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#[ every single letter he sends sounds more and more relaxed
tenebriism · 1 year
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The arrival of another season, as ever prompts the arrival of another letter, etched once again in a familiar slanted hand. She’s never quite sure how the letters get to Dainsleif; or if indeed they always do, but the sentiment is there, as often as she can spare it. Perhaps now more than ever, given the changing world in which they both seem to presently reside. 
To the man cloaked in starlight, 
Can you believe it’s three months since I last wrote to you? It seems to be a tradition now to reach out whenever the seasons change; a familiar sort of comfort amid the constant ebb and flow of time. Are you keeping well? I hope so at least, most ardently. Summer can be a cruel mistress otherwise, when heat and allergies combine to cause a potent mix of sneezes and watering eyes. My Cavalry Captain is suffering a little at the moment with the influx of dandelion pollen, but I hope wherever you are, the climate is a little kinder. 
Although it’s a while since we last spoke, I still think of you often. Near daily in fact, I’ll stumble across something and find myself curious as to whether you’d like it, or if it would spark the same emotion in you as it does in me. A song here, or a flower there. The stars in particular forever seem to resonate with my memory of you. So much so, I find myself working later and later, just to catch a glimpse of those twinkling beacons overhead to remind myself we’re under the same sky, no matter the distance. 
Things here are ticking away as usual, though I must admit things have been a little busier as of late. There’s something stirring to the North, although I can’t be sure what, and abyssal activity continues to be on the rise. I know it doesn’t need to be said, but please stay safe wherever you are and I shall endeavour to do the same. There’s still a long time between now and the next lantern rite and I’d very much like us both to remain in one piece until then. So consider this a pact. Sealed in an ambiguous lipstick stain (a silly homage to when we first met) and a sigil of the Lord Barbatos himself. 
In your last letter, you mentioned a loss of self. I wasn’t sure I understood it then, but I think I do now. There are things in life we sacrifice for the greater good. Parts of ourself that have been chipped away by time or circumstance, or willingly surrendered or buried, a price paid to balance some cosmic debt beyond our control. If these letters can give you even a small snippet of yourself back, I will consider it an honour. Since if truth be told, your replies have done much the same for me. 
It sounds silly now that I write it down and I don’t wish to scare you away with too many declarations of sentiment. But know that I thank the archons every day that they brought you into my life. 
Be safe, dear knight. Be well. 
Until next time, 
- J.G. x
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To: The Dandelion Favored by the Wind,
Has it truly been three months? Time is something of a myth to me, now. Whether a week has passed or a month, I can hardly keep track; I only know that, regardless, I look forward to your writings. They are a pleasant repose from the harshness of reality.
I am as well as one can be. Thankfully, nature and her pettiness does not affect me, but I send well wishes to your ailing Cavalry Captain. Do encourage him to take care of himself, both for his own good, as well as yours; I am certain you would not hesitate to take on his work as your own, should he be indisposed, and your detailing of your workload has become repetitive, in that regard.
You should really take better care of yourself . . . yet, you are hardheaded and stubborn, so I will continue to wish for your health and well-being whilst I am not there to look after you. I will endeavor to look after myself if you do the same. It would be most . . . upsetting, were the next year to come around and only one of us is in attendance to what has become a much adored tradition. It . . . you . . . are the only thing I have to look forward to.
Please, do not take that away from me.
Perhaps, by then, I will be able to tell you more about myself. I find the desire to do so ever-growing with each letter I receive from you, but I fear that your reaction may be unfavorable. It is easier to put words to paper, than to speak them . . . at least, for me, it is. I wonder if you would look at me differently if you knew who, and what, I am. If I may very well ruin this strange, albeit comforting arrangement we have. You are kind and patient, and I know I am foolish in my fears, but this is a weight I have carried for far longer than fathomable.
Maybe you are the one I am meant to find freedom in . . . more than I already have. Nonetheless, I am running out of space to write, and I must keep moving if I am to avoid potential obstacles in my travels.
Until I am able to see you again, dearest wind blossom.
D.
@gunnhildred ;; ♥
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radiance1 · 7 months
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"Do any of you know a John Constantine?" Said the boy standing inside the summoning circle with a briefcase, stance casual, relaxed. "I've heard he works for the uh-" His eyes roam over the every person in the room, past the cultist standing in front of him, past the unconscious ones, before finally stopping on both Batman and Superman before snapping his fingers. "Right, the Justice League and I know those two are apart of it, so I'm assuming the other ones are also in or affiliated with them."
Slowly, a few of them turned to look at Constantine, who took the lull to light himself a smoke and then walked forwards, hands in his pockets until he stopped by the head cultist and barely batting an eye he uppercuts them, knocking them to the ground and reaching for his smoke with a hand. "That's me."
The boy's eyes roamed up and down Constantine's form with a single minded, unnatural focus that threatened to send a slight shiver down Constantine's back that he suppressed. This continued for about a minute, before an expression of disgusted disappointment crossed the boy's face.
Constantine raised an eyebrow. "Got a problem with me, kid?"
The boy grimaced, before reaching an arm forward all too quickly and pushing the briefcase into the warlock's chest. "I-It's for you." The boy sounded far too pained to utter such words, as if speaking to Constantine physically harmed him while averting his eyes.
Constantine grabbed hold of it with his other hand, looking down at the case. "This is...?"
"Open it and see." The boy said, stepping back to the farther end of the circle. "Now, if you excuse me. I shall take my leave."
With a flash, the boy left, and the circle quieted down from a bright glow back to just a drawn circle over the floor.
"Constantine-"
"I know Batsy, 'debrief first, open it later'. Don't need to tell me once." Constantine turned around, and over to the group of heroes, disregarding the unconscious body on the floor and walking over it.
===
"Sooo," Flash began. "Anyone wandering what's in the case?"
Batman glanced over at him, and Flash brought his hands up and shrugged. "Look, we were all wondering it."
"I wonder as well." Chimed in Wonder Woman with a smile.
Small murmurs of agreement rang through the table, and Batman looked stared at all for a good, long and hard minute, before moving his gaze over towards Constantine. Everyone else did so as well.
Constantine light another smoke, uncaring for Superman's small grimace, and placed the briefcase on the table and opened it.
Whatever the Justice League was expecting, it was not for an avalanche of letters to spill from the case, knocking Constantine and his chair over and slamming open the rest of the case.
From the ceiling rained letters, and Batman took a hold of one, staring at the expensive looking paper that glowed with a slight green shine, carefully and expertly sealed with a seal in the shape of a heart.
'From Vlad Masters, to John Constantine." It read.
"It seems our shifty warlock found himself an admirer." Wonder Woman's smile took on a more playful edge.
Below an ever growing pile of white of red, Constantine despaired over the loss of a perfectly good cigarette.
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sunrizef1 · 2 months
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Guilty as sin?
Pairing: Max Verstappen x reader | (side) Lando Norris x reader
Warnings: Emotional cheating
Word count: 1.8k
Authors note: hate this kinda idk | Not proofread | I also do not condone cheating, this is just based on a Taylor swift song do not come for me
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A text lights up your phone, illuminating the dark of your hotel room with the shine of a text message. You glance down at your sleeping boyfriend beside you, checking to see if he’s still deeply asleep before picking up your phone and sliding it open.
Max <3
The Downtown Lights - The Blue Nile
*Spotify link attached*
You sigh, closing your phone and setting it back onto your nightstand, eyes shutting tightly. You glance back over to Lando, asleep beside you, willing him to suddenly be a shittier person so you could feel less guilty about this.
Not that you and Max had done anything. You hadn’t. But it didn’t stop you from daydreaming about the Red Bull driver. It hadn’t stopped him either, apparently. You had heard the song, of course you had. Max sending it only confirmed that the less than platonic feelings between you were, in fact, reciprocated.
Just as you’re about to roll over and return to the sleep that had been evading you for more than a few hours, your phone lights up once again.
Max <3
I know you saw that
Come up to the roof
See you there
You roll your eyes at the texts, arrogance bleeding through every letter. Although, despite your holier than thou attitude, you do slide out of the bed, reaching down to a slide on a pair of slippers, praying the bed won’t creak as you stand up. Your feet pad quietly across the carpet of the hotel room, steps muffled by the fluff in your shoes.
You turn your phone to face the room, hoping it’s enough light to illuminate your way out. You step around your suitcase in the middle of the floor, cursing quietly as your foot catches on the zipper slightly. You catch yourself though, quickly grasping your key card and exiting the room.
Once you’re in the hallway, you let out a deep sigh, face relaxing under the fluorescent lights. You bit your lip, debating how worth it this tryst would be. You were fairly certain you were both into each other. All this meeting would be was another interaction where you both ignore your feelings and you have to lock the hints he was dropping away in a vault to never be considered again.
Even after considering the cons, you push yourself away from the wall, walking toward the stairs. You were already on the top floor so all you had between you and Max was a single set of stairs. You run a hand through your hair, hoping you don’t have a bad case of bedhead. Not that you had gotten enough sleep to mess your hair up at all anyway.
You slide the door open and set foot upon the stairs, trying not to wobble too much. Every step feels like it takes twenty minutes, every one leading to an unknown fate at the top. Your footsteps echo around the dark hall, sound bouncing off the concrete walls.
When you get to the top, you push the door open gently, cold air rushing to hit you as you step out. The door shuts closed behind you with a slam and you’re suddenly not sure if you’ll be able to get it open again. But it wasn’t really the time to care about that as your eyes lock on a familiar Dutch man sat on the edge of the roof.
Your feet patter gently against the roof, each step feeling quieter than the last. You take your time in approaching him, his head not even having turned your way since you set foot upon the place he had invited you. Not that you wanted him to turn around. You were worried that locking eyes with him would make you run away, or worse, make you more inclined to stay. So you just walk quietly to the edge, carefully swinging your legs over the side to sit a few feet away from him.
You’re not too worried about falling. There’s another edge just a few yards below you, no doubt there to stop rich drunk people from taking a nosedive off the roof during a party or after a wild night.
Cold air slides across your unusually warm face, heated with the reality of the situation. It’s not windy though, which is nice. Instead it’s just a nice chill, cold seeping through your thin sleep shirt and into your skin.
“I knew you’d come,” Max’s voice breaks the tranquility of the moment, cutting through the air with a familiar arrogant tilt.
You fight the urge to roll your eyes, instead opting to hum lightly, eyes still locked onto the cityscape below you. You’d always loved Las Vegas. The city was always bursting with life and it was just so pretty to look at. Especially from above. It has shocked you when you’d walked out and the roof was empty. You’d’ve thought there’d be an abundance of people considering how little the city sleeps to begin with. You were honestly surprised Lando had chosen to stay asleep in your hotel room instead of stay out partying. Maybe when you’d told him it’d be better for him to get some sleep for once, he’d actually listened.
Maybe you should’ve listened to your own advice. You should’ve stayed asleep and completely avoided Max. Maybe then you wouldn’t feel like spewing your guts out on the many drunkards below.
“Not going to say anything, then?” Max laughs and you can feel his gaze on the side of your face. You fight the strong urge to lock eyes with him, “You don’t get to act like I’m the one coercing you here. You also chose to come up here.”
He’s right, of course. But you weren’t going to give him the satisfaction of knowing you wanted him just as much as he wanted you.
“Do you even like him?” Max questions and you can feel your stomach drop. You’d been thinking about that exact question for months now and you honestly were dreading the answer. You finally look away from the buildings in front of you to take a quick glance toward Max, his eyes already trained on yours.
You sigh, warm breath clouding in the cold night air, “I don’t know.”
Max makes a face at your words, shaking his head, “What do you mean you don’t know? How can you not know if you like your boyfriend?”
You roll your eyes, looking away from him again, arms crossing across your torso tightly, “I mean I don’t know, Max. I know the answer you want, trust me, I do. If it helps, I don’t love him. Not anymore, at least.”
“Yeah, no shit. I knew that. I’m asking if you like him,” Max scoffs, shifting closer to you. You roll your eyes again, finally giving in and turning your body toward his.
“He’s a fine person, Max. It just feels like neither of us even want this relationship anymore.”
“Then why are you still dating him?”
That makes you stop dead, letting out a shaky breath as you accept that you’d finally have to open up to the man next to you, “We’ve been together so long, I’ve tried so hard to make it work. I thought we were going to get married, honestly.”
You glance nervously over to Max, expecting to see an angry look on his face. Instead you’re met with one of understanding which shocks you back into speaking again, “I would’ve said yes if he’d asked.”
Max hums, discreetly shifting a bit closer as he turns to stare out at the city below you. You wait for his response with bated breath, praying he doesn’t hate you for basically leading him on.
“But he didn’t ask.”
“Yeah,” you nod, face filled with remorse for your relationship, “He didn’t.”
Max hums again, glancing above the two of you at the shining lights casting a soft glow upon the pair of you. Music begins to play softly from somewhere down below you. When you glance over the edge, you’re met with a street band preforming a nice ballad, swaying along to their melodies. When Max stands up, you think he’s going to leave you entirely but your eyebrows shoot up when he holds out a hand instead.
“Come on,” He says and you can feel your heart flutter as you catch the soft smile on his face. Something that hadn’t happened with Lando in a long while.
You grasp you hand in his, feeling the warmth of his larger hands spread into your chilly ones. He pulls you up gently, although maybe adding a bit too much strength as you fall flush against his chest. You laugh and stumble back a bit, hands still clutching his. He pulls you into a sway, gliding along to the melodic notes that float up from down below. You sit and take in the quiet moment for a little while, eventually moving your head to rest against his chest. The silence is broken when you glance up and see Max already looking down at you.
“I’m not gonna cheat on Lando,” you mumble, eyes softening as you stare up, “He doesn’t deserve that.”
If Max disagrees, he keeps it to himself well enough, choosing to nod instead, “I wouldn’t expect you to.”
You hum, placing your head back on his chest, “I do think about you though.”
Max tilts his head and his eyebrows furrow as the words leave your mouth. When you catch his expression, you feel the need to explain, “Just in life. Everything I do, I think about you doing it with me. I don’t know, just accept the compliment that I think about you when you’re not around, please.”
You can feel Max’ laugh rumble through his chest and you glance up to see his head titled back and his eyes closed as he chuckles softly before glancing back at you, smile still painting his face, “I can live with that. For now.”
You take a page out of his book and just hum in response, eyes falling closed as you, once again, lean against him. The two of you sway to the music for a while, only stopping when it does as well. You find yourself praying it never does so you never have to return to your reality where your boyfriend of six years has refused to put a ring on it so you went to one of his friends for emotional comfort and ended up falling in love with him. But the music does stop and you do return to that reality, feet padding softly down the hotel stairs.
You slide your keycard in the door, wincing at the sound it makes as it accepts it. You support the door as it closes, toeing off your shoes and tossing the keycard on your nightstand. You plug your phone into the charger, glancing down at the new texts on your home screen before sliding them away and rolling over to, hopefully, find sleep in a sleepless night.
Max <3
I'll wait for you btw
I knew about him
But now I know about you
If he kills me it'd be a wonderful way to die
For you
I'd wait forever, darling
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Tags: @casperlikej @evie-119
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honeyhotteoks · 5 months
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this night together - chapter fourteen (j.yh + s.mg)
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chapter fourteen: what we mean to each other
chapter summary: making amends is hard, moving on is hard, but you have a home now in a way you've never had before. together, you move forward through it all.
warnings/notes: this chapter still deals with the aftermath of the attack, so all previous warnings apply, but i think you'll see we're coming out of it now and into much happier times. this is the start of an absolute fluff fest, and we'll be back to smut in the next chapter. specific warnings for: discussions of physical attack, anxiety, ptsd, consent conversations, past s*xual assault (mentioned in passing), issues with police and the legal system because lbr the cops aren't doing anything good for assault victims, and reader has a triggering moment with her neck but she works through it just fine
pairings: alpha!yunho x alpha!mingi x omega!reader
genre: smut, a/b/o/omegaverse, angst, fluff, romance, polyamory
word count: 14.3k
previous chapter | next chapter | AO3
It’s been days. Days of staying safe behind the walls of their apartment, days of dodging calls from your friends, days of cocooned self preservation. They haven’t left you for a single minute. You spent the weekend trading off who’s lap you were cuddled on and bickering over episodes of Single’s Inferno and you’ve never needed anything more. 
Slowly though, things start to shift. 
You’re showered, for one. And Yunho and Mingi both have settled back into their routines as best they can without leaving the apartment. Video games, mindless scrolling, paging through books and cooking balanced meals instead of another day of takeout. 
On Monday, Seonghwa confirms your worst suspicions by texting you a photo of the formal letter he received via Minseok’s attorney. You expect Yunho and Mingi’s are in the mail. Every time your phone chimes you expect it to be the police or some other official legal summons. Your mind has started to turn over every detail of the event with calculated detail, and your internet history stretches long with research. 
By Tuesday, you’ve caved and finally started answering Wooyoung’s texts with more than just single word responses or emoji confirmations that you’re still alive. The moment you do, he takes the opening and runs with it just like you knew he would. 
As you wait for the hot water for your tea to boil in the kettle, you re-read his most recent text again. 
Do you want to get out of the house for a bit? We can try that new spot by the bookstore?
Your stomach feels tight at the idea of going out and you do your best to tap out a reply that you think sounds casual and relaxed - Maybe next time, let’s just catch up and relax here? 
You watch the message send and deliver and in nearly real-time it flicks over to read. Dots appear as he types. 
Sure - his message reads - I’ll be there in an hour
An hour. You shouldn’t be so nervous to see your best friend, but the idea of opening up your little sanctuary to anyone right now feels a little fraught. The kettle whistles, and you hear feet shuffling against the vinyl flooring as Yunho crosses over into the kitchen and you lock your phone and Wooyoung’s messages away so you can focus. 
“Hey,” You murmur, giving him a smile as you pull the kettle off the heat. 
“Hey,” Yunho smiles back, leaning against the opposite counter, “everything okay?” 
“Mhm,” You tell him, just a little white lie. 
“Is Woo still coming by?” He questions.  
“Yeah,” You nod, setting the kettle on a pad so it doesn’t damage the countertop, “he said around an hour,” 
Yunho nods and then slides a bit closer to you, his hand stroking up and down your back once until he settles it on your hip. “Hey,” he says again, “can we talk?”
A nervous pang strikes in your gut, but he doesn’t look upset, so you take a guess at what he wants, “Is it okay that he’s coming?” 
“Wooyoung?” His brows draw together, “Of course, that’s not what I meant,” 
“Oh,” You turn towards him more fully, leaning against the counter with him, “okay, what’s up?” 
“I want to apologize,” He says, swallowing tightly. 
“Apologize,” You blink. 
He nods. 
“Okay,” You can see how whatever he’s about to say is bothering him, the stress under the surface, but you have no idea what he’s sorry for. 
“Listen,” He reaches and takes your hand, pulling you a little closer to him, “I know you know I’m sorry, but I haven’t said it clearly and you deserve that,” 
“Oh,” You relax further into his space until you can feel your bodies brushing together, the warmth radiating off his skin. 
“The way I reacted at the studio after your last heat was wrong,” He says in a rush of air as he laces your hands together, “and I haven’t gotten the chance to really say that,” 
“It’s okay,” You shake your head, soothing him a little, “you don’t have to,” 
“No,” He insists with a squeeze of your fingers, “I do. That day, I was worried and jealous and confused, but I let my anger get the better of me and that’s not something I normally do.”
You squeeze his fingers back, letting him know you’re listening. 
His eyes flick up from your joined hands to your eyes as he continues, “It’s not something I should have ever put on you or something you should ever see,” 
“People get angry,” You start to say. 
He’s firm when he shakes his head, “People get angry, but I don’t get angry at you. Ever.” 
“Yunho,” 
“I yelled at you,” He squeezes your hands, “I cursed at you,” 
“I did the same thing right back,” You remind him. 
“It’s not the same,” He presses, brushing right past your words, “and I’m apologizing because I’m telling you, y/n, it will never happen again.” 
“You think we’ll never have a fight?” You smile, “That’s optimistic,” 
“This isn’t a joke,” He sighs, “please,” 
“I’m sorry,” You tuck closer to him, unlacing your hands so you can snake your arms around his middle, “and I appreciate you apologizing for that fight, but I was upset you were being possessive and emotional after all the cold shoulder, you yelling wasn’t really high on my list of concerns,” 
He’s quiet for a moment, but then he nods, “I’ll get to that in a second, but will you hear me on this one thing?” 
“I’m listening,” 
“I hate to bring it up again,” He grimaces a little, “but I’ve just spent four days watching you jump at every noise around the apartment and wake up every night fucking terrified,” 
Your eyes shoot down. 
“And before I apologize for all the other ways I’ve been an ass to you,” His warm hands settle on your skin, thumb brushing along your jaw, “of which I know there are many,” 
You smile at that. 
“Yelling at you like that,” He sighs, “talking to you like that has been bothering me for months. I need to apologize for it because I need you to know that you’ll never, ever hear it again. Mingi said his peace, but it’s important to me that you know you’re safe with me in every way. If we’re going to do this, I need you to know you can tell me anything, including telling me off when I make mistakes, and I won’t get angry like that again.” 
“I already know that,” You look up, meeting his firm gaze and reaching for his cheek, “and I hope you understand that I know the difference between how you were angry then and what he did and how he spoke to me.” 
“I just had to say it,” He nods, “I would hate it if anything I ever did made you afraid to be honest with me, or made you feel like you’ve been feeling the past few days, I’d never,” 
“Baby,” You cup his cheeks in both hands, holding his eyes so he hears you fully, “I forgive you, and I am not afraid or uncomfortable with you or with Mingi. Not at all.” 
“Good,” He exhales hard, his eyes a little shiny and you press forward to wrap your arms around him and hug him close, his arms closing around your back. 
“If you’re being idiots,” You kiss his chest through the thin fabric of his t-shirt, “I’ll tell you you’re being idiots,” 
He laughs low, the vibration running through your chest, “Good.” 
“And if I’m being an idiot,” You add, “I’m not going to freak out if you get pissed at me or yell at me,” 
“I appreciate that,” He squeezes your shoulders, “but I don’t want to be the guy that yells, that’s not really an alpha stereotype I’ve ever wanted to fit.” 
“Okay,” You nod against him. 
He clears his throat a little roughly and you’re about to pull away but he holds you steady for a moment, “There’s one more thing,” 
Your hand strokes a line down his back, as you hum softly, “Hmm?” 
“I have more to say and to apologize for,” You can feel his heart beating a little faster under your cheek and you stroke his back again, “but I’m still figuring out how to do that, and it might not be fair of me to ask, but I wanted to see if you can be patient with me for that.” 
“Yunho,” You murmur, “what’s going on?” 
“I, uh,” His fingers flex tightly against your skin, “I started seeing someone,”
“Someone?”
“Professionally,” He adds, “Mingi used to and I know it helped. I didn’t think I needed to, but I think we can both agree I am not the best at managing my own emotions here,” 
“Oh,” 
“So,” He breathes, “after our fight, when I finally cooled off and realized what we did I asked him for a referral. I’ve been meeting with her once a week and it’s been helpful, but I’m not ready to apologize to you for the rest of it until I understand why I treated you like that,” 
Emotion fills your chest like a balloon and you nod into him, “Yunho,” 
He clears his throat again, “Sorry,” he says, “this is a little uncomfortable for me to talk about, but I’m working on it,” 
You wriggle out of his arms to find his face again and press up on your tiptoes to catch his mouth, kissing him with as much surety as you can before you lean back, “That means everything to me,” you tell him, “everything. You have all the time in the world from me, okay?” 
“Yeah,” He smiles, “good, okay,” 
“Is it helping?” 
“Definitely,” He nods, “it’s almost like the professionals know what they’re talking about,” 
You smile up at him. 
“I know I mentioned it before,” He adds quickly, “and I won’t press it, but if you do feel like it would be helpful for you too, you can come to me and I can ask my therapist for some numbers for you to call. I’ll even help set up an appointment if you need that,” 
Your chest goes tight at the thought, “I’ll let you know,” 
“Okay,” He smooths a hand up and down your back, “no pressure,” 
“For sure,” You manage. 
His lip quirks up and he presses a long kiss to your forehead as he gives you one more squeeze, “I said I won’t press, don’t panic,” 
“Sorry,” You breathe. 
He makes a noise dismissing that and then steps back, “So,” his eyes are bright again, everything equalizing back to normal with his smile, “you were making tea, can I help?” 
Your shoulders relax, tension bleeding out of you in an instant, “No,” you turn back to the warm kettle, “but can I make you a cup?” 
“Sure,” He pulls two teacups down from the cupboard, “so Woo will be here in an hour?” 
“Mhm,” You tap your phone to light up the screen to check for any other texts.
“Got it,” He nods, “would you feel alright with Mingi and I stepping out for a while?” 
“Out?” 
“I need to run by the studio and check in on things,” He explains, “and we need to get some food in here. I figured we could do that while Wooyoung keeps you company,” 
“Yeah,” Your heart picks up a little at the thought, but you press that feeling down and drop a teabag in each of your cups, “I’ll be just fine,” 
“Good,” He drops another kiss to your hair, keeping his fingers lingering on your skin while you pour hot water into your cups. 
“Do you,” You almost stop the question, but you find the words bubbling out of your mouth before you can second guess, “do you need to leave right away?” 
Yunho smiles wide, taking the kettle from your hands as he shakes his head, “No,”
Your heart eases a little. 
“Let’s have these together,” He nods to the tea and picks up both cups, “we’ll go when Woo gets here,” 
You follow him out into the living room, and he sets the cups down on the table before settling himself into the corner cushions and reaching up for you. It’s easy to take his hand and to melt into the familiar position on his lap, and you let him draw you in close and cuddle you, his arms wrapped securely around you as he nuzzles your cheek with his nose. 
You sigh, resting your hands on his chest and turning your face a little to catch his mouth in a kiss. 
He hums pleasantly against your mouth, “Is it strange to say that I’ll miss you while we’re out?” 
You smile, shaking your head, “No,” 
“Will you miss us?” He pecks your lips again. 
“More than I want to admit,” 
“You know,” Yunho smooths his hands over your body to rest in their familiar homes, one on your thigh and the other curled around your waist, “I hate what happened, and I wish I could take all the bad memories away, but I’m also so glad you’re here with us,” 
“I know what you mean,” You nod. 
“The months we spent apart were terrible,” He confesses, kissing you softly. 
“We’ll have to make up for lost time,” You agree quietly. 
“A proper date,” He smiles, “or a vacation somewhere warm?” 
“Mm,” You hum, thinking of being stretched out on a beach somewhere with your boys on either side of you, “perfect,”
“I’ll think on that,” He runs a hand down your hair and relaxes back into the couch, “you deserve something nice,” 
Twisting on his lap you reach for both of your teacups before settling back into the same, comfortable position, “I think it would just be nice to come over here without having something traumatic happen beforehand,” 
He frowns a little. 
“I’m kidding,” You nudge him softly, “kind of,” 
“I know,” He nods, “still,” 
“Yeah,” You quietly agree, taking the first sip of your tea. 
Yunho takes a sip too, and then hums a short, quick laugh, “This smells like you,” 
“Like me?” 
“The tea,” He takes another sip and nods, “you smell just the same, but sweeter,” 
“Do you like it?” You find yourself asking. 
Yunho’s head cocks slightly to the side, a line between his brows, and then he says, “Have I not made it clear how much I love your scent?” 
Your cheeks heat and he smiles at the way your skin reddens. 
“Sweetheart,” He shifts, pulling you in while still being careful of the tea, pressing warm, lingering kisses over your jaw to the hollow of your ear, “if I could drink you instead, I would.” 
You swallow, heat curling in your belly. 
“Soothing tea,” He murmurs, “sweet honey,” he adds with a kiss, “and the willow is sharp and fresh. You wake me up and calm me down all at the same time,” 
Your pulse quickens, and slowly your head drops to the side, extending the column of your neck to his lips. 
He takes it slow, remembering the way you jerked back in bed a few nights before, and he’s careful not to press too firmly or give you any inclination that he’s going to touch you with anything but his lips. 
“You smell like home,” He murmurs, his hand coming up to cup your head in his wide palm, kissing just a little lower still. 
Your muscles are stiffening up at the feeling of his mouth getting lower towards your exposed gland and your fingers tighten on his shirt where you hold yourself steady. 
“I’ve got you,” He whispers, “stay with me,” 
You nod, just a little, enough to tell him not to stop, “W-what else?” 
He smiles against your throat, “Well,” he kisses again, to punctuate his words, “when you’re happy, really happy or excited, there’s lemon too,” 
Your breath feels staggered, thready, and you focus on the feeling of him and the warmth of the teacups against your thigh. 
“When you want us,” He takes a deep inhale, sighing hot against your skin, “it’s all honey, thick and syrupy. After your heat I smelled that honey here for weeks,” 
You feel a whine building a little in your throat, and you bite down on your lip to keep it buried. Your body feels like it’s fighting itself with every touch of his mouth, hot arousal knots up at his scent mingling with yours and at his words, but the isolated touch alone has you fighting little flashes of a place that isn’t here and isn’t him. 
“I’ve got you,” He repeats, “I love you,” 
The reply settles on the tip of your tongue, but then he presses one last closed-lipped kiss directly over your gland and withdrawals entirely. You blink hard, a shudder running up your spine. 
“Alright?” He checks, smoothing his hand down your hair again. 
You nod, letting your fingers unknot from his shirt while you collect yourself. 
“Hopefully that answers your question,” He clears his throat softly. 
You start to nod, but the sound of the bathroom door opening cuts through the moment and you start, tea spilling over the lip of your cup onto your fingers. 
“It’s Mingi, baby,” He assures you. 
“I know,” You have to tear your eyes off the hallway though. 
His mouth is set in a concerned little line, and you know he’s probably thinking about your conversation in the kitchen again, but he lets it lie and doesn’t push it, just like he promised. 
Mingi appears a moment later, a towel slung around his hips and his shoulders and hair wet from the shower. He smiles widely when he sees you both, “What’s going on in here?” 
Yunho raises up his cup, “Tea,” he smiles, “nothing much,” 
“Mm,” Mingi nods and stretches, “nice,” 
“Will you be ready soon?” Yunho asks, “Wooyoung will be here in a bit,” 
“Yeah, sure,” He confirms and then glances at you, “you’re good with us going out?” 
“I’m good,” You confirm. 
“I’ll stay if it would make you feel better,” Mingi adds, “I can hide in the bedroom and listen to music or something if you want privacy,” 
You love them both so much in this moment you feel like your chest might crack right open on its own, and you shake your head at him with a smile, “No, I have to get comfortable at some point, it might as well be while Woo is here with me,” 
He nods, “Well, we won’t be too far, just call us and we’ll turn around.” 
“Thank you,” You reach up to take his hand and he twines his fingers with yours immediately. 
Yunho shifts, pressing his lips against your shoulder, “Are you and Woo going out anywhere?” 
He’s clearly trying to be subtle, but you hear the anxious note in his voice and it occurs to you that they might be just as nervous leaving you as you are staying here without them. 
You shake your head, “No, just staying here,” 
“That’s good,” Mingi adds a little too quickly, “if you do go out, would you let us know?” 
“I will,” You promise them, “but you don’t have to worry,” 
“It’s in our nature to worry over you,” Yunho sighs, “but I think we’re both trying not to be overbearing about this whole thing,” 
“Trying,” Mingi shrugs, “but also the idea of not knowing where you are feels like it might give me hives,” 
You laugh at the image, easing back into Yunho’s chest. 
“To be clear,” Yunho shoots Mingi a look, “that’s in a nice ‘we care about you’ way, not in a ‘controlling boyfriend’ kind of way,” 
“Relax,” You tell them both, “I get why you want to know, it’s the same reason I want to know where you are.” 
“Studio first,” Mingi offers without you asking and your chest warms, “then groceries, and then I want to swing by that cafe that has that caramel cheesecake you like, then home,” 
“Don’t say we don’t have to,” Yunho adds, “we want to,” 
You smile as he takes the words right out of your mouth. 
“Plus, I want some,” Mingi says with ease. 
You’re not used to this type of relationship yet, having alphas of your own who actually want to be with you and take care of you, who worry for you and feel for you in all the deep nervous ways you feel for them. You hush the nagging voice in your mind that tries to tell you not to show them how much you need them, the voice that doesn’t want you to jump too fast, you already know what you get by listening to that voice. 
Instead you ask them what you want to ask, “How long do you think you’ll be gone?” 
“Two hours,” Yunho offers, “maybe three at the most,” 
“Okay,” You exhale, weight dropping away from your shoulders, “that’s perfect,” 
“We’ll let you know,” Mingi adds, “and if you need anything special while we’re out, we can stop,”
You shake your head, “I’m fine,” You assure them, “a little anxious, but you know, it’s good for me.” 
Mingi smiles warmly, brushing his hand over your cheek and tilting your face up with his thumb and forefinger on your chin, “We’re a phone call away,” 
“I know,” You nod. 
Yunho sighs as Mingi’s hand drops away, and he kisses your shoulder again, “It’s funny,” he says, “I really don’t want to leave you,” 
“We did just spend three months not seeing each other and in a state of constant relationship limbo,” You point out and give him a squeeze, “we really went from nothing to a whole lot of something fast,” 
“Not too fast?” Mingi checks, trying to sound casual. 
“No,” You say, “and even if it is, I don’t care,” 
“We’ve always felt right together,” Yunho adds, “we’re just letting ourselves enjoy it now,” 
He’s never said something so true. 
Mingi gets dressed and collapses onto the couch next to both, pushing closer into your space with Yunho until you’re both practically on his lap, but it works. You stay knit close together until there’s a knock on the door and then it’s fast kisses goodbye and big hugs from your best friend, and before you can really process it you’re without them for the first time in days. 
Your stomach is fluttering, a nervous quiver deep in your gut that you really don’t want Wooyoung to over-analyze. A moment later you find yourself back on the couch in the warm spot Yunho left, wrapping yourself in the blanket you had all shared the night before. You can smell them on it, earthy, warm, and sweet. 
Wooyoung watches as you start to relax, and he takes a seat right next to you to keep close, a closed smile on his lips. 
You can’t believe you miss them already. 
They must miss you too though, because Mingi only makes it a scant ten minutes before he texts you, his message lighting up your phone - Forgot to say I love you - I love you.
“What?” Wooyoung nudges you under the blanket. 
You pass your phone to him and he reads the message, his eyebrows shooting up high, “I leave you alone for a few days and you’re all saying ‘I love you’s?” 
You grab the phone back and tuck it away, “That’s the thing about life changing trauma,” you laugh, “it really accelerates the big feelings,” 
Wooyoung nods, keeping things light, but finds your hand on the back of the couch so he can hold it. 
“Also we’re not all saying it,” You confess, “they’re saying it,” 
“What do you mean?” 
“I mean they’ve told me,” You explain, “the day after the studio we had this big talk,” 
“Don’t tell me they put all that shit on you like that,” He wraps his hand around yours, “y/n,” 
“Not like that,” You shake your head, “it’s actually hysterical, they thought that Seonghwa and I have been dating,” 
His eyes go wide, “What?” 
“It’s truly the longest story of miscommunication,” You tell him, “at this point I think someone should write a book about me and make it a romantic comedy,” 
“Erotica,” Wooyoung smirks. 
“Shut up,” You swat at him. 
“There have been too many good orgasms for a romcom,” He shrugs. 
You roll your eyes, “Anyways, it turns out the whole not talking period while you were all away was just me pining but feeling like I fucked it up, and them pining but thinking I had moved on with Hwa,” 
“Damn,” 
“But when they realized that they were wrong about that,” You continue, “we just got it all out there,” 
“And they love you,” He smiles a little, “and they actually said it,” 
“Yeah,” You soften into the cushions. 
“I hate to ask the obvious,” He squeezes your hand, “but if you’re so happy about that, why haven’t you told them? You do love them?” 
“So much,” The words fly out like you’re defending something, and you run a hand through your hair as you get your real thoughts steady, “I do, Woo, so much. We’re scent matches,” 
“I know,” He nods warmly. 
“You do?” 
“Anyone with eyes can see that,” Wooyoung smiles, “well, apart from you three.” 
“Thanks,” 
He nudges your thigh with his foot under the blanket, “Honestly, though, after what happened I could see it on them. You couldn’t keep your hands off each other, and they kept flanking you, watching you like you might disappear,” 
A memory of the studio plays like a clip in your mind, the way they held you between them, the three of you against everything. You nod, “They’ve been doing that for days,” 
“Which…” Wooyoung trails off, trying to guess where your head is, “you’re happy about?” 
“I am,” You nod emphatically, “and I love them, I just… I can’t get the fucking words out of my mouth,” 
He sobers a little, sliding closer to you on the couch so he can draw your legs over his lap and give you exactly the kind of comfort you need, “I’m listening, babe, talk to me,” 
“I don’t know why,” You hold his hand tighter, “but every time they say it, and I think I’m going to say it back, I’m right back in that room with Minseok’s teeth on my neck and I can’t,” your chest feels tight, “I can’t get it out,” 
His eyes soften, empathetic in the way that only he can be, “Does being in love with them scare you?” 
“No!” You pull your hand back from his. 
“Babe,” He takes your hand back and holds tight, “I’m not saying they scare you, I’m saying does being in love, being vulnerable like that scare you?” 
Your shoulders drop, “A little, but,”
“But?��� 
“I thought about it for three months,” You argue, “I had it rehearsed, I knew exactly what I wanted to say and the big reveal was supposed to be the ‘I love you’ part not the ‘I’m sorry’ part,” 
“Your plans on that kind of fell apart when that asshole tried to claim you,” Wooyoung pushes back a little. 
“Yeah, no shit,” A flurry of anger bubbles in your belly. 
He nods, “And now you’re off kilter,” 
“You could say that,” 
“You rarely do anything without thinking it through,” He offers, this thumb drawing a comforting line over your palm, “and your plan got fucked, and you’re emotionally vulnerable, and traumatized, and stressed. You feel like you’re out here without a life vest,” 
His words stun you silent. 
“And this thing you worked up in your mind for three months is now totally derailed,” He continues, “am I on the money?” 
You nod. 
“Can I ask you something?” He says. 
You nod again. 
Wooyoung asks this question softly, his voice quiet and gentle, “Do you want to bond with them?” 
Your heart thumps in your chest. 
“It’s just you and me,” Wooyoung soothes you, “and whether or not you bond with them is your choice, okay? But, babe, is that something you think you’ll want?” 
Suddenly you remember the feeling of your heat with them. The way you begged for them, the way it felt so right and so sure that you belonged to each other. You remember how your mind spun imaginary futures that all ended the same way. 
Silently, you nod. 
“Loving them isn’t bonding,” He murmurs, “you can just love them for now at your own pace.” 
Tears prick at the back of your eyes, “What if I can never do it? They can barely touch my neck without me falling apart, what if I can never take a real claim?” 
“Oh, babe,” He pulls you towards him, crushing you to his chest, “I wish you called me earlier, you shouldn’t be thinking like this,” 
“It was so terrible,” You confess into his shoulder, “I can’t even tell you, I don’t even know how to explain,” 
“You don’t have to,” He hushes you, a hand stroking up and down your back, “and I don’t know if this is going to help or hurt, but I know right now you feel like there’s no way you’d ever be able to take a claim without it being scary and awful, but someday you might be able to without even thinking of him.”
A few hot tears escape your eyes. 
“And I know I give Yunho and Mingi shit,” He adds, “but you know that both of them would rather die than do something to hurt you or scare you,” 
“And if I can never bond?” You manage. 
“Then I’d say thank god your scent matches are two men who would never, ever push you into a bond you weren’t ready for,” He says, squeezing you tight, “and I think if you asked them, they’d tell you that they’d rather be with you unbonded and happy than bonded and in pain.” 
“You’re right,” You wipe away the wetness on your cheeks, “I know you’re right,” 
“They’re not going to try to push you into a bond just because you love each other,” He lets you lean back but he slides his hand back into yours, “especially not now,” 
“I know that,” You sigh, “rationally, I was just,” 
“I’m telling you, I get it,” He eases you, “sometimes you go through something and you think a part of you is wrecked forever, that you’ll never be able to do something again or feel normal again, but you will. I promise,” 
You know the truth of him so suddenly you can’t stop the words, “Woo,” you feel your heart beating faster, “did something happen?” 
“A long, long time ago,” He says softly, “and today’s not the day for that story, but I’m telling you it does get better and it does soften in your memory and someday your alphas are going to touch your neck and you won’t even think about it, it just won’t be there anymore.” 
Grief and relief mingle in your gut at his words, and you want to ask him more, to be there for him like he’s been there for you but you can see it in his face, today isn’t the day for that story. 
You squeeze his hand, “I love you, Woo,” 
“I love you too,” He assures you. 
Silence sits between you for a moment while you turn over his words, and though you can’t imagine the day he’s describing, you still believe him. You have to. You don’t know what happened to him or when, but you’ve never met someone as bright and open and happy as him, and you have to hold onto that truth. 
You look down at your combined hands, “Yunho offered to make an appointment with a therapist for me,” 
“Say yes,” Wooyoung replies without a thought, “I waited years and I wish I hadn’t,” 
“Yeah?” 
“Does he have a contact?” Wooyoung asks, drawing your eyes back up, “I have some options for you if not,” 
“He said he can ask his therapist for a referral,” 
“His therapist?” Wooyoung grins, “I knew I liked him,” 
“You’ve been friends for years,” You nudge him. 
“Liked him for you,” He corrects, “that’s different,” 
“Yeah, yeah,” 
“My best friend deserves an alpha who is fully therapized and capable of complex emotions,” Wooyoung says with confidence, “nothing less.” 
“Don’t mention that I told you,” You add quickly, “he told me that in confidence, it just slipped out,” 
“I wouldn’t,” Wooyoung shakes his head, “that’s private. But between you and me, I’m glad to hear it.” 
“Me too,” You sigh. 
“And as far as you going?” Wooyoung circles back to the real question at hand, “Say yes, the sooner the better. If Yunho’s offering to help set it up, let him. Making that call is hard, and if he can make it easier, just say yes.” 
“Okay,” You sigh, your shoulders dropping. 
“And tell them how you’re feeling about bonding,” He adds, “trust me.” 
“Maybe,” You say, “I know you’re right. We’re just moving so fast,” 
“So slow down,” He offers. 
“I don’t know if I want to,” You admit, warmth and nervous energy filling your chest, “it feels right like this, I just don’t know if I can handle a claim,” 
“Tell them,” He reiterates, “don’t let them stumble into that one, they might hurt you without even knowing it if they bring it up sooner than you’re ready for.” 
“Right,” You nod, “you’re right,” 
He huffs a laugh, “Usually am,”
You flick his arm, rolling your eyes, so grateful at him for helping you work through something this hard while still keeping you smiling. You should have called him earlier, he’s right about that too. 
You let silence stretch around you both for a moment, and then something occurs to you. 
“Do you know anything about the charges Minseok is filing?” You run a hand through your hair, “Not to bring up yet another pleasant subject,” 
Wooyoung snorts a little air through his nose and shrugs, “I probably know what you know, have you talked to Hwa?” 
You shake your head. 
“At all?” He seems surprised. 
“I have,” You correct, “but it was quick and we were all on the call. I haven’t been to my place to see if there’s any mail, but I’d guess Yunho and Mingi will get a summons soon.” 
Wooyoung nods, “That’s what the police said,” 
Your eyebrows raise, “You talked to the police?” 
“Seonghwa did,” He clarifies, “and he gave San and I the run down.” 
“Why is no one telling me what’s going on?” You exhale heavily. 
“Because last we heard you were having nightmares,” Wooyoung rests a hand on your folded legs, “and we don’t have a lot of information to give, and I don’t think any of us want to cause you more stress than you need.” 
“Do Yunho and Mingi know?” You press. 
“Not exactly,” Wooyoung says, “though, I guess Seonghwa might be telling them now if they stopped by the studio,” 
You wait for him to continue, but you’re a little relieved at least that your boys aren’t keeping anything from you directly. 
“Seonghwa spoke to the police who explained the charges. Minseok is alleging that the guys misunderstood what they saw and ignored his attempts to explain, and that they used unnecessary force intervening on your behalf.” He says it plainly. 
“Misunderstood?” You repeat the word. 
“I know,” Wooyoung nods, “we all know, but that’s what he’s saying. The police advised Seonghwa to get an attorney and let him know that further charges were being filed. I think we can safely assume that’s Yunho and Mingi, maybe San if he’s really going after it.” 
“Maybe me too,” You add. 
“Maybe,” He nods, “but that would be tough to prove I think,” 
“Hmm,” Your eyes feel a little unfocused. 
“Hey,” Wooyoung gets your attention with a squeeze, “we don’t know anything yet, and we thought this might happen. It doesn’t change the truth and it doesn’t mean any of them regret what they did to make sure you were safe, okay?” 
“Yeah,” 
“Tell me you understand,” He presses, “because I’m not letting you put this one on yourself,” 
“I do, I understand,” You nod, “it just sucks,”
“That’s fair,” He gives you a soft smile, “but it’s going to take a lot more than this to fuck us over,” 
“Yeah,” You murmur, “you’re probably right.” 
Wooyoung says something else but you hardly hear it, in the back of your mind all you can think of is that first night at the hospital. The detectives who interviewed you were kind, but bordered on dismissive, and you know Minseok and his family have deeper pockets than you do. You have to figure this out, you have to.
  “Babe?” Wooyoung nudges you. 
“Yeah,” You snap up, coming back to the present moment and letting those anxieties fade into the background until you can really think them through, “sorry,” 
“It’s okay,” He soothes you. 
Your phone buzzes on your lap again and you pull it up to see the message. It’s Mingi again - Budae Jjigae for dinner, ask Wooyoung if he wants to stay? We’ll have plenty
It’s like he felt your anxiety from miles away and you can feel the tense knot of your shoulders unlocking. You send back a quick heart emoji and then look back up to your friend, “You want to stay for dinner?” 
He smiles, “Who’s cooking?” 
“Mingi,” You tell him, “he’s been on a comfort food kick for me,” 
Wooyoung smiles, “I’ll stay,” 
“Great,” You tap out a reply to Mingi letting him know and take a big sigh. 
“They make you happy,” Wooyoung says, “it’s nice to see,” 
“It’s nice to feel,” You tell him, “after all this time, and after everything,” 
“You deserve it,” He murmurs. 
You smile, a little tease at the corner of your mouth when you nudge him, “So do you, and speaking of,” 
His face lights up fast, “I wasn’t trying to bring my too-good mood over here if things weren’t going well,” he sighs, “but now that I know you’re all in love,” 
“So you and Yeosang?” You turn the conversation to something so much happier, and feel lighter the second you do. 
“It’s so good,” He gushes, head falling back against the cushions, “he’s kind of quiet, kind of hard to get to know at first, but y/n, he’s so funny,” 
“Yeah?” You smile. 
“And smart,” He adds, “and considerate, he’s always getting me coffees or refilling my water, just like, those little things,” 
“Wow, look at you,” You squeeze his hand, “serial dater of alphas, turned into a blushy mess over a funny, smart, considerate beta,” 
“He’s packing like an alpha, I’ll say that,” Wooyoung grins wolfishly. 
You smack his chest, “Woo! Literally that is too much information,” 
“Please,” He rolls his eyes, “I share a locker room with your boyfriends, I know what you’re working with,” 
You feel your face flush red. 
“Cute,” He teases. 
“So,” You divert, “does Yeosang feel as strongly?” 
His smile drops a little, “I mean,” he says, “I think so? But he’s not really an oversharer,” 
“Have you told anyone else?” You try to be casual about that question, but if you’re being honest you’re dying to know where things will land with San and Seonghwa. 
Wooyoung shakes his head though, “Not yet, but I think when everything calms down I might have him pick me up at the studio or something? I want you to meet him and I want everyone to know, I just,” 
“I get it,” You assure him, “you go at your own pace.” 
“Yeah,” He sighs. 
“Just don’t follow my lead,” You smile, “if you like him, don’t run away in a panic,” 
“Noted,” He laughs. 
He looks so happy, bright from the inside in a way that matches his sunny scent, and you think he’s not far from sharing ‘I love you’s of his own at this rate. 
You squeeze his hand again and catch his attention back, “You really look so happy,” you tell him. 
“I am,” He sighs, “he’s exactly what I needed,” 
You smile, and then push his legs to the side, “Move over, I know you have pictures, you’re holding out,” 
He laughs sharply, head falling back but letting you manhandle him a little so you can snuggle into his side. Wooyoung tugs the blanket around you both and pulls out his phone, “Fine,” 
“Like it’s a burden to show your best friend pictures of your hot new boyfriend,” You smack his chest, “come on,” 
Wooyoung drops his arm around your shoulders until you’re slotted together on the corner of the couch, but he still hasn’t lit up his phone. You’re about to nudge him again, but then you feel him press a soft kiss to your hair. 
“You know,” He says softly, “when Sannie called me and told me what happened, I just felt so sick,” 
You find his other hand under the covers and lace your fingers together, “I’m okay,” 
He nods, sighing into your skin, “I just want you to know,” he says, his voice a little tight, “you mean so much to me, and I’ll be grateful to them forever for stopping him,” 
You blink back a few tears and nod, “I am okay, though,” 
He nods again and clears his throat, “I know,” 
“I think you’re avoiding my questions about Yeosang,” You squeeze his hand tightly, an acknowledgement of his emotions and his words, while steering the conversation back to happier topics. 
“You’re right,” He laughs, “you caught me.” 
“Come on,” You nudge him again, pushing down the little swell of emotion that his words brought up. 
“He’s not really a selfie guy,” Wooyoung slides his finger across his phone screen until he finds Instagram and then navigates to his new man’s page, “but, I don’t know, I think you’ll like his vibe.” 
Your face cracks into a wide smile when you see the profile, clearly that of an artist, a photographer. The first post on his page is of Wooyoung, though you’d have to know Wooyoung well to know it. He’s walking away from camera through a dark Itaewon street, the lines of his body accented by the neon club signs. 
“Oh, Woo,” You relax against him and open that photo to see it larger, “he really likes you,” 
He snatches the phone away, a little pink in his cheeks as he rushes to downplay the truth of what you can see plain as day, and you fight to get back the phone, your cheeks starting to hurt from how much you’ve been laughing. 
You and Wooyoung stay like this for ages, warmly locked together as you swap stories and funny things on both your phones. By the time your phone chimes with another text from Mingi, at least two hours have gone by.
Almost home! His message reads. 
Your chest feels warm, your heart whole at the words. 
“They’ll be back in a minute,” You tell Wooyoung as you set your phone aside. 
“Perfect,” He grins, “so exactly how much teasing can I get away with before you get mad?” 
You fall apart again into laughter, happy tears stinging at your eyes. You don’t hear the front door open at first, but when you finally look up you see them standing frozen in the doorway with such softness in their expressions. You feel the words bubble up at the sight of them, but again they stay resting at the tip of your tongue.
Wooyoung rolls his eyes and pushes off the couch, “Alright, alright stop making heart eyes at each other and tell me what’s in the box,” 
Your eyes flick down to the large white box in Mingi’s hand, the perfect cheesecake nestled inside waiting just for you. Wooyoung takes a few grocery bags out of their hands and heads off to the kitchen, and just like that your night falls together naturally. 
You don’t think about Minseok again until later that night. For a beautiful, blissful four hours you just laughed and ate and relaxed with your best friend and your boyfriends, and he doesn’t enter your brain at all. 
It isn’t until you’re lying in bed alone with your thoughts, Yunho and Mingi deep asleep on either side of you, that you realize what you have to do. 
In the morning you wake from a dreamless sleep, and you start to put your plan in motion. You slip out of bed and leave them to their rest, light only just stretching its way through the Seoul skies outside. Seeing Wooyoung made you feel lighter in a way that you can’t explain, and within minutes you’re scrawling out a note, stealing Mingi’s key, and lacing up your sneakers. 
Out for a walk, be back in a little while, don’t worry too much x
You leave it on their kitchen counter and you hope it’s enough to keep them from looking for you. You need a little space from your own scared reflection in the mirror, and a new perspective on the plan you’ve been turning over since your head hit the pillows last night. 
The note isn’t a lie, strictly speaking, you are out for a walk, but you also know if you told them exactly where you were on a walk to, they'd worry. They wouldn’t just worry, they would have insisted on coming with you, but this is something you have to do alone. 
You take the long way to the hospital down the river path, letting the cool day calm your mind and keep you centered. You go over in your mind all the things you want to say to him when you see him, assuming you actually make it into his room. You wonder how hard it will be to convince him. You wonder if you’ll even be able to get a single word out of your mouth. 
You have to try. 
Yunho’s words from yesterday morning in the kitchen sink into you. The tenderness in his eyes when he mentioned how jumpy you’ve been around the apartment. You hadn’t even realized it, but now you feel it in your shoulders and your stomach with the sound of every opening door, every squeak of a shoe on vinyl flooring. Everytime you look up into a mirror you expect to see a face over your shoulder, to feel hands on your hips.  
Minseok had taken so many little things from you in the span of three minutes. 
You need to take something back. 
Every step leading into the hospital is heart pounding and nerve wracking, stress inducing on a level you’ve never experienced, but standing in front of reception you suddenly feel an overwhelming calm. Your mind is clear, operating on something wholly unconscious and you don’t know where you’ve mustered this feeling from, but you let it take you. 
You give over Minseok’s full name and provide the kindest smile you can to the woman behind the desk,“I’m his sister,” you tell her. The lie rolls right off your tongue, so clean and easy you surprise yourself. 
“Oh,” The nurse nods, “well visiting hours don’t start until eleven,” 
“I have work,” You counter, softening your face, “I’m sorry, but do you think you could make an exception? I’ll be very quick, I just want to see him for a few minutes before I have to run,” 
She considers it, and you know you have her the minute she checks the nurse’s station to see who else is there with her before she breaks a rule, “Alright, but just be quick, five minutes,” 
“Thank you so much,” You smile, “really, you’re so kind,” 
She waves you off, glancing around her again, “He’s in 305, the third door down on your left when I open the doors,” 
“Thank you,” 
She presses a button on the wall and the lock springs free, opening the heavy security door to your side. With one last smile and deeply grateful bow, you slip through the door and make it through into the hospital hallway where you are most definitely not supposed to be. 
Third door on the left. 
You have to be quick, not so you don’t get caught, but so you don’t chicken out. If you stand in this hallway and let yourself really think about what you’re doing, you’ll turn right around and go home. Steeling yourself, you rush forwards and find the door to 305 and with a deep breath you slip inside. 
Private rooms are expensive, that thought occurs to you as you shut the door tightly behind you. That fact, plus the reality that he’s already talking about pressing his own charges, tells you Seonghwa was right, he has some kind of family money. You hope that when you turn around and actually face the room you won’t have to contend with his mother or father or god forbid some girlfriend you know nothing about. You need him to be alone. 
Blissfully, the room is quiet, the only sounds are medical and simple. With your palms flat against the door you take a deep breath, and if Minseok is awake he says nothing, makes no sound, while you gather the nerve to do this. 
Finally, you turn. 
He is awake, studying you with a careful expression, but then your eyes flick over him. He’s more than injured, he’s completely incapacitated. You catalog it all quickly - his leg suspended in an elevating sling, ankle wrapped up tight, wrist sprained and in a brace, his face is bruised and battered and you realize in seconds that his broken jaw is wired shut. He has an oxygen cannula tucked into his bandaged nose, and you remember that his ribs are broken too. 
You wonder which of your boys delivered each piece of punishment. 
Your mouth feels dry, and your pulse is quickening, the sight of him so close is enough to induce panic but he can’t really do anything to you in this state so you have to just be brave. You push yourself off the wall and walk to the end of his hospital bed, “Hey,” 
He gestures to his jaw and shrugs to communicate that he can’t really talk. 
“I know,” You nod, “I heard.” 
It’s strange to be here with him like this when last week you were working side by side. It’s bizarre to suddenly feel this bubble of uncomfortable space and distance, and to feel the fear underneath it all. 
He gestures towards you with his bandaged hand and you know he’s asking why you’re here. 
“I heard about the counter charges,” You came here with a purpose and you have to stick to it, “and I came here to ask you to drop them.” 
He shakes his head and looks down at himself and then back up to you. 
“After what you did?” Anger curls up in your belly, “I think they took it pretty easy on you.” 
He huffs, a puff of air from his closed lips. 
“Listen,” You try, “you and I both know what you tried to do, and whatever your excuse is, it doesn’t matter. If they hadn’t gotten you off me… I guess what I’m saying is do the right thing now. You said you were sorry, just drop these charges and we can all move on.” 
His eyes harden and he shakes his head. 
You thought he was apologetic after, coming to his senses and realizing in the haze of his rut he almost broke someone’s mind, but now you’re starting to think he was just pleading for his own beating to stop. 
“You won’t consider it?” You ask, stomach clenching tightly. 
He shakes his head again and points to his injuries. Jaw, ribs, leg. 
You want to hit him yourself, so suddenly that your fingers curl tight into fists, “You tried to fucking claim me because I wouldn’t go out on a date with you, and you think you’re the victim here?” 
He seems irritated by your question, and he reaches for something on the tray table to his side. He pulls up a small whiteboard and marker, clearly given to him by hospital staff to communicate, and he wipes away the words that were there to write out his message to you. 
I’m the one in a hospital bed.
“You bastard,” The words just slip out, “why do you think? They put you here for a fucking reason, Minseok,” 
He wipes the message away and writes something else. 
Keep your alphas on a leash.
You’ve never understood the phrase ‘seeing red’ before, but now it’s meaning is crystal clear, “You should keep yourself on a leash.” 
He huffs. 
“Using tone to submit an omega is illegal, Minseok,” You round the corner of the bed, “the prison time for something like that is long. It’s not even just assault, I think that’s something like three or four years? But using tone… claiming against an omega’s will? That’s irreparable damage. I wonder how many charges they’d stack on top in court? Psychological trauma? Sexual assault?” 
His eyes darken and he wipes the board again, his marker squeaking roughly against it as he angrily writes out the next message. 
I never touched you like that.
“You would have,” You shake your head, “as soon as I was your nice obedient omega and couldn’t say no.” 
He stares daggers, but says nothing. 
“They might be able to prove intent,” You tell him, “throw a few more years on top for good measure. How old do you think you’ll be when they let you out? Do you think a dance studio would hire a forty year old man?” 
His face pales, he looks sick suddenly. 
“You’ll drop the charges,” You tell him, “and when you do, I’ll drop mine.” 
His eyes widen. 
“You’ll never set foot in the studio again, and you’ll go find another job somewhere else.” 
His eyes skim over you, trying to gauge your honesty. 
“Do you understand me?” You don’t know what’s possessing you, what’s holding you up so you can get these words out, but you’ve never felt more sure. 
He says nothing. 
You lean in closer, close enough that if he was uninjured he could easily have you back in control, but with his jaw wired shut and his lack of mobility, he can’t do a thing. Nerves flutter up your body as you lean in, and you’re sure he can smell Yunho and Mingi on you, but the guarantee that he can’t touch you is filling you with a sick sense of power, of sure joy. 
“You tried and you failed,” You tell him, and he huffs, “and that’s on you.”
His cheek twitches and you’re sure he’d be clenching his jaw if he could do it without exceptional pain. 
“You’ll do this for me, you owe me,” You hold his gaze despite the flutter of fear it brings you, “and if you don’t, I don’t care what it takes. I’ll see you in court and if that doesn’t work, I’ll make sure that you never, ever get hired again. Every studio in Korea will know what you did, and every omega in Seoul will know what you really are, and if you ever get close to me again after today I’ll break your jaw myself.” 
His eyes flick down. 
“Do you understand me?” You repeat, enunciating clearly. 
He nods once. 
“Good,” You push back from him and get some distance, “get the charges against all of them dropped by tomorrow and I’ll call and withdraw mine. Don’t ever come back to the studio, if you left stuff there consider it gone.” 
He holds your gaze, and then he writes out a question - How do I know you’ll keep your word? 
“You don’t,” You shrug, “but I promise you I wouldn’t be here in this room with you at all if I wasn’t willing to drop them.” 
He turns your words over. 
“Minseok,” You sigh, “they mean more to me than watching you go to jail, please, just do the right thing.” 
He wipes his hand again across the whiteboard and then he shifts, looking back up to you to nod in agreement. 
“You’ll do it?” 
He nods again and then picks the marker back up to write something. 
“Don’t,” You stop him, “there’s nothing you can say I want to hear. Just do this and we’ll be done.” 
He looks away and without meeting your eyes again, he nods.
“Don’t make me come back,” You press him, but he doesn’t respond and that will have to be enough. You’ve done what you came to do. 
You’re out of his room in a flash, back through the security doors and quick past the front desk. You don’t spare a single glance at the nurse who broke the rules for you, you just need to get out of here before you let the reality of what you’ve done hit you sideways. You don’t let a single thing consume you until you’re out of the hospital and on the street again, and you sink down onto the first available bench. 
Your heart is pounding, hands trembling. You need to get this under control before you go home because the last thing you want is to cause Yunho and Mingi anymore stress or heartache. You give yourself some time to come back into your body, to forget the hard set of Minseok’s eyes and the way his fingers twitched when you got too close, the way you fought the curling panic in your gut to get the words out. 
When you do feel whole again, you order a taxi back. You’ve been gone a while, probably a little longer than they expected, and you hope they’re not worried.
Using Mingi’s borrowed key, you slip into the apartment and let their scents wash over you, soothing you instantly. You shut the door quietly behind you and toe off your shoes before calling out, “Is anyone home?” 
You hear movement immediately, Mingi from the kitchen and Yunho from his bedroom and it fills you with warmth. 
“Hey,” Mingi gets to the living room first, “how was your walk?” 
“Really good,” You tell him, and that’s the truth. The walk itself was nice until you cut it short with your little errand. 
“You look good,” He smiles, and Yunho appears from his side of the apartment as Mingi continues, “fresher,” 
“Yeah,” You sigh, “it’s a beautiful morning out,” 
“Hey,” Yunho says, smiling at the sight of you. 
“I’m sorry I didn’t wake you,” You say, “I just wanted to clear my head a bit, so I hope you don’t mind that I borrowed your key,” 
Mingi shakes his head as you hang his keyring up by the door. 
“We’ll have to get one made for you,” Yunho says, “if you want,” 
You let the implication of that lie and you nod, but excitement sparks in your belly.
“Is there any coffee?” You ask, moving into the apartment and heading towards the kitchen. You need to tell them where you’ve been, but you just need a breath before you can. 
“Mhm,” Mingi says, “I just made a cup,” 
“Oh,” You shake your head, “I don’t want to take yours, I’ll make my own.” 
“No, no,” He slides behind you and presses a kiss to your hair as he does, “take it, I’ll make another. Yunho, do you want one?” 
“I’m good,” He replies, coming to stand next to you at the small kitchen island. 
Mingi looks like he’s thinking about something as he finishes off your cup of coffee and throws an electric kettle back on to make another pourover, but Yunho draws your attention away. 
“Jagi,” He starts, “I don’t mean to… well, can we talk to you about something?” 
“Sure,” You angle towards him, his words making you a little nervous, “is everything okay?” 
“Absolutely,” He assures you, brushing his hand down the length of your arm, “but Mingi and I were talking while you were gone, about how to handle everything with these charges,” 
“Oh,” His timing is impeccable. 
“We just want to include you,” He says, squeezing your hand, “and make sure we’re handling things the way we should, but it might be smart to try and hire a lawyer before this goes any further,” 
You’re not sure how you’re supposed to say this. 
“We talked to Seonghwa and he agrees,” Yunho continues, “this will be the easiest way to protect all of us,”
“Yunho,” You start, “hang on,”
“If this is upsetting we can talk about it later,” Yunho adds, “but Seonghwa has some connections through his parents, he wants to make some calls.” 
Your stomach twists at the idea of Seonghwa needing to lean on a favor from his parents, and every choice you made that morning becomes perfectly validated with just that thought. You would never, ever let him do that, not after everything he’s done for you.  
“It’s not upsetting,” You assure Yunho, trying to interject, “I just don’t think that will be necessary,” 
“Getting a lawyer?” He clarifies. 
“Yeah,” You swallow hard and glance at Mingi, “I don’t think we’ll need to.” 
“I mean, having representation would be best,” Yunho says, “I know it’s stressful, but we need to be careful,” 
“Right,” You sigh, needing him to give you a breath to explain, “that’s if there’s a suit,” 
“Well sure, but,” Yunho starts but the penny drops for Mingi. 
“Tell me you didn’t,” Mingi turns to you fully and the words die on Yunho’s lips as he plays catch up. 
You stay quiet, holding his gaze, but when you let out a soft breath he sets his coffee back down. 
“y/n,” Mingi says, voice serious and leaving Yunho visibly more and more confused, “tell me you didn’t do what I think you did.” 
“I took care of it,” You settle on the most neutral words you can. 
“No,” He shakes his head, “you can’t just say that, you have to give us more than that.” 
“I was planning on it,” You push past Yunho to approach Mingi, resting your hands on his upper arms as you get closer into his space, “I swear, you just guessed it too fast,” 
“You smell like the hospital,” He explains, his nose crinkled up. 
“Whoa, whoa,” Yunho finally catches up, “why were you at the hospital?”
You just have to say it, “I talked to Minseok,” 
“Absolutely not,” Yunho pushes around the island and closer to you, “are you insane?” 
“He’s completely incapacitated,” You tell them both, “he couldn’t have touched me even if he wanted to,” 
“Yes, but you didn’t know that!” Yunho presses, his voice running high in surprise, but you can see he’s doing his best to keep level and cool. 
“Look at me,” You settle him, “do I look hurt? Upset?”
“No,” He admits with a puff of dejected air. 
“Am I myself?” You take both their hands in yours. 
“Yes,” Mingi admits. 
“Okay,” You sigh, “now stop freaking out and listen to me, because I promise you I’m perfectly fine,” 
Mingi nods once, and Yunho stays silent, which is enough for you to do what you need to do. 
“I went there to talk him out of the charges he’s filing,” You explain, “and I guess… I just wanted to understand what he did, so I wanted to talk to him.” 
“And?” Yunho prompts. 
“He’s an asshole,” You start. 
“Did he touch you?” Mingi asks, his voice a little tight and thready, “Say anything to you?” 
“No,” You promise, tugging him closer until his hands are properly on you, “come here,” 
“You can tell us if he did,” Yunho’s fingertips stroke a gentle pattern over the back of your neck, “we’re not angry, we just want to help,” 
“Speak for yourself, I still want to kill him,” Mingi says sharply. 
“Hey,” Yunho nudges him, “chill,” 
“Both of you relax,” You interject and they fall silent, “he didn’t do anything, he couldn’t even talk, his jaw is fully wired shut,” 
Yunho huffs a laugh, “Good,” 
You smile, “Honestly, he looked pretty pathetic,” 
“He is pretty pathetic,” Mingi points out. 
“Right,” You sigh, “well, aside from some choice words written out on a whiteboard, he didn’t have much to say or do. I explained that if he didn’t drop his charges things would be much worse for him in the long run… and he saw reason.” 
“He agreed to that?” Mingi’s eyes go wide. 
“Mhm,” 
“Why?” Yunho’s brows draw together, “Not out of the goodness of his heart, I assume,” 
“No,” You shake your head, “but when I tell you, I need you both to promise me you won’t be angry.” 
“That’s unfair,” Yunho says. 
“Just say it,” Mingi nods, “we won’t know until we know.” 
You chew the inside of your lip as you search for the right way to say this, and you know they’ll be upset no matter what, but they deserve honesty. You nod, “I agreed to drop my charges if he drops his,” 
They’re silent, deathly silent. 
“y/n,” Yunho swallows tightly as he gets his voice even, “why would you do that?” 
“He didn’t want to listen to me at first,” You explain, “and I thought it through on the walk. That’s the only piece of leverage we have right now,” 
“But he did something wrong, he should be held accountable,” Mingi exclaims, taking a full step away from you and running a hand through his hair. 
“You heard the questions the police asked me,” You interject, “how close was I to my next heat? Did I know Minseok was in pre-rut? Why did I stay in the room if he was making me uncomfortable? What was I wearing?” 
“But it wasn’t your fault,” Yunho insists, “he used tone, that’s fucking illegal,” 
“I said he used tone,” You counter quietly, “but he’ll say he didn’t and he’ll say I got confused or misunderstood. He’ll use our relationship against you both, and my relationship with Seonghwa to paint… a very particular kind of picture about me. We all know what he did but I’m telling you, legally? We’re on the losing side,” 
“But,” Mingi shakes his head, “that’s…” 
“I know,” You nod, “believe me, I know.” 
“You should have taken us with you,” Yunho says quietly, “we could have talked to him for you,” 
You shake your head, “No,” you need them to understand, “you got to hit him… you got to do something, I didn’t get to do anything but be fucking scared,”
His expression softens, “Oh,” 
“You protected me when I needed you,” You feel tears welling up now at the thought of it, “it’s my turn to protect you,” 
They’re so quiet, watching you carefully. 
“Nothing is taking you away from me again,” You say it, plain and clear, “nothing is taking away you or my friends, I won’t let that happen,” 
Mingi’s arms fold around you fast as he tucks you into his chest and you feel Yunho step close too, laying a warm palm on your back as he leans into you both. 
“Whatever you want, we’ll do it,” Mingi murmurs, “okay?” 
You nod, closing your eyes as you snuggle into the warmth of him. 
“And we’ll handle it together,” Yunho says, “but don’t make this decision for us, make it for you. We,” Yunho’s voice trails, but then he clears his throat and says what he wants to say anyways, “we love you. No matter what happens,” 
“I know,” You sigh, snaking an arm out of Mingi’s hold to find Yunho’s hand and tuck him a little closer too, “but I’m sure,” 
“I hate to state the obvious here,” Mingi pulls back from you so he can look at you both, “but if he’s not charged with anything, then he’s a free man.” 
That thought does make your stomach flip, but you knew that when you walked into the hospital room, “I know,” 
“It’s your choice,” Mingi reiterates, “but I still don’t know if I’m comfortable taking that kind of risk with you.” 
“I don’t even want to think about that,” Yunho says, his hands finding your shoulders as he tucks closer behind you. 
The image of Minseok’s face when you asked about his dance career flickers through your mind and you smile, “I think he got the picture,” 
“y/n,” Mingi’s voice is hesitant. 
“I told him in no uncertain terms,” You can’t get the smile off your face now, “that if he came anywhere near me again I’d break his jaw myself.” 
���You didn’t,” Yunho looks down to see your face. 
“I did,” You nod, “and before you freak out again, please remember that I’m here and totally fine in front of you,” 
Mingi gives you a truly withering look but lets you speak. 
“Honestly,” You breathe, “you should have seen him, he was lying there and could barely move, and when he didn’t want to drop the charges at first, I kind of got in his face,” 
Yunho’s hands tighten on your shoulders and Mingi scrubs a hand over his face, “Don’t tell me that,” 
“But I did,” You press your palms flat against Mingi’s chest, “I told him that if he didn’t drop his charges he would never get rid of me, I told him I’d make his life hell, and he couldn’t even move. He couldn’t touch me,” 
Mingi’s quiet, his eyes flicking up to Yunho behind you. Yunho sighs, dropping his forehead to rest against your hair and then his arms relax, wrapping around you from behind. 
“I really hate this story,” Yunho says, “but I’m also really proud of you,” 
“Me too,” Mingi’s hand closes over both of yours to give you a squeeze. 
“I just wish you had told us,” Yunho admits. 
“If I had told you I was going there you would have never let me go alone,” You point out. 
“Exactly,” Yunho’s arms tighten. 
You turn your head to press your lips to his arm where it wraps around your shoulder, and you nuzzle a little into his warm skin, “You know why I had to go though, right? You get it?” 
He nods against your head. 
Mingi smooths his hand up and down your forearm, “We do,” 
“I just hate the thought of him seeing you again,” Yunho admits, lifting his head and readjusting you in his arms, “or being close to you at all,” 
“I know,” You lean back into his embrace, “but this is the thing, he got to see me be fine after what he did,” 
“And you got to see him,” Mingi puts two and two together with ease and nods, “and he looked pathetic?” 
“More than that,” You smile, “he looked… afraid.” 
“Good,” Mingi says firmly. 
You remember the way he looked in that hospital bed, his eyes darting around the room. He shrank back when you got close, no doubt the scent of Yunho and Mingi lingering on your skin, and you smile up at them at the thought, “He was terrified my alphas were with me,”
Yunho’s lips quirk and he leans around you to meet your eyes, “He wasn’t afraid of us, sweetheart, he was afraid of you.” 
“No,” You laugh that off, but they don’t join in and Mingi makes a funny expression at your words. 
Yunho slides away, shoulder to shoulder with Mingi now as he looks down at you, “Yes, y/n,” he shakes his head, “he was vulnerable and alone and stuck in a hospital bed, and you’re…” 
“A powerful fucking omega,” Mingi supplies. 
Yunho nods, “And he knows that you could ruin the rest of his life.” 
You don’t know what to say. 
“y/n,” Mingi sighs, tugging you in until your bodies are close together, “if you ever do something that reckless again, I’ll lose my mind,”
You move to lift your head and push back, to keep trying to get him to understand why this was so important for you to do alone and why you made the choices you made, but he stops you short. 
“But,” He adds, kissing the top of your head, “it was also very brave, and I love you for it.” 
“Yeah?” You nudge him. 
“Yeah,” He admits. 
“I do wish I could have seen it,” Yunho grins, “that asshole scared of you,” 
Mingi’s hands slide to your hips, tightening their grip and he swallows hard, “Our fierce little omega,” 
A ripple of something needy and unexpected passes through your belly, “Is that what I am?” 
Yunho steps closer, finding a home for his hands on your body too, “You called us your alphas,” he says softly, “isn’t that what we are?” 
Mingi’s thumbs brush a warm steady pattern into your hips and you feel yourself melting into their hands, “Yes,” 
“That makes you our omega, sweetheart,” Yunho eyes flick from yours to your lips. 
The way they say omega to you doesn’t sound cold. It doesn’t sound cruel or commanding, no undertone of ownership despite the content of their words. When they say it all you hear is love. 
“Say that again,” You murmur softly. 
Mingi smiles, lifting his eyes to watch you.  
Yunho dips closer, his lips dangerously close, “Our omega?” 
You nod a little, heat flushing your cheeks. 
“Our omega,” He repeats, pressing his lips to yours. He waits to make sure you want it, he waits to feel you twist in their arms and reach up for him, and then he lets his body follow his thoughts, lips opening and his tongue dipping into your mouth. 
Mingi’s hand shifts, spreading wide over your lower belly, his fingertips at the waistband of your pants. You’re not ready for that, and you hope he doesn’t notice the way you twitched in his hands when he first adjusted his grip, but either way he makes no move to take anything further. Neither of them do. Despite Yunho’s lips on yours, and the breath between you both, his hands stay put on your back and your cheek while Mingi just holds you, patient and soft at your side. 
When your lips break from Yunho, settling back down your heels after pushing up on tiptoe, Mingi uses his grip on you to spin you to face him, his mouth finding yours with ease. 
You hum pleasantly against his mouth, your hands gripping his broad shoulders for balance. 
“Ours,” Mingi murmurs between kisses, and then his hands spread to your backside, maneuvering you up into his arms in one quick motion, “you’re ours,” 
You wrap your legs around his middle and sink into the kiss, “I’m yours,” 
“Fuck, I missed you,” He mumbles between kisses, nuzzling your cheek with his nose. 
You nod against him, stealing one more kiss before you lean back, still perched comfortably with your legs around his waist. You smooth a hand over Mingi’s cheek and then reach for your other lover to bring him close, drawing him in by the hand until he’s nestled against both of your sides. Yunho’s hand reaches around to cup under your thigh and you settle your own hand on the back of Yunho’s neck, fingers stroking the shaggy bottom of his dark hair.
“This is nice,” Mingi smiles a little, eyes flicking between you and Yunho. 
Yunho nods, his free hand settling on Mingi’s back. 
“I can’t believe I convinced myself that we weren’t scent sympathetic,” You sigh a small, unfunny laugh, “this just feels so right,” 
“Knowing it and knowing it are two different things,” Mingi says, emphasizing the word. 
“I guess so,” 
“And it’s not like all scent matches work out,” Yunho adds, “we still have to work at it,” 
You nod, relaxing into their hold, “I want that,” 
“We do too,” Mingi squeezes your thigh a little with his wide hand. 
It’s funny how different it all feels now than months ago during your first panicked heat here, how settled you are with everything. You glance between them and ask the obvious, “When we go back to work, what are we this time?” 
“Pack,” Mingi says easily and your head snaps to his, eyebrows high. 
“Mingi,” You blink at him, surprised at his easy reference to such a permanent state of being. Scent matches and compatibility is one thing, but pack is something so much more. All of it flickers in your mind - claims, bonds, tying you together permanently. 
“Someday,” Yunho interjects smoothly, giving you a soft, reassuring kiss to the head, “far in the future, if you’ll have us.” 
“Someday,” The word slips out of you like an agreement, and despite all the fears shared with Wooyoung earlier, you do want them like that. You want to someday be able to give each other that.  
“Then we’re pack,” Mingi lights up at your words, “officially, unofficially, I don’t care. You’re with us, we’re with you.” 
Your body fills with warmth, but you can feel your heart rate picking up. 
Yunho smiles, “What did they used to call that back in the day?” 
“Courting,” You fill in the blank for him, and the word feels strangely old fashioned considering the fact that you’ve already spent a heat with them. When packs were more common, groups of alphas would court compatible omegas until it was sure they were a good match in more ways than just scent. The implication then was something more akin to a modern engagement and you can’t believe after everything you’ve been through with these two men, this is the conversation you’re having suddenly so casually in their kitchen. 
“Well,” Yunho laughs, “we don’t have to call it that,” 
“We’re,” You trail off, trying to find the words, “dating?” 
“Partners?” Yunho offers a slightly less casual word. 
“Together,” Mingi cuts in, “that’s what we are. We’re your alphas, we belong to you, and you,” he draws you closer in his arms to press a soft kiss on your lips, “are our omega.” 
“And at work?” You trail off. 
“We’ll be ourselves,” Yunho suggests, “people probably already know after last week anyways,” 
Mingi nods, dipping forward and pressing a kiss to your lips, “No more pretending we don’t mean something to each other,” 
“No more pretending,” You shift in his arms, wrapping your arms properly around his shoulders so that you’re hugging each other tightly. 
Mingi hums appreciatively, his breath warm against your hair and then he chuckles a little as he readjusts you in his arms, “Is it too fast if I start calling you yeobo, though? I feel like it suits you,” 
You pull back from the hug, “We’re not married, Mingi,” you remind him, “and I didn’t hear a proposal,” 
“You want to get proposed to, baby?” He teases and you shove his chest. 
“Knock it off,” Yunho smacks the back of Mingi’s head, “our relationship doesn’t have to break the sound barrier,” 
“I’m kidding,” Mingi squeezes you, shifting to take a few steps and deposit you on the kitchen counter before stepping back with a quick peck on your lips. 
“Hmm,” Yunho rolls his eyes and slumps back against the counter next to you, one wide hand smoothing over your thigh, “we just got you back, I’d like to avoid scaring you off,” 
“I’m not scared,” You shake your head, and as you say it, you realize it’s true. Six months ago you would have balked at Mingi’s veiled promise of his intentions, you would have told them all their hormones were mixed up and confused. You would have told yourself the same. It feels strange to feel completely at peace with the idea of a real someday with them. 
Yunho’s eyebrow quirks up in a question at your words and Mingi grins, a little self satisfied. 
“Actually,” You exhale heavily and straighten up, “I talked to Wooyoung yesterday and he helped me figure some things out,” 
“Things?” Mingi asks. 
“Um,” Your pounds in your chest, “yeah,” 
Yunho gives you an encouraging squeeze to keep going. 
You meet his eyes and take the leap, “Can you make that call? For me to talk with someone?” 
He softens and nods, “I’ll do it first thing,” 
“Okay,” You say, taking another deep breath, “then there’s one more thing to tell you,” 
Mingi doesn’t say anything, but he steps back closer to you, resting his hand on your opposite thigh. 
“It’s my turn to ask you to be patient,” You give them both an anxious, close lipped smile. 
“We’re listening,” Mingi soothes you. 
“Okay,” You take both their hands in yours, “here goes. The idea of bonding with you both is kind of sending me into a tailspin right now, and I’m terrified that it’s something I’m never going to get over. Wooyoung told me to talk to someone to work through that and I want to. I thought about it all day, and the truth is that I want to be with you both for as long as you’ll have me. You feel like you’re mine, now more than ever, and I’m scared, but I’m also scared of not trying,” 
“And if I can be yours like this for now,” You continue, “without bonds like you said, pack even if it’s unofficial, then maybe I can work through this and make it official someday. I’m just scared your definition of ‘far in the future’ and my definition are different though, and I,” 
“Fuck bonds,” Mingi interrupts, moving to cup both your cheeks and draw your eyes to his, “that shit doesn’t matter to me at all. We’re together by choice, not by claim. If you want my bite someday, I’ll give it to you, but you won’t ever hear me ask, alright? Never.” 
“Me too,” Yunho’s hand brushes down your hair, coming to rest on the back of your neck, “as far as I’m concerned it’s secondary, I don’t care what anyone thinks. I’d sooner leave you than push you into a bond you aren’t ready for,” 
You jolt forwards, throwing an arm around each of their shoulders and nearly slipping off the counter when you do, but they hold you steady as you pull them in. 
“We just want you,” Mingi’s rough, low voice murmurs, “just this.” 
You feel their warmth, the steady thrum of each of their heartbeats, their scents curling around you like a safe, easy memory. The words find themselves right on the tip of your tongue again, only this time, this time they come. 
“I love you,” You take in a sharp, emotional breath as you get yourself together, overwhelmed by their words, “I love you both so much,” 
Yunho dips back to find your mouth, locking his lips on yours and sighing a breath of true relief against your mouth, “I love you too, sweetheart,”
Mingi redirects your gaze with his fingers on your jaw the moment Yunho starts to lean back and he kisses you hard, leaving you gripping his shirt for balance, “I love you,”
“God,” You smile, every part of your body alight with joy, “I think we might be crazy, but I don’t care,” 
“Good,” Yunho glances between you both, “because I think I’m having a crazy idea,” 
“What idea?” 
“Move in,” He blurts out, and he can’t stop smiling, “fuck giving you a key, fuck calling you our girlfriend. Move in properly, be ours. If we’re together, let’s be together, we’ve lost enough time,” 
“Who’s moving fast now?” Mingi says, but he’s smiling too. 
Everything in your body feels right, feels safe. You’ve been calling this home for days, and you’ve been calling them yours in your head for so much longer. 
You’re nodding before your mouth can catch up with your brain, “Okay, okay, yes, let’s do it,” 
Yunho pulls you up into his arms and holds you close, peppering kisses across your temple, “We’ll figure everything else out later, but at least we’ll be together,” 
“Thank God,” You melt into his embrace, meeting Mingi’s eyes over Yunho’s shoulder, “because I really didn’t want to leave,” 
“No leaving this time,” Mingi smiles softly as Yunho nods his head against yours. 
“Mm-mm,” You shake your head, agreeing with his words. 
“We’ll get everything from your place as soon as we can, make it official,” Mingi adds. 
You nod, and then a thought occurs to you, “Is there even enough room for me here?” 
Yunho unwraps himself from around you and nods, “We’ll need a bigger bed,”
“For a start,” Mingi nods, “and you need a nest,” 
“Yeah?” Your very own nest, a real one. 
“Oh, babe,” Mingi finds your hand, tugging you in, “you’re about to get fucking spoiled, anything you want, we’ll figure it out.” 
“You don’t have to, I just want to be here,” You tell them. 
“Doesn’t matter,” Yunho says, “we’ve waited for you for so long,” 
“Too long,” Mingi wraps his arms around you both, “way too long,” 
It doesn’t matter anymore what pushed you into their arms, what kind of day you’ve had, everything you’ve had to get through. Not a thing in the world matters but this choice, the safe home of their arms, three of you against the world like it was always meant to be. 
495 notes · View notes
iliketangerines · 18 days
Note
hello! I wasn’t sure if request were open or closed but I am here to make one!
I was wondering if you you were able to make headcanons about bi Han x reader (gn) where the reader is like aerith gainsborough from ff7 just really sweet, caring and gentle with him and everyone.
could be could be nsfw or sfw, perhaps both overall really up to you! feel free to ignore / change!
to long for you
a/n: i've never played final fantasy 7, so you're just gonna have to deal with that...
pairing: bi han x gn!reader
warnings: none :)
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oh, you were so sweet, so soft, and loving when Bi Han had first met you at one of Liu Kang’s meetings, sitting beside him looking almost ethereal
you were one of the god’s personal initiates at the Fire Gardens, and yet you had none of the traits of a monk, dressed in almost regal looking clothing and hair tied elegantly into a ponytail
and you glanced at him with those doe-eyes and gave him that sweet smile as Liu Kang droned on about some disturbances on Earthrealm
despite your soft-looking demeanor, you were firm, adding in your opinions to Liu Kang’s plans and disagreeing with him on certain plans
and then later, sitting in front of the Lin Kuei grounds, you watch the initiates train and Bi Han and his brothers correcting forms and basic fighting moves
you almost jolt out of your seat when you see an initiate take a too-hard beating from one of the older ones, and you walk over to the two of them before Bi Han could
it’s almost like you’re floating when you walk on over, and you gently sit down the older initiate and ask him why he was pushing the younger initiate so hard
as you talk with the initiate, nodding along and gently pushing along the conversation to get him to talk with you, you draw open the pouch by your side and start treating the younger one
your hands are gentle, firm, and experienced, fingers moving swiftly as you applied the salve and tied up the wound with a clean cloth
Bi Han fell head over heels for you, and he approaches you as the initiates walked off to continue their training
his heads felt sweaty, gross, disgusting and his heart beat inside of his chest erratically as he stared down at you
you look up at him, eyelashes catching the sun’s rays, and his voice caught in his throat as he tried to thank you for helping his initiates
instead he lets out what sounds like an irritated grunt, and you just smile up at him, holding your hand out for him to take
he gladly takes it and helps lift you up from your kneeling position and suddenly he’s eye to eye with you and feeling much more inadequate in his dusty clothing
you don’t seem to mind however and ask him to give you a tour of the grounds since you’ll be here the rest of the day as Liu Kang checks out the area around the Lin Kuei
Bi Han nods and holds his arm out for you, trying to relax his face and seem as friendly as possible, and your arm links with his and the both of you are off
your voice is so sweet, gentle, like the winds blowing over a meadow, and he explains the compounds, the history and the function behind each building
not once do you interrupt him or act rude or disgraceful and at the end of the tour, the sun has start to set in the background
Liu Kang opens the portal and beckons for you to come forth, and you unhook your arm from Bi Han’s and go to leave back to the Fire Temple
the grandmaster grabs onto your hand, face heating at the act, and he asks you when you will be back
you smile and say you’re not sure, but you will send him letters
and then you’re gone
oh but your letters come quick, and Bi Han always hurries to read each and every single one, replying even though exhaustion weighs heavy in his bones some nights
the letters are filled with drivel: your dreams, your aspirations, your days, what you ate, where you traveled, how training had been, but Bi Han treasures each and every single one of them, keeping them in the drawer of his bedroom
sometimes, you two talk about the troubles of being an Earthrealm champion, and the letters are strongly worded sometimes, making Bi Han smile
for someone so ethereal looking, you sure had quite the dirty mouth
he tells you about his brothers, his upbringing, the initiates, anything he could possibly think of because he just wants to keep writing to you
it’s easy to write to you, the words flow so easily, and your words are jumbled and messy sometimes, the letter contained crossed out words or ink blots or spelling mistakes
but it’s you, and so Bi Han doesn’t mind at the mess of the letters you send
and then a few months later, a multitude of letters exchanged between the two of you later, you come and visit again with Liu Kang on a business trip
the morning is spent in a meeting discussing the safety of Earthrealm once again and the tournament coming up in the following year
Bi Han tries his hardest not to focus on you as you watch with slanted eyes at how Liu Kang speaks and plans
you’re focused, lips pursed together, and fingers drumming softly against the wooden grain of the table
he wants to kiss you so badly, and when the meeting ends, he goes to you immediately and asks for you to walk with him
you smile and take his hand, lifting yourself up gracefully and say that you would be honored to take a walk with the grandmaster of the Lin Kuei
he takes you on a walk to the most beautiful part of the Lin Kuei, a garden filled with flowers of all kinds
a small pond murmurs in the background and the wind slightly rustles the leaves together and even the sun shines perfectly into the grounds
it’s a beautiful sight as he leads you underneath a tree, sitting down on the carved stone bench next to you and listening to your ramblings
the next few minutes are spent looking at you as you ramble and talk and rant about what has been happening at the Fire Temple
and then you roll your eyes and shake your hands and ask Bi Han how his time has been at the Lin Kuei and that he’s been awfully quiet
he just tucks a loose strand of your hair behind your ear and tells you that he was too busy admiring you
it makes you still, your eyes widen and your mouth slightly part as you stare at him in surprise, and then you stutter and say that you were admiring him too
he just tilts his head to the side and stares off to the pond sitting in front of you before saying that he liked you, wanted to kiss you
you don’t say anything as he confesses, his words are curt, short, not elegant at all, but he hopes he can get the message across that he really does like you so much that his chest hurts
he tries to be poetic, trying to compare you to the flowers or the sun, and then you cut him off with a finger against his lips, face burning
you say that you like him too, and it makes Bi Han smile a bit at your confession as well
he grabs onto your hand softly, his calloused rough hands that have seen so much blood, and your hand is soft and gentle having saved so many lives
but as he intertwines his fingers with yours, it feels so right, and you don’t make a move to get away, rather leaning in closer to bump your shoulder with his
the both of you settle into a silence, but it’s comfortable, warm, loving as the both of you just bask in each other and sit in the garden
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winchesterszvonecek · 7 months
Note
4. to take a hot bath with my muse
NSFW Prompts That Don’t Sound Like a Bad Porno
Brian Zvonecek x fem pretty pls 😘
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Bath Time - [ Brian ‘Otis’ Zvonecek ] 18+
Prompt: To take a hot bath with my muse
Word Count: 731 short but hopefully satisfying ;)
Warnings: female!reader, smut - [ brief dirty talk, masturbation ]
A/N: i feel like my work sucks these days so apologies if this does
Masterlist | Otis Masterlist
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It started out as nothing but a simple, relaxing bubble bath. A way for you and Otis to wash off the events of the day together as you’d barely seen each other all shift. And you were more than happy to sit between his legs with his arms wrapped around you for as long as possible if it meant just being with him.
Only as it usually went with the two of you, one slightly passionate kiss led to another, then to another. Then led to you grinding your ass against him, feeling him twitch beneath you which had his hands move straight from your waist to your breasts, kneading them softly and pinching at the hardened buds atop them in a way that had you grow hotter between your legs.
The next thing you knew both of your legs were hooked over the edge of the tub, your back pressed firmly against Otis’s chest as his fingers rubbed slow, intricate circles on your throbbing clit, in the way he always knew drove you absolutely crazy and could pull an orgasm from you within minutes.
“Fuck… Brian.” You gasped out, your head pressing further into his shoulder as he picked up the pace, enticing more sweet sounding moans to pass over your lips as you almost couldn’t contain yourself.
“You like that, baby?” Otis cooed into your ear, brushing your hair aside with his free hand to offer him a better view of his other between your legs. He placed a soft kiss on the nape of your neck, watching as the water sloshed around in front of you in rhythm with his movements. “You like when I play with your pretty little pussy like this?”
“Mhm.” You nodded, unable to even think let alone speak as your teeth bit down on your bottom lip so hard you almost drew blood. You were nearing the edge, feeling that fire burning hot inside you, about to send a fireball shooting out in a way that always left you craving more.
You never could orgasm just once with Otis, not with the way he pulled them out of you like a magician pulling handkerchiefs out of his sleeve. Just when you think it’s over, bam! He hits you with another wave and sends you hurtling over the edge into complete and utter bliss, just as he was right now.
Every single touch of his fingers made you feel like you were in heaven. Every flick, every rub, every pinch sent a shockwave of pleasure rippling throughout your body. Your eyes glazed over, seeing nothing but white as you pulled your lip through your teeth, balancing right on the edge as he began to draw his name over your clit, the first letter almost making you slip and fall the second he finished it.
“Fuck… Fuck I’m so close.” You panted, bucking your hips in rhythm with him and not caring if you were soaking the bathroom as you did as with each movement you sent water splashing over the edge of the tub.
Only one soaking thing was on your mind right now and spoiler alert, it wasn’t the floor.
“That’s it baby, come apart for me.” Otis groaned into the nape of your neck, sinking his teeth into your sensitive skin as he continued to work his magic, signing off his name and finishing with a few, more gentle strokes over your clit as you came. And hard too as your entire body began to tremble on top of him.
Your hand flew back, finger delving into his hair as you gripped it tightly, allowing him to ride you through the most incredible high you had ever felt before. Which was saying something as usually Otis had you shaking with such intense pleasure that you weren’t able to see straight for a good few minutes afterwards.
Today was no different either as by the time you came down your eyes were still a little blurry, your chest heaving with each gasping breath you took. Even your legs hurt terribly, from clenching so hard around the tub to stop them from closing involuntarily.
But all that minor discomfort, the uncomfortableness and the slight hints of pain shooting up your legs were one hundred percent worth it and the second you came down completely, you were more than ready for another round… Or two.
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59 notes · View notes
Note
for saeclus <3 ✔️ for a daydream my muse has had about/involving yours and ✉ for a written letter from my muse.
I think this one will turn into a full on ficlet because Saeclus and Devyn just have that effect on me...
RELATIONSHIP BUILDING prompts
Raindrops Against The Window
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"Who would have imagined a few days could feel like years passing...?" Saeclus mused to himself, taking his seat in the library.
Alone for the first time in weeks. The feeling is almost foreign now. Having only one teacup on the table, one dish for deserts, and leftovers of the apple strudel she'd made for him before.
He leaned further back into the sofa, bringing the lone cup to his lips in a hushed hum of contentment. Eyelids flutter shut as he sips the tea within the cup - herbs and sugar heaped in, just the way he likes it - and smiles to himself. And the smile speaks for itself:
He's thinking of her again. But the time is a little different.
The quiet tapping of the rain against the window snaps him from his thoughts, and he turns to watch the grey and dull sky. The sound is quiet yet persistent,
It's all an image. A clear vision - as if it were not produced by the mind's drunken state of missing one's beloved. So detailed that he almost called it a memory or a premonition...
There she stood. In the middle of the freshly wet concrete among the flowers, the smell of her favorite orchids thick in the air, the light after-rain wind sending her hair flowing. With a content smile on her rosy lips and her eyes opening to look into his own, the image was a testament to her eternal beauty.
She'd turn around, her dress skirt going into a flurry at the graceful step, and walk towards him with the same poise. He can feel a smile etch itself upon his lips even then, mesmerized and in awe.
And she knows just the effect her presence has on him. She takes his hands into her own, the bliss of her touch is delightful, and her eyes lock with his in a soft and intimate look. Before he knows it, he's leaning down and-
His eyes open when he feels his hair falling into his face. It seems he's leaned down unconsciously at the daydream, his face close to the flowers on the table. So he takes his time to smell them.
As expected, fragrant orchids.
He pulls back only to look back outside, at the still weeping sky of the Demon World, and thinks back to the woman he had been dreaming about some moments ago. His hand then lightly beckons forward his pen, ink and paper from the library's study across him. He must write to her today, even if just for that dream...
"Dearest Devyn,
The days seem longer without you by my side, further fueling my desire to reunite with you soon. Despite that, I wish you fruitful and lovely times by your father's side.
At the mention of his name, I believe it's wise to address the matter: I've decided to take your words of advice and prepared a fitting gift for him. A masterfully crafted sword from the middle centuries named Slaughterer for the hundreds of battles it's fought and the thousands of lives it's taken.
Aside from that, I shall also bring you some of the Feuerrot that I'd promised before. Did you enjoy the Sahellas flowers' essence? It's their blooming season, so I could bring you more if you'd like me to.
I would have loved to show you the blooms by the mountainside in person in this instance, yet I suppose we shall have to wait for that. The rain and damp air of today will leave the air freshened. If only you were here, the walk that we'd take through the forest towards the lake would be heavenly.
My heart goes out to you, this moment, and every single one that shall follow it. Please do take regular time off your work and allow yourself to relax and rest, though I'm not sure how seriously you will take this last request.
Sincerely with love,
Saeclus."
The letter would arrive through the box she'd left behind a few hours later, a single flower plastered to the end of it: forget-me-not.
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anonymous-dentist · 2 years
Text
Test Run #3 for the vigilante au! We round these three one-shots off with our boy Sapnap, and a hint of a potential plot. 
I’m actually having trouble deciding whether Sapnap or Quackity gets the primary pov in this fic, so if you have a preference, send me an ask letting me know, please? 
(As with the other two, this is unedited and stream of thought.)
:)
-
So there’s this bakery downtown that sells baked goods of every sort. Cookies, muffins, edibles, cakes, pies, name it, they’ve got it. The food’s borderline inedible, but that’s hardly Sapnap’s fault. He just works there. 
Well. 
Technically he isn’t exactly paid, but Sapnap works there. He’s set to inherit it, actually, which is absolutely terrifying to think about for multiple different reasons, the least of which not being the fact the weird red mold in the basement that makes Sapnap break into hives so badly that he has to go to the hospital. Like, man. Fuck that shit. 
Sapnap shivers as the nurse pulls her hands away and as her healing ability’s warmth leaves his body. She nods at Bad entering the room, then she takes her leave to track down the paperwork Sapnap needs to sign to go home. 
Bad gives Sapnap an apologetic look and sits down on an uncomfortable-looking plastic chair. 
“I’m sorry,” he says, and he even sounds like he means it this time. 
“If you’re really sorry, then call a fucking mold exterminator or whatever to get rid of that shit before it kills me,” Sapnap snaps. He doesn’t regret it, not even as Bad’s face falls further into hurt and worry. 
Three times in one month is- it’s not good! It’s not good. There are several reasons why Sapnap moved out as soon as he could, and the shitty weird mold is but only one of them. 
“Language,” Bad half-heartedly chides. His shoulders sag, and maybe Sapnap feels a little bad. A little. “And it’s- I’ve been looking, alright? The best person I could find is Sam, and I’m not sure if I trust him with something as… delicate as this.”
Fair, especially considering Sam’s unique ability to make anything explode with but a single touch. (It has no relation to his actual ability of machine possession or whatever it is he’s calling it these days, but that man is just. So unlucky.) It would be a damn shame if Badlands got blown up trying to get rid of some mold. 
But? But. But. 
“I’ll see if Dream can find anyone,” Sapnap says, and Bad’s shoulders sag even further. 
If there’s one thing that Bad hates doing more than basic housework, it’s asking his son’s friends for help. Something something kids these days should be able to relax more, which is nice and all, but Dream is 22. He isn’t a kid. 
“I’ll ask Sam,” Bad sullenly says. “Maybe he’ll have a better idea of who we should be looking for.”
Right, “we”, because Sapnap’s name was added to the bakery’s paperwork properly just recently. Badlands Bakery, owned by the Halo family going back almost sixty years. It would be nice if seeing his name in big black bold letters didn’t sting as much as it did. One day when Bad finally kicks it, Sapnap will be the one living above the bakery, and he’ll be the one passing down the family’s secret muffin recipe to any kids that he and Karl might adopt in the future, and he’ll be the one having to take care of potentially-toxic mold in the basement. At least he knows that it might be toxic; Bad seems to be in some sort of stupid denial about that, which is annoying, to say the least. 
But it’s fine. It’s fine! Skeppy has more than enough money in the bank to take care of any further hospital bills that Sapnap might rack up because, surprise surprise, it’s expensive to go to the emergency room three times in the span of a month for icky mold hives. 
“Whatever,” Sapnap huffs. 
He turns his gaze from his father to the clock on the wall, and that’s the end of that. 
-
The problem with being a guy with no special ability in a city full of people with special abilities is that it’s really fucking hard to be a superhero. No respectable hero agency will even so much as look at you if you don’t have at least some kind of superpower. But apparently being ripped as hell isn’t an ability, and neither is having a better sense of justice than half the heroes currently employed across the city. 
Growing up, Sapnap wanted nothing more than to be like the heroes he saw on tv. He sat up all night on his fifth birthday waiting to see what ability he would manifest. Would it be like his dad’s, all fire and brimstone? Or would it be like his deceased mother’s, some kind of targeted empathy ray? But then the clock turned midnight, and nothing happened. 
And nothing would happen. 
It’s perfectly normal to be born without an ability. That’s what Bad told him then as he cried in his father’s arms, and it’s what Bad tells him now as he looks down at Excel spreadsheets he doesn’t understand. And it is perfectly normal, technically. It’s like being born ginger, only being born ginger doesn’t immediately blacklist you from your dream job. And Sapnap knows that if it wasn’t for that, he wouldn’t care. His life is just fine. He has a stable job, technically, and a business basically his for the taking as soon as his dad passes on. He has the world’s most wonderful boyfriend, and he has a ring box in his sock drawer just waiting for the right time to be pulled out. 
But also? Sapnap wants to break someone’s bones, like, all of the time. It’s what happens after basically being forced into working customer service since he was a kid. It’s only natural that he wants to get off work and blow off some steam by beating the everloving shit out of some jackass robbing a 7/11. 
And so Sapnap finds himself beating the everloving shit out of some jackass robbing a 7/11 at three in the morning, knuckles bruised and bleeding and smile straining the limits of his bandana’s coverage. If he gets any more pumped, there’s a good chance that his bandana will fall right off, and that wouldn’t be good. At all. 
“Bro, what the fuck?” the idiot cowering before him groans, curled up into themself and covered head-to-toe in their own blood. “I wasn’t even doing anything!”
Sapnap looks from the criminal to the woman on the sidewalk watching them duke it out with a hole in her chest from a gunshot wound she had sustained before his arrival. Normally, he wouldn’t even bother with someone robbing a 7/11. It’s a tough economy; people gotta do what they gotta do to survive. But shooting people? Nah, that’s just plain wrong. 
“You literally shot a woman,” Sapnap incredulously says. His dollar-store voice changer makes his voice ten times more gravelly and ten times more hard to understand, but it also makes him, like, ten times more cool and ten times more intimidating. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”
The criminal stops quivering long enough to consider before shrugging and giving up their attempts to escape. 
“Fair enough,” they say. 
Right. Well. That’s good enough. 
Sapnap had sent a tip to his favorite local hero before swooping in, so he just ties the fucker up with some rope and  sits down on the cub next to the shot woman. He awkwardly folds his hands in his lap, silent. 
“Thank you,” the woman says, just as awkward. 
She must have some kind of healing ability, because she doesn’t really seem at all bothered by the literal hole in her chest. 
Sapnap ducks his head bashfully. “It’s nothing, really. Thank the guy coming to arrest them.”
And then, right on cue as if he was psychic, the guy coming to arrest them swoops in from the clouds, cloak fluttering behind him. He whistles through his teeth, face completely hidden behind his mask, obviously impressed by Sapnap’s ability to completely wreck a motherfucker. 
“Damn, okay, good job, Mars,” Dream says. Yeah, he’s impressed. 
He crouches by the criminal, who obviously recognizes S City’s number one up-and-coming hero. They cringe back in fear, eyes wide and glimmering in the smoggy moonlight. Sapnap can practically see Dream’s smirk as he grabs the criminal’s face and moves it so they’re looking directly at the beady black eye holes of his mask. 
“Oh, shit,” the woman softly says. 
Sapnap often feels much the same way when he sees his friend in the field. Dream is just. He’s just. 
Sapnap stands and stretches, hiding a wince as something in his shoulder pulls. Maybe he’ll just head home for the night after this. He’s had a long night, and he kind of super desperately wants Karl to hold him right now. 
He walks up behind Dream and crosses his arms, hip cocked just so. He’s intimidating. Karl always tells him that he looks intimidating like this. He looks tough. Badass. Macho as hell. 
“You were slow tonight,” he comments. “Getting rusty, Hush?”
Dream’s shoulders tense with stifled laugher. “Sure, sure. You know, you might’ve gone a little too easy on this guy. Did you lose your touch?”
The criminal whimpers, fully whimpers. Sapnap actually feels a little bad for them. Not a lot, just a little. This is what happens when you try and kill someone: you get your ass whooped by the two toughest bitches in town. 
Sapnap cracks his knuckles with a purposefully-exaggerated yawn. “It’s been a long night, man. Why don’t we just take care of the problem and call it good?”
“What, are you suggesting that a hero and a vigilante work together to bring a criminal to justice?” Dream asks, standing and turning to face Sapnap in one swift motion. Silhouetted by the moon, Dream cuts a striking, imposing figure, towering above Sapnap with every identifying feature of his hidden beneath his costume. “That sounds ridiculous, even to me.”
Sapnap shrugs. They do this every time they collab. It’s for show. And, man, Sapnap is such a good actor. 
He looks the injured woman directly in the eye and says, “Yeah, it is ridiculous. It’s a good thing that nobody is going to hear about it.”
The woman’s eyes widen, and she nods her head vigorously. 
Content, Dream turns back to the criminal, who looks about ready to piss their pants. 
He pulls a knife from his bandoleer and flips it once in the air before catching it by the tip. God, he’s cool. 
Sapnap doesn’t have any weapons, but he does have his fists. More importantly, he has a pair of steel-toed boots that Bad gave him for Christmas last year that have seen more ribcages than any respectable boots should ever see. 
He drives his foot right into the jackass’ ribs and lets Dream get to work. 
44 notes · View notes
emerald-chaos · 3 years
Text
Touchdown
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*gif not mine, credit goes to the owner*
I just want to take a moment to say thank you for the love on my last fic! It made my lil ole heart swell to see that peopled enjoyed it enough to leave a like or reblog.
This is just something special I had in my arsenal that I wrote for a friend a few months ago. I touched it up a bit and added a few things here and there. It all started when we were talking about how much we loved when Chris' accent got heavier after he'd been drinking, and well, I couldn't help myself lol. I hope you enjoy the fluff! xoxo
I apologize for any grammatical errors, I tried to proof-read but am also a little exhausted lol.
Pairing: Chris Evans x Reader
Word Count: 2844
Warnings: I don't think there's anyway? Mentions of being drunk/drinking alcohol, cursing, and illusions to sexy times, but that's about it.
You hadn’t noticed how furiously your knee was bouncing up and down until the person sitting next to you on the subway got up to move seats once the train squealed to a stop. You sighed and ran your hands down the front of your thighs. Normally being a little late didn’t bother you as much, but tonight you were meeting him.
You flipped your wrist over to check your watch. 8:30pm. In all honesty, it had probably been only thirty seconds later than when you checked it the last time. Another deep sigh escaped from your lips as you started to become hyper aware of the train remaining still at the current stop. What could possibly be taking so long? You knew he wouldn’t care if you were running late, but the time the two of you had together already felt so minuscule. You wanted to capitalize on every second you could.
The train began moving again and you slumped back into your seat, feeling only a small amount of relief. It was becoming painfully apparent that you needed to try and relax. You could feel the sweat building up on your body, the sting on your palms from where your fingernails were pressing in with a vengeance moments ago, and you could hear your heart thumping in your ears. Your hand dug around in your purse for a few moments before finding the small case you were looking for. Opening it, you slipped your headphones into your ears and let your head rest on the window behind you as music intertwined with your thoughts.
Once upon a time, you made fun of people who decided to go to grad school. What kind of a clown would spend thousands of MORE dollars and go BACK to school?? Not to mention the stress of the assignments, the due dates - it was not for you...or so you thought.
Now here you are, a regular booboo the fool.
NYU’s graduate program for design and merchandising wasn’t necessarily part of your 5-year plan, but when the opportunity landed in front of you it was difficult to pass up. NYU was a school you had only dreamt of attending back in high school. When you were a senior in high school you were able to tour the campus and fell in love immediately. Hours upon hours were spent researching grants, scholarships, and all sorts of ways to try to make it happen. However, the dream ended as most teenage dreams do - crushed. There was no way you or your parents could afford the loans that it would surely wrack up to attend the out of state university, and there was no way you could ask your parents take on that kind of debt just so you could go to college. UMass was the way to go - close to home and familiar. Not to mention you were able to obtain several scholarships and grants that helped bring down the cost tremendously. Little did you know, boring ole UMass would bring you one of the most important things in your life.
Applying for graduate school wasn’t an easy decision and one you couldn’t really take all the credit for. A smile crept across your face as you reminisced on the night you nervously brought up the idea to your long-term boyfriend.
“I think you should do it,”
“I know, right?” you scoffed, “it’s insane, why would I do something so stup...wait, what? You do?”
“Of course I do. This is something you love and that you’re passionate about. Do you know how many hours of my life were spent listening to you ramble about NYU?” he questioned with a grin.
“It will open up so many doors for you. We can make things work,” a chuckle escaped from those beautiful lips as he saw your dumbfounded expression. He wrapped his fingers around your waist and pulled you close, “What? Did you expect me to forbid it? Cmon, baby, what kind of guy do you take me for?”
You didn’t have a lot of wins in your life, but you did have Chris.
When you got accepted, he took off a week from work to drive you 3 and a half hours south to help get you settled and moved into your temporary new home. The two of you ate a disgusting amount of pizza, moved a ridiculous amount of heavy furniture in the middle of a summer heat wave, and enjoyed each other’s company before the long-distance thing would set in. Chris spent that week encouraging you every step of the way, talking you off the ledge when you were convinced you had made the wrong decision, and made sure to help you christen every possible surface of your new place in the most deliciously sinful way.
You bit your lip slightly at the thought and a warm feeling spread across your face. Chris was one of the most incredible people you had met in this world. Kind, caring, funny, intelligent, passionate, and god was he sexy. The connection the two of you had was scary at first, but now you just couldn’t imagine spending your life with anyone else.
The robotic voice came over the loud-speaker in the subway car and you were rudely ripped back to reality as it pulled into your stop. You hurriedly scooped up your bag and jogged off the train.
It had been a promise between the two of you when you moved that there would be equal effort when it came to visiting and keeping in contact while having good, open communication. Long distance was hard but the two of you were determined to make it work. FaceTime calls, hours upon hours of texting, and even as far as writing the occasional letter back and forth (because your boyfriend was a hopeless romantic and you loved it so much). This weekend was your turn to come home to visit, and of course your last class had to go longer than anticipated. Fuckin’ Tiffany and her stupid ass questions.
The muscles of your calves burned as you kept up your hurried pace, weaving through the crowds of people gathered on sidewalks outside of various clubs and restaurants. It was a weekend night and the Patriots were playing, which meant the city was more alive than usual. New York was it's own beast, but it was a different type of hustle and bustle. Nights like these made your heart ache for home - the thick Massachusetts accents, the rowdy voices of bar patrons arguing about the game, the hugs shared between family members as they parted after dinner, and the faint smell of nicotine and alcohol that hung in the air.
As the neon sign that hung in the pub window came in to view you felt your heart dip down into your stomach. Last weekend’s visit had to be cancelled due to some stuff coming up with Chris’ work and a surprise assignment for you, so you hadn’t seen your boyfriend in 2 weeks. With a deep breath you swung open the door and scanned the crowd for him. He told you that he would be there promptly at 7:15pm for pregame shenanigans with his friends - which actually translated to how many pitchers of beer could they suck down before kick off.
“Aw, come ON! That is such a bullshit call!”
You heard him before you saw him. Of course. A grin spread across your lips as you shook your head. The thought of leaving to avoid secondhand embarrassment crossed your mind briefly before you picked up your feet and made your way through the crowd toward the sound. A room full of people from New England and you would still recognize that voice anywhere.
Everyone else seemed to fade away as you saw the outline of the tall, dark haired man standing at the bar. The slight freckles that spattered the back of his neck, the Brady jersey that he spent WAY too much money customizing, and the signature backward ball cap were ingrained in your subconscious memory. Not to mention if you didn’t recognize his outline or his voice, you would definitely recognize that ass anywhere.
You loved how passionate he got about sports and the way his Boston accent seemed to get thicker with each beer he consumed. Growing up in the area, you wouldn't think the accent would send a tingle down your spine the way it does, but it was different - it was Chris. Not to mention the sparkle in his eye when he would watch his favorite team or the way he would get in to arguments whenever someone tried to say something negative about them. You loved your big, handsome, over-sized toddler man so damn much.
A light tap on his shoulder made him whip around, his slightly opened mouth from his interrupted conversation curved upwards into a wicked grin as he made the connection of who was finally standing in front of him.
“Hey there, handsome. I don’t see a ring on your finger. You single?” You grinned, feeling your entire body fill with warmth as Chris leaned back and grabbed his chest as he erupted in laughter.
“Nah, nah, nah, unfortunately for you I am taken” he responded as he snaked his arms around your waist, sliding his hands into your back pockets as he pulled you into his figure.
“That is too bad,” you tsk'd, running a finger down his toned bicep, “she’s one lucky girl.”
“I think I’m the lucky one,” he grinned. He leaned down to meet your lips in a kiss. You sighed into it, allowing your body to mold itself so perfectly into his. The taste of beer on his lips and the smell of his cologne was intoxicating - it was home. You immediately allowed him entrance as you felt his tongue glide along your bottom lip. Your body felt small in his strong grip and you couldn’t help but laugh a bit as he gave your ass a firm squeeze. Normally, this type of bold, public display of affection would make you cringe away but at this point you were lost in Chris that you had absolutely no shame. Each time the two of you embraced had always felt like the first. Your heart still fluttered and your knees still got weak, like you were a 16 year old being kissed for the first time.
In the middle of your reunion moment, however, something happened in the game that made the entire bar erupt in boo’s and curses. Chris lifted his lips from yours to look over his shoulder and inspect what he had missed. You laughed and shook your head as you pushed him back towards his friends and took a seat in the bar stool he had been standing behind initially. His large hands found a natural place on your shoulders. While his eyes remained glued on the TV he began applying a moderate amount of pressure to your neck and shoulders. You didn’t realize how much your body craved that touch, his touch, until you immediately melted back into him.
The bartender slid a beer in front of you with a wink and you mouthed your thanks. You felt a twinge in your heart as you looked around, taking in the atmosphere of the bar. This was a typical weekend night for the two of you whenever you were living together. Football, drinks, pub food, and friends. If it wasn’t this pub it was your living room, just a couple blocks away. You didn’t even mind that it was your first night back and you weren’t alone, spending it immediately wrapped up in your satin sheets. The atmosphere, the people - it was so warm and familiar that you really wouldn’t rather be doing anything else. Plus, being wrapped up together in the sheets was sure to follow.
“I missed you,” hummed a pair of lips as they placed a kiss on the shell of your ear. A shiver shot down your spine at the sensation of his warm breath fanning over your neck. You reached up a hand and connected it to the nape of his neck.
“I missed you too,” you replied, turning your head to plant a kiss on his stubbled cheek.
His arms changed position as he wrapped them in front of your shoulders and crossed them, resting his chin on the top of your head. Your hand absentmindedly rubbed his forearms as you nursed your beer and placed your focus onto the game for the first time tonight.
The laughter seemed to escape from your chest naturally and effortlessly the entire night, as it always had a habit of doing when Chris was around. The camaraderie between him and his buddies during a game was something you’d grown to enjoy over the years. Chris’ competitive nature and the way his jaw clenched when something wasn’t going the way he wanted was always kinda...hot. All of his friends were huge assholes, but in the best way. It was always entertaining to hear them jab at each other and do what they could to rile someone up. They were the life of every party you had ever attended and they had a way of making a boring night a lot more interesting.
Thankfully (for the integrity of the bar) the Pats won the game with a surprise touchdown in the last 30 seconds of the game. Chris, being the guy he is, bought a final round for his friends and a nearby group they had been going back and forth with all night. You couldn’t help but laugh as he drunkenly leaned across the counter and slurred his order to the bartender.
“I need a round for m’friends and for these assholes over here who thought Tom Brady was anything but a winner!” the group started yelling in protest and he simply waved them off and started sliding beers down the bar.
The group eventually moved to a bigger round top so everyone could shoot the shit and banter about the outcome of the game. You were tucked into Chris’ side, hands intertwined as he was passionately discussing the importance of Brady’s legacy with a stranger who made the mistake of stopping to talk to him. Your eyes followed the motion of your thumb as it traced small circles onto the back of his. Your other hand under your chin, holding up the weight of your head as your exhaustion started to catch up with you. Chris, although slightly drunk, picked up on your body language and raised your hand to his lips for a kiss.
“Alright, fellas,” he said as he stood up from his seat, pulling you up with him, “the lady and I are gonna call it a night. See you boys next weekend”.
“Chris, we don’t have to go,” you began to protest as he tucked his jacket around your shoulders.
“Mm, ‘course we do,” he replied with a soft smile, “you’re so tired, baby. I can see it in those beautiful eyes”.
You could feel your cheeks turn a light shade of pink as you rolled your eyes at his attempt at laying it on thick. After what felt like a proper 10 minute goodbye session, the group said their final goodbyes, hugs included, and you walked out of the pub hand in hand.
The walk home was filled with the sounds of cars passing by and conversation of what each other had missed in the week prior. Small talk typically felt like such a chore, but with Chris every conversation came naturally. Even when he had absolutely no idea what you were talking about, he would listen intently and ask all the questions as if it was the most interesting conversation in the world.
The lock on the apartment door clicked as you pushed it open and entered. You smiled as you stopped into the middle of the living room, taking in the home you missed so dearly. A soft tapping of toenails against the hardwood made your heart soar as you met the eyes of your sweet pup, Dodger. A squeal left your lips as you squatted down to give love to the sweet boy. Chris always made fun of you when you came home, saying that you always seemed to miss Dodger more than you did him and I mean, he wasn’t entirely wrong about that statement.
Once again lost in your own world, you didn’t even notice Chris leaned up against the wall watching you with a smile.
“Oh my god,” you gushed, standing up, “do you like...like me or something?”
Chris grinned as he crossed the room and caught your belt loop with his finger, pulling you into him slowly.
“Yeah,” his voice had dropped down an octave, “you could say that”.
“Mm,” your tongue swiped across your lower lip and you wrapped your arms around his neck, “care to show me how much?”
The look in his eyes made your core burn. The tension building between you two became too much to handle as you crashed your lips into his. The kisses were messy and you could feel the sense of urgency between you two. His beard scratched against the column of your throat with a delicious burn as he left wet kisses across your jaw and down the side of your neck. Chris’ hands found their way back into the ass pockets of your jeans as he started walking you back towards the direction of the bedroom.
Soon, there was a trail of clothes leading to your bedroom and you felt very sorry for your neighbors. It had been a long time, but Chris always had a way of welcoming you home.
544 notes · View notes
waitimcomingtoo · 4 years
Text
Better Left Unsaid
Pairing: Deaf!Peter Parker x Reader
Requested by @peterspeaches
Synopsis: you ask Peter to tutor you in sign language 
Masterlist
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Peter looked up when he felt someone bump into his table in the library, finding you standing there with a sheepish look on your face. You steadied the wobbling table with your hand and smiled nervously at him, giving him a small wave to greet him. Peter felt his face flush all the way to the tips of his ears at the unexpected encounter, forcing himself to wave back before he came off as weird. You seemed to relax at his greeting and sat down, fishing in your bag for a piece of paper. You slid the paper across the table for Peter, who looked up at you in confusion. You nodded, as if you give him permission, and he opened it.
“You’re Peter right?” Was written in blue ink in your handwritten. Peter looked up at you and nodded eagerly, pleasantly surprised you knew his name.
“Um.” You bit your lip and hesitantly looked down at your hands before showing him what you’d been practicing.
“Hi. My name is Y/n. I have a question.” You slowly and a little poorly signed to Peter. His eyes lit up when he realizes you were signing to him, something no one in the school had ever done. He chuckled a little at the determined look on your face and smiled in approval.
“What’s your question?” He signed back. You concentrated on his hands as they moved, smiling in excitement when you understood.
“You just asked me what my question was. Okay! This is going better than I thought. Um, I’m gonna write it.” You pointed to the piece of paper before taking it back. Peter watched you as you wrote him a whole paragraph before sliding the paper back over.
“My dad is has been dating this woman for a few years and I think he wants to propose. She has a 7 year old son but he’s deaf so we haven’t been able to bond all that well. I think my dads is hesitant to propose because he thinks I don’t get along with her son. I was hoping you could teach me some sign language?”
Peter read the note a few times to fully understand it while you watched him nervously. You suddenly grabbed the palate back and wrote something else before returning it to him.
“Please.” You had added, making Peter laugh. Peter took your pen and wrote down his answer, turning the paper around so you could read it.
“I would love to help you.” He had written. Your eyes lit up as you looked up at him with a smile.
“Really? Thank you so much! I mean.…” You stopped speaking and signed what you had said, remembering that Peter was deaf.
“You’re welcome.” He signed back.
“You’re welcome! I knew that one!” You exclaimed, getting shushed by the people around you. You and Peter exchanged a look before silently laughing. You wrote something else down and slid the paper to Peter for him to read.
“Could I have your number?”
Peter’s heart stopped momentarily as the girl he’d been pinning after for the better part of four years asked for his number. He quickly scribbled it down and shoved the paper in your direction, making you laugh at his eagerness. Your eyes darted back and forth from the paper to your phone as you typed in his number, sending him a quick text once it was in.
“I’m so excited for this.” An unknown number appeared on his screen. He looked up at you and smiled before texting back.
“Me too. When do you want to start?”
“Is tomorrow after school okay? We could meet right here.” You sent.
“That’s good. I’ll see you then.” He wrote back and looked up at you.
“Thank you, Peter. I love you.” You signed. He tilted his head in confusion and laughed a little, making you pout.
“Sorry. I don’t know that many phrases yet.” You texted him before getting up. Your reasoning made sense and he found it incredibly endeared as he signed goodbye to you.
“Bye!” You waved at him before leaving the library, both of you going back to your day with a satisfied smile.
~
“Hi, Peter. How was your day?” You signed one of the few phrases you knew as you sat across from him in the library the next day. Peter signed back something that to your surprise, you actually understood.
“Good?” You mimicked his movement and he nodded. “Me too.”
“Are you ready to start?” He texted you and you nodded.
“What’s the sons name?” He wrote.
“Levi.” You sent back.
“Follow my lead.”
You looked up from your phone and focused all your attention on Peter. He let out a nervous breath now that he had the complete attention of the girl he liked and feigned a smile.
“Hi Levi.” He sighed, spelling out the name with single letters.
“Hi Levi.” You followed his movements.
“Wanna play with me?” Peter continued.
“Wanna play with me?” You repeated Peter’s actions and looked at him for approval. “
Is that right?” You quickly texted and he gave you a thumbs up.
“Cool! What did we say?” You sent. Peter explained what you had said and watched you make a mental note of it.
“Okay. He really likes those little matchbox cars. How do I ask which one is his favorite?” You texted him and looked up for answers. Peter signed the phrase, watching you slowly lose your understanding.
“Sorry, could you do that again?” You texted him. He signed it again and you slowly followed along, doing it over and over until you got it.
“Which car is your favorite?” You signed. “Did I say that right?”
Peter read your text and gave you another thumbs up.
“I did?” You said out loud then remembered he couldn’t hear you. “Eee I’m so excited. I can’t wait to show him.” You texted. Peter smiled at you before motioning that he was going to continue.
“How was school?” He signed. You followed along and got this phrase pretty quickly.
“What does this mean?” You repeated the sign for “school” as you slightly recognized the phrase. Peter texted you the answer and you signed it again.
“School. Got it. How was school?” You mumbled to yourself as you practiced the phrase.
“Perfect.” Peter texted. “Now try this.”
“Need any help with your home work?” Peter signed another phrase he thought you might find useful.
“Need any help with home work?” You signed back before picking up your phone. “What does that means?”
Peter texted you a response and you sighed in content.
“This is so great, Peter. Thank you so much for helping me.” You texted him before signing “thank you”.
“No problem.” He signed back. You smiled brightly at him before texting back.
“Can we go over them again?”
That night, Peter was deep into his Calculus homework when he saw your name light up on his screen.
“Levi came over for dinner and I helped him with his homework! He was so excited when I started signing to him! Thank you so much!” You wrote. Peter smiled happily at your message, loving your overuse of exclamation points.
“I’m happy to help. When do you want to meet next?” He asked.
“Can we do every Tuesday and Thursday? I know marching band is on Monday’s and Wednesdays.” You sent.
“Not that I’m stalking you.” You followed up, and Peter laughed.
“Sure. I’ll see you on Thursday.”
~
You saw Peter sitting alone at lunch the next day, as you often did. Instead of walking past him and heading to your friends table, you placed your lunch bag next to him and took a seat. He looked up at you in surprise and closed his textbook, waving shyly at you as you smiled.
“Hi.” You signed.
“Hi.” He signed back. You put a note on his textbook and tapped it twice, signaling for him to read it.
“Do you mind if I sit here?” It read, making him look up at you and nod. You took a seat next to him and fished a pen out of your bag before writing something down.
“I want to show you something.” Peter read off the note. Peter looked at you expectingly while you gave him a shy smile.
“You look nice today.” You signed, eagerly waiting for his reaction. Peter smiled at you and clapped his hands before signing “thank you.” You beamed signed “you’re welcome.”
Peter took out his phone and sent you a text, patiently waiting for the days when you no longer needed to communicate that way.
“Good job. Do you have another tutor?” He teased, hoping you’d get the joke over text. The smile on your face told him you did as you texted him back.
“I wanted to surprise you with the phrase so I looked it up. I’ve been practicing all day.” You sent.
“You did a good job with it. I’m proud.” He sent back and applauded you again. Your heart melted at the proud look in his eye, something you hoped you’d see a lot of.
“Thank you.” You giddily signed.
Peter’s phone buzzed suddenly and he picked it up, seeing a text from his conductor that band practice was cancelled for the day. He made a face, which lead to you making a face, so he showed you his phone to help you understand.
“It’s cancelled?” You asked audibly, but he read your lips. He got an idea now that his after noon was free and brought your attention back to him.
“Do you want to come over after school?” He signed. You furrowed yourself eyebrows before picking up your phone to text him.
“All I understand was “school”. Can you do it again?” You asked. Peter repeated the motion before texting you what it meant. Your eyes lit up as you nodded at him.
“Oh, sure. Watch this.” You sent, making him look up at you.
“Where do you live?” You signed. Peter chuckled and texted you his address, as well as his plan for the evening.
“I’ll meet you at your locker after and we can walk. I want to teach you some of the basics before you learn any more phrases.”
“Sounds good.” You signed another phrase you knew. You and Peter sat there smiling shyly at each other for a moment before he realized why you sat there in the first place.
“Did you want to practice now?” He texted you, but you shook your head.
“No. I just wanted to sit with you.” You wrote back, causing his heart to skip a beat.
“Good. Because I really like you.” He signed, knowing you wouldn’t understand him. Your face twisted in confusion as you tried to make sense of his movements.
“What does that mean?” You texted him.
“It means you can sit with me whenever you want.” He lied.
“Thanks. I’ll probably sit here a lot because I really like you.” You laughed at the admission as you said it out loud. He couldn’t read your lips fast enough and didn’t understand what you had said. He pointed to his phone, silently asking you to text it.
“Nothing.” You wrote. “Do you want a carrot?”
~
You sat on Peter’s bed two months later with a whiteboard and dry erase marker that you’d been passing back and forth. It was your temporary system of communication until you got better at sign language.
“Can I ask you something?” You wrote and showed him the board. He smirked and took the marker, writing a sarcastic message under yours. You looked at the board and made a face at him.
“You just did.” It read.
“Very funny.” You signed before picking up the board.
“Why are you in matching band if you can’t hear the music?”
“Because I can feel it. Watch.” He answered your message with his own before picking up his drumsticks. He hesitantly took your hand and pulled you over to his drum set, placing your hand on the barrel of the drum before sitting down. He played a fast, loud beat that reverberated in your chest. A smile tugged at your lips when you understood what he meant by feeling the music. Peter got up and grabbed the whiteboard, writing a message down and turning it to show you.
“You feel that?” It asked, and you nodded.
“I feel a lot of things for you, actually.” You said, but he didn’t hear.
“What was that?” He signed in confusion.
“Nothing.” You signed back. Peter gave you a funny look but dropped the subject as you began to look around his room.
“You have so many movies. Which ones your favorite?” You looked at him and signed. Peter pulled out a Star Wards movie from his collection and handed it to you.
“Really? Aren’t action movies really loud though?” You wrote on the board, not knowing how to say all that in ASL.
“Subtitles exist, sweetheart.” He signed to you.
“What was that last part? You better not have called me a mean name.” You signed back and stuck your tongue out. Peter just shrugged and pretended to whistle.
“Peter Parker. What did you call me? I demand to know.” You signed again, making a false angry face at him. Peter shut his eyes so he couldn’t see you, making you shove him playfully.
“Do not close your eyes when I’m speaking to you!” You wrote on the board and shoved it in his face. Peter’s body shook as he laughed at his own joke, making you laugh as well before sticking up the middle finger at him.
“See? I already knew that one. I didn’t need you to teach me.” You wrote and flipped your hair.
“I called you sweetheart, which is what I would call you all the time of you were my girlfriend. But you’re not my girlfriend because I’m too scared to ask you to be and don’t want the possible rejection to ruin our friendship. That doesn’t stop me from being hopelessly in love with you though.” Peter signed his true feelings. You tilted your head as you tried to follow along, but lost him almost right away.
“What did you say? All I read was “you”.” You wrote down.
“I said you’re gonna have to study more if you want to keep up with the master.” He wrote under your message.
“We study every day. I’m basically fluent. Try me.” You signed to him with a poised look.
“I am so in love with you it hurts.” Peter signed to challenge you. You grimaced and grabbed the board again.
“You are having a heart attack?” You asked, not having understood what he said. Peter laughed sadly and shook his head at you, wondering when you’d finally understand him. He took the board from you and wrote his own message, deciding to drop the subject.
“Sure. Let’s go over homophones again.”
“I absolutely hate homophones. We have been doing them for two weeks and I’m sick of it. You’re lucky I’m absolutely in love with you, you idiot.” You told him after reading his message. Once again, he failed to read your lips and was left in the dark.
“What was that?” He sighed and you waved your hand in dismissal.
“I called you an idiot. Now teach me some signs.”
6 months later
“Hey Peter.” You signed as you approached Peter at his locker. “Guess what?”
“What? You finally decided to give me my shirt back?” Peter signed before tugging on his own shirt that you were wearing. You had stolen it the previous week after a particularly long lesson.
“Nope! Even better. I found a ring in my dads dresser!” You signed excitedly.
“Wow, really? How did you find it?” Peter wondered.
“I accidentally found it in his sock drawer when I was looking for a ring!” You signed in response after taking a minute to comprehend what Peter had said.
“So he’s proposing?” He asked.
“Yes! He has a dinner planned for this Friday night and he’s doing it then.” You slowly signed the longer phrase, messing and mixing up a few words along the way.
“How do you know?”
“I asked him when he was doing it.” You signed and made a “duh” face. Peter gave you a knowing look for snooping through your dads belongings but you just rolled your eyes.
“Don’t look at me like that. I’m just excited.” You signed and slung an arm around his shoulders. You began to walk towards class like that, ignoring looks from the students around you.
“I’m happy for him. And I’m happy for you.” Peter signed with a proud smile. You smiled back before pulling out a note you had written him, knowing you wouldn’t be able to sign it all.
“I wanted to ask you to be my date to the dinner. Her whole family is gonna be there and my dads side will be there too.”
Peter looked up from the note with a hopeful expressing as you bounced on your toes.
“You want me there with your family?” He signed and you nodded eagerly.
“You are my family, Peter.” You sighed back. “You’re basically the reason this is happening.”
“Your dad is not proposing because of me. He doesn’t even know me.” He signed with a skeptical face.
“Yes he does.” You rolled your eyes as you signed. “I talk about you all the time, dummy.”
“Well I sign about you all the time to May.” Peter responded, making you laugh loudly.
“Is that a yes to dinner? You know, since you’re so obsessed with me.” You signed with a hopeful look in your eyes.
“Yes. I will be your date.” He sighed back with a smile. You threw your arms around him and hugged him tightly to say thank you and kissed his cheek.
“Thank you!” You signed. “I’ll text you the details.”
~
Peter stood next to you at your dads dinner in the one nice shirt he owned and pants that were just a bit too big. You stood next to him in a short black dress, nervously chewing your lip as you looked around the room.
“That’s Levi.” You signed and pointed to the boy. “And that’s my soon to be step mom.”
The pair spotted you and waved, immediately making their way over to you and Peter.
“They’re coming. Be normal.” You quickly signed before plastering on a smile.
“Hey Levi! I like your bow tie. You look super cool.” You signed to Levi, and the young boy smiled.
“Thank you.” He signed back and hide behind his moms legs. Peter knew exactly how he was feeling and frowned. He knew what it was like to be in a loud room and not hear a thing, and how overwhelming it could get. He knelt down to Levi’s level and gave him a small smile to let him know it was okay as you began to talk to his mom.
“Hi Levi. My name is Peter.” He signed. “That’s a cool watch you have on.”
Levi looked down at his watch and smiled a toothless grin before looking back at Peter.
“Thank you. Do you like Star Wars?” He signed back, taking a cautious step away from his mother’s leg.
“I love it. What’s your favorite movie?” Peter asked.
“I like Revenge of the Sith.” Levi answered.
“No way! Me too!” Peter signed excitedly. “We should get Y/n to watch it with us sometime. She really likes spending time with you.”
“I like her too.” Levi signed, fully away from his moms leg now.
“You’re a cool dude. Us deaf kids have to stick to together. I’ll see you at dinner.” Peter signed before holding his fist out. Levi gave him a fist bump as a huge smile lit up his entire face.
“See you.” He signed before walking away with his mother. Peter got up and looked at you, giving you a smile shrug.
“Cool dude.” You signed to tease him as you raised your eyebrows playfully.
“Leave me alone. I don’t know how to talk to children.” He signed back.
“Clearly you do. I’ve never seen him smile that much.” You told him. “Thanks for being nice to him.”
“Excuse me, are you Peter?” Your soon to be step mom ran back up to you and signed to Peter. She had been so distracted by her conversation with you that she hadn’t noticed Peter and Levi. But after walking away and watching Levi happily sign about the nice deaf boy he met, she had to say something.
“Yes ma’am.” He signed back.
“I just wanted to thank you.” She have as an emotional smile. “My son doesn’t meet a lot of deaf people and that interaction meant a lot to him. Thank you.”
She pulled Peter into a tight hug and you heard the air leave his body. He looked at you for help and you just gave him a thumbs up.
“She’s a hugger.” You signed with a wicked smile.
“Okay. Sorry.” She signed and wiped a stray tear. “I’ll leave you two to it.”
Peter turned to you once he walked away, body still aching from the hug.
“She seems nice.” He signed, and he meant it.
“She is.” You signed back. “Come on, let’s go take a seat.”
Halfway into dinner, your dad tapped his glass with his fork and stood up. You tapped Peter’s shoulder and pointed to your dad before giving his hand and exciting squeeze.
“Hello everyone. I know it’s not a normal thing to make speeches at dinner, but this is important. As you all know, Sharon and I have been seeing each other for quite some time now.” Your dad took Sharon’s hand and looked around the room. As he spoke, you translated a majority of his speech so Peter and Levi could follow along. Peter was so enchanted by how far you’d come with your signing that he didn’t fine back into the speech until he heard-
“Yes!” Sharon exclaimed. “Yes, yes, yes!”
Everyone clapped except for you and Levi, who did the ASL version of clapping. Peter laughed at what you opted for and did the same, leaning into you endearingly.
“You know what this means, don’t you?” You sighed. Peter’s eyebrows knit together I’m confusion so you rolled your eyes.
“Now you have to be my date to the wedding.” You signed and his face heated up in a blush.
“I would love to.” He signed, taking your hand in his and kissing the back of it.
One month later
“Great job today.” Peter signed as he closed his ASL text book. “Your reading and pace is getting a lot better.”
He got up to put his textbook on his desk, but you grabbed his sleeve to keep him in place.
“Peter, wait.” You signed. “I’ve been practicing something behind your back.”
“Go ahead.” He signed as he sat back in his seat. You bit back a smile and hesitantly looked at your hands, trusting them and Peter’s tutoring to carry you through. You shyly looked up and Peter and began to sign.
“You’re my favorite person to talk to. I really love spending time with you. I feel like you’re the only person who really hears me, no pun intended.” You laughed nervously and he did too. “And so, I have a question for you.”
“What’s your question?” He signed with a smirk, remembering your first conversation.
“Um...” You mumbled and looked down at your hands again, squeezing your eyes shut for the next part.
“How do you say “kiss me” in sign language?” Your eyes fluttered open after you signed the rehearsed phrase, nervously waiting for Peter’s reaction. He tilted his head in confusion and signed it for you, too naive to understand why you were asking. Of course, you had googled how to say it so you could recognize it when he did it.
And you recognized it.
“Okay.” You signed back before leaning in and kissing him. You heard his breath hitch into his throat as a small sound emitted from the back of it. Peter’s eyes widened as his lips touched a girls for the first time. His instincts kicked in and he cupped your face in his hands, leaning closer to you to deepen it. You pulled away to gasp for air, laughing shyly as you rested your forehead against his.
“You’re my favorite person to talk to, too.” He signed before kissing you again.
~
You found Peter at his locker the next morning, eager to show Peter what you worked on once you went home the night before.
“I have to show you something. I’ve been practicing this all night.” You signed with an elated smile. Peter nodded, signaling for you to go ahead.
“Oh, wait. Almost forgot.” You signed before grabbing Peter’s face to kiss him. He smiled against your lips, deeply loving your new way of greeting each other. You pulled away and looked at your hands, mentally rehearsing the phrase before you showed him.
“Will you be my boyfriend?” You signed slowly and hesitantly as you looked at Peter. It took him a minute to register what you were trying to say, but once he did, he excitedly signed “yes.”
“Yes?” You asked and he signed it again. “He said yes! He said yes, everybody.” You cheered as you pulled him into a hug. He couldn’t tell what you were saying, but the ecstatic look on your face was enough. You kissed his cheek a few times before pulling away with a grin.
“You can’t hear but I’m yelling.” You signed, accompanied with a laugh.
“Shut up and kiss me.” Peter signed as he rolled his eyes at you.
“You shut up. You’re so loud.” You teased him before kissing him again.
1 year later
“You got this, sweetheart.” Peter signed as you got ready to deliver your speech at your dads wedding. As promised, he had come as your date. You had done a decent job of signing the vows to him, your speed and memorization improving every day. Now it was time for your speech and you and Peter had been practicing something special.
“And I believe my daughter has a few words.” You heard you dad say, snapping your attention away from Peter. He squeezed your hand for encouragement as you stood up, giving you a soft smile to relax you. You took a deep breath and looked out at the table, never letting go of Peter’s hand.
“Hello everyone.” You signed and spoke out loud at the same time for Peter and Levi’s sake. “My name is Y/n and I’m the daughter of the groom. I had some things I wanted to say to my old family and to my new family. Whew.” You laughed nervously and looked at Peter for courage. He kissed the back of your hands and held up a symbol he hadn’t taught you, but you already knew.
Middle finger and ring finger bent to touch the palm with pointer finger and pinky extended, the way to say “I love you” in sign language.
Peter telling you he loved you for the first time gave you the courage you needed to continue the speech. You spoke about your dad and Sharon for a while before turning your attention to Levi.
“And to Levi, I’m so happy you’re my brother.” You didn’t speak this part and only signed. “I can’t wait to see who you grow up to be because the person you are now is amazing. I promise that I’m going to try my hardest to be the best big sister you could ask for. As long as I’m here, you will always have someone who cares about you. Welcome to the family. I love you.”
Levi looked at you with the biggest smile, feeling empowered to know he wasn’t the one who didn’t understand what was being said anymore.
“I love you too. I’m glad you’re my sister.” He signed back, making you tear up. You thanked the guests and took your seat again, continuing the rest of the reception with content bliss.
Peter held your hand as you walked towards a gazebo that had been dawned with fairy lights, a popular place for photos during the night. You were both in need of a break from the dancing and the gazebo just so happened to be empty. Peter lead you inside and twirled you around, smiling as you rested your head on his chest. You began to slow dance to music that wasn’t there until you pulled away.
“That went so phenomenally well.” You signed to him. “When do things ever go to plan the way that just did?”
“I guess the universe is on our side.” He signed back with a smile.
“It must be, if it brought me to you.” You signed, tears of joy coming back to your eyes.
“I love you, sweetheart.” Peter signed, wanting to say it over and over now that he had gotten the first one out of the way.
“I love you more. I can’t wait to sign “I do” to you one day.” You signed, making Peter gasped. Your smile fell at his reaction and you realized that might have been too much too soon.
“Did I just ruin the moment and say too much?” You grimaced as you signed. Peter came back to his senses and shook his head before pulling you into a kiss. He wasn’t afraid of what you said, just taken aback by you taking the words right out of his mouth.
Or, well, you know what I mean.
“No.” He signed once he pulled away. “You said just enough.”
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yanderart · 4 years
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   Once you found Shouto on the Anti-Purge forums, it felt so wonderful to be understood. So comforting to finally have someone you could rely on...
So, when you got a letter notifying you of your selection for the Annual Purge later on, of course you went to seek his help.
Should’ve known better than to trust strangers online, though.
My fic/portrait convo for the Yandere Purge Collab, from the Lovesick Discord. And please check the rest of the m. list for other amazing works set in the same AU!
Under the cut is the actual fic (Todoroki x Reader, nsfw, dark themes, 10k), as well as the respective TWs. Hope y'all enjoy 🥀
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Tws: Usual yandere ones (stalking, manipulation, delusion). Dub-con/Non-con. Non-consensual Drug Use, aka Aphrodisiacs. Death threats and sexism (from randoms on the forum, not Todo). 
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   You couldn’t think straight —hadn’t been able to since waking up again. All you could recognize amidst the fog currently obscuring your thoughts was the longing, prolonged, and tangible in its hold over your being.
You felt hot all over, the flames licking at your skin burning brightly as you squirmed from your place, eagerly attempting to get closer to the cold reprieve emanating from the man that held you. 
“Tell me what’s wrong, Y/N." One of his hands was steering you on his lap, the other one gently massaging your shoulders in a comforting motion. “I can only help you if you do."
If your judgment had not been overcast by the desire pushing away your self-awareness, then perhaps you could’ve heard the faint hint of amusement in his voice. Perhaps you would’ve thought to look up and finally encounter the content shine of his heterochromatic eyes.
“I feel…" speaking was laborious, your tongue impossibly weighty and your mind swirling with thoughts that escaped any semblance of coherence. “I feel hot all over. It hurts.”
The hand positioned around your waist went to search for one of your clenched ones, easily engulfing it in his grip as he nudged the side of your face with his chin rather tenderly. A gentle encouragement for you to stay attentive, anchoring you to the moment despite your dazed mindset. 
“Show me then,” his low timbre tickled your skin, sending another wave of excruciating heat to wreak havoc inside your body, “Let me know where it hurts.”
With a stuttering sigh, you proceeded to press both of your hands to your lower stomach, gulping audibly before bringing them further down. Dancing just short of your underwear while your eyelids fluttered shut. 
You knew your actions were out of character deep down. Even recognized the shadow of wrongness that distorted the current scene. You weren't supposed to do such things, weren't supposed to feel like that…
But the reality was that you were so excruciatingly warm by that point, and his palm felt so deliciously cold. 
When you heard the dreadful siren going off in the distance, the instantly recognizable sound of the Purge starting at last, you were already too far gone to think of anything else but the fingers brushing against the thin cotton of your panties, so close to the evidence of your need soaking through them. 
Your parents had told you not to trust strangers online once upon a time. You should’ve really taken their advice more to heart.
。。。。。
   But first, perhaps a little tracing of your steps is in order —some necessary context to fully understand the extension of your plight. 
You see, earlier that day you had woken up full of a peculiar mix of drive and determination. It was indeed Purge Day, the single day of the year you had grown to fear the most  ever since childhood, and yet for once you found yourself oddly relaxed, filled to the brim with resolve instead of your usual nerves. 
Which was already an unexpected turn of events, considering you had just gotten a letter notifying you of your selection as one of the accursed Darlings of the Night. 
A gentle reminder that, if caught, your life would stop belonging to yourself for an entire dreadful year. 
Because a Yandere had their sight on you now, or so the notice had informed you in impeccable typography. Anxious fingertips memorized the slight raise of inked words, inspecting every single detail the letter carried.
You had imagined a monster ready to pounce just outside your door then, fitting enough to be the carrier of your bad news. A preternaturally grotesque being, built from all the Yandere themed horror stories you had heard throughout the years.  
And yet there you were, feeling safer in that instant than you had in years; Because this time you had a plan. He made sure to give you one you could easily follow.
Just like he later made sure to welcome you in with a kind smile and awfully persistent hospitality. 
"Would you like a cup of tea?"
You should've known better than to accept.
。。。。。
   In the present, fingers were now dipping under the elastic of your panties, ghosting across feverish skin and encouraging your whimpers to grow louder. 
"Is this what you want, then?" The man's breath tickled one of your ears, rough digits gathering your slickness with practiced ease. And he sounded genuinely concerned too, as if your discomfort was not a consequence of his own machinations. "Because I wanna ease your pain, baby. Give you what you truly need."
He barely even touched you yet you were already struggling not to crumble, the desire governing your mind mixing with the new sensations to create a new delirious kind of torment. 
Continuing to tease you, the man was relentless in his torture, barely even brushing over your neediest spots. A gentle press of his palm to stimulate you for a moment before pulling back, much to your shameful frustration; Better than nothing, but not close enough. 
In his own way, though, he was urging you to speak up. Expecting you to demand what you truly wanted. 
Yet as a retort, all you could come up with was gasping out his name, dripping from your lips like honeyed prayers as your hips fought to buck up against his hand. 
 A sound you afterward repeated a hundred times over. Chanted until its melody became engraved on your tongue and the man was finally caving in, sliding his fingers inside with a smirk. 
He had known you'd end up caving, had planned for it for months now, and yet nothing had prepared him for the actual view.
。。。。。
   Shou, actually, had been his username when you first met him. Once upon a time recited with a genuine smile and an eagerness to please, such a far cry from the anguished whines it would later lead up to.
You started frequenting the forum he inhabited a few months back. A place which happened to be a hidden corner of the internet for people who did not just stumble upon it, but actually sought it out. A part of the web where its occupants challenged societal norms and, against what society had tried to condition you all into thinking,  chose to voice their taboo Anti-Purge sentiments instead. 
Sentiments perhaps born either due to the inherent discriminatory nature of the holiday (why was it that Yanderes were accommodated for, while Darlings barely got a warning before they were made prey?), a need for contrarianism (when opposing open kidnappings, assault and other debauchery became an act of rebellion), or just a tenuous moral high ground which made it unbearable to stomach. Whatever the reason, it was your first time encountering such a density of like-minded peers.
Despite attempting to commit yourself to being a lurker, deciding to never post or reply to others, your days had still quickly become consumed by the need to read each and every topic. You were simply fascinated with this new dark corner of the web. 
That was, of course, until the aforementioned Shou became the main focus of your attention, a dash of intriguing brightness to break the monotony of your existence.
And like moths rushing to the flame, your curiosity would be your undoing.  
There was something about him that pulled you in (along with many others from the community, which tended to flock on his posts whenever he grazed the forums). His username was clearly just a nickname instead of a carefully crafted pseudonym; profile picture just an image of the back of what you all assumed to be his hair, dual-toned strands catching the light in a hypnotic way.
Truly, his disregard for anonymity within those parts was a bigger statement than you were expecting, almost as commendable as it was dumbfounding. There was the nature of his postings too, never subtle about his inclinations or ideas. 
   How to disarm and reutilize Purge Traps. 
   Most effective ways to incapacitate a violent assailant.  
   Government lies and why they matter. 
   Faking a BOPC (breach of purge code) and getting away with it.
There was little method to the madness that was his forum activity, besides the hint that he was evidently more knowledgeable about the subject than most. Plus the fact that he was proactive about his advice, actually seeking to teach others to fight back instead of just hide away and hope for the best. For another self-proclaimed Darling, Shou was ruthless with his methods —it was hard not to admire him.
And admire you did, keeping tabs of his sporadic bursts of activity and speeding to try and interact with him whenever you caught him online. You were, to voice it simply, simply star-truck by him (and perhaps becoming a bit of a fangirl). 
Because whoever Shou was, it felt like he understood you. And so, against every ounce of your common sense or natural paranoia, you had finally decided to break your golden rule and reach out for the first time since you joined the niche forum. 
And not to just leave a vague comment agreeing on public discourse, but to actually send him a private message. In your defense, how were you supposed to know the chains of events your actions would start?
   Do you actually believe what you post?, had been your lame conversation starter. 
Luckily for you, he did not leave you hanging. You made sure to send the message while he was still active, one of the few days a week you knew he devoted to his presence on the site (and wasn't it slightly creepy, how you had taken the time to learn his schedule by that point?)
   I wouldn't be here if I didn't, dry, to the point and leaving you embarrassed to have even sent the first question. 
Yet for some reason, something about Shou reverted you back into a middle school kid seeking to impress a way cooler senior. 
Perhaps it was what he symbolized (a change for the better), what he appeared to be (everything you wish you were) —whatever it was, your fingers were frantically typing a reply as soon as his appeared on your screen. 
   I just think it's amazingThe things you know
   How you share them with everyone
   The way you see through the lies
   I just think you're— , your digits hovered over the keyboard as you were about to type out the last sentence before quickly deleting it. Even in your excitement, you knew how obsessed you'd sound if you started complimenting him personally in your very first conversation. 
So instead you sent your thoughts on his posts and awaited his answer with bated breath. A few minutes ticked by this time, your anxiety making you count down the seconds in mortified silence, slowly weighted down by your doubts until your notifications for the forum were going off again with a distinct ping. 
   I've seen your replies around. I think you're great too. 
Whatever your hang ups for praising him directly had been, he clearly did not harbor any. As the prongs of nervousness alleviated their hold over your body, you struggled to see any problems with it either…this was a person you had come to idolize, and they thought you were great?
Your smile, while still anxious, was considerable while you quickly responded. 
   I'm just a n00b. Learning from the pros. 
A moment of thought, biting your bottom lip as you decided whether to add a second message or not. Fuck it, you told yourself. 
   I wasn't even supposed to be posting anything, but you made me wanna reach out. 
Was that too forward? Oh god, it was, wasn't it? You must've sounded creepy, must've sounded desperate and…
   That's cute. Did my ramblings teach you anything? 
An actual squeal left you then, sounding like it came from an altogether different person. You were an adult, with a career and responsibilities… Yet somehow, this stranger online indirectly calling you cute made you more excited than you were comfortable admitting.
   Ofc. I didn't even know what a BOPC was before. Didn't know most of the purge traps you mentioned, either. 
The spaces between replies were getting smaller, the conversation turning fluent as you both seemed to be staring straight into the screen, waiting for the other to finish typing. 
   So you really are a n00b then. 
Shit, did you fail some sort of forum etiquette by admitting that? Somehow, the need to impress Shou was more palpable than ever. 
   And you clearly know your stuff. Makes me wanna up my game. 
Be more like you, you left unsaid. 
   So am I your senpai then? 
Your fingers froze just above the keyboards, eyes scanning over Shou's last message and reverted back to staring at his profile pic for a solid minute. You would've squealed again, if you weren't so taken aback. 
   You make it sound like I am, his second message lit up your screen, coming in quickly after your rare pause in replies.
   I don't think that's bad, though. Third message from him, and you were close to fainting now. 
   Then in that case I suppose you are. You wondered whether Shou wouldn't think you were pathetic admitting that, or whether he had been honest by saying he didn't mind... 
   I've also noticed you agreeing with some of my more polarizing views. 
A welcomed change in topics. 
You thought to ask him which ones (most of his posts tended to have a polarizing effect, with people finding him either too radicalized or not radicalized enough), but before you could formulate the question you saw the twinkling circles symbolizing he was typing up another sentence.
   Do you actually believe them? And now it was his turn to spit your words back at you. 
   Well, yah. You make compelling arguments. 
   Color me impressed then, the start of his new retort left your mind spinning. Never met a n00b like you before. 
After his declaration, you found yourself writing and rewriting your answer, hesitating on your word choice, and yet pure elation coursed through your veins. 
He said he's impressed with me, your brain kept supplying on loop. You had no way of knowing just how much of a lasting impression you were leaving. 
   I don't wanna stay one tho. I'd like to jump a few levels. Improve.
Barely a moment's notice before his last message provoked a noticeable hitch in your breath. 
   I can help you with that. 
Which, as short of a reply as it was, left you giddier than would’ve been healthier to admit. 
Perhaps it could be chalked up to your work shifts growing more monotonous and tiresome, your social life becoming a faint echo of what it used to be, or just the regular wear and tear from a too-plain existence —a routine where you didn’t tend to engage with life, but just passively watched it go by.
Whatever the true reason was, that night you went to sleep with such a wide grin that the apples of your cheeks had started to hurt from the exertion, infinitely excited after getting to talk firsthand with someone you had already come to admire by that point. 
It almost made you self-conscious, knowing just how much it all meant to you, how such a small gesture on his part happened to mean the world to you. 
But there was really no reason to feel ashamed or overzealous over your own reaction. If you could’ve seen Shou, you would’ve known you weren’t the only one smiling.
。。。。。
   Almost as open of a smile as the one adorning his features right now, currently hidden from your view as his fingers set a maddening pace. Tortuously slow at first until his knuckles started brushing against your opening with each thrust. 
All you could hear now were the wet sounds of your arousal facilitating his movements, motions whose only purpose seemed to be to drive you more rambling and disoriented by the second. 
"Is this what you want? What you need, perhaps?" His usually calm voice was uncharacteristically affected as he gasped against your ear, the torture he was making you endure clearly getting to him as well. 
You were much too preoccupied with the waves of pleasure and warmth overflowing your body to give a proper response, but your lack of one did not deter him. 
If anything, your needy gasps and whines were the only encouragement he required. 
"Don't worry, Y/N. I'll take care of you, make you feel good."
By that point, the hand that had been petting your hair had found its way to your sopping heat too, calloused pads circling around your pearl while the man continued feeding you his eager promises. 
"I get you, baby. Just like you get me." So close, your entire body taut and ready to snap. "And you want me to take care of you too, right?"
You weren't conscious enough to understand the implications, your impaired judgment prohibiting you from reading further into the meaning of his words. He sounded so encouraging, so deceivingly tender despite stuffing you full of his fingers as you squirmed on his lap. 
All you could do was nod furiously.
And later on, when your senses sadly returned, dedicated yourself to lamenting over which of your actions brought you down this unfortunate path. 
。。。。。
    Perhaps, your consciousness supplied, it had been the fact that you opened up so readily. That you had dared to share with a supposed new friend, things that should’ve better stayed hidden in the first place.   
But goddamn it, you felt downright honored that he even considered you worthy enough to entertain in the first place. From the very first second, Shouto already had the upper hand. 
During the first few conversations, the topics you two discussed were all closely related to the purge and your mutual hang ups with it. Concise and carefully typed out messages were exchanged, discussing opinions you had never expected anyone to be interested in hearing—not from you, at least. 
But then, as the weeks slowly progressed, the subjects of conversation began shifting to both of your lives, to your occupations, hobbies, and, directly against the forum's policy for privacy, the people you two were outside the confines of your online corner. 
Even without actually exchanging any real data or supplying him with your name or age, you found yourself starting to open up more and more with each day.
You told him about your grueling office job, the friends you hadn’t seen or texted in weeks, and the reality of an apartment which more closely resembled a containment cell than a home…
Revelations that you had kept hidden for so long, which now came pouring out without regard for how mortified they made you feel. You were conscious of the limits blurring between you two the further you kept going, of how you were telling him things best left unsaid, cramped and buried in a hard to reach place. 
And yet, for some obscure reason, everything Shou represented made it impossible for you to resist the temptation to speak up, to demand to be heard for the first time in an eternity of quietness. 
You’re pathetic, is what you expected him to say in return. Pathetic, weak, meager, and worthless. Anticipating him, somehow, to echo all the doubts and deeply held fears you carried inside. 
   Most of my friends don’t understand either, was instead the response you  received. But most people don’t see what's wrong, what needs to be changed. You feel lonely because you do.
It wasn’t clear what you would’ve wanted to hear beforehand, the things you had fantasized someone would reply if you ever gathered the courage to share your anxieties. Whatever those expectations had been an eternity ago, they now vastly paled when compared to what your new friend was dangling in front of you. 
It felt like he was giving an excuse for things you had always perceived as personal failings. If what he said was true, it would mean it wasn’t your social ineptitude that kept people away, your uselessness, or uninteresting personality.
It would mean the shadows around you could still be dispelled somehow, exorcising the silhouettes of a suffering that had become a regular companion in your day to day life.
Brandishing a courage that only anonymity could give you, your fingers were a blur on your keyboard as you tried to ignore the rapid heartbeat in your chest, the fear, and exhilaration from opening up for the first time in forever. 
Something you would later regret a thousand times over.
   And you do too, and it wasn’t a question, a nervous comment or a stuttered retort. With the aid of the text format, you could look as confident as you knew you weren’t. You understand as well. 
You understand me, was the tacit meaning behind it. The prickling of unshed tears made it so you were furiously blinking, fighting against the downpour despite your eyes refusing to leave the screen for longer than an instant. 
   I do. More than you realize.
For all intents and purposes, your first mistake was indeed opening up. 
And your second one was being naive enough to let him in. Seriously, why hadn’t you heeded your parent’s advice about stranger danger?
。。。。。
   ...If they could only see you now, coming apart at the seams and with the name of your tormentor being the only word you were able to string together. 
"Such a beauty, and all for me," his praises accompanied you through the rough orgasm ripping through your body, lips kissing your forehead in stark contrast to the digits still pumping inside your heat. "Let me hear your voice, baby. Let me hear how beautiful my name sounds on your lips."
And you obeyed, because what other choice did you have. Mindless, broken, and oh, so needy. 
You continued to audibly moan as your climax unwound, crying out his name in absolute reverence while Shouto's smile deepened against your skin. The chill of his touch was still as soothing as ever, calming down the embers of a lust that refused to completely die down.
When he finally pulled his hands from your core, you felt excruciatingly empty. But you were not given enough time to wallow in your despair, because who you once considered your friend was then grasping your face gently between his hands, leading your gaze to meet his—forcing you to witness the intensity and adoration present there. 
"My Y/N."
Even in your deeply intoxicated state, the last few dredges of your senses supplied just how utterly abhorrent the situation was. 
The sirens signaling the start of the Purge had died down a while ago, drowned out by your own cries of pleasure, but you could still see the remnants of the government logo still plastered all over the TV, its bright glow bathing you both in an eerily scarlet ambiance. 
From the same weak place of coherence, a shiver of fear managed to break through your stupor. 
"You're going to continue to be a good girl for me, aren't you?" 
When he kissed you then, slow and almost ironically hesitant despite what had just transpired moments before, you couldn't begin to tell your body to refuse. Much to your own horror, you were soon eagerly kissing your tormentor back. 
。。。。。                                                      
   The second mistake leading up to your downfall, on the other hand, took a little longer to occur. It was after a few more weeks of conversation. You vented and talked way too much, while Shou listened intently and even rewarded you with a few crumbs of advice of his own.  
So wrapped up in your new seemingly innocuous friendship you were in, you failed to recognize the magnitude of an event that should've sent you scrambling to shut off your monitor. A warning so loud it would've put the Purge sirens themselves to shame. 
You see, with Shou's help, you were slowly becoming more of an active user around those parts. You didn't just stick to replying to his posts or lurking until he shot you a private message anymore; no, you were now officially a contributor, deciding to step out of your anonymity to share what you thought was a fairly interesting article. It was a rather long-winded thinkpiece on the morality of Darlings’ treatment after the Purge had ended—the reality of that year spent in captivity that most people tended to just brush under the carpet, all in the name of making the entire ordeal more palatable to digest. 
In all your eagerness, however, you had failed to realize a very crucial detail, which was that the article was a whole two days old. Already an ancient text by forum's standards, apparently. 
So with that in mind, of course you should've expected the hate, an outpouring of bitterness fit for a community of loners and acidic underdogs. You were on an anonymous forum on one of the darkest parts of the internet, somewhere most sane people actively stayed away from—Clearly, a rookie unwittingly reposting something was the perfect target for a lot of your bitter comrades. An excuse to finally take out all of their pent up frustration.  
   Fuck1ng pleb, thanks for copy-pasting the same post for the 55th time. 
   This is why we shouldn't let newbies post. Look at this mess @mods.
   Time to hang it up, n00b. And by “it”, I mean your f****** neck.  
   i bet ur a girl, [Username]. u type like a b1tch. 
And the icing on the cake for internet interactions, a myriad of wall spamming "KYS" being plastered all across the comment section, bold and daunting as they filled your notification box with the repetitions of hate. If you weren't so sure of your safety behind your screen, perhaps you would've felt intimidated. 
As it stood, you were just embarrassed, mortified at the fact that you had seemingly botched your only attempt at leaving a positive first impression. If anything, it only seemed you had given everyone a common enemy to pick on for once...
Or that was, at least, until Shou happened to log in at exactly that precise moment. You knew he was usually busy around that day and time (he never actually told you whether he had a job, but you had surmised as much from your past chats), so his instantly recognizable profile picture and username popping up had you genuinely gasping at first. It was one hell of a coincidence, but you couldn’t help but feel a sense of relief at what looked to be your savior.
   Everyone, stop getting your panties in a twist. This is why no new users end up staying, the environment is abhorrent. 
It was vague enough not to betray the fact that you two weren’t just strangers anymore, as well as keeping Shou’s reputation as a lone wolf from completely shattering.
And a comment which, surprisingly, instantly dulled most of the incoming messages your post was being flooded with. 
People respected him there, his status as a renowned user giving him a genuine sort of power and hold over the rest of the community. One of the first things you had recognized on the forums was the distinct hierarchical structures amongst its users, and there Shou might’ve as well be granted the title of mayor for all the weight his every sentence carried.
Or at least they did with the majority of the community. As in every place where large numbers of people gathered, there were always a few rotten apples just begging to be tossed. 
   and ofc ur whiteknighting for her, Shou The Great. shes sucking ur dick under evry single post u make
You cringed, studying the bitter user that had decided to be a contrarian and easily recognizing him from unsavory past encounters you witnessed. Although, if you were completely honest, this time you couldn't exactly say his words didn't carry a certain degree of validity.
Shou had told you he was glad that was the case with you, that his post resonating with anyone was one of the main reasons why he hadn't just disappeared from the site completely. But in reality, saying you weren't subtle about your agreement with his ideas would be an understatement. 
You were like a puppy skipping behind him, trailing his interactions and always ready to write an eager comment backing him up. Yet you had never thought others actually paid attention to your mostly one-sided interactions, the occasional meager downvote or emote being the only thing that made you aware your comments weren’t just lost in the sea of spam Shou’s posts were usually showered in. 
For the longest time, your support had just felt like leaving letters for the man to find. Letters you hadn’t even been sure had reached their target until a few weeks back...
Suddenly, the sharp sound of Shou's incoming reply drove you from your tribulations.  
   Well, maybe if you weren't such a crude man you wouldn't be permabanned from starting topics yourself. Although I doubt anyone would be sucking your dick either way, shitty ideology considered. [Image attached]
A grimace was quick to grow on your face as you aptly studied the picture Shou decided to close his reply with.
It was a screenshot of what looked to be someone's post history, a rather extensive list with alarmingly offensive titles such as "Why male darlings should be spared", "The purge is a form of cuckoldry" and “Feminist agenda: female yanderes and their biological advantage [Repost]". Almost all of them exhibited a tragic downvote ratio right as well, besides the red symbol signaling the posts had been archived by senior users or mods.
For someone who also loathed the terrible holiday, it was almost admirable how the man managed to be almost as detestable as the criminals you all rallied against. 
But even so, what disturbed you the most wasn't the clear bigotry of the user, but the fact that that screenshot couldn't have been taken from public records. A user's post history was hidden, just another measure on the site’s part to keep people from recognizing too many details about each other and possibly endangering themselves. 
No, it could only have been taken from inside the account. And judging from the other guy's quick reaction, you weren't the only one who came to that realization.
   how the fck did u get that
   I knew u were friends with the mods. fcking rats 
By that point, everyone else had stopped clogging the comments and, you assumed, instead opted to settle down and attentively observe the events transpiring. Apart from the emote reactions and the rapidly rising number of upvotes on Shou’s comments, you had all become a passive audience to the public ridicule.
Although you couldn’t help feeling slightly disjointed by Shou’s behavior. Below your wicked sense of pride at having him defend you, there was still the whispers of your gut telling you the man was going a little too far, his actions spelling a more sinister meaning than just “having a friend’s back”.
   You've been here for years, Minoru. Surprised you haven't yet noticed how much of a pest everyone sees you as. 
Minoru? You did a double-take, going back to read the username of the guy Shou was arguing with. But he just had a randomly generated number as a pseudonym, same as you and most others, and with just a picture of some anime sneezing girl to distinguish his profile from the rest. No trails or signs of what could Shouto be referencing to.
Nothing but an option you preferred not to consider. But it couldn't be, could it? your friend wouldn’t...
   fucking delete that right now, man.
   this isn't a joke, DELETE THAT. 
Only that the abrasive and desperate reaction told you everything you needed to know. Your heart was beating rapidly in your chest, shock mixing with equal parts horror and amazement you couldn’t even begin to try and disentangle. Because right that second, you were witnessing your friend breaking the forum’s number one rule with a front-row seat to the spectacle. 
And he was doing it all in your name.
   Then maybe think twice before you go out of your way to harass newbies. Or have you had too much time on your hands after being fired, is that it?
It was vague enough not to represent any kind of threat... if not for the context of the site. And yet you all knew the hidden message behind it, the warning for whoever Minoru was to understand Shou knew much more than what he was letting on. That he could expose much more than he was currently alluding to. 
   y are u even doing this, shou? y do u care wtf happens to this noobslut anyways?
Shou's reply took barely a moment to appear, lighting up your screen and, despite the slightly morbid nature of his protection, coaxing out a smile to adorn your lips. It was like a balm being applied to your worries, quieting down most of your incipient concerns in favor of rejoicing. 
   They're a friend. 
For fuck’s sake, you even screenshotted that for posterity. Somehow, him acknowledging the new bond you two had openly felt like a milestone. 
When a mod came in to archive the post and give everyone involved a stern warning later on, you were already way past your previous doubtful sentiments. 
Instead, the last thing you did before going to sleep that day was to open up your private conversation with Shou and send a quick yet heartfelt message of gratitude his way. 
Months prior, you wouldn’t have ever thought you’d be thanking anyone for semi doxxing another human being. How rapidly things were changing, though, and all while you got lost in the thrill of mattering.
   Thanks for sticking up for me. It meant a lot, you typed feeling slightly lightheaded, drunk on the idea that anyone would think you worthy of having your back.
You thought Shou went offline after dishing out his not so thinly veiled threats, but somehow he was back again in an instant, the sound of notifications going off shaking any remnants of your exhaustion.  
   Anything for you, [Y/N]. 
You were so tired, it didn't occur to you that you hadn't yet shared your real name with your friend either.
That night, for once, you fell asleep with a twinkle in your eye and the image of Shou's multicolored locks dancing against your eyelids. Imagining, ever so briefly, your fingers trailing down the back of a neck you now had memorized from analyzing his profile picture. 
And, while you slept with your phone clutched to your side, you also failed to notice the peculiar sound of your own camera going off, the soft glow from the red light beside your lense bathing your features in its subtle illumination, flickering against your eyelashes and the lingering grin on your curved lips. 
You truly looked angelic like that. 
Suffice it to say, Minoru never bothered you again after that day. In fact, his name disappeared from the site not too soon after. 
。。。。。                                                   
    But now, to continue the grueling task of giving a context for your inevitable end, it is necessary to jump a month further into the future, barely a week from the excruciating present. 
Because it was then that the last strike finished nailing the coffin of your proverbial undoing, burying you under the weight of your own ignorance.
You got your notice in the mail on the Day of Announcements, an inconspicuous letter lacking any further distinction beyond a scarlet government seal emblazoned across its front. But even before you opened and read the message, you already knew of its contents—easily recognizing the image before you from several of the varied posts you had seen floating around on the forums lately.
   Purge Notice!!! Help needed Urgently. 
   Just got my letter. Do I stay hidden or fight back? [Open poll]
   Third time getting mine. AMA about my methods. 
The range of how you had seen other users reacting to their own selections was diverse, with some of them being more experienced while others, such as you, had just gotten their first letter ever. If things played out differently for you, then you were sure you would've been another one of the numerous panicked voices, awkwardly trying to maneuver their way out of their new situation.
And maybe, then, your odds wouldn't have been so completely fucked from the start. 
As it stood, as soon as you laid eyes on the notice, the first thing you thought of was how quickly you could boot up your computer and open the forum’s private messages. Because, for the first time in forever, you were overwhelmed by the feeling of someone else being there for you. 
Shou was your friend, had earned that spot fair and square after months of listening to you venting and sharing deep discussions; faster than you could even realize it, and so it was only natural for you to seek his help once the news of your selection for the new yearly Purge reached you. 
He had even threatened another user for your sake, for fuck’s sake. So, really, what harm could come out of relying on someone you were sure was trustworthy?
Maybe it was too late by that point for you to snap out of it, but it was almost amusing seeing you being so easily deceived. 
Just another reason why you needed him, certainly.
 。。。。。
    Already told you I'd have your back, had been his immediate reply barely an instant after you attached a candid photo of your hand holding up the envelope. Whatever you need, I’m here.
His lack of hesitation was palpable through your screen, heart hammering in your chest as you were faced with a kindness you had thought yourself undeserving of not long ago. 
As soon as you closed your mailbox, you had immediately raced to send him the message, completely foregoing telling any of your other friends or family members when you doubted they would even understand you in the first place. Shou had been right when he told you people just didn’t want to see the truth, even if it slapped them right in the face, leaving dark imprints in the shape of their narrow mindedness.
But he was there, he was letting you know as much, in his own words. And for what felt like the hundredth time in the past few months, you felt incredibly lucky to have stumbled upon the Forums in the first place, to have traced whatever fortunate path had led you to find him—the one person able to distinguish you in a world you always thought you blended straight into. 
   Thank you, Shou, for everything. And at that moment, you really had been truthful, so much so that there were tears prickling at your eyes, an overwhelming feeling of gratitude drowning you with its intensity.
Indeed, your final mistake had been your desperate need for acceptance. A need that had, in the end, cost you everything.
   You can call me Shouto now. No use for nicknames anymore.
Amidst the chaos of your life possibly crashing down all around you, somehow his revelation put a trembling smile back in your face. 
   Then allow me to repeat: thank you, Shouto. 
   Np, Newbie. Told you I'd help you level up, didn't I? 
His teasing managed to garner a small stuttering laugh out of you despite the dreadfulness of your situation. 
But you couldn’t help it. Somehow, every reply Shouto sent you only served to wrap the illusion of safety tighter around you. So tight in fact, that you should’ve started worrying about suffocating. 
。。。。。
   On the other side of the screen, the man with the multicolored hair couldn’t help but keep staring at the picture you had sent him earlier. 
He was transfixed, eyes almost unblinking as they refused to separate from the image. The way your fingers tentatively held the letter up for the picture was simply adorable to him. Beautifully naive. 
It wasn't like he hadn't seen your face before, like he hadn't already memorized the texture of your skin and the everlasting trace of a frown always threatening to dampen your mood. He read your expressions like poetry, every mole and scar furthering the securing of his interest. 
But this was the first picture you had actually chosen to send him out of your own volition, the final symbol of a trust he had worked so tirelessly to earn. Used to catching prey as he was, the man wasn’t entirely sure when you had turned from a game into a priority, from a priority into the only thing he could even make himself care for.
And it didn’t help that it was his letter you were holding, too. His formal declaration of pursuit. 
With time, Shouto was sure you would find it in yourself to appreciate the beauty of such irony. 
But, for now, what he really needed to do was buy some tea. Couldn’t have your own stubbornness ruining your first encounter, could he?
。。。。。
   In the coming weeks, your friend aided you and even coached you as you jointly planned for the horrific holiday, not only suggesting ideas but tracing the safety measures needed for them to succeed. You really had no reason to doubt him by that point.
That evening, after you finished letting Shouto know you were back from work, you made sure to pack all of your supplies into an inconspicuous bag you had acquired for the occasion. Whoever your Yandere was, it was best to not give any hints of your new acquisitions, just in case they were already stalking your movements. 
Shouto had helped you devise the list, mentoring you in your selection of weapons as well as self-defense arsenal—what brands of pepper spray to get, which ammunitions were most efficient and reliable, even what kind of clothing was the least troublesome if the need to escape ever arose. If you had been sure he knew his craft before, now you were surprised at just how vast his wisdom genuinely was. 
After the last few finishing touches of preparations, you were already on your way to the direction you had both agreed on (supplied by him, approved by you). There were several hours until the start of the Purge still, but the adrenaline swimming through your bloodstream was already considerable. 
Shouto had suggested you visited him for the Holiday, quoting how the measures in place for his home made it nothing short of a fortified vault, impossible for any outsiders to break into (and for anyone to break out of, but let's not get ahead of ourselves). 
With that in mind, how could you have refused his offer? Your place was barely an excuse for an apartment, windows that didn't entirely close, and feeble doors that could be easily broken into. Even if you weren't partly driven by the curiosity of meeting your new internet idol turned friend, it would've been foolish to decline. 
So in a few hours, you were sporting a nervous smile on your face as you parked your car in front of the largest apartment complex you had ever encountered. It was luxurious in a way you had only seen staring back at you from a television screen, marble, and gold accents giving you the impression you were about to step into a drama set instead of visiting an online friend. 
Before the surrealism of the entire situation could begin to set in, however, you noticed the young man sitting on the ample stairs of the building. He had an air of effortless elegance, tall and lithe, yet sporting a black turtleneck which hugged his frame and made it clear just how much sheer strength hid behind his movements. 
And he also sported the same peculiarly colored locks you had already memorized from the last few months, the light softly reflecting on them proving to be an even more impressive show when admired live. 
You were dazzled for an instant, wondering if, somehow, this entire thing was a prank and the Shou from the forums had just schemed his way into making a fool out of you in front of a handsome stranger. Way too convoluted, yet entirely too plausible to your bewildered self. 
Until the man lifted his eyes—as beautifully dual-toned as his hair, and catching sight of you standing just beside your recently parked vehicle. 
"Y/N," he was sharply climbing to his feet as he called out your name, the shy hint of a smile in his lip contradicting the monotone cadence of his tone. "Good to finally meet you."
You had first been under the impression that the Shou you knew was cold, the way he interacted with others on the site reminding you of an emotionless robot at times, but the man addressing you seemed like he was ripped straight out of a stereotypical rom-com. 
Maybe he'd be the aloof, tormented heir? Which, in your fantasy drama land, would make you the nearly illiterate and poor love interest. Your feelings of inadequacy only grew at the comparison.
Almost cute, how that had been one of your greatest worries once upon a time. How foolishly eager you were to be liked back then.
"Shouto." The name still felt somewhat strange on your lips, even after he had insisted you started calling him that. "It's good to meet you, too."
He was by your side in an instant, taking your bags from you swiftly and shutting the door to your ride. From this up close, it became considerably harder to disguise your staring. 
Even the scar which covered his left eye, a splash of reddish textured skin, somehow came across like yet another enhancer of his appeal. An underlying harshness which you couldn't help but be intrigued by. 
"Your hair looks even better in person."
And leave it to you to once again find a way to screw first impressions. You were chastising yourself a mere second after the words left your mouth. 
But Shouto only sent you that same hint of a smirk your way, his eyes appearing genuinely pleased at your praise. If he thought you were a weirdo and was regretting ever inviting you to his house, then he was a good enough actor for you to be fooled.
And fooled you he did, but with completely different intentions. 
"You look just like in your pictures," came his serene retort not long after.
Which you assumed was a joke, keeping in mind that the only photo you had ever sent his way had been of the Purge letter you received a few days ago.
Laughing lightly, you tried to ignore the nerves tugging at your chest before catching up with him on the steps of the building. 
As you giddily barged straight into the open jaws of the beast, it once again struck Shouto how utterly unsuspecting you were. How you trusted him so wholeheartedly.
He couldn't wait to see it all come crashing down.
。。。。。
   Inside his honest to god penthouse, your previous feeling of insufficiency only became more severe. 
The interiors were decorated sparingly, albeit fashionably. Filled with different muted shades and being unexpectedly traditional in the way they were designed. It was a stunning abode, even if you couldn't help but mentally point out how utterly unlived in it appeared.
There was not a single cup, shoe, or book out of place, everything perfectly polished and organized to the point that you felt hesitance as your sock-covered feet continued making their way through the place.
"Make yourself at home," Shouto told you most matter-of-factly. If you weren't so sure of his intentions by now, perhaps you would've thought he was being sarcastic. 
Without any of your belongings to distract yourself with, you instead gravitated towards what you could see of the kitchen through one of the sliding doors. 
It was very modern despite the rest of the aesthetic the penthouse sported, shiny stainless steel and spotless dark countertops. It should've looked out of place when paired with the carpeted floors, wooden furniture, and sparse pieces of classical Japanese art…
Yet somehow, it strangely fits. Just like his owner, you supposed, thinking back to the oddities that amounted to his unique brand of appeal.
And you really needed to stop thinking of your friend like that. 
When you heard the door to the apartment being audibly locked with a resounding click, you instantly stopped your fingers grazing the smooth countertops. Your instincts flared up with worry for a moment, right before you forcefully willed yourself to calm down.  
After reminding yourself of the true reason why you were there, the exhale you released next was one of clear relief. 
"Want something to drink?" Shouto appeared in your line of sight again, hands buried in the pockets of his pants and looking like the picture of composure. 
You felt embarrassed once again, knowing he had given you a free pass to roam but still somewhat self-conscious about intruding on his space. 
"You don't need to make me anything. I'm fine." Your timbre was apologetic, not used to slipping into the role of a guest just yet. 
He seemed strangely dissatisfied with your answer, closing some of the distance between you with a presence that had you almost flinching back for a second. 
There was an intensity in his gaze, something which you could not quite yet place. 
"But I want to be a good host. So let me." He appeared very serious about it, too, with his face growing stern as his peculiar eyes bore into yours. 
Not wanting to cause further distress, you imagined relenting would be the best course of action. 
It was like you were molded to be the perfect Darling, so wonderfully meek and gullible.
"Okay then. Water is fine."
Yet Shouto shook his head, still somewhat dissatisfied with your answer. 
"Tea it is." His phrasing allowed little space for argument. "I know you mentioned liking a few brands before, so I took the liberty of stocking up on them."
A surprising burst of laughter broke through your anxious feelings then, drawing Shouto's eyes again from the particular cabinet they had drifted to as he mentioned the beverages. 
He looked at you puzzled, an unasked question written all over his otherwise blank expression, and so you decided to reply from the surge of unexpected amusement you were experiencing. 
"It's only a night, Shou," you didn't even realize you had slipped back into his nickname, too entertained by how much he had apparently overdone his hospitality. "There really wasn't any need for you to go buy my favorite teas."
His eyes blinked quite slowly your way, his expression back to his vacant mask before a smile reappeared.
"I wanted you to feel welcomed," he supplied as he approached the cabinet he was eyeing before, dedicating himself to searching for whatever kind of flavor of tea he had in mind. 
In response, you just shrugged your shoulders with another chuckle. 
"And I didn't get you anything. You're making me feel even more out of place."
"Nonsense," he cut you off in that deadpan way of his, hands rummaging through the most ridiculously vast tea collection you had ever seen. And then he added, decidedly quieter, "today is supposed to be about you, after all."
Too bad you didn't pick up on it. 
When he ushered you back to the salon with barely a wave next, pointing at one of the cushions arranged around the short-legged table, you decided to follow his suggestion and wait there while he finished brewing the drinks. By now, you understood the futility of offering any kind of help when he was still so intent on properly welcoming you. 
So, curious as you were, your eyes continued to inspect each and every inch of the apartment, drinking up all the pieces of info you could observe, that you didn't even think of the potential dangers of letting a stranger fix you a cup while you weren't looking.
Unbeknownst to the other, you were both actively counting down the seconds until the Purge started, minds lost to your own inner turmoils from opposite sides of the suite. 
And for entirely different reasons, you were both filled with anticipation.    
。。。。。
   Meanwhile, finally back in the present after retracing the steps that guided you there, it was becoming increasingly hard to compartmentalize the chaos brewing inside you.
Shouto’s lips were the personification of hunger against yours, an inescapable gluttony to mark and consume every single inch of you he could encompass. 
After a hint of understanding returned to your body post-orgasm, your vision and the sensations you endured were becoming disturbingly vivid. It was impossible to conceive anything beyond his hands ridding you of your flimsy camisole, palms cold in comparison to the heat you felt, splaying against your sides and slowly making their way up the sensitive mounds of your chest.
“All mine, baby.” You barely registered his teeth nipping at your bottom lip until a shock of pain snapped you out of your trance.
He bit you, and quite harshly too, but when you tried to instinctually pull back his response was to hold you even tighter. Before you could attempt to voice your complaints, his tongue was darting out to clean up the droplets of blood he spilled. 
“Out of all the Darlings I’ve played with, you’re the only one I’ve ever even considered keeping, you know?”
And now that had you freezing, even amidst the cloud of desire still muddling your cognizance. His arms pressed you closer still, forcing you to bury your face against his chest, completely unphased by the bloody mess your mouth had morphed into.  
Had he tricked others before then? Was that the reason why he was even on the Forums in the first place? 
You wanted to ask him what he meant, wanted to demand explanations for a phrase that had dread closing around your neck like a noose. But whatever he slipped into your drink to keep you so awfully responsive and pliable, also appeared to make forming any complex sentences incredibly hard…
Shou, ever the receptive one, caught onto your change in demeanor rather aptly. His face nuzzled your hair softly, humming a calming melody as if you were a scared child who could be so easily reassured. Meanwhile, his hands hadn’t abandoned your breasts, still tenderly kneading them with a touch bordering on worship.
“But I’m glad you weren’t my first, baby. Means I could be all ready for when we met.” He rocked you both as he rested his back further on the sofa, opening his legs wider below you and forcing you to settle closer to his clothed groin with a whimper. 
Your arms reached out to grasp his shoulders while you tried to stabilize yourself, the strain of his erection resting snuggly against your still sensitive slit. 
"Helped me to know when to pull back," he kept confessing, purposefully thrusting into you while he kept lovingly massaging your chest, fingers twisting your hardened peaks to coax a new kind of mewl to be uttered against his skin. "Wouldn't want you to break now that I've finally found you."
The fact that your bodies seemed to fit so perfectly, even in your impaired state, was not an irony lost on you. 
Abruptly, Shouto stopped fondling your breasts in order to maneuver your face again, both of your stares meeting in a vehement standoff before he continued. 
“I’ll make this as close to perfection as I can, I promise you.” And you got a direct view of the vulnerability in his uniquely colored eyes, the nature of his words clearly heartfelt despite the atrocities they alluded to. 
As you heard him drag his zipper down, the hand clutching your jaw trembling in anticipation, you couldn’t help the new wave of warmth spreading through your body, negating all the fear and anxiousness warring inside you in order to shamefully expose your baser desires.
Now that whatever had been clouding your  judgment was pulling back slightly, your thought process had begun to snap back into place, overflowing you with a terrible sense of shame at your own reactions.
He gave you something earlier with your drink, you were sure of it, and yet you couldn’t help but still be horrified at just how much you were enjoying it. Once you felt the flushed head of his cock placidly rubbing against your thigh, the sounds leaving your mouth weren’t ones of complaint, peril or dissent.
Quite the contrary, actually, and it only made Shouto grow bolder.
As the hand clutching your face grew tenser, gripping you with force before tugging harshly, you got the hint. Now painfully following his lead, it wasn't long before the previous pressure against your legs was now resting directly against your cunt. 
The pre-cum already gathered on him mixed in with your still oozing arousal, smearing the span of your outer lips as he lightly teased you one last time. 
You were so mortified by that point, that if he had offered to end your embarrassment right then and there with one of the several weapons you knew he kept, you would’ve been very inclined to accept. 
“... I didn’t even think there was such a thing as 'The One' before, actually.” You hadn’t even realized the man was still talking, ardent whispers getting lost on the intensity of the situation. 
His eyes were searching your face, a satisfied twinkle lighting them up as soon as you returned his stare of your very own volition. Perturbed, you wondered if his delusion made him see anything beyond a twisted mix of lust and fear reflected back at him. 
“But I now know just how wrong I was, Y/N.” So sure of himself, tone back to the stern cadence you previously associated with him for a moment, gripped by a gravity befitting of his obsession. “Indeed, I think you were always meant to be my darling… don't you agree?”
To your credit, you did struggle to speak up, to gain back the control over a body which had stopped listening long ago. Too bad you only managed a single pitiful word out.
“Shouto…”
But before you could even fathom attempting a better response, he was breaching into you, sheathing himself with an ease you wished you could overlook, turning your voice from an anguished plea into outrageously labored moans. 
You had once thought Shou had been interested in you because he somehow perceived you as anything but pathetic, but you were beginning to think it had been your weakness which drew him in all along. 
So deliciously frail, that even a predator like him had been driven with an urgent need to protect you. To break you down, just so he could be the one to build you back together.
As he started fucking you with shallow thrusts, hips bucking up from the sofa while he tenderly guided you until your body was mimicked his motion on its own, you couldn’t help but be the most disturbed at his oddly affectionate ways. 
As awful as it sounded, now that your mind had awakened from its stupor all you wanted was for him to bend you over and abuse you, manhandle you and mistreat you in a way which unequivocally screamed assault. You wanted bruises painting your skin, proof that you hadn’t just willingly given up and facilitated your own ruin. 
He was humiliating you despite the pretty words he decided to disguise it as—showing you how easily he could own you and even make you enjoy it, drug-addled drink or not. 
But as his mouth latched around one of your hardened nipples, sucking generously until his name was once again fast on your tongue, you also couldn’t deny the crystal clear responses you were giving.
You could attempt to lie to yourself later, could swear it was all a delusion born out of the deranged man's mind, but the particular brand of your screams was unmistakable.
When your own hand reached down to facilitate your release, you knew you were already acting beyond what you could've previously attributed to the drugs. Toying with your bundle of nerves, you rested your forehead against Shouto's shoulders, tears from the pleasure mixing in with the subjacent agony of your guilt. 
Why did it have to feel so good? And how far did the drugs truly affect you? Or had they just peeled back your inhibitions perhaps, baring you until all you had were dark desires and no self-control to contain them. 
You still tasted blood inside your mouth when your walls started clenching around his cock, the coppery flavor entirely too vivid on your tongue. Hearing his own choked groans gasping against your chest, you felt his mouth abandoning your bud with a pop before his kisses were trailing a path back up—eager in their search of your face, your lips. 
You were still cumming by the time a lascivious kiss connected you two again, unwinding in his grasp until his hands were the only thing keeping you whole. 
“Even if I wasn't taught how,” he began promising while his rhythm grew frantic, barely resisting the allure of your core fluttering around him. “I promise I’ll love you, Y/N. Love you so good, you won’t ever want to leave when the next Purge comes.” He was getting increasingly excited by his own words, imagining a future where you did not need the aid of a little cup of tea to eagerly kiss back. “I’ll fuck you every day, fill you up and show you just how much I care. How much you matter.”
Faced with his degenerate promises, all you could do was gasp out his name one last time, perhaps seeking to express your reticence, perhaps oddly excited by the image he was painting. 
You indulged him in the pitiful sound of your whimpers molding around its syllables, and it wasn’t long before you were coaxing him to join you with an orgasm of his own.
He actually came inside, you recognized inwardly after the aftershocks of enjoyment now quieted down to a lull, a new type of dread quickly following the realization. His cum was still shooting in hot ropes, stuffing you to the brim with the intent and purpose of a man bent on marking you, owning you.
But Shouto was so loving as he kissed you time and time again, painfully reminding you of just how nice he could be for you, how gentle and attentive. It made the lines between your tormentor and a traditional lover blur even further, the confusion clouding your sense not merely born out of narcotics any longer. 
You had been so preoccupied with a monster outside your house once. A creature ripped from the kind of movies that were ripe with cheap scares and considerably cheaper thrills. 
But monsters never were like that in real life, were they? As the man continued to cradle you in his arms like the most vulnerable of creatures, you were suddenly struck by how glaringly obvious things should’ve been from the beginning. 
Because your Yandere’s obsession had not come with claws and a row of sharp teeth. No, it came instead with a suit of deception to hug its frame, the bait of acceptance, and the promise of a reliable ear to comfortably listen. It arrived with whispers that assured you that you were not alone, that it was not you who was flawed, but the world for not welcoming you. 
It dangled everything your little heart desired, so by the time you were reaching out, you were simply too distracted to notice the dangers of the abyss you were throwing yourself at.
Luckily for you, Shouto had made such a void his home. And for however long it took you to consider the darkness as your own, his was a kind of hospitality that no amount of your struggles could ever hope to wear down. 
And if the worst came to pass, if you kept stubbornly refusing and fighting despite your odds? Well…
   He could always brew you another cup of tea.
-------
Well, I can finally rest now 💀
This monster of a one-shot took me a lot longer than expected, so I ended up being a lil later to the collab that I would’ve liked. Either way, I’d really appreciate hearing any feedback or opinions on either the fic or art (or both?)... I swear that’s what keeps me motivated ;___; 
So fr, thanks to everyone who takes the time to let me know your takes! y’all are the bests of the best 🖤 And speaking of bests of best, special thanks and gratitude to the actual angels who helped and gave me feedback for both the art and/or fic @reinawritesbnha , @drxwsyni​, @wootato, @snappysnapo and @coyambition. Don’t catch me seeing y’all drop your crowns bc it’s on sight  😠 👑
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scarecrowmilkfog · 3 years
Text
♡My Prison Pen Pal♡
Helmut Zemo x reader
Word count: 1,802
Warnings: swearing, mentions of prison and crimes and slight angst to do with his family
A/N: its finally here! I havent writen a fic in a long time so hopefully you guys like this! I tried to avoid using idioms and things like that but message me if you need anything explained or reworded as I know most people aren't native English speakers
@sorcerersofnyc
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♡♡♡
His first letter came during the series finale of your favourite show. A rather inconvenient moment, you thought, so it stayed on the welcome mat until you passed through the hall on your way to bed. Picking it up, you figured you'd skim the first few lines then finish it and write a reply before work. Instead, you found yourself writing and rewriting a reply through the night. Somehow this man had managed to enthrall you with only a letter. Maybe it was the way he wrote as if he was some elegant poet whose sonnets would one day be hailed as classics. How he managed to be open and expressive, exuding a welcoming aura, and yet still seeming mysterious. Or perhaps it was simply fated by the stars that Helmut Zemo would capture your heart.
You waited anxiously for his second letter to arrive. After sending the first, you hadn't cared whether you got a response, the whole thing seemed like a bad idea to you. But your mother was insistent that you needed to meet new people and this way you wouldn't need to worry about awkward face to face conversations. Sending the first letter felt like any other chore you do in the day, done with much effort and resignment but forgotten within minutes. But the second? It felt like the most important thing you'd done in a long time. You'd even bought a first class stamp (not that it makes a difference).
You wanted to know more about this intriguing man. No, supervillain. Charged with international terrorism. Jesus christ what the fuck was wrong with you? Were you really falling in love with a supervillain after one letter? But he didn't seem evil to you. He wrote eloquently, somehow his simple and brief description of his day (he'd started reading a new psychology book, you'd have to send him some recommendations) sounded fascinating in his words.
Over time, you started to notice small things about Helmut. The way he crossed his t's, how he signed his name, but mainly that there was a romanticism to his writing. From the way he described his home, his wife, his son to his recipes for Sokovian dishes with small notes and doodles (your favourite was his shepherd's pie recipe where he helpfully noted his mother's assertion that you should always add more than you think you need). It was becoming clear to you that he wasn't the stoic and vengeful baron you expected but rather a soft, lonely and endearingly weird man who you couldn't imagine plotting to destroy the Avengers. Whilst it was his mystery that first captivated you, it was his sweet and sometimes awkward personality that convinced you to keep writing.
It took a while for Helmut to tell you about his family. You had heard on the news back when he first arrested about his motive, so you were interested to hear his perspective on his crimes. But that wasn't what you got. Instead, he told you about when he and his father used to play football when he was young and how they would play a match every time he visited, with Helmut playing against his father and son, who always wanted to play with grandfather. He told you of the songs his wife used to sing, how her voice was always loud and shaky and after years of singing somewhere over the rainbow she would still forget the lyrics and invent her own. He told you how his son was the best pianist he had ever heard. How he could play the greatest rendition of amazing grace and that he had just learnt the theme from swan lake. That he had been excited to practice it on his grandfathers grand piano the day Ultron attacked.
There was something so human about this man. His love for his family, his loss and grief, his plan to avenge his family, it was all so tragic and yet here he was sending you drawings of the flowers from his garden growing up. You wanted to hug him and yet sometimes you felt he wouldn't need it, wouldn't want it. You were wrong.
Helmut Zemo missed his family. He told you so in one of his most recent letters. He missed holding his son, brushing his wife's hair, going for long drives, waking up at 2am to comfort his son, early morning trips to the shops, cleaning up after dinner, helping with homework. Everything he listed seemed so trivial, so meaningless in the grand scheme of life and yet the memories meant so much to him.
You realised then you had never pitied him before. Not that he wasn't deserving of it, just that he didn't seem to need it. But overtime you realised that what Helmut had really needed wasn't revenge or to make a world free from superhumans, it was someone to talk to. Someone to trust. Someone who would understand his pain and not judge it. Perhaps, you thought to yourself, you could be that person.
Fuck.
You couldn't think of how to cope with this. No one you knew had ever mentioned falling in love with a criminal through letters. And as hard as you tried you hadn't been able to find a single romcom with this plot line. You couldn't tell him. You imagined with his seemingly fragile state of mind receiving from basically a stranger professing their love would at best cause him to ghost you. Especially after he confided in you, shared his thoughts and memories.
So instead you continued as normal. You sent him pressed flowers and pictures of your favourite places. Eventually, he asked what looked like, and you spent an hour trying to decide whether you should send a picture of yourself or to just vaguely describe your features. After deciding to send a picture of yourself on holiday a few months before the blip, you found yourself wondering what he'd do with it. Would he throw it away as soon as he got the letter or would he keep it, tuck it away in some book to look at whilst thinking of you?
You also found yourself wondering what he looked like in the real world. You had found pictures of him online, but they didn't feel real. He was never rarely happy. The pictures pre Ultron were clearly taken by paparazzi, so you weren't surprised he rarely looked anything other than annoyed. There were a few though, ones with his wife and son, where he clearly hadn't noticed, and some from when he was much younger and seemed to enjoy the attention. Then were those taken after his arrest.
And so you continued to wonder he looked like. How he looked in the morning, with flowers in his hair or in summer with the sun lighting his face. You wondered what his hair looked like wet, if he ever scrunched his nose in disgust. You wondered what his smile was like.
Over time, you told him more about yourself. The stress of returning home after the blip to no job, no house and your friends 5 years older. Your ex was married with kids and your sister had moved abroad. It was as if you blinked and your whole life had changed. You mentioned how it was your mum who had suggested getting a pen pal, so you could talk to someone new, who was living a different life to you, although she had meant someone in a different country not jail. Since coming back you'd been isolated and stressed with starting a new job, recovering lost information and personal belongings and moving house, so you had thought it might be good to speak to someone who didn't know you, who couldn't judge you. You told Helmut how it had been good, how writing to him had helped you, how he had helped you more than he could ever know.
No, that sounded creepy. How you appreciated his letters.
Too formal. How you hadn't expected to become his friend, but you were glad to be able to say you were.
Helmut was comforting. You knew in your head that your meeting on Friday was nothing to worry about but seeing him say it felt so reassuring. Each one of his letters made you feel relaxed, feel safe. You wanted to make him feel the same. So, as a way to repay his kindness you had told him that no matter what happened, he could always trust you. And it was true. You couldn't imagine a world where you wouldn't do anything for Helmut and although you knew he would never need it, you still wanted him to know you would always care about him, even if no one else did.
Writing to him had become as easy as talking to someone you'd known all your life. You had fallen into an easy routine, you knew when to expect his letters and you knew when you'd send a reply. The routine felt so natural that you even knew what the envelope would look like, always the same off-white with a square edged flap. The address was always the same too. Except on his last letter. Which was strange.
At first, you thought Helmut had been moved to a different prison but after frantically typing the address into Google Maps you realised it was not a prison. Fuck you had no idea what it was, but it wasn't a prison. It also wasn't in Germany.
You sat still, staring at the unopened letter for a few minutes.
You looked up at the door. You thought you heard someone knock. The post had already come and you weren't expecting people. Hell, there wasn't anyone other than your parents who would visit anyway and they would have called first. Now you were sat still, staring at the front door.
"I know you're in there, the lights are on."
It was as if you were a marionette, being moved by some strange force that was slowly pulling you out of your seat and towards the door. You didn't even register that you moved until you felt the door handle on your fingertips. The cold metal caused you to stop, as if broken out of a trance. There was a sudden realisation that if you opened the door your life would never be the same. It was sickening, a mixture of dread and excitement; it reminded you of the moment before a roller coaster drops. You repeated that thought in your head. "Your life would never be the same". Your life hadn't been the same in almost a year. What would be the harm in one more big change. So you did it. You opened the door.
His smile was beautiful.
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How about a part two of Stella x owl reader? Fights between Stolas and Stella have become increasingly rare and his mood is improving, Stolas decides to ask about, unlike Stolas, Stella knows very well how to keep her piece of paradise a secret for now. Until one day y/n decides to visit Stella under the guise of business and to give his dear little owl a "luxury massage session", but things get a little out of hand when Stolas is caught with Blitzo. (you can ignore it if you want)
Stella with her Secret Owl demon S/O
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Stella, for the first time in weeks, was having a good day.
They had actually become far more common in the weeks since your confession.
She had found herself being far less stressed as of late. So much so, she had only hadn't had a fight with Stolas in a full week.
She was relaxing in her study, enjoying a good cup of tea.
She was reminiscing on your night together, the next morning you had given her a small stack of letters.
They were all addressed to her, the condition of some of them implied they were written many years ago.
It only took a single letter for her to realise they were love letters.
Dozens of them.
She took her time, pouring over each letter. Taking in every word and detail. Emotions swelling in her chest as she read each one.
It was perhaps the most romantic thing she had ever seen.
The letters acted much like a record of your feeling for her.
It started from your more innocent affection for her as a child, all the way into your growing feeling for her in your youth, when you realised your feelings for her were beyond friendship.
And into your discovery of her betrothal to Stolas.
You poured your heart into each letter, telling her everything. Everytime you thought of her, how much you missed her, berating yourself for not just telling her how much you loved her.
You wrote about how much it pained you to remember you'd never get to tell her how much he loved her.
It was a roller-coaster of emotions. Some letters made her laugh. Others brought her to tears.
And by the end, she was clutching the letters to her chest. Her chest swollen with emotion as she experienced so many emotions all at once.
Her marriage with Stolas was... less than voluntary. The whole union being mostly political, arranged by there parents.
She had hoped love would bloom after Octavia's birth. But it hadn't, and after that she knew love was not meant to be.
But you, you genuinely loved her, for her.
You dedicated your life to being worthy of her.
You didn't want her for her status or wealth, you wanted her, for her.
She cood to herself dreamily, fantasising about your time together.
Her fantasising was cut short when there was a neck on her study door.
She quickly placed the letters into her draw before asking who it was.
Much to her surprise, it was none other then Stolas who entered her office. Her 'husband' looked about nervously, rightfully so, she supposed as he stepped in.
'Hello, uh, Stella.' He said nervously 'may I talk to you for a moment.'
Stella had a colourful collection of words she wanted to use at him. But instead she simply asked 'What do you want?'
Stolas cleared his throat, clearly not surprised by her callous tone.
Taking a few steps he began 'I've noticed this past few weeks you've been less... confrontation.' Stella's eyes narrowed, but she held her tongue.
'And I was just thinking, if perhaps we could come to an agreement.'
That actually peaked her interest. 'What kind of agreement?' She asked warily.
Stolas looked thrilled she hadn't thrown him out yet. 'Well, I was thinking we could put our differences aside, put the whole incident between us behind us. FOr Octavias sake.' He quickly cut in. 'Our constant arguing has taken quite the toll on her.'
Stella clenched her hands, he claws digging into her palm. 'For octavias sake...?' she asked incredulously.
Rage swelled in her chest 'How fucking dare you!' She told him through a scowl.
She pointed an angry finger at him. 'You, YOU! Cheat on me! Betray our marriage. Betray our family. And you want me to act like nothing happened. "For Octavia's sake"?'
She stood up, she couldn't even look at him. 'You disgust me. Tell me, would you give up your little fucking Imp? If it would make everything like it was, would you give him up?'
Stolas didn't answer, instead opting to look off to the side. Stella just sighed, shaking her head.
'Your a selfish, pathetic coward. Hiding behind your own daughter, what a disgrace.'
Before she could tell him to get out, there was a knock at the door. 'Who is it?' She shouted.
The door opened slowly, revealing one of the palace Imps. 'What do you want?' She asked harshly.
'T-theres a Lord (Y/N) here to see you. They say it's a business matter.'
Stella instantly perked up, holding back a smile as she rose to her feet. 'Thank you. I shall greet them personally.'
Getting up she walked past Stolas, not even bothering to give him a second glance.
She made her way to the entrance, and much to her annoyance, Stolas had seemingly decided to follow her, for some reason.
She quickly made it to the entrance, you were waiting there, anxiously adjusting your attire.
Hearing her approach you turned, your face lit up when your eyes layed apon her, Only for it to instantly dull upon seeing Stolas.
Still wearing a smile, you reached forward and took her hand before planted a gentle kiss upon it.
'Lady Stella. Its a pleasure to see you after so long. You still look as enchanting as when we were children.' You tell her, sending butterfly's through her stomach.
The moment was sullied when Stolas but in, 'Children?' The butterflies in her stomich instantly falling dead. 'Do you know each other?' He asked.
Before Stella could speak, you cut in 'Me and Stella were childhood friends.' You told him extending your hand. 'Its been some time since we've met in person.'
Stolas took your hand, giving it a firm shake. 'Is that so? Stella never mentioned you.'
'Well until recently' you rolled your head, your smile just holding back a scowl. 'I was beneath notice. I've only achieving my status relatively recently.'
'I was from a lower house, you see, a vassel of her family. And through that, me and Stella became friends.' You gave her a warm look, staring for several moments.
Stolas went to ask another question but Stella cut him off. 'You had business to discuss, did you not (Y/N)?' She asked.
You snapped to her, delighted to not have to talk to Stolas any further.
'Yes, i do' you said happily 'I believe a mutually beneficial arrangement could be made, between our houses.
'Excellent' she proclaims happily. 'It been so long since we've had any real business. And perhaps we could use the chance to catch up. It has been far too long.'
You looked at her fondly, before Stella turned, signalling for you to follow.
You did, turning to Stolas as you left 'It was a pleasure to meet you, your highness.' You told him, the slightest hint of disdain in your voice.
The two of you made your way to her study, you opening the door for her, giving a slight bow as she entered.
She giggled at your antics, before you followed her in, shutting the door behind you.
As soon as the door shut Stella instantly spun around and pinned you to the door, locking you in a heavy kiss.
'You have no idea how much I've wanted to do that.' Stella told you, after breaking the kiss.
You just chuckled before raising an eyebrow, 'oh, i think I do.' You told her playfully.
Stella just giggled, giving you a peck on the cheek. Pulling away she got up and went over to her desk.
You followed close behind, wrapping her in a hug. 'Now, now (Y/N), we have business to attend to.' She told you, patting your arm.
You just chuckled, 'Stella, I didn't really come here for business. I came to spend time with you.'
Stella was a little taken aback, mostly for not seeing it, as on reflection it was quite obvious.
Kissing her neck you slid your hands onto her shoulders, gently rubbing the muscles around her muscle.
Stella moaned at your touch, this only emboldened you, as your hands rubbed deeper and rougher.
Digging your fingers into her shoulder muscles. Stella released a flurry of moans, gripping her desk as you worked over her shoulder blades.
You moved down her spine, slowly undoing her dress as you went.
Reaching the bottom she turned to you, moving her shoulders, her dress fell, leaving her in all her natural glory.
You took her then and there, the two of you wrapped in passion, you held nothing back, releasing years of passion.
When stella became more vocal, you tried to get her quiet down, in fear ztolas might catch you.
As you got rougher, she just cried out 'I want him to hear!'
You went on for a while, after you finished, you held Stella close, the Owl demon curled up on your lap.
You preened your lover, running your hands all across her body before gently plucking any feather you didn't deem worthy to stay on your perfect mate. Afterwards the two of you got dressed.
You meticulously inspecting Stella, head to toe, ensuring she was perfectly groomed from head to toe.
The two of you leaft her study, ensuring no evidence of your little escapade was left behind.
The small collection of Stella's feathers, were delicately placed in your coat pocket.
You followed her into the garden, strolling through the large hedges that sat behind the Goetia palace.
Confident you where alone, you held Stella close, sharing a public display of affection.
You made it deep into the hedges, finding yourself beneath a large tree. It was a beautiful reminder that there was still life in hell.
You took her hand, you lead her beneath the trees majesty.
You pushed your body against hers, pinning her to the tree as you locked your lips with her's.
As you deepened the kiss, The distinct sound of snaping twigs drew your attention.
Snapping your head to face the noise, you found its source.
An Imp had fallen through the hedge, leaving a large hole in his stead.
You locked eyes with the Imp and sighed, 'well, this won't end well' you thought.
The Imp seem to think the same thing, before you both exclaimed 'Well, Fuck!'
Thanks for the request. I really love writing for both Stolas and Stella, as I feel there just isn't enough story centred around them as individuals. It always about there family or Stolas and Blitzø. But I really enjoyed the request. I hope you enjoyed.
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minteyeddevil · 3 years
Text
MC Reacting to Hearing the Brothers Sing
(This was bouncing around in my head, so figured I’d make it a headcanon, lol. xD)
(GN!MC)
---
Lucifer:
Lucifer was pacing around his study, looking over a file held in his hand
Absentmindedly humming the song in his head as he flipped the pages over
When he set down the first file and began to read over a second one, he began to openly sing the words out loud
“Inside my restless dreams, it’s only ever you. And don’t you see, my love, I’d never let you run away from me; I just want to dream eternally with you.”
“I didn’t know you could sing so well.”
He started and turned towards the entrance to his study, seeing MC leaning on the door frame, a smirk on their lips
He cleared his throat and turned away from them, forcing his focus back on to the paperwork, and willing the flush in his cheeks to subside
“I am a man of many talents, though I don’t usually display them,” he seemed to mumble, still forcing himself to concentrate, despite feeling their eyes on his back
He heard MC laugh softly as they walked up to him, moving to stand in front of him and take in the look on his face
“For one so prideful, I’m surprised you don’t show that talent off more.”
Despite his slightly embarrassed feeling, he gave them a dark smirk in return, closing the file in his hand
“I may do just that, MC.”
Mammon:
Hooting a victory, Mammon tore into his room, depositing the sack of Grimm he gained on to his card table
MC simply rolled their eyes at the Avatar of Greed, watching him happily count his winnings while they plopped on his couch
“What a haul, eh?” he cooed, nuzzling a handful of coins, before beginning to make separate stacks along the table top
“And you won it fair and square, right?” they teased, earning a cheeky grin from the demon
A bit of time passed while he continued to count his Grimm, humming happily to himself, until words began to flow from his mouth
“Sweep away the sparkling coins, I really want a love sign soon! But I don't see the master key: I want you with all my heart.~”
MC picked up their head to look over the couch, eyeing Mammon suspiciously, “Were you just...singing right now?”
He froze for moment, than flared at them, almost sending all his coins flying all over. “Hell no, I wasn’t! Y-You’re just hearing things!”
They smiled, teasing him. “You sound really nice, though.”
The color in his cheeks flared, but he turned back to counting his coins; though couldn’t help but think if they’d want to hear him sing for them sometime...
Leviathan:
Despite not wanting to go outside of his room very much, Levi did enjoy going to karaoke
He and MC made plans to go to a karaoke bar after class, excited to sing along to some new songs he had found online
Once there, they ordered some drinks and snacks, than hunkered down in the room, setting up a playlist to sing to
MC went first, singing a few songs they knew, before handing the microphone over to Levi, so he could try a new song he learned
He took in a deep breath, before opening his mouth to sing
“Seems like I can touch you just by reaching out to you. Starting from today, I won't pretend to be strong anymore. How nice if all my courage could reach to you. Just wait and watch over me from now on.”
MC was genuinely in of awe of how well he could sing, clapping for him once the song came to an end
He looked at them shyly, rubbing the back of his head, “I-I wasn’t that good...”
The got to their feet and hugged, making his body tense immediately before relaxing into their embrace
“You sound amazing, Levi! I would love if you could...sing for me again, if you like.”
Satan:
The last place MC expected to find Satan was in the music room, much less sitting at the piano
His fingers were dancing along the keys as he played, and they could here him humming to himself a bit
When they got closer, they could hear him begin to actually sing out loud
“I thought there's no more scenery or feelings that I don't know. The world that's dyed in your color; I want to protect every last bit of it. This is a song for my beloved you.”
They seemed to be entranced by his words, standing there bewildered, not even noticing that he was now looking right at them
“You really should make your presence known before sneaking up on someone,” he remarked with a small grin
Their face flushed when they realized he knew they were there, but walked over and sat on the bench next to him
“Could...could you teach me that song, Satan?”
He smiled warmly at them. “I’d be happy to.”
Asmodeus:
“Asmo, is there anything you can’t do?”
MC’s teasing tone made the lustful demon turn, giving them a smirk and a wink. “Oh, there is plenty I can do, darling. Give me the chance, and I will show you.~”
They rolled their eyes and playful pushed against his chest, before returning to their spot on his bed
“You know what I mean! You’re part of the student council, adored by so many fans for your modelling career, your make up is always immaculate--”
“You flatter me, MC! Though, I must admit; I am unsure of how well I sing. I perform when we attend karaoke nights with my brothers, but I don’t know if it’s a wonderful talent of mine.”
“Well, how about you sing for me! I can tell you how well it sounds if you like.” This caused the demon to smirk, and lean in close for them to hear
“After all the time we spent, I finally realize my love for you. From now on, let's make it our love story. The feelings that I want to tell you, I will send them to you as a love letter; So can those pretty eyes, look on me please?”
MC felt as if they were melting under his gaze and his words seemed to hum in their ears; “Well, what do you think?” he asked
They nodded. “There really...isn’t anything you can’t do, Asmo...”
Beelzebub:
“Hey Beel, how come you never really join in at karaoke when we all go?”
He looked over at MC, giving them a shrug as he popped another handful of chips in his mouth, “Prefer to just eat the snacks. You guys sing enough for all of us.”
They giggled at his remark, but leaned in closer to keep his attention, “Do you know how to sing?”
He had a thoughtful look in his eyes for a moment as he mulled over their question
“I used to sing with Belphie and Lilith, mostly just lullabies and stuff.”
They nodded, humming a bit to themselves; “Do you like to sing?”
“Um, I guess I do. I know a song that I’ve heard before. Want me to sing it for you?”
MC beamed and nodded eagerly, turning to show he had their full attention; he nodded in return, and began to sing for them
Even without a single word, my feelings should reach you; just look at me and you should understand. I'm so hungry, so hungry. I can't bear it anymore. You will fulfill me, won't you?”
The words were not what they expected, and they felt their cheeks warm as Beel looked away a bit shyly
“Did it sound bad?” he asked, but they shook their head, reassuring him; “No, you sounded amazing! Honestly, I would love to hear you sing more, if you don’t mind...”
Belphegor:
MC was searching around the House of Lamentation, trying to find where the Avatar of Sloth had picked his latest napping spot
He wasn’t in his room, nor their room, or even in his usual haunt, the attic
They were beginning to think he might be at RAD, or worse, somewhere just randomly outside, when they heard the sound of singing
It was soft and low at first, leading them around the house, until the reached the Planetarium
There, they found him, laying in a chair and singing to himself
“I can't stop this feeling; I want to see you so badly. Why is it like this? I still can't understand. Tomorrow, the day after, till the days far ahead; I will always, always be waiting you.”
They walked in slowly, listening to his voice, until the finally called his name to get his attention
He jumped at their voice, turning suddenly to stare at them wide-eyed, until he realized who it was that walked in on him
Immediately he was on the defensive. “Sometimes I like to sing to myself. No big deal.”
They smiled warmly and sat next to him, making the warmth in his cheeks rise; “You sound so lovely, Belphie. Do you mind singing more, for me?”
223 notes · View notes
stanknotstark · 3 years
Text
Serinakakers As Proof
Serinakakers are actually called Norwegian butter cookies in english and I don’t think i’ve ever had one but they look good to me lol i didn’t feel like making a whole new otherworldly dessert sorry I’m lazy sometimes 😂
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Summary: You’re dating Loki but keeping it a secret as per Loki’s request. The team starts to question if you’re lying about your ‘lover’ and Loki has to save you because Thor has really bad timing.
It all started two weeks into dating Loki. Loki was a little unsure what the team’s reaction to you two dating would be so he told you to keep it a secret for now. You respected his wishes but that didn’t stop you from flaunting about how you had the best ‘lover’ (Loki refused to be called boyfriend) in the world. 
Two weeks in Valentines came up and Loki had a vase of beautiful flowers sent to you with a little card that said, “For the fairest of them all - your love” In reference to Snow White, which you had both watched very recently. 
You had taken them around the whole tower, telling people it had come from your lover when they asked. 
“At least give us his name, I promise to not, like, totally have a background check on him!” Tony says with a pout. 
You laugh and shake your head. “No can do Tin Man. He doesn’t want you all to know who he is just yet.”
“See, that makes me a little skittish, if he doesn’t want us to know he has something to hide.” 
“I agree with him and think he should remain nameless.”
“That doesn’t make me feel better.” Tony points out.
You shrug at Tony and do the motions for zipping your lips closed and throwing out the key. 
Loki ends up picking a random day, a month later, to send you a big basket of chocolate, your favorite hard candies, and really small plushies of all the Avengers (It’s totally not his way of giving you sweets because you’re on your period). Your favorite plushy isn’t one of the Avengers, it’s a small plushy of Loki. Because you’re given the basket in front of everyone you make sure not to freak out over the Loki plushy but you keep stealing glances at the god who sits apart from everyone else, reading. 
“He even got you Loki?” Steve asks bewildered. 
“Like it or not, Loki is part of the group. Seems he has built a group of fans now.” You say, stealing a glance at Loki who smirks at his book. You know he’s pleased you’ve defended his honor. 
“You do realize I’m right here, do you not?” Loki says, still not looking up from his book. 
Steve at least has the decency to look ashamed and his cheeks flare up. 
“There’s not a card with a name!” Tony says making everyone look at the basket again.
“Of course not, you dumbass.” You say, slapping the back of Tony’s head, Tony proceeds to throw his hands and slap away at your receding hand. Thor and Bruce chuckle with you at his childish antics. 
“Can you at least give us a letter in his name?” Clint asks from your side. 
You sigh and look to the ceiling in thought. 
“K.”
“Kevin!” Clint immediately yells. “Wait, we don’t know a Kevin.” 
“Who said you know who it is?” You ask as you gather your basket to put in your room. 
Clint completely disregards what you said and yells, “Kate!”
Natasha hits Clint’s arm, “She’s straight, stupid.”
Tony then pipes in as you walk away rolling your eyes, “Kyle! Kaden! Kayden but with a y!” 
“His name doesn’t start with a k guys!” You yell as the elevator closes, exasperated. 
Next, a week and a half has passed when they start questioning your relationship. Thor figures it out but only because he grew up with the thing you’re gifted. 
You had been the last one to enter the kitchen for dinner and right as you entered Thor came up to you with puppy dog eyes and was holding a tin of sweets. You take a long look at the delicacies, they’re some type of cookies, in a swirl pattern, and decorated with powdered sugar. Thor answers your questions right after you think that.
“They’re butter cookies, can I please have one, your boyfriend sent them.” Thor says making sure to enunciate the word boyfriend. Your eyes snap to Thor’s and the god smiles down at you. On one hand it looks innocent but you see past his facade.
He knows. 
You clear your throat and grab the tin from him, making sure to pull one of the cookies out and give it to him. 
“Since you’re nice, sure, big guy.” You say giving Thor a look that said ‘Say nothing’. Thor bounces from foot to foot, shoving his cookie in the face of the other Avengers.
“She likes me!” Thor roars then demolishes the cookie in a single bite. 
You laugh, glance at Loki from under your lashes as you look at the cookies and pick one out to try.
When the cookie touches your tongue you can’t help closing your eyes and moaning. You chew and the cookie just melts in your mouth. You moan as your take another bite and you think you could practically orgasm this cookie is so damn good but remember the entire team is there. 
When you finish the cookie you open you eyes and look at everyone. Tony is looking at you like he wants to eat you, Natasha is eating her food like she doesn’t fucking care, Steve is blushing so hard you think his head might explode. Clint is shocked, and Bruce is looking at you with a raised brow. The last person you look at is Loki who sits there staring at you with flushed cheeks and a glint in his eye that says he’s going to tear those noises from your lips again, this time without the cookies.
You cough and look at Thor who is smiling like he is satisfied. You understand why he wanted one so bad now. 
“I’m sorry but what the fuck just happened.” Tony says shaking his head. 
You laugh. “I had an orgasm while eating a cookie, get with the program.”
“Honestly, if his cookies are that good you need to marry the man, just saying.” Tony waves his had at you then goes on to start eating his dinner.
You go to eat another cookie but Loki finally says something. 
“No dessert before dinner, put the cookies down.” 
“Or what?” You challenge the god.
Loki raises a brow at you and levels you with a glare.
“Put them down.”
You suck on your gums and squint at the god as you put the cookies on the table.
“You’re lucky I like you.”
“Ok, first of all, you like everyone so I don’t see the point in saying that. Second, how have you told Loki you like him before me? We all know I’m the favorite around here.” Tony scoffs while aggressively stabbing a broccoli floret. 
You take your seat next to Loki and that’s when it’s asked.
“Is your boyfriend even real? Or are you gifting yourself all these things so you’ll make one of us jealous?” Clint asks in a normal voice, he really doesn’t mean it to be mean.
You stop smiling at Tony and frown at Clint.
“He’s real.” You say a little hurt. 
“I mean it just seems a little fishy.”
You pout at Clint.
“I could look into her purchases and see if she bought it herself.” Tony rouses from the other side of the table. He’t totally joking but Steve doesn’t take it that way.
“Tony! That’s private, you can’t just do that!” Steve tries protecting you. 
You start to get a little angry.
“He’s real. If you don’t think he’s real then that’s on you. I know he is and that’s all that matters.” You reason, more for yourself than anything else. 
Under the table you feel Loki’s hand squeeze at your thigh. 
“Just give us something to let us know he’s real.” Tony pushes. 
You slam your hands on the table and stand up so fast the chair you were in topples over. 
“Stop!” Loki yells, in a quick move he stands and puts an arm in front of you, not to protect Tony but to stop you before you did something you regret.
The room is silent save for your rough breathing. 
“It’s me.” Loki harshly says, glaring at Tony and Clint.
“You don’t have to cover for her, it’s embarrassing but-”
“Shut up!” You scream at Clint.
“I’m not trying to cover for her. I’ve been dating her for the past month and a half. I did not want her to tell you because I wasn’t sure how all of you would react.” Loki gets out then turns and brings you to him so he may kiss you. 
Loki makes it a show for the team, relaxes as you lean into him, your hands wrapping around his neck and tugging at the nape of his neck. He pulls away before you can lose yourself in his kiss and looks at the team with a raised eyebrow as if asking ‘Is that enough for you?’.
Finally Thor peeps in between a big bite of his food. “Ay, Loki is telling the truth, those are Serinakakers, an Asgardian delicacy my mother used to make us.” 
Loki rolls his eyes at his brother’s really bad timing and then looks back down at you, you’re still wrapped around him, now with a tiny smile on your lips as you look at him.
“Ok, darling?” Loki asks anyways.
“I’ll be happy if you let me take those cookies and eat those for dinner in my bedroom.” 
Loki brings a hand up and trails a finger from the back of your jaw to your chin, going up to touch your bottom lip. “Only if you promise to make those sweet sounds every bite you take.” Loki whispers.
“Ok this is seriously gross, I’m literally gonna throw up.” Tony says with a fake gag.
You laugh and pull from Loki who glares at Tony. You point at Tony, then at Clint. “Don’t think you two are off the hook, I’m still royally pissed, you’re just lucky when I’m around Loki I can’t stay mad.”
You make your way around the table, Loki following, dinner forgotten, and pick up your cookies. Then, you head towards your room. 
Halfway to the elevator Loki grabs your hand and doesn’t let go until you’re both laying on your bed enjoying your cookies. Talking about everything and nothing. 
187 notes · View notes
marvellovegalore · 3 years
Text
Death in the Afternoon
Chris Evans
Parte trois - Breaking You
Synopsis: You're having what seems to be withdrawal symptoms and you're dying to see the love of your life - and be with him once and for all.
Word Count: 4,416
Warning: Explicit Language, Extremely Sensitive Issues, Gore, Sexual Content
Author's Note: Refer to previous parts before reading this one. Thanks for making writing so enjoyable - I really love + appreciate reading your comments + opinions! I really hope you guys enjoy this and let me know what you think!
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Finale
His letter sits crumpled in your desk drawer, your glance stains its words, the page yellowed by its exposure to the sun.
Every single day that has passed since you last saw him, you have cried.
You forced yourself back to work just to finish the film that you were filming for the past five months; now that it is done you have all the time in the world to stay lying down on your cold bathroom floor - until tomorrow. The contents of your stomach lying at the bottom of the toilet bowl. The world is spinning, and your breathing is ragged and deep.
The email you sent him is still open on your laptop screen, the screen now dim from being inactive for twenty minutes. You can barely see the words you typed out to him through the tears in your eyes.
You hesitantly lift yourself from the tiled floor, your shaky legs threaten to collapse beneath you and leave you in a heap on the ground. The walk back to your bed is tremulous and slow. Your heavy eyes are stuck to the bed, willing your brain to lead you there. You lose track of the time it takes you get to your bed.
The notification sound comes from your laptop, you slowly sit up towards your laptop. You summon the strength to open your eyes wider, he’s replied.
‘I’ll be there soon.’
Your body feels lighter, his acknowledgement and acceptance makes your body float softly.
You don’t know how you’ll go on without him, the sensation makes you sick. You’ve never wanted to depend on another person for your happiness. You’ve been okay being alone as long as you can remember.
The day he left you made you spiral. You sought help from a hotel guest that managed to hear your small pleas for help from the other side of the door. You begged her not to call an ambulance, you asked for her to help to get you into a taxi and you were on your way to a private doctor. You needed utmost privacy. Your doctor saw some small health concerns that affected your heart, he requested you majorly decrease your cigarette and alcohol intake and that you visit him once a month so he could come to a certain conclusion.
On your second visit you received your earth-shattering news.
Pregnant, four weeks along.
It had been four weeks exactly since you had seen him. The devastation that afflicted you made you sick all over again. You didn’t know what to do, you didn’t go back to your doctor. You chose to let life go on as normal for three weeks, but the agony was breaking your heart further the more you did that. You considered several things before emailing him. You could go on to give birth and never tell him that it is his and it could grow without a father; or you could abort it. The last option makes you feel unsettled, though you don’t know why. It’s what your brain immediately went to when you learnt about it.
What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him, right?
He just read that you really need him, and you miss him in your email. He didn’t have to read it, let alone let you know he’ll be here.
The tightness in your chest is back. Your fingers flit against your tender breasts and you touch the part where your heart is, it beats lightly.
He doesn’t come that night. You spend the whole night watching the dark, rainy streets of New York, alone. You fall asleep to the sounds of sirens and cars, alone.
You wake up on the floor of your room, in front of the floor to ceiling windows.
Your body feels like it’s made out of limestone and that your tears have caused the material on your face to deteriorate. It takes you half an hour to get the strength to stand up from the floor. You try to stretch but every joint feels like it’s screaming. You manage to walk into your bathroom without swaying, the sight of your vomit and its stench greets you as you walk through the glass door. You hold your breath as you pee, and then brush your teeth. You think about the fact that he stood you up once you’ve found the courage to shower. The water feels like its scalding your skin as you let it water you.
You lay on your bed naked, waiting for an hour for a notification from him. He’s forgotten you.
Your brain loops around the image of him laughing at you with the brunette as they sit on the bed you bought for him; their eyes crinkling in mockery, disbelief lacing their laughter. A tear slips from your eye, you barely manage to wipe it away. You can smell the scent of your decaying heart through your skin, its stench burning a hole in your chest, rotting your ribs in the process.
You need to get up, you have stuff to do. Though you feel numbed, you will yourself to get up.
You forgo eating, simply choosing to indulge in an espresso and two cigarettes for breakfast. You allow the tiniest desire you have to simply let it be repulsed by your body and expel itself from inside - come to the forefront of your mind.
You spend the day working like a dog, you push yourself to limits that make your assistant raise her eyebrows high and ask you to calm down. You ignore any concerned glances as you push yourself ten times more than usual at the gym, drawing praise from your companions. You take a moment to yourself in the gym toilet and check your stomach, you glare at the slightest bump on the bottom of your torso. As you fight the temptation to punch your stomach, your phone brightens with a new notification - from him.
‘Meet you at the restaurant round the corner from your place. Booked a table for 9pm.’
You gulp, an uneasy feeling setting into the depths of your stomach. You’d rather be sent an anonymous letter to meet at a hotel restaurant, it had a touch of romance to it. Exchanging emails is what you’ve had to resort to, you are both blocked from contacting each other in any other manner; sometimes you think to yourself that you’re like forbidden lovers - by choice.
You finish working around eight o’clock, you ready yourself by half eight and you hang around the restaurant. Suddenly having picked up the habit of biting at your nail, you watch the patrons of the restaurants and recognise some television big wigs and political journalists. You breathe in deeply, your eyes flitting around the somewhat busy street, you can feel your bladder ready to give way. You rush into the restaurant at nine on the dot and are escorted by the restaurant manager to a toilet. You ease yourself and wash your hands, your morose face plastered with magazine worthy makeup stares back you. Your pupils are shrunken and your eyes that are practically unresponsive to the light stare at you, the sight of yourself makes them well with tears of disappointment.
You leave the toilets; you saunter back to the door and spot him being led to the table by a waiter. Your feet lead you back outside to the street.
You feel like vomiting, your breaths become shallow and limited. Pressing a hand to your chest you feel your heart hammering mercilessly against your ribs. It feels like death. You shakily reach into your bag and pull out a cigarette pack, you stare at it and your mind wanders to the feeling in the pit of your abdomen. You decide you’re not strong enough to fight the temptation, you pull a cigarette to your lips and go to light it. Your phone vibrates in your hand.
‘Where are you?’
It’s been five minutes, you exhale. You put the unlit cigarette with a lipstick mark back in your bag and take two deep breaths. You slowly walk into the restaurant, you raise your head, desperately trying to find the assurance you’re so well known for. You’re an actress, you’re an expert at façades.
You’re led to his table, your strut attracting the attention of most everyone in the room.
His hair is grown out, his stubble creating a flattering shadow on his lower face. You sit wordlessly, the waiter asks for your drink order and you ask for a ‘Death in the Afternoon’. The waiter smiles, you hear him sigh. You turn to him, avoiding his eyes.
You’re pregnant - with his baby. You’re both having a baby.
The sobering thought almost makes your voice shake. “Thanks for meeting with me. Even though you vowed to never see me again.” Your tone is almost mocking, a tinge of pride filling you. The bitter memory of writing that letter stings him - more so because he’s succumbed to seeing you after having written it.
He tries to sense any revealing signs that you miss him, had he not received your email he would have been hurt to believe that you were thriving without him. You’re still so put together, too beautiful for you to be needing him. Your makeup is done flawlessly, you’re dressed perfectly elegantly. He can’t understand why you would send him an email at ten in the night asking for him if you seem to be good. It made him joyful to receive it, and he hates that. Why do you have this hold over him? Why can’t he just leave you and forget you.
“I couldn’t ignore the possibility that you weren’t okay.” He takes a sip of his cold beer; the taste of wheat makes him relax somewhat.
“You said you’d be there soon, what happened last night?” The embarrassment immediately clambers up your system and makes you avert your eyes to one table over. You hate seeking answers from others that make you feel dependent and make you more human - you despise it.
How can he begin to explain that he stood in the lobby of your building for forty-five minutes trying to fight his anxiety? How can he begin to explain that his fingers trembled so badly that he couldn’t get his phone out of his pocket to let you know that you couldn’t be there for you? How can he begin to explain to you that he loves you so much that the thought of going up to your apartment and failing to comfort you filled him with unending fright? What could he possibly say that wouldn’t allow you to ridicule him? He’s failed you twice now.
He can’t really put himself in the mindset he was in when he left you that letter, letting you know how much you let him down. He didn’t leave the hotel until after you did, he instantly regretted leaving you when he saw you doubled over in pain being helped into a taxi.
He’s got so many questions, why is it you need him? What happened to you in Portofino? “Got side-tracked with something.” He gives you a non-committal shrug and takes another swig of his drink, his leg shaking noticeably under the table.
Your heart falls to the bottom of your stomach, your entire torso feels like it made of limestone and your throat tightens. You feel like you’re choking, your drink couldn’t be here any sooner. “You in a rush to be somewhere?” You look at him questioningly, noticing his leg movements, you try to hide the sadness that’s padding your body like sponge.
He shrugs, “Kinda,” the disillusionment is almost impossible to disguise on your face, he feels some satisfaction from it. “But it can wait.” He watches the waiter approach with two glasses, he places your drink in front of you motions the beer towards him. Accepting it gratefully he continues once the waiter has left. “I thought we weren’t to speak to each other anymore, what made you contact me?” He narrows his eyes, the blue of his eyes twinkling with a glimmer of curiosity.
Your body shivers and you glance away from him, you attempt to will your waiter back towards you. “We can talk about that later, no?” You motion towards him and he rushes over, you ask for two dry martinis. You both wait in silence.
The words that could release all the tension from your body spindle over your tongue incessantly, they almost materialise but you choose to rope him into small talk and pull updates about his life from him. He lets slip that he’s considering the possibility of being serious with the brunette; you remember her sweet features that harshly contrast your own. You make a biting remark that he’s always liked a plain Jane over your third glass; it’s met with a biting remark regarding your character.
You refuse his request to eat dinner with him after his comment; but you do ask him to accompany you to your building.
“I’ll walk you to your elevator.” He mumbles as you exit the restaurant. You nod in agreement; he lights a cigarette and offers you a drag. You smother your temptation, “It’s okay, actually.” You shiver as light pelts of rain shower you. The city is vibrant and lively, but the small bubble you find yourself encased in with him is dark and tempestuous; an unspoken tragedy clouding your day.
The contemplation of being in your apartment alone another night stabs you deep in the back.
You reach the lift of your lobby and you turn to each other. “Please come up with me,” your lip trembles with the weight of the unspoken truth. His eyes flash with concern and surprise. You make your way up to your apartment wordlessly, his hand brushing against you every time you move next to him.
Finding yourself with him in your bedroom, you lay on your bed, taking your shoes off with him watching silently at the end of your bed. He’s highlighted by the setting sun, orange hues paint him golden and blush. He invites himself onto your bed, sensing the melancholy in the air. There’s an odour of cigarettes that permeates the air near your bedside table.
Your back is to him, you feel his arms slink themselves around your waist. His chest presses against your back and you melt slightly into his touch. You missed him so much and the smell of him hauls you to the doors of paradise. How could you have possibly messed this up so much? Two tears slip from your eyes and you sniffle, his arms tighten around you and he comes impossibly closer. His face inches on top of yours, “Tell me what’s wrong?” His whisper is as tender as the wind and the soft touch of his voice makes you moan quietly.
You stare of into the horizon, your eyes being overwhelmed by the rays of sun. “I—” you hesitate. Your breath leaving your body, you pay attention to the movements of his hands, they stroke your stomach making you tremble. You stop in your tracks, alarm setting into your bones.
You turn to him; you can see the questioning look in his eyes. He doesn’t know.
You crash your lips into his, he barely has time to register your passion before he’s responding with his own heated response. His hands mould around your body with a newfound purpose. You want deep down to breathe him in and keep him with you forever. You roll on top of him, and your hands memorise every fibre of his face, his skin is smooth underneath your palms. He slips your dress off of your body, his fingers dance with your skin as he caresses your back.
He wants to stay like this forever. You tear his clothes off of him with an eager gentleness, his hands enclose your hips as you begin to ride him, your hips dance over him, your fingers slip in between his lips and he sucks on them. He pulls you closer to him, hugging you as you ride him. He thrusts into you from beneath and you almost crumble in his arms. “I love you so much—” you hear the words slip from in between his ajar lips, you lift your head and kiss him. Your martini saturated tongues waltz with each other in a feverish heat that leaves you both lightheaded.
You two play with each other’s bodies slowly, untangling each layer of each other’s guard. He slips on top of you with the grace of a gymnast. He nestles himself inside and you your noses rub together as he drives into you slowly, and deeply, with his hand clutching at your throat. You feel your insides liquifying with pleasure, your hands clasp onto his arms for help to grip onto reality. He’s here. Just here - with you.
“I love you, so, so much, Christopher.” You cry out as he increases his speed, the intensity of his movements making his hips meld with your clitoris. His spare hand moves from your breast to your face, he grips onto your throat with more firmness and you let out a sigh of content. Your eyes don’t leave his and he refuses to slow down, you feel yourself go into sensory overload. You feel waves of pleasure shower your body, stars ripple in between your fingers and toes and your eyes roll back into your skull. Your body is floating above your bed.
Chris pants as he maintains his speed, chasing his own maddening orgasm. “You’re so beautiful when you cum.” He breathes out as he lets go of himself inside you. His thumb traces over your bottom lip, he lowers himself down and plants a kiss on your lips. He breathes in your air and gives you a tight hug.
“I have to tell you something.” You whisper into the room. He’s laying next you, his arm draped over your waist. His lack of response for ten seconds is explained by the soft snores leaving him. You purse your lips, “I’m pregnant.” You utter into the atmosphere and turn away from him, you pray that maybe he can hear you; you pray in vain.
A newfound determination settles into your aching chest. You’ll let him know, for real - you’ll work something out; you’ll have your baby and be parents. You’ll be better than your own parents, you’re sure of it. Your hands settle over your stomach, you give your baby a silent apology for mistreating your body - your baby’s temple.
You’re lulled to sleep by the silence.
You wake with a start; the world is dark outside. You can’t feel his arm anymore, dread fills you to the brim as you sit up, your back towards the side he was sleeping on. You feel your heart hurting, you feel weak. You swallow your tears as you look out at the skyscrapers outside your room. Taking a deep breath, you turn slowly to the other side.
He’s still there.
You let out a deep sigh of relief, tears welling into your eyes and dropping out without caution. You let out a soft sob, you throw your arms around him and hold him tightly. He stirs as your tears fall onto his pectoral.
“Hey, everything okay?” He grumbles, worry saturating his voice. “Yes,” you breathe out slowly. He pulls you up to him and his eyes caress yours. You refuse to let him know what’s bothering you, there’s a silent understanding that you need him more than anything right now. You cover yourselves in a blanket, your half naked bodies are melded together as you walk across your apartment towards your terrace.
Chris lights the fire pit, you let your eyes roam his body freely. He sits down next you and you cover yourselves with the large blanket, his hand rests on your thigh.
“Why did you just leave me in Portofino?” Your whisper is carried by the wind and the noise of the three am traffic.
Chris sighs, his eyes lowering down to the fire pit in front of you. “I couldn’t bare the fact that after what you did to me, I still reached out to you, I invited you back into my life.” Your eyes well up with tears again, you want to be swallowed into the ground and dragged to the pits of hell. He looks back at you, his eyes searching for what’s in your own. “I know you’re sorry. But I just couldn’t understand why you did what you did; until I came across this quote that reminded me that hurt people, hurt people. I figured some digging into your past couldn’t hurt at that point. I’m sorry about what you had to go through.” His fingers leave whispered touches on your thigh.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” You interject tearfully, he pulls you in, your head resting on his chest. The sound of his fast-beating heart grounds you into this moment.
“I know, I know.” He coos softly. His fingers stroke your cheek, simultaneously wiping away your tears. “I just wish you trusted me enough to let me into your little world. I wanted to know all of you, even the tiniest parts you didn’t even know, I guess you sensed it and you left me. So, I’m sorry for that, too.” You sniffle and let your head fall onto his lap. You look up at him with tears flowing out of your eyes slowly.
“You’re my everything. You’re— you’re my moon and my stars, I—, I—, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to live without you.” He chokes over his own unshed tears.
“I love you.” Your words make a tear slip out of his eye.
“I love you too.” He thumb traces your lips softly, his touch gentle as if he were afraid you would turn into mist if he were not tender enough.
You slip into a dreamless sleep, the noise of the world encasing you into carnival of relaxation.
You open your eyes to the ceiling of your bedroom, illuminated by the afternoon sun. A cramp numbs the bottom half of your body. You clench your teeth and sit up, the sharp agony whirling around your system. Something’s not right. You clasp weakly at your stomach; you fail to ignore the pool you feel forming underneath your legs. You lower your fingers slowly, dread thickening in your heart, red darkens your fingertips. You choke back on a sob as another cramp solidifies itself in your stomach, you crumple over, tears streaming out of your eyes. “Chris…” you choke out. Fear paralyses you in your bed.
Chris is nowhere in sight. You gather the little strength you have left in your arms and will yourself towards your bathroom. You drag your bleeding body towards your toilet, blood smears trailing behind you. Small whimpers leave your body as you finally reach the toilet, you pull some tissue towards you and pat the blood away. More leaves you, a heavy flow that makes your insides feel like they’re being pulverised. You’ve gone and done it; you have killed your baby.
You sob loudly, blood smearing over your half-covered body, “My baby—". Your body is racked with the undulating guilt that attacks your system. Tears pour uncontrollably from your eyes; you fight to take in breaths. Your heart feels like it’s breaking - literally. The stiffness in your chest spreads across your ribs and constricts your airflow.
You desperately clutch at your chest, wanting your fingers to tear into your skin and fix your heart. It feels like you’re on fire.
You’re dying.
Darkness blankets your vision; spots of clarity allow you to merely reach the door of your bathroom.
Chris sits at your desk, his phone pressed to your ear. Your doctor’s words feeling like stones in his stomach - he’s diagnosed you with severe depression and fears that a mildly stressful event may be enough to cause an onset of more severe physical problems. You entrusted Chris as your next of kin, in case your doctor believed something awful had happened to you. He listens intently to the information that is relayed to him - you have an inflamed artery. It could lead to your death. The doctor’s words make his stomach sink.
The call ends with Chris promising to accompany you to your appointments and he notes down the number of the referred psychiatrist.
A small wail comes from far away in the apartment, Chris sighs and stands up. He strides quickly to your room, the sight that greets him almost makes him retch. Your blood soils the room. Your body is still, your breaths are shallow and fast. Your hand is clutched over chest, your face distorted with pain riddled in the pores of your skin.
“Baby,” he calls out immediately and crouches down towards you. He feels for your pulse and panic lines his stomach; he grabs for your phone quickly and calls for help. He barely registers what he does in the next two minutes but all he can do is clutch onto you with all his might.
“Tell me what’s wrong, huh?” he whimpers, he pulls you onto his arm. He cradles you, his face pressed against yours. “Come on, you’re supposed to be my favourite girl, you can’t play with me like this…” he chokes out a frantic chuckle.
You’re barely responsive. “B—Baby, stay with me. Stay with me, okay,” he taps your face as his tears roll onto your skin, “don’t leave me.” He begs as his hands tremble. “What am I going to do without my moon and my stars, huh? How can my world go on without you?” His sobs shaking you lightly, your eyes flicker. “Don’t leave me.” He implores, sobs ripping his throat apart.
He can hear the door opening, the flurry of movements that happens around you two separates your bodies away from each other. He grips onto your limp hand desperately, tears blinding him as the paramedics rush you away from him.
He can’t feel his body as he falls to ground, watching your limp hand hanging from the side of the gurney.
The lift doors shut behind the paramedics.
He never sees you again.
Nevertheless, he still loves you, he'll always love you.
Fin.
--
@chvntelle-99,@harrysthiccthighss,@tessa-bl
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