plush, it was a no brainer that he needed to fuck your chest. to watch how you submissively kneeled and watched with pretty doe eyes as you perform something so slutty in his satisfaction.

kneeled at the edge of the bed, you wrapped toji’s cock in the crevice of your chest, sliding his dick in the warmth of your mounds. your hands cupped at your heavy chest, palms too small to fit the entirety of your rack as it spilled forward, nipples pressed together to entrap his entire length against your chest.

toji hissed as he jerked his hips up, working his cock into you. with one firm hand grabbing at your hair in a tight ponytail, your jaw slackened and lips parted to welcome the mushroom tip of his hard-on into your slick mouth.

“atta fuckin’ girl,” he clicks his tongue when you latch your lips around the perimeter, your tongue sliding to the underside of his dick and flatten at the sensitive skin. he watches as you struggle to take his girth, eyes misty as you gagged on the inches that fucked into your mouth.

“yer doing great doll—shit, that’s it, keep playin’ with your tits f’me.” toji brings his free hand to pinch at your nipples, the pleasurable sting jerking your own body as you moan around his cock, the vibrations running straight up to his spine.

hair matted to his forehead from sweat, toji groans as he throws his head back, running his tongue over his fangs. there was something about the softness of your breast suffocated his cock and watching as he disappeared and reappeared in the crack of your tits, sliding right up into your mouth and having your throat muscle restrict around his dick.

it felt as good as a regular handjob but so much more gentle, a touch so feminine and soft, almost with a hint of fondness but simultaneously slutty. the movements of gliding, how you pressed his veiny girth into your chest and rubbed your tender breast together, moaning whenever your stiff nipples grazed one another. his balls would rise into the crevice, ultimately sensitive as they tighten and beg for release— to stain your soft skin and pretty face in his cum.

“holy fuck—shit baby, ‘m gonna cum on your face, ‘kay? open up wide,” toji pulls out of your throat, and doesn’t miss how you whine from the lack of dick down your mouth. you pout slightly, a strand of saliva connecting from his flushed red tip to your bottom lip, but you urge on further to jerk him off with your tits.

saliva drips and pools from your mouth and dribble onto your chest, the squelching sound caused by the friction of toji’s dick rutting into you echoed loudly in the room. you push your upper body forward, and keep your gaze on him, jerking him off intensely as you watch his brows crease and furrow at the centre of his forehead.

the corner of his scarred lips tug into a tight smirk, and he releases his tight grip on your hair in favour to cup at your jaw. his balls ache terribly as you tilt your cheek into his warm palm, eagerly accepting the thumb he sticks in between your plump lips before pulling sea with a wet plop. “give it t’me papa, need it bad.”

it doesn’t take much more than your moaning around his digits and additional help of your fingers twisting and jerking at the tip of his cock for him to spill onto your hand, spritz at your face, onto your lips and naturally your chest.

“fuckkkk, shit, keep lookin’ at me like that, slutty fuckin’ eyes, yeah, take all of my cum mama.”

𝐒𝐔𝐊𝐔𝐍𝐀 𝐑𝐘𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐍.

“the fuck d’you need all’em tits for? you slutty fuckin’ thing—no no, don’t you dare look away now.”

when you tilt your head away, you feel one of his arms claw at your jaw and force your eyes back to all of his. his fingernails sting as they sink deep into your skin, and you’re certain it draws blood, but the pain oddly subsides into a pleasurable feeling.

you’re barely able to keep your faux annoyance, the facade succumbing as your body trembles from the overstimulation. you’re rounds of an orgasm in—sukuna determined to make you cum with every arm and mouth he owns. he smirks as your eyes slowly roll to the back of your head at a specific plunge to your golden spot, and you feel his fingers trail from your jaw and past your lips, the taste of your pussy sitting at his skin.

“barely even able to look me straight in the face—have i fucked ya up that badly already?” sukuna laughs, tone all but mocking and you’re half tempted to biting down at his fingers in your mouth in retaliation.

you want to bark back, push him off and slap the smug look off his face but how can you when he’s bringing you nothing but pleasure? you feel his multiple hands roam at your body, touches fleeting but electrifying, aiming at all your sensitive areas. even if you’d wanted to, he’s got you straddled over his lap on his throne, fingering you so deep that all you could about was pushing out more of your juices.

a big hand pulls and tugs at your tit, aggressively moulding the flesh and nipple, tweaking the bud with intention. his mouth sucks at the other, tongue flicking around the jewelry pierced into your skin. his breath is warm and his tongue coats your skin in saliva, ever so often releasing the nipple with a plop and blowing cool air on it, the chilliness sending shivers at your spine.

“you may be a foolish mortal,” sukuna mumbles against your skin, teeth baring and grazing teasingly at your abused breast. the jewelry shines in spit and one of his eyes spot his tiny reflection. “but this might’ve been your smartest move yet—fuckin’ whorish but smart.”

“stop callin’ me a w-whore.” you tumble on your words, bottom lip tucked into your teeth. you hold back every whine and moan that threatens to spill, desperate to keep the least of your dignity left.

sukuna chuckles at your attitude and before you realize it, your head jerks to the side and the heat emitting from a sting at your cheek has you moaning, tears falling from your lash line. your hips shamefully jerk and roll into his hand, your swollen clit grazing the palm of his hand.

“watch how you speak to me woman.” he sinks his teeth into your boob and you whine, back arching as you force more of your flesh into his mouth.

his eyes stare deeply at you, analyzing and soaking in every reaction you give. how you shudder and clamp down on the three digits that scissor your tight cunt open, how your tits bounce in waves that match the rhythm of his precise movements, how every time he curls his fingertips at a specific angle, you drool and flutter your eyelashes close.

your chest is tainted in bites and hickeys and sukuna doesn’t think he finds you any prettier— marked and claimed as his. try it as you may, hate him as much as you want, you’ll always crawl back to him, plump breast all painted red and purple, begging for him to please you once more.

you were his and only his. and if sucking at your breast until they fell off of your body meant keeping you as his, then so be it.

“ngh, f-fuck, ‘m cumming again— fuckin’ hurts but don’t you stop kuna!” you demand, voice cracked and scratched as you begin to bounce on his fingers, easing the job and chasing at that pleasure you seek.

it all happens so quickly, as you spray his lap yet again in your essence, pussy clenching uncontrollably around his fingers. sukuna takes the time to come off of your breast, letting a free hand handle the tender flesh as he then targets your hickey littered neck, tongue grazing at your jugular.

“go on slut—gimme everything you got, already got yer pussy beggin’ for more huh? let kuna know how good he’s makin’ yer pathetic ass feel.”

pearl anon, if you were looking for hcs then i’m so sorry 🧍‍♂️.

[hp-fanfic-archive]

Four and a Half Minutes by Resonant Pairing: Harry/Ron Rating: G Word Count: 856 Podfic available here Read by: regonym Length: 0-10 minutes After a Potions accident, Harry needs something.

find the full podfic library here

[feirceangel]

How about a feyd x reader where feyd has reader watch him in the arena to gain her favor. She is impressed with him and respects his prowess. Just before a huge match what if she goes to him and leaves a hand print in paint over his heart as her token rather than a sash like the others. This fires him up/ looks super cool on his skin.

Ooh I love this!! I did my own spin on it but I hope you still enjoy! :)

Imagine | Stained (Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen)

Word Count: 1,377

Warnings: biting

Cheers rise into the polluted air on Giedi Prime, a torrent of frenzied noise which alerts you to the occurrence of yet another gladiatorial event.

You hadn't realized there would be one today. Normally, you notice the announcements and the crowds gathering to go see the festivities. You don't often join them.

Watching people fight to death. . . it's not a habit of yours.

Lately though, you've noticed how often Feyd has been mentioning his fights, never outright asking you to watch them but leaving plenty of hints.

Being from a wealthy family has its benefits, especially on a harsh place such as this. Ever since you've been here, you've tried to make the best of it and befriend as many native Harkonnens as you can.

This first, and dare you say only, friend-adjacent connection you've made has been with Feyd-Rautha.

His brother is too animalistic and angry for your liking, and the Baron is a ghastly man you do not like to interact with. Servants won't speak to you and the Mentat Piter is sickening in his sadistic tendencies.

So, to your surprise, you got to know Feyd the best out of them all.

He's brutal, yes. Menacing and violent as well.

And so alone.

Sure, he has his concubines: his pets that he plays with but soon grows bored of. And yes, he has his mockery of a family: a predatory uncle and a nasty brother.

Yet you can see past his façade of aloofness, see into his inner self. And what you see is a man forged by others into what he is now.

You see a hurting man who doesn't know anything close to true kindness.

So yes, he is wild and vicious. But there is an intelligence and cunning within those dark eyes that you have seen countless times. 

He's constantly observing, waiting for his moment to strike. He knows how to play his hand to benefit himself.

Despite his more undesirable traits, you'd dare call him a friend.

The cheering dies down as colourless fireworks burst in the air like ink stains. You watch them, casually leaning against the balcony railing.

Feyd finds you immediately, half undressed and still painted for fighting in the triangular colosseum.

"My lady," he rasps, approaching from behind slowly. "You did not watch the fights."

"It slipped my mind," you reply honestly. "Though I have no doubts you remain the champion, my lord."

His lips quirk upwards, "Naturally."

Your eyes roam over his blood splattered body, taking in the well-defined muscles which are decorated with paint. He's shirtless, how could you not stare?

He basks in your attention, cocky smirk never leaving his face. But it strains once you turn your attention away.

Feyd comes to lean against the rail beside you. You feel his eyes on you.

"You're coming to the next fight," he finally says once he realizes you're content to dwell in the silence.

You turn to face him with a smile, "Am I?"

His eyes narrow, voice quick and sharp, "Yes."

"You didn't ask."

Feyd tilts his head, "It's not a request."

"A command, my lord?"

"Yes," he repeats, leaning closer into your space. Your teasing tone is getting under his skin, you can tell. He's almost touching you now but you don't retreat.

This is the game you play.

"I suppose I can attend the next fight," you hum thoughtfully.  "Especially since you've requested it personally."

He backs away slowly and you force yourself into staying still even as you desire to chase after him. His close proximity is intoxicating.

As if he senses your inner battle, he grins and nods to you before sauntering away.

"I will put on a good show for you, my lady."

You find yourself alone, wishing he had stayed longer.

~~~

It was not mentioned again, and now you find yourself in your room preparing for the event. You dress modestly, still unaccustomed to the fashions on Giedi Prime. A black dress does nicely, with your hair loose. 

You still have plenty of time before your attendance is necessary, but you traverse to the arena despite this. The hallways are as colorless as everywhere else, a maze of black and white. 

Feyd is being dressed as you enter the room. His sharp eyes betray a smidge of surprise which he masks underneath an air of haughtiness. 

The servants attending him walk on eggshells, knowing that any wrong move could cause their demise. 

"You may be dismissed," you say, addressing the servants. 

Their eyes flicker to you with uncertainty. The servants do not move until Feyd snarls, "Do as she says!"

Instantly, they are gone. 

And it's just you and the warrior. 

You approach him slowly, picking up the paint pot that the servant abandoned. Circling him, you note how his eyes never leave you, even when he has to twist his head to keep you in his sights. 

"My lord, I hope you can forgive my impertinence, showing up here unannounced."

"Don't be coy," he narrows his eyes, "You're not sorry."

"You're right," you chuckle, swirling the paintbrush through the inky paint. "I'm not sorry to see you, especially like this." 

You rake your eyes over his flesh, barely concealed by a cloth wrapped around his waist. He is truly a fine specimen of a man. 

"May I?" You ask, stopping in front of him. 

He inclines his head. He hadn't been expecting this, since you seemed intent on avoiding the fights entirely. 

You begin by painting the smaller rectangles across his chest and then move to his back. Your brushstrokes are slow, methodic.

He anticipates each cool touch as you meticulously paint his flawless skin. He wishes it was your touch he was feeling, your hands against his skin. He craves it.

Next, you adorn his abdomen, barely concealing the excitement you feel being this close to him. As you finish, he reaches for his clothes but you stop him with a hand on his arm. 

"I'm not finished, my lord."

Intrigued, he returns his arm to his side, staring you down. 

You coat the palm of your right hand with the inky black liquid, never breaking eye contact with Feyd. He doesn't stop you as you press your hand against his warm chest, right where his heart would be. 

You start to pull away, but he is quick to grip your wrist, keeping you in place. For a second, you are concerned that you went too far. Maybe this is the day he kills you for your insolence?

Instead, he lunges forward, catching you in a hungry kiss. He bites and takes, and you surrender with ease. A sense of relief and excitement floods your senses as you kiss back just as passionately.  

"It is fitting," he says once he parts from you. 

He watches as you slowly peel your hand from his skin, leaving a perfect handprint over his heart. 

"What is?"

"That you should mark me like this," he grins to reveal blackened teeth. "You are a stain on my heart."

"How so?" You're still breathless, allured by his gravelly voice. 

"All it longs for is your touch, you vixen."

You caress his cheek, "I'm just marking what I own. And once you're declared the victor, you can come claim what's yours." 

Your words ignite a fire in him and he starts forward but you step back. 

His glare is venomous, as if you just deprived him of oxygen. 

"You have a fight to win, Feyd. Shouldn't you be preparing?"

Turning, you begin to walk away. 

A rough hand snatches your shoulder, and a hot mouth is on your neck before you can blink. He bites down harshly, drawing spots of blood. The pain is expected when dealing with a man like Feyd, but it is still surprising. 

You really have gotten under his skin. 

He releases the pressure of his teeth and drags his tongue over the wound. 

"You needed a mark too, my sweet."

You turn and press a chaste kiss to the top of his head, "Go make me proud, Feyd. I shall see you in your chambers after the fight."

He lets you leave, watching with blood stained lips. 

"As you command, so it shall be."

[please like, comment, and reblog if you enjoyed!]