#(I'm sorry I know this sounds really mean I promise I don't intend for it to come across that way)

[musical-chick-13]

Oh, God, I just heard new Wicked movie cast news and I...I am not ready for this (derogatory).

I can’t do it. I’m not strong enough. Someone put me in a coma and wake me up after this movie has been released and been out of theaters for at least two years.

[kana-de]

hollow.

⭒ summary: arlecchino comes to your lands in hope of getting your gnosis non-violently. having hidden feelings for the harbinger, you offer a bargain, which she ends up accepting. it hurts both of you in the end.

⭑ cw: suggestive (no nsfw). angst. a lot of angst. angst no comfort (i warned you). hidden feelings. archon!reader. reader and arle both feel, and i mean feel.

⭒ wc: 3.4k.

⭑ a/n: oh wow. hi. this is like, the first fic i've written that was so long. ended up beta reading it with grammarly for two straight days. also tried improving my writing style, hope it looks like it lol. please like and reblog !!

"so, lady arlecchino," you started. your gaze remained cold but calm despite the inner hesitation you were feeling while facing the harbinger. "what business do you have in my lands?"

an unexpexted visit of the fatui delegation along with the fourth harbinger visiting her homeland was quite the news to you this morning. having no other choice than to face them, and you knew precisely why she would visit, hearing the news from the archons of other regions from last months.

it scared you, in some way. but you were expecting they would eventually reach you.

arlecchino slowly lowered herself into her own comfortable chair opposite of you before looking at you again. her face became expressionless again.

"It's a pleasure to see you too, miss [name]," she retorted in the same calm manner, despite her words clearly having a mocking undertone somewhere deep down. her eyes studied you as she continued, hearing you not reacting to her words.

you didn't change much from the last time she saw you. she didn't want you to, anyway. the same eyes, hair, accessories, manners... so on. she remembered every little detail.

"miss [name], do you really think you can rule this region on your own for the rest of eternity?" arlecchino suddenly asked, crossing her legs and arms simultaneously as she leaned back in her seat, seemingly making herself very much comfortable.

you blinked in confusion, head tilting the slightest bit. the woman had the dignity to let a corner of her lips raise upward at your reaction. she knew this "start" of the conversation wasn't what you expected.

"...i'm sorry?" you asked, not quite getting the meaning of the question.

"i'm sure you've already guessed what i'm here for. what i'm getting at is..."

arlecchino leaned forward in her chair, her eyes studying you. her face became expressionless once again, but a dark half-smile was painted on it. her voice became slightly threatening, nearly causing goosebumps to run across your skin. she knew your exterior wouldn't be cracked so easily - you're tough; much tougher than many people she's met in her life. but this was a start.

"...what do you want in exchange for your gnosis?" the question was almost a demand. she simply voiced her intentions - get your gnosis, and it wasn't an invitation of any sort.

your eyes narrowed, eyeing arlecchino. what is this? a negotiation? it does sound like one. but is that really it?

"and when did i mention something about giving up my gnosis, lady arlecchino?" you asked calmly.

"don't pretend you don't understand."

arlecchino's voice now held the slightest hint of threat to it, but her face became a little kinder and she continued in a more calm and friendly tone. or she only intended for it to sound friendly. uh, these diplomat things.

"i think we both know perfectly well what I want to hear from you; a clear answer. why don't we come to an agreeable conclusion and you'll give up your gnosis to me? certainly with no harm, you have my promise," she said, her voice getting a more expectant undertone as she spoke the last words, then looked at you in anticipation of the answer.

you leaned back in your seat, unsure of what to make of this whole 'visit'. it was suspicious, you couldn't deny it, but the pull towards the forbidden was finally getting to you, and your bottled-up for centuries-on-end feeling might be getting outside right at this moment.

this is an opportunity you have once in a life, your heart screamed at you. use it.

despite floating somewhere deep in your thoughts, you could easily feel as if arlecchino kept trying to burn a hole in you. and her eyes - especially the shape and color of her pupils - weren't helping either. she did look intimidating like this, but nonetheless, she was willing to wait. at least for now.

you weren't the type to risk, but...

so, an opportunity.

"now, what was that you said about getting something in exchange?" you inquired, exhaling a soft, quiet breath as you got out of your mind. shouldn't have entered it in the first place, you thought. too much of everything.

arlecchino smiled and her eyes gleamed a strange glint you couldn't quite decipher what meant.

"oh, it's good that you're interested," her voice became inviting again, almost soothing, but behind the façade was clearly a not-so-hidden intention. "i wouldn't want to use force against you if this escalated any more."

"of course i wouldn't just take your gnosis from you. i am a woman of honor and deal, miss [name]. if you'll give your gnosis to me i will, of course, give you something in return," she leaned back in her chair and stared straight into your eyes.

"would you like to hear what i would offer you?"

"no," you instantly replied, dismissing the woman. "i already have something i want to ask of you. but first..." you looked around the room, noticing a few fatui soldiers standing here and there. you didn't need extra ears from here anymore. "i need them to leave us alone."

arlecchino's lips curled slightly upward, resembling a smile.

"i see no problem in that. if you're planning on saying something personal, they don't need to witness this conversation."

she glanced at her soldiers and then turned her gaze back to you. the fatui left the room instantly, with no further words said.

"and now to the important part: what can i offer you in exchange for the gnosis, miss [name]?"

you kept silent for at least a minute. you licked your lips, then let your teeth bite down into her lower lip as you thought. arlecchino already seemed to notice one thing that stood out the most - you hesitated.

a deep inhale and the same deep exhale.

"my offer is..." you started slowly, eyes drawn to the table. you simply just couldn't bring yourself to look the woman in the eyes when saying what you were going to say. "we spend the night. together," you said, knowing that she clearly understands what you're talking about.

"and in the morning, i will grant you my gnosis, and we won't have any more business together after that."

silence.

this was precisely what arlecchino was hoping to hear from you.

she raised an eyebrow after a few moments of processing your words, expecting something like this, but still surprised by such a straightforward proposition. however, she quickly regained her composure, leaning back in her seat.

she knew where you were getting with this. she knew you craved this since you both ever saw each other. this was seemingly what you and her needed, but it was so much more complicated than just that.

she also knew that you would hurt so much the next morning, after giving up that gnosis, if she accepted this deal.

for the first time in a while, arlecchino felt torn by the thought of someone being hurt. surprisingly, it's you she was thinking about at that moment.

"my, my... i must admit such a proposal from you is a shock to me. so bold of you to assume that i would accept your deal so easily," she gave you a look, which held the tiniest bit of sympathy and compassion. she had mixed feelings about this.

"however, i'm indeed sure that you mean no harm, especially to me. so, i'll accept your offer on one condition."

she accepted it, immediately flashed in your mind. she accepted it almost instantly. your heart seemed to take a leap, no, a thousand of those as your eyes widened at the realization.

what was going on between the two of you?

you finally found the courage to look up at the woman. hearing no further elaboration, but wanting to hear it right now, you pried further, "that condition being..?"

arlecchino's eyes found yours, as if trying to read you from the outside, and she leaned in closer to the table separating the two of you.

"we keep this a secret," she said, eyes narrowing slightly and voice becoming nearly a whisper. "from the fatui and from everyone else."

"do we have a deal?"

you nodded. "i thought it's only logical that we keep it a secret. so, of course," you continued, eyes focusing on the woman. you didn't want to look away from her for a second, afraid she might disappear. "we have a deal."

a small smile played on arlecchino's lips as she gave a slight nod of satisfaction in response to the fact that you agreed so eagerly. her voice became slightly louder now, as if to not cause any suspicion if someone were to listen from the outside.

"very well. i accept your terms. and i give you my word to keep this... arrangement, a secret from everyone else," she said. her piercing gaze met yours, but the smile on her lips did not disappear.

"where would you like to meet, miss [name]?"

—

you didn't know how you both made it to your room, but the second the front door was closed and secured with a 'click' of the lock, arlecchino's lips crashed onto yours, as well as you found your back to quickly meet the wall.

there were lips biting one another, hands everywhere, tongues intertwining, your own heartbeat loud in your ears as you kissed, your hand shooting up to grab the back of arlecchino's neck... and you were hoping to forget about the gnosis just for this night. just for the duration of these hours.

just for one night. and then it'll all be over in her morning.

arlecchino's lips felt soft and warm as they pressed against your own. her tongue gently licked your lower lip, teeth tugging at it slightly as her hands roamed all over you. she didn't seem to want to pressure you into something, but she wanted to show you how much she wanted this, too. she then broke the kiss to catch her breath, eyes gleaming with hunger for more, despite the softness in them.

her fingers tangled in your hair as she looked deep into your eyes, "you're even more beautiful than i imagined."

with those words arlecchino pulled you closer, pressing herself against you, as her lips found their way to your neck, kissing her way down to your cleavage, before finding her way back onto your lips.

you felt like you were suffocating; suffocating in arlecchino. in her touch, lips, breath, and in your own sensations of all of the above.

"not here," you managed to whisper out breathily, already panting. you were sure your lips were already red and swollen from all of this. "left door."

arlecchino's lips came back to trailing kisses down your neck, biting softly in some places, but she seemed to obey you. her hands seemed to settle on your waist as she led you to the said left door.

"are you sure?" she whispered in your ear, her lips brushing against the skin there, and you immediately felt shivers crawling down your spine.

"are you sure you want this?"

"are you?" you asked in return, words barely a whisper, brows furrowed a small bit as if you yourself contemplated your choice.

you didn't. not for a single second.

"i am."

with that, arlecchino pulled you closer to herself again and claimed your lips once again. it was a hungry kiss, filled with passion and desire and maybe, just maybe, a little bit of longing.

"i want you," she whispered against your lips before kissing them again. the sound of your heartbeat was so loud that you were sure the woman could almost hear it in her own ears. her hands wandered over to your shoulders, pushing you through the door and into your bedroom, and she pushed the door with her leg to close it.

"all of you... i want all of you," arlecchino murmured, letting her lips detach from yours for a split second, eyes finally meeting yours, seeing all the need and yearning in yours.

she craved this a lot, but she knew you craved it more.

"then have all of me," you whispered in reply, ignoring the fact that the loud pounding of your heart in your ribcage seemed to reach the limit of its loudness, almost drowning out all other sounds. you pulled her along with you, your back falling onto the bed with a soft thud, leaving the woman to settle on your hips and watch you from above.

if arlecchino was sure, then you were also sure. you knew it wasn't how that worked, but you could let yourself forget that just for tonight.

arlecchino seemed like she was about to pounce on you, the hunger and lust in her eyes increasing rapidly as she watched the rise and fall of your chest; the way your breath would increase as she looked in your direction. her eyes wandered over your body, taking in every curve, every muscle, and every movement you made. her own breathing became slightly more ragged and she licked her lips.

"you're so beautiful," came out as a soft whisper, arlecchino's eyes now resembling a newfound tenderness that wasn't there before.

she leaned in closer, warm breath caressing your neck, her scent filling the air around you as her palms settled on your cheeks and jaw, thumbs caressing the skin mindlessly.

"may i?"

gods, she still asked for consent.

you exhaled shakily while realizing that; that she didn't want it to be just a decision in the heat of the moment. it warmed your heart, even if a little bit.

"anything."

arlecchino suddenly felt loved and wanted, and it was almost the same feeling that she always wanted to feel from no one but you.

you were giving yourself up to her for one night, and she was going to make it count.

she kissed you like it was the last kiss of her life. she kissed you deeply, heartfeltly, lovingly, and with such intensity that it was like you two were the only people in the world, and both your and her touch screamed please, don't let me go.

—

you awoke just as the sun had begun to rise, the light from it shining through the curtains and onto the bed. the woman beside you shifted, too, seemingly being already awake for a little while.

arlecchino had watched you for a little bit while you slept. it was a sight she couldn't tear her eyes from away even if she wanted to. duties and titles long forgotten, this was what she wanted to see every day.

you blinked as the light found your eyes, rubbing them for a few seconds before focusing your gaze on the woman on the other side of the bed. neither of you spoke, for now.

you sat up on the bed, having the blanket cover up your naked, marked, loved body. arlecchino followed your every move, eyes only once wandering down to your back and back up to your face.

your heart hurt at the realization that it was already morning.

the night had ended.

you didn't want it to be over so fast.

looking down at the woman, you averted your eyes, feeling the need to blink away the sting of tears threatening to find their way out. one of your hands moved up, palm facing upwards. your fingers trembled as you exhaled shakily.

you got lost in your thoughts for a few moments. what if arlecchino won't take the gnosis? was that even possible in a situation like this?

certainly not, you must be daydreaming of some kind of hope.

glowing a soft light, floating up and down over your hand was your gnosis.

you stared at it, not blinking, then stared a little more, and then your hand shifted and offered the gnosis to arlecchino.

it was over. as simple as that.

arlecchino's breath hitched as she sat up to have a look at the small, glimmering chess piece. her hand slowly reached out and she took the gnosis from your hand, her fingers closing around it. she examined it closely, as if making sure it was real. to you, she looked satisfied with your deal.

"thank you very much, miss [name]."

you immediately noticed the change in tone. it became professional in just a few moments, leaving you confused.

she then stood up from the bed and started to put on her clothes. it was the sign that the deal was over and that her mission was complete. she didn't even look back at you, you thought. oh.

"well then... i guess my work here is done."

"...i guess it is," you could only reply quietly, eyes rooted to the woman's back as she got dressed.

you noticed the change in the woman's attitude, in her voice, and your heart basically shattered. it was like there were no kisses shared between you two just hours before, no compliments whispered, no intimate connections made. like the night before never existed.

you were just another mission.

of course it would be like this, you thought. you were the first to suggest that you both will never see each other again after this, and you were the one to fall for all of this.

but it still stung.

"you never meant it," you whispered in the end, realizing those words spoken and whispered so intimately were, apparently, just in a haze of situation. how predictable. you fell for that yet again.

arlecchino paused for a moment before she picked up her remaining clothes and turned to face you. her gaze was cold and emotionless, but she hesitated, before her expression purposefully changed into a more serious expression.

she needed to make you feel like she didn't have any feelings for you. it would be better for both of you. no bonds. no strings attached. she never wanted you to pine for her, as she was certainly not the one you needed to have beside her.

an archon and a harbinger. comical.

"i was agitated," arlecchino replied, voice turning back to previous hardness and flatness, zipping up her pants.

she hated saying the next words.

"you were just a means to an end."

pause.

your chest hurt. your eyes stung.

you wished you'd never heard any of this. you weren't ready to hear any of this. but now, these words will surely be engraved into your memory.

you didn't reply, and thus, there was silence. a loud one at that.

arlecchino felt the said silence like no other. she knew she'd achieved what she wanted just by witnessing your reaction.

you didn't stop looking in the direction where the woman was getting ready. neither did you react, just blinking away the tears from her eyes, preventing them from appearing.

your chest suddenly felt hollow, and not because of the gnosis that was no longer there.

arlecchino finished getting dressed quickly, since the silence in the room was getting more and more uncomfortable. it was a sign of your defeat, and she hated the realization of that.

she wanted to say something. wanted to take it back. to hug you. to kiss you again. to make love to you again. she wanted to tell you that she had fallen in love with you and that she wished everything was different.

but she knew that she would only end up hurting you more if she did so.

"i will be taking my leave."

you bit your lip hard enough to draw blood just trying to hold back your tears. your emotions. you weren't allowed to feel, but you felt, and it was suffocating you, dragging you towards the bottom.

"good job," you could only mutter, voice barely a whisper, gaze shifting back to the blanket.

arlecchino felt so much guilt for the words she had said. she knew how much pain those words were causing you, but she couldn't take them back even if she wanted to. the hurt was necessary.

she wanted nothing more than to go over to you, pull you into her arms, comfort you, and whisper how much she loves and cares for you. she wanted to apologize to you; wanted to tell you how sorry she was for hurting you.

but she didn't. she couldn't, because no one could know about the true feelings she had for you.

not even you.

so she just got dressed in silence, the weight of your gnosis in her pocket feeling heavier with every moment that passed. it's not like she could do anything other than that.

you heard arlecchino's hand placing itself on the door handle, and the woman paused momentarily, eyed wandering over to your form on the bed, scenes of the previous night flashing in front of her eyes as she looked at you.

the door clicked open, and she took one step outside your room before speaking her last words to you.

"it was a pleasure doing business with you, miss [name]."

the door closed.

[junkissed]

late night talking

member — minghao x f reader genre — angst, idk if there's enough fluff for this to count as hurt/comfort but the ending is sort of happy ? word count — 2.1k synopsis — the best and worst conversations always happen at 1am. warnings — reader is very drunk and very very insecure, lots of crying, lots of internal back & forth, unreliable narrator moment, refers to reader as girlfriend/my girl/etc., idk if i'm missing anything else but lmk if i am notes — this is an old fic that i never really intended to be released but @onlymingyus and @wooahaeproductions convinced me otherwise. sorry this is not at all what i normally post lmao i swear don't write like this often i just found this in my drive that i wrote when i was in a very shitty mood. we will return to your regularly scheduled smut programming soon i promise lmao! leave a comment in the reblogs or send an ask if you enjoyed this? idk i am nervous to post this pls don't perceive me too much

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you're ugly when you're drunk.

“hao?”

your voice rings throughout the house, the sound shaky and quieter than usual.

he wouldn't even have known you were home if he hadn't heard your friend's car pull up minutes ago, bright headlights flashing through the bedroom window. he wouldn't have known, if he wasn't already worried sick at you being gone so long and consuming an unknown amount of alcohol. he should've been there with you, but too much was riding on the deadline for his students’ grades that had to be finished before midnight. any other day he would've been by your side the whole night, a steady hand on your arm for balance and a sharp eye on your glass just in case. he loves playing the role of protective boyfriend, letting his girl do whatever she wants because he'll always be there to watch over her. but he couldn't do that tonight, and it tears him up inside.

he hears your trudging footsteps down the hall, soft footfalls signalling your approach as you drag yourself towards the room. he pretends not to hear; he doesn't want to make a big deal out of this and embarrass you.

“you're home early,” he comments with a chuckle, but his sarcasm is lost on you in this state. it's well after 1 in the morning, and you tilt your head in confusion at his words, brows deeply furrowed.

“what— are you working on?” you ask after a moment, focusing all your energy on not stumbling over your words. 

you know how drunk you are, he knows how drunk you are, but even now you're still putting on an act. you hate feeling stupid in front of him, and right now you couldn't feel any stupider. the worst part is that you feel as stupid when you're sober as you do right now, but you couldn't tell him that.

he pauses, choosing his next words carefully as he surveys your current state. he can't risk hurting your feelings, especially in such a vulnerable headspace.

“grading finals,” he decides on. not too detailed to confuse you, not too simplified to make you feel stupid, just enough to make you feel involved.

distantly you feel your eyes welling up with tears. you don't know why, but at the same time you know exactly why. you're never good enough compared to him, not when you come home drunk in the dead of night, and he never does. not when he's so good at everything he touches, so talented and beautiful and perfect, and you're… not. 

he deserves someone at his level, an artistic genius like him who can help him with his work. someone with an eye for his paintings, someone smarter, someone prettier, someone who can keep him on his toes. someone who won't drag him down and burden him with your obvious lack of skill and your quality of being so embarrassingly lightweight that you need to be supervised at all times. 

“i’m sorry,” you finally muster. you can't find the words to explain what you mean, but you hope he's able to sense your sincerity.

“what for?” he asks. his voice is softer now. 

you hate it when he uses that voice. he's talking down to you, talking like you're a child and he has to explain everything to you in the gentlest way possible because you aren't capable of handling the truth.

you love when he uses that voice. sometimes he can be so blunt it almost feels isolating, but when he talks to you like you're a child in that sweet, gentle, kind tone you feel like everything will be okay. he can soften himself for you, drop his straightforward persona around you and be the tender man you know he's capable of being. 

you lift your eyes to his computer screen and the feelings you've been struggling with float back into view. “i'm sorry,” you repeat, voice cracking despite the effort you put in to stop it from breaking. it's all you can say.

you don't notice when the tears overflow, bursting from your eyes without a sound. you're embarrassing, you're an idiot, standing in front of him with red eyes and hunched shoulders as tears stream down your cheeks. you don't even feel them fall.

if he knows what you're trying to convey with your tearful apologies, he doesn't mention it. 

of course he knows, how could he not when he's so astute with everything? you suck at keeping things to yourself. 

of course he doesn't know, why would he take the time out of his busy schedule to care about how you're feeling? you're not worth his energy.

the moment seems to stretch on for eternity, standing in front of him. you don't know why you started dating in the first place; he doesn't have the time, you're too annoying, too clingy, too affectionate. standing in front of him, you don't feel anything. you just feel cold.

you turn to drag yourself out of the room, deciding that you've embarrassed yourself enough by now. you don't know where you'll go or what you're doing, probably to pour yourself a glass of water and try to sleep on the couch. obviously he won't want you to sleep in his bed when you’re like this, why should he? you aren’t deserving of that privilege.

but then you feel a warm hand on your wrist, gently tugging you back towards him. you lose your balance, stumble over your feet, fall onto his lap. you're mortified, barely able to get another “sorry” out before trying to stand again on wobbly legs. you shouldn't be here. you're so aware, so painfully conscious of your weight on him, every ounce of energy you have left fighting to keep yourself from annoying him even further but it feels like it's too late. everything that comes from you is too little, too late.

“no,” he says. his tone is still that soft, sweet sound, but his voice is firm and you don't try to get up again. “we can talk tomorrow,” he says as he begins to run his hand along your back, and you hate yourself for the way you instantly melt at his touch. “just… relax. calm down.”

your body slouches against his chest, feeling like a puddle on his lap, head tucked into the crook of his neck whether you meant to or not. your legs dangle limply off his lap, arms wrapped loosely around the back of his chair as he holds you.

“it's okay,” he says simply, still stroking his hand along your back in small, soothing motions. “it's okay.” he repeats the words, maybe to convince himself but mostly to convince you from having a breakdown. even now when he's treating you so delicately, your brain won't let you rest: he's probably scared of you, he doesn't mean it, he doesn't mean any of it and he's using whatever means necessary to stop you from turning hysterical or even violent. of course it doesn't mean anything to him. 

“how much did you drink tonight, baby?” he asks, and you know you should take that as judgmental but you don't have the energy left anymore. you don't note the twinge of concern in his voice, you can't see the look in his eyes as he gazes down at you.

“a little— a lot,” you answer, somewhat truthfully. the real truth is that you lost count. you weren't trying to get drunk, but one turned into two turned into ten and before you even knew what you were doing a car was dropping you off in front of your house.

he shifts his legs for you to sit more comfortably on his lap, and as much as you want to fight it you don't have the strength to. “do you want to go to bed?” he asks gently. “or do you want to stay up with me?”

“don't… want you to go to bed ‘cuz of me,” you mumble against his neck. god, his skin is so soft and warm. you couldn't move your body right now even if you tried. “not your fault.”

“what kind of guy would i be if i didn't take care of my girlfriend when she needs me?” he asks. “i can put you to bed if you want. it's alright. it's late anyway.”

“it's not– your job,” you manage to reply, and his hand on your back stops for a second.

“it is my job,” he says softly. he tucks a piece of hair behind your ear. “i'm sorry if you feel like i haven't done that.”

“please, don't— no sorry,” you choke out as fresh tears prick at your eyes. “it's my fault. i'm sorry. it's my fault.”

he holds you tighter, both arms wrapped around you on his lap now. “it's not your fault,” he says in that same firm but gentle voice. “you haven't done anything wrong at all. it's alright, baby, i promise. you don't have anything to worry about. why are you sorry?”

“i don't know,” you mumble. your hand clutches at his chest unconsciously, balling his t-shirt in your fist. “i dunno. i love you. i dunno.”

“i love you, too,” he says after a beat. the tears, the drunken outburst, he just lets it all happen. without a word of complaint. despite the voices in your head fighting to convince you otherwise, he never says a single negative thing to you.

you know he's not normally like this. with everyone else he's polite, unemotional, reserved. he's never vulnerable. which is why you're so confused right now.

“why?” you slur, still grasping onto hope.

he hums in questioning, nudging you to elaborate.

“why are you like this to me?”

but now he's the one who's confused. “like what?”

you pause, and the room goes quiet for a moment, the only sound your shallow breaths against his chest. “nice.”

for all his knowledge, this time he's actually lost. “why would i not be nice to you?”

“i don't deserve it.”

he shifts again, pulling you closer to his chest as he starts to run his fingers through his hair. “of course you do, baby.”

“you don't deserve me.”

he stops again, this time in shock. “hey. that's not true.”

“is too true,” you say. your eyes are closed and you can't help the frown overtaking your face. “you should have somebody you deserve. it's not me.”

he just sighs, and you feel his chest expand beneath your cheek at the deep breath he takes. “i love you, baby. not anyone else. you'll feel better in the morning, and we can talk then. but i'm not mad at you, okay? there's nothing wrong. everything's okay.”

you try to mimic his sigh, but the angle you're laying at on his chest and the alcohol in your system makes it hard to breathe deeply. 

“do you want to keep sitting with me?” he asks. he knows how much you like the sounds his keyboard makes, the quiet tapping as he enters grades and types comments to his students about things you could never fathom to understand.

your eyes stay closed and your head doesn't move. “yeah,” you murmur softly.

he settles back into his chair, you curled up on his lap. he's not doing much, he's finished the worst of it and now just entering numbers. he glances down at your figure, almost asleep on him, and he feels an ache in his chest. 

every emotion feels amplified to you right now, but if it took getting blackout drunk for you to finally say it then it must've been weighing on you for a long time coming. he wonders how long you've felt like this, felt inadequate compared to him, and it makes him pause. it was never his intention. when you're awake and sober and hopefully not massively hungover, then you can talk, and he can make this right.

he loves the person snuggled against his chest, loves the feeling of you comforted and protected by him, and he'll do anything to make sure you know that. he'll do anything to let you see yourself the way he sees you. above all the worries he has about you, he knows one thing for sure.

you're cute when you're drunk.

⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁

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[beneatheaven]

friends with benefits with soobin

lowercase intended, 1,512 words, haven’t proof read

smut under cut, minors do not interact

another weekend just hanging out at a friends house. this was a more chill and quiet house party. people entering in and out of the house to the backyard, the comfort in seeing your close friends and catching up with them after a week of stressful classes.

what you didn't expect was to see soobin talking to another girl.

not that either of you were exclusive, you just messed around with each other.. a lot. to the point were you both promised each other, this would just between the two of you. he didn't like the thought of you sucking another guys dick, and you didn't like the thought of kissing other girls. so to say you were jealous, was putting it very lightly.

he knew this would hurt you, just seeing him next to another girl, so maybe you were being too possessive, not that he's ever had a problem with that in bed. that was until she leaned in closer to whisper something in his ear, and he flashed a smile at her.

it made your blood boil, what did she say? and what does she want from him. he was yours, kind of, right? running out to the backyard to get away from the sight. it was starting to get too overstimulating with the overthinking.

taking a seat on one of the couple of chairs sprawled outside, taking some time to yourself thinking if any of this was worth it. the idea of you two dating has come up in conversation before. but you had to jump in and say you were too busy for anything serious at the moment. the reality was that, you felt like you weren't good enough for him.

the sound of the sliding door opening and footsteps getting closer to you had broken you out of your thoughts. turning your head to see who had came out, it was soobin. "hey it looked like something happened, are you okay?" he said while coming by to sit to a chair next to you.

"i'm fine, but looks like you were getting comfortable over there." the tone in your voice, he could pick up that you were upset at him. "y/n it's not like that, we were just getting to know each other." his hand finding yours to hold. trying to comfort you, what he did best.

"maybe you can get to know each other some more alone.." you couldn't look at him in the eyes, you felt so frustrated. "i promised you i wouldn't do that with anyone else, you remember right?" nodding your head, he was so patient with you, you didn't deserve him.

"i remember, i'm sorry i just got.. upset." he let out a quiet laugh, he was just so cute. "aw my girl got jealous didn't she?" he leaned into you to whisper "you'll always be my girl." he said as he left small kisses on your neck. he always called you that, and you never had a problem with it, even with the terms you were on.

your heart ached for him, and he felt the same way, he just wanted you to be ready. he didn't want to scare you by coming off to strong or mess up and lose you. maybe it was time to let go and be ready for him. "yes i'll always be yours." turning to him and sharing a sweet kiss.

kissing him felt so sweet and meant to be, there couldn't be anyone else for either of you. bringing your hands up to his face to hold him and deepen the kiss. he reciprocates with his hand finding it's way to your waist. whining into your mouth at the way you pull at his hair slightly, bitting down onto your bottom lip.

"did you miss me baby?" looking at you with hooded eyes "i always miss you." whimpering at him. "don't want anyone else but you soobin, please be mine." a small smile appears on his face. "do you really mean that?" his touch on your waist became softer. "yes, i'm so sorry for making you wait." "i'd wait forever if that's it took." he said immediately. your chest ached at how he made you feel so loved. leaning into kiss him again, your favorite thing ever.

"god i want you so bad, confessing really does something to you doesn't it?" giggling at his words. "we can't do it here everyone is gonna hear." you said as he peppered kisses from your neck up to your ear. "hmm you know how you always wanted to try pubic sex?" whispering into your ear. "mm very briefly, and it'd still be very obvious to everyone."

he started looking around the back yard, anywhere to hide or sneak behind. his eyes landing on a ladder still propped up to head onto the rooftop. there was a flat area, he knew what the next step was. "look, we can go up there." you turned your head to where his focus was. "are you serious?" questioning his thoughts right now. "let me just taste you, and i can take you to my place after for some more..privacy, promise." giving you a quick kiss on your lips. "okay, but just because i know you'll keep your promise."

both of you stood up and made your way over. he helped you get onto the roof smoothly. almost scared you were going to fall off but he held onto your hands tightly. he took off his sweater for you to lay on. making sure this experience was comfortable for you. once he had you under him, he went in to kiss you, one and on your waist and the other holding your face. your hands all over his back, pulling him down closer to you.

bucking your hips up into his would make him moan into your mouth. his sweet moans you loved to hear, all just for you. he removed his hand from your face, bringing it down to to your skirt. hand going under it and pushing your panties to the side."you're so wet for me bay, all for me right." quietly moaning into his ear. trying your best to keep quiet.

coming closer to your ear. "shh not too loud, don't want anyone hearing you do we." shaking your head, he had you so weak for him. running his fingers up and down your folds, lightly pinching your clit, making your knees buckle. thighs clamping around his hand.

he inserted two fingers, thrusting them slowly into you. breathing heavily while looking at his fingers going in and out of you. he would leave wet kisses around your neck, kiss you hard if you were about to get too loud. after a couple more thrust, he took his fingers out to raise your skirt higher and take your panties off. kissing them before putting them into his pocket for later. making your cheeks heat up.

"hold onto me baby." bringing one of your hands to his hair before he brought his lips to your wet pussy. his tongue landing right onto your sensitive clit first, inserting his fingers into you once again. giving it kisses while he thrusted his fingers.

he would go so fast, lapping his tongue on you, having to cover your mouth from your loud moans and whimpers. "good girl, you're so good for me y/n. my perfect girl." gripping onto his hair harder each time his fingers hit that spot inside you. "yea pull my hair like that baby." a loud moan slipping past your hand when he went harder.

he could feel your thighs slightly shaking, you were getting close. "cum on my tongue bay, for me yea?" "yes for you, god yes." taking his mouth off your pussy to kiss you as he kept thrusting his fingers into you. your hands gripping his hair and his shoulders. digging your nails into his long sleeve shirt, the feeling of his soft hair against your hand felt so comforting.

coming down from your high, legs shaking around his hand, chanting his name over and over in a whisper onto his lips. holding him down close to you once again, his closeness was your safe space. he brought his fingers to his lips, licking your juices clean off his fingers. "you came so much, all from going down on you, did you miss me?" catching his breath, you could see how wet his mouth was from you.

"yes, but i don't have to miss you any longer, right?" shaking his head at you, another sweet kiss onto your lips. "no, my girlfriend never has to miss me." smiling up at him. "hmm now can my boyfriend take me home? it's so uncomfortable up here." laughing at how long you both had been up there. "yes yes he will. i'll go down first, and carry you to the car, and wear my sweater to cover you." peppering your face with kisses as he made his way down the ladder. soobin was finally yours.

[itsohh]

Mortal Kombat 1 Intros

A/N: I always wanted to do some of these, this is sort of the 1.5 chapter from my fic, Electra Heart. You can still read without it but the idea is that your a 'secret' popstar to your now partner Johnny. This is you out of costume and set post game epilogue.

Fighters: Johnny Cage, Kenshi Takahashi, Liu Kang, Mileena, Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Shang Tsung, Nitara, Ashrah

Warnings: Hint of something suggestive (if you squint)

Electra Heart

Johnny Cage

Johnny: You know after this we should run a bath, help relax your muscles.

You: I'd bet you'd like that. Johnny: Trust me I have this massive bathtub in the ensuite that you're going to love. Promise to show it to you after we’re done here.

-

You: Johnny it's really fine if your busy you didn't need to cancel your plans-

Johnny: Hey if my girl’s feeling down there's nothing in all the realms that can stop me from trying to cheer her up. Let's get you destressed babe.

-

Johnny: God damn your hot when you fight. Have I told you that before?

You: Only every time we spare.

-

You: Where do you get all your glasses?

Johnny: Come on, babe, a magician never reveals his secrets.

-

Johnny: Still thinking about that thing you did with your-

You: -Johnny. We have an audience.

-

Kenshi Takahashi

Kenshi: Johnny makes you happy, even I can see that.

You: I feel weird when you make blind jokes and they say I spend too much time around him.

-

You: Johnny really appreciates you, you know that? You’re like a brother to him now.

Kenshin: If he appreciates anyone it's you.

You: That's not the same.

-

You: So how's it feel to be a secret agent in your black fancy suit?

Kenshi: Different, but good.

-

Kenshi: Why Johnny?

You: I like a man that can make me laugh.

-

You: So what was your plan if you went to the tournament and then never got Sento?

Kenshi: Originally I figured I could steal while he slept.

You: How did that work out for you?

Kenshi: He's surprisingly very aware even when asleep.

-

Liu Kang

You: Man, I hate fighting you.

Liu Kang: Why's that?

You: Feel like I'm fighting my mum. It's weird that you're the creator of all things.

-

Liu Kang: Is there any way I could convince you to bring your all against Johnny? You holding back is only limiting both your skills.

You: Sorry Liu Kang that's not happening any time soon.

-

You: I kinda miss the academy. It was so peaceful.

Liu Kang: You’re welcome back anytime.

You: Think my manager would kill me.

-

You: If we’re just split in a timeline does that mean we're less than people? Am I just a carbon copy of the original?

Liu Kang: No. Multiple versions of you there may be but all have equal value and all are worthy of life.

-

You: How come you didn't contact Titan me? Surely I would help no?

Liu Kang: I summoned you as a request for help but you did not respond.

-

Mileena

You: So how come you’re so…you… now but when we were in the lab you weren't?

Mileena: The bloodlust overcame me. I am in control now.

-

You: What you have done for those with tarkat is incredibly honourable- no- kind. Not everyone would offer such support. I know you don't do it for praise but I can't help but respect you so much for it. 

Mileena: People with tarkat are people too and deserve to be treated with respect.

-

You: Not to sound like Johnny but you really are stunning Mileena. Nothing like a beautiful, smart and empathic leader.

Mileena: Not many would genuinly say that while I look like this. Thank you.

-

Mileena: I'm surprised you’re not Earth's champion, you fight well.

You: I'm already famous in Earthrealm, I don't want to be famous in Outworld as well.

-

You: I'm sorry for your mother's loss, I didn't know her for long but I could tell she was an outstanding woman and a great mother. Evidence is you and Kitana.

Mileena: She had her flaws and I intend to improve on what she started.

-

Scorpion

You: Do you mind not using the uh rope thingy against me? I'd prefer not to have rope burns.

Scorpion: I never leave permanent marks from sparring but so be it, I can beat you without it.

You: ...Yay.

-

You: Was Bi-Han always like this?

Scorpion: He was competitive and ambitious but I could never fathom him betraying us.

-

Scorpion: You are surprisingly like Johnny, originally you hid your playful manner well.

You: Uh yeah we were in a professional setting, we aren't now.

-

You: Soooo how's the Shirai Ryu?

Scorpion: Growing stronger every day. Tomas was right to initiate Hanzo.

-

You: Got to say, not a lot of people rock yellow well so kudos to you.

Scorpion: Focus.

-

Sub-Zero

You: You know if you really wanted to show your power and defend Earthrealm you could start by refreezing the ice caps.

Sub-zero: Your mockery ends when I tear your tongue from your throat.

You: So violent.

-

You: I have to admit if you weren’t so…you…then you would be a good-looking dude.

Sub-zero: My appearance matters not, you will be dead before you lay eyes on me.

-

You: You’re one ice cold hearted bastard you know that? I do not envy your lonely life.

Sub-zero: You won’t have a life to envy.

-

You: Does it hurt? Knowing that Tomas is a more honourable man, more of a brother than you could ever dream to be?

Sub-zero: That matters not when you have this power.

-

You: Hey, it's the spineless prick.

Sub-zero: It will be you without a spine.

-

Shang Tsung

You: Ugh, it must be exhausting scheming up so many plans. I barely know what I want myself to do let alone other people.

Shang Tsung: Well, some people were made to lead others to follow. It seems you are a latter sheep.

-

You: I'm not going to bother and try to get you to see empathy it's a waste of time for a man without emotions.

Shang Tsung: I assure you I have emotions, one with be glee when I win this fight.

-

You: Yellow so isn't your colour.

Shang Tsung: You can lie to yourself but don't lie to me.

-

Shang Tsung: Nightingale, I would say it's a pleasure but I think we’re past that.

You: Ah fuck, Outworld knowing my stage name is the last thing I need right now.

Shang Tsung: Not Outworld, just me. I do my research and you're an interesting woman to learn about.

-

You: Again with the smug-looking smirk? Maybe you should contract tarkat, perhaps your smile then would be pretty.

Shang Tsung: You think I would be so reckless to contract tarkat? Perhaps you’re less intelligent than I gave you credit for.

-

Nitara

You: This victim complex you lot wear is kinda pathetic honestly.

Nitara: Perhaps you would understand did your race was starving.

You: It's called sustainability, perhaps you should look it up.

-

You: Maybe you should evolve to feed on each other. Feel like this would be a win-win for everyone.

Nitara: We won't need to when I take you.

-

You: Honestly killing when you feed? Rookie mistake should have caught and released.

Nitara: Easier said in retrospect.

-

You: I read up on Vaeternus's history. You did this to yourselves, if a race can't survive without damning another then they shouldn't exist.

Nitara: I will feed Vaeternus no matter the cost.

-

You: Bleh bleh I vant to suck your dick- hahaha. Sorry, I can't take you lot seriously. Like seriously vampires?

Nitara: You mock us but you underestimate our power.

-

Ashrah

You: How are you finding Earthrelm?

Ashrah: It's more incredible than I ever could have dreamed of.

You: If you ever find yourself in LA. Come visit, my home’s always open to you and your sister.

-

You: I'm not one for serious talk but you chose to follow a better path when you saw a possibility. You turned your back on everything I know which is more than I can say about many humans. You the furthest thing from a demon that I've met.

Ashrah: I would say you're flattering me but I can see it in your eyes you mean it.

-

Ashrah: Earthrelm is so bright. So full of life, I'm proud to call it my home.

You: And we're proud to call you one of our defenders.

-

You: When you have time free I'd love to show you all that Earthrelm has to offer.

Ashrah: I'd love my sister to experience that as well.

You: Only if you’re cool if Johnny tags along. He'll definitely want to when he catches wind of our plans.

Ashrah: I can agree to that.

-

Ashrah: It's strange. Ever since Johnny released his ‘film’ people have been approaching me on the odd occasion about a ‘cosplay'.

You: Yeah, you might have to change up your look if it gets annoying.

Ashrah: I don't mind it, it's nice to have such happiness and excitement from strangers.

[angelsanarchy]

Glass Houses: Jack Thurlow x Y/N One-Shot Series PRT 28

Tagging:@roryculkinluvr@thatsthewrongwallcraig@icarus-star @cc-luvr @madamemaximoff06@shady-the-simp @quicksilversg1rl @s-0lar @kristennero-wallacewellsver@ophelialaufey @mayathepsychic1999 @x-prettyboy-x @rorylover71 @auggiethecreator @tempt-ress @blacksoul-27

Jack kept to himself the first few days. He would see Y/n's car pull in and try not to stare at her through the window like a creep. He didn't want to overwhelm her in the first week so he waited. He kept thinking about what he might say, how he might apologize and have her actually know how sorry he was for how things happened. He starts taking evening walks like Dr. Carty had suggested and it really helped clear his head.

It wasn't until Saturday that they crossed paths. Jack actually stopped dead in his tracks seeing her having as cigarette on the bench on the side of her house that her mother can't see.

"It's okay, you can say hello. I won't bite you." Y/n spoke first.

"Hi...I promise I wasn't like following you or-" Y/n laughed at Jack's fumbling.

"I know Jack. I just got here. I just needed a break before going inside." She explained. He nodded unsure if she wanted to be alone or not.

"How are you feeling being home?" She asks, inviting him to take a seat next to her.

"I feel better, more myself physically and mentally." Jack rubbed his palms on his jeans.

"That's good." She took another drag and stayed silent.

"I owe you a lot of things. The most important thing being an apology. I am so incredibly sorry for being selfish enough to come off my meds and taking out my episode on you. I'm sorry for the shitty things I said, I didn't mean them. I know how important your mom is to you and I know how much you love taking care of people. That's what makes you such an amazing person." Jack swallowed the lump in his throat as Y/n kept her eyes on him.

"I...I'm also sorry for getting physical with you. I didn't remember doing it to Shanda and I don't remember doing it to you either but that doesn't make it any less awful. It was wrong, disrespectful and I'm just...so insanely sorry Y/n." Jack finally met her gaze.

"You also probably saved my life. I was in a really bad way that night and I'm lucky you were there to stitch me up. I know that couldn't have been easy on you so I'm also sorry for putting you through that for no reason. It was a mistake and I don't intend on repeating it ever again. I'm not saying I won't ever have another episode but I will make sure I will always take my meds to avoid putting you or anyone else through that." Jack felt like he was ten pounds lighter after saying all that.

"Do...do you think you'll ever be able to forgive me? Maybe give me a second chance?" Jack asked trying not to sound as desperate as he felt.

"You want to tell me what triggered the downfall? I mean the night we had together seemed really nice and I thought things were going well. Then all the sudden-"

"Oh no our night was perfect. It honestly had nothing to do with that. I just...I got a call from my ex-fiance. She said she was moving and wanted me to come back to California and collect my stuff. I just...I couldn't fathom the idea of going back there or seeing her again...everything all sort of came crashing down at once and I just...lost it." Jack explained. Y/n held the cigarette out to him and he took it, taking a drag and ironically felt like he could breathe easier.

"When I think about the place I was last year, it reminds me of how fucked up I was. How damaged I am and how it hurt the people I loved the most. It makes me think I don't deserve happiness...especially the happiness you bring me." Jack handed her cigarette back to her.

"How do you feel about it now? Do you still think you don't deserve happiness?" Y/n asked curiously.

"Sometimes I think I let myself sabotage my own happiness just so I can't ever really hold onto it but I would like to think I've atoned enough for my mistakes to allow myself that feeling." Jack watched as she finished the cigarette and let out a sigh.

"I forgive you Jack. Neither of us are perfect but I try every day to make sure I can do whatever it takes to not allow my shit to touch other people. I try really hard to make sure that I take care of myself, take my medicine and talk to my therapist when I'm having issues so that they can't bleed over to the people I care about, you being one of those people." She gives him a sad smile. Jack reaches out and takes Y/n hand giving it a squeeze.

"Why are you so good to me? I want to believe I deserve it but-"

"Jack, I like spending time with you. I like to talk to you and joke with you. I like to get off with you or banter over weed and breakfast. I want you to believe me when I say you deserve happiness just as much as I do." Y/n squeezed his hand back.

"I like spending time with you too. You were all I could think about when I was away. I just, I want to keep my head on straight for you, for myself too but I want to be well so whatever we have going on between us, we get a real fair shot." Jack smiled as she scooted closer to him.

"We will. I will agree to the second chance but I want you to be honest with me when shit starts to feel like you can't handle it again. I want you to tell me when you're drowning so I can at least have a chance to try and help you." Y/n pushed the hair away from his face and he nodded.

"I like the sound of that." He sighed leaning his head forward, resting his forehead into hers.

"I missed you." Y/n said touching his face delicately. Jack felt a wave of relief wash over his chest as he took in her scent.

"I missed you too." Jack wanted to kiss her but she kissed his forehead first. He felt like he was going to be so much more vigilant with his second chance with Y/n. He wasn't going to let his past dictate his future. He wanted happiness. He deserves it.

[deceitfuldevout]

Sleeping Beauty

Dark!Husband!Steve Rogers x Wife!Reader x Dark!Bucky Barnes

Word Count: 2,476

Warning(s): +18, Non Con, Dub con turned non con, Misogynistic remarks, Forced Cuckholding, Unwanted orgasm, Forced eye contact, Double Penetration, Bucky partakes in your bedroom tradition.

Author's Note(s): One shot fic. I'm bored at work and wanted to kill some time.

It was the day of your anniversary and your husband is nowhere to be found. You stare back at the clock ticking in the dining room. It had been almost an hour and Steve still hadn’t returned. This isn't the man you married. If your Stevie promises something, he intends to keep it.

You sat alone at the head of the dining room table, cupping your tear-stricken face. It makes you sick knowing that your husband was out there doing god knows what at this hour. You were sure he wouldn't miss something as important as this specific day. Just one day, was that so much to ask?

Your ears perk at the sound of the front door knob jingling. In comes Steve, being hoisted up by his best friend Bucky. His face is a tint of red that spread all the way to his ears. You had only seen him like this a few times, the first time during a new year’s event when he'd confessed his love for you, the second had been on your wedding day. It was obvious that he'd been too drunk to even walk straight. There's only one thing responsible for causing this: Asgardian ale.

Bucky’s smile falters when he notices you frowning. He sits Steve on the couch then walks over to the dining room table where you're sat. His metal hand brushes through his dark locks, “I uh…sorry doll, Steve said it was your anniversary and I suggested we celebrate-”

“I swear Barnes, you'll find any excuse to get my husband drunk. Just look at him! He can barely walk!"

He sighs, “I was the one who cut him off. He was the one who insisted on drinking." Nudging to his passed-out friend. You scoff, “That doesn't explain why he’s drunk off his face right now.” barking back. Bucky’s shoulders stiffen and arms cross. He stares at the floor in silence. You massage the sides of your temple. Only stopping when Bucky mutters, “With a wife like you I wouldn't blame him." Causing you to abruptly look up, “Excuse me?”

“I mean, if I came home to my woman bitching every day, I’d want to be drunk off my ass too,” he sneers. Your jaw drops, “Who...who....” almost at a loss for words. You shoot up, “Who the hell do you think you are!? You don’t know a thing about marriage!”

“Marriage? No. But I know a leech when I see one. You don’t even know how to be a wife. Ask Steve and he’ll start singing. You barely clean the house, don’t even cook, always have some sort of excuse to avoid sex. You don’t do jack shit. Steve works his ass off every day, and you don't even put it out when he gets home?” he scoffs, “So fucking entitled I swear.”

"The only ‘relationship’ you've had in the past 70 years is with a block of ice." you jab. His jaw ticks, that one actually managed to get under his skin. Every damn day you'd find a way to inadvertently piss him off. If you wanted to stoop low that's fine, he can go lower, “Yeah well you seem to be occupied with that little pink vibrator of yours," he noticed the color leaving your face, "Oh yeah, I know you've been hiding it from him. You think he‘s too dumb to understand what it’s for, shit, you even had the gall to ask him to buy you new batteries for ‘kitchen appliances’, I mean, how stupid do you think he is?” he chuckles, "If you needed a real man, all you could've done was ask,"

All you see is red. You give him a final warning, “Well, I don’t see a man.” you snap back, "You know what, James? Times have changed, and I think Steve’s friends should too.”

Bucky doesn't like that. Not one bit.

“Do you really think he’ll keep listening to you?”

“Try me.” you hiss. Bucky smirks at that challenge, "Do you know the things he says to me while you're not around? Do you know all the sick and vile things he’s fantasized about?" he nears. Your brows furrow at his accusation. Not your Stevie. He would never. Bucky raises a brow, "Maybe we could play that favorite game of yours...Sleeping Beauty." smiling at the look of terror on your face. He knows that you and Steve have been experimenting in the bedroom.

“Hey Steve!” he hollers for the other super soldier. Steve jostles from his rest. He’s in the room in a matter of seconds, "What's wrong?" his voice is hoarse from the nap. Bucky waves to his friend, "I just wanted to say goodnight to you and the Mrs." he gives you a wink. Steve's brows furrow, "Honey what's wrong?" tilting his head, the light capturing his features in an angelic way.

You can't help but soften at the sight of those soft blues. This argument wasn't worth ruining the rest of your night. You roll your eyes, "Nothing..." shrugging it off. But if only it were that simple. Steve looks at the time and hisses, "You should stay for the night Buck." he insists, "We have a spare bedroom available upstairs."

You couldn't believe him. You marched upstairs and slam the door. It was one thing for him to be late for your anniversary, it was another bringing Bucky along, out of all people! You don't bother checking up on them. Instead preparing yourself for bed. Surely in the morning Steve would wake up and regret his actions. He stumbles into the room, already loosening his tie.

You spot his reflection in the vanity but pay no attention. Ignoring him would be a suitable punishment. You decide to lay further away from his side of the bed, occupied with a book in hand. Yes you still love him, with all your heart, but right now his excuses weren't worth your energy tonight.

Steve knows your upset, he could feel it seeping through your pores. He sighs, "I'm sorry. I should've remembered it was today, and I know that isn't an excuse but...let me make it up to you..." Steve loosens his tie. It's been a long, hectic day, filled with countless meetings. All he wants to do now is spoil his wife.

He sits on the edge of the bed, holding your feet in his hands, kneading small circles along the curve. You stifle a moan. By now Steve knows your body too well. "What are you in the mood for, dear?" His super hearing picks up the sound of your closing your book. He smiles when he hears a faint whisper,

"...Sleeping beauty." you mumble.

Steve smirks, "Smart choice." he slides down his pants, letting them fall as he palms his girth. You eye him eagerly, already dripping with desire. Of course you couldn't say no to a little spoiling, placing your book carefully on the nightstand. You shimmy off your gown. Wearing only your undergarments as you reposition your body. You toss a few pillows off the bed, making room for your limbs to stretch. Laying back on the soft pillows as you closed your eyes and pretend to sleep. Steve crouches from above, palming his manhood through his briefs.

Tonight, you would play the role of an unconscious maiden, unaware of her being taken advantage of. An act that Steve had grown fond of. Your husband was nothing less than a gentleman. He could never stomach the idea of taking advantage of a helpless woman. At least not while she’s aware. So, playing out this fantasy had been more than enough to satisfy his certain urges. Well, almost enough.

A thumb presses against your bottom lip, parting your mouth slightly. He could feel your soft breaths. He dips his tongue deep inside, enjoying the taste of it. He retreats with a satisfied hum as he smacks his pink lips. He nips and suckles the side of your neck, creating a trail to the curve of your chest. He pulls down your bralette, nipping and suckling the buds until they’ve peaked. He couldn’t hold it in any longer.

You felt the sensation of his gentle touches. Steve’s embrace had always felt soothing, calming and oh-so delightful. Part of you fought the urge to pounce on him right then and there. But you knew the reward after would be worth it. Patience was key. Everything was going at an easy pace. You suddenly felt the wiring of your bra snap open, exposing your breasts to the cool air. You shiver but remain still. This was unlike Steve, perhaps it was liquid courage?

A rough hand reaches for the waistband of your panties, yanking the garment down. A calloused hand parts your legs roughly to expose your womanhood. His finger pads are rough as they rub at your slit. Part of you bit back a whine as they attempt to collect any wetness. Then the sound of him spitting on it shocks you. That was new. Again, the fingers return, this time coating the slit with more saliva. As rough finger pads trace your bundle of nerves the sensation of teeth nipping at each breast.

He plunges his digits deep into your channel. A faint whine escapes your throat. Almost writhing in pleasure from the stretch. Your hips jerk up instinctively. He pulls them out to press your hips down. Then begins pumping them at a rough pace. It takes everything in you to control your breathing. This was an entirely new side to Steve, and you love it.

He notices the muscle tightening around his digits and swiftly pulls out. He rubs up and down your slit before making circles around your clit. You jerk your hips up again, which led to him cupping your mound with a harsh slap. He stokes at your folds before giving another smack. Then another, before sliding his fingers back in.

At this point you’re drunk on pleasure. You’ll do anything to cum and he knows it. He lifts a leg over his shoulders to give a full view. He begins to pump his digits to a vigorous pace. Knowing very well what he was doing. His long fingers find that sweet spot inside you. Again, he made you chase for your orgasm before denying it.

He flips you over, gripping the back of your head as he pushes it against the bed. He retrieves a pillow and places it against your underbelly. Before you've had a chance to adjust, he's already pushing in. Steve has never taken you in this position before. His length felt...different. He felt much more thicker, to the point where it was almost unbearable, almost.

You squeal into the pillow. Toes curling as he held an arm around your torso. He thrusts at a brutal pace. Your eyes roll back as he took what he wanted. Smacking your rear every now and then to feel you clench around him. He doesn't slow down nor does he falter. He's dead set on cumming right there, right now.

He lifts his leg up and pushes in as deep as he could reach. He emptied his load, warm spurts coat your walls. Filling your womb to the brim. He grunts from the sensation of it, licking the shell of your ear as he came. He backs up, letting part of his length remain inside, plugging you in.

His thumb presses against your rim. As if he were testing the waters. He collects your arousal, scooping up the slick before lathering it against your other hole. He inserts a digit in, watching you writhe in pleasure oh-so beautifully.

You felt something prodding against it. A familiar feeling. He pushes the small phallus in until it's end remains. You groan from the stretch. You don't know what it was exactly until he presses a button. It's faint buzzing has you sobbing with pleasure. You were going to tell Stevie about the vibrator, eventually. But now he was just being cruel.

He slams his length back into you. Gripping your hips hard enough to hurt. One of his hands has felt stronger than the other. As he thrusts his hips back and fourth, you lose the strength to hold your position and fall forward. He continues to plunge at a brutal pace, deepening his strokes until climaxing yet again. You were in sheer bliss. Almost passing out with pleasure.

He finally flips you over to take a good look. You fight the urge to keep your eyes shut. You've been waiting for this moment and he knows exactly what to do. There’s only one way to wake sleeping beauty up: A True love's kiss. And if there’s one thing Steve loved more than anything else, it's watching his best friend cuckhold his wife.

Steve has to bite his lips to stifle the moan escaping. His eyes are hooded with lust. He delves his tongue deep into your abused channel, latching his lips on your mound as he tastes his friend's spent. He rolls his eyes back, savoring the moment with a hum. You whine from the sensation of it.

His moans send a vibration throughout your slit. It takes every muscle in your body not to cum right then and there. Steve muffles his face against your womanhood. Moving his head from side to side as he brushes his nose against your clit. He engulfs the erotic scene in front of him. Savoring every last drop. Almost losing himself in the process. When he retreats he confesses, “You were right Buck, this was a great idea.”

Your eyes shoot open when he says those words. Steve lifts your legs up as he drags you to the end of the bed. His fingers dig into your soft flesh as he pulls you towards him. He rubs his tip against your now drenched opening, looking you dead in the eyes as he gave a command, “Look at me.” he grips your jaw in a firm grasp, growling in your face, “You look at your husband when he's speaking to you."

Bucky can't help but smirk. He taught him well. Maybe that'll keep you from running your mouth. He retreats to the kitchen where the unopened champagne bottle was left. When he returns you're a blubbering mess. He pops the cork off, tilting the bottle over Steve's head. His friend tilts his head back, opening his mouth to capture the liquid. Bucky pours the rest onto your naked bodies. Lapping the drink from your skin.

Bucky lays right next to you as Steve lifts your body. He sits you in his friend's lap. Your eyes are shut, head bowing with shame. Until you feel Bucky's girth pressing against your rear. They shoot open as you began pleading with him, begging for Steve to make him stop. Your husband only chuckles at your measly attempt to escape.

He smiles when he sees you taking his best friend. As if Bucky were made for you. He sighs with adoration, "Thanks for the anniversary gift Buck, I should’ve done this a long time ago," Steve rasps. His friend matches his pace, “Knew you’d like it.” Bucky moans, grunting as you took both of them in.

[shina913]

On Tilt, Part 4 | KNJ

On Tilt, Part 4

Definition: a poker term for a state of mental or emotional confusion or frustration in which a player adopts a suboptimal strategy, usually resulting in the player becoming overly aggressive.

On Tilt Masterlist

Pairing: Namjoon x Fem!Reader

Rating: M 🔞

Genre: idol!AU; strangers-to-FWB-to-lovers; toxic relationship; angst; fluff; smut

Warnings: cussing; vulnerable confessions; explicit and suggestive sexual conversations; making out; heavy petting/groping; unbelievable amount of cheesiness and fluff--it's disgusting how these two have it so bad for each other!

Summary: You’ve said time and time again that you wouldn’t lose yourself to him. You were in control now. You were going to make better choices. For a minute there, you were able to keep up with it. It wasn’t ‘til Namjoon’s extended break that you found yourself falling into old habits. Will you ever learn to quit Kim Namjoon?

Word count: 3,570 words

A/N: I'm sorry...this came out wayyyyy cheesier than I intended. But hey, I've been writing a lot of angst lately, I wanted a change of pace! This is the song they sing to. Namjoon posted it on his IG stories a while back 🙊

ALSO!!! Please don't be a silent reader! My inbox and DMs are open. Comment, reblog, scream at me, send me an emoji--whatever. It fuels me and motivates me to continue writing! 😘

[Namjoon] 6:05PM: Can’t wait until this album is mastered and goes through print. It was fun and all but…damn, I really miss you.

His text made you grin at your screen like an idiot.

He wasn’t kidding when he said he’d be busy. He was practically on lockdown finishing up loose ends on a couple of tracks and going through each soundwave with a fine-toothed comb.

That was how Namjoon was. He was always passionate about his work, and always wanted to constantly evolve. He loved art but was never one to be content with stagnation. He wasn’t going to be locked into four corners of a frame.

You admired that about him…but it also scared you in a way. In the back of your mind, you thought, maybe it took him a while to come around to this agreement because he didn’t want to be tied down to begin with.

It was a daunting and disappointing thought but you brush it aside when his follow-up text comes in.

[Namjoon] 6:07PM: What do you think about a quiet night-in at my place? I’ll order dinner and we can just hang out. No more boners, I promise 😇

That elicited a laugh from you. Truthfully, you didn’t mind it but you had to stick to your guns.

[You] 6:08PM: 😋 Sounds good, I can’t wait! Missed you, too.

[Namjoon] 6:10PM: I also got a new firepit installed on my balcony–totally safe, BTW. No open flame! I just push a button 😅

You laughed again.

[You] 6:10PM: Oohh cozy!

[Namjoon] 6:11PM: It is! I also got some new furniture and a blanket with our names on it.😏

[You] 6:11PM: Sounds romantic…

[Namjoon] 6:11PM: That’s the goal 😘 I’ll see you in two days.

******

“Fuck…” you croaked after coughing up icky, yellow-green mucus into the sink. This was bad, you thought. Namjoon was supposed to pick you up tonight and you woke up this morning feeling all foggy.

Yesterday, you thought the scratchy throat was brought on by allergies. You took an antihistamine before bed to stave it off. But now, you were all congested, looking like death after mere hours.

“Hey, are you okay in there?” Lani asks out of concern from the other side of the bathroom door.

You open it to greet her and she looks horrified when she sees your bloodshot eyes, pale skin and overall disheveled appearance.

“Really? It’s that bad?”

“I mean…” The look of hesitation on her face all but confirmed it. 

“Damn,” you groaned. “I was really looking forward to this date, too.”

Immediately, she tries to sound consoling. “You know what? I’m sure he’ll understand. It’s that time of the year, everyone’s getting sick.” 

Sure, she made a fair point. She was a nurse at a hospital and she knew all too well that this year’s flu season has been particularly brutal. You were just glad that you didn’t feel bad enough to require hospital admission.

But for some reason, that thought wasn’t comforting enough. “It’s been over three weeks and I really miss him,” you whined.

Back then, you’d go long stretches without seeing Namjoon and it wasn’t a big deal. You just shrugged your shoulders and thought you’d catch each other again ‘next time.’

Lani puckered her lips comically and glanced below your waist. “Guess you’re regretting that 5-date rule right about now, huh?”

You rolled your eyes at her. “Shut up,” you dismissed her before walking past her to go back to your room.

“Girl, who cares? It’s not like you had a contract or whatever. Nobody’s taking you to court if you break your rule–”

“Yes, but I know it! And Namjoon knows it! And…”

“Okay, okay, I’m only teasing,” she backed off. “Want me to make you some chicken noodle soup before I take a nap?” Lani had been picking up extra shifts in the evenings since they had been short-staffed at the hospital.

While soup sounded good, the concept of sinking yourself back under your covers seemed more appealing.

“Nah, you go and sleep. I’ll order from the food app or something. I just had a little bit of yogurt before I took my cold medicine.”

“Alright. Just set an alarm every 3.5 hours, if you want to stay on top of it,” she yawns.

******

“Joon, I can’t tonight…”

Delete.

“I woke up sick, can we resche–”

Delete.

“Ugh, why is this so hard? Just be straight with him,” you say to yourself before finally typing up a text to Namjoon.

You checked your watch again. Around this time, he was on a plane coming back from a schedule. You couldn’t afford to wait a few more hours until he landed because he’d be coming straight from the airport to your place.

[You] 10:15AM: I know that we were really looking forward to tonight but I just came down with the flu. I feel like crap and I don’t want to get you sick. Can we do a raincheck in a few days?

You send it off and sink back into your blankets to doze off.

******

Somewhere between naps, you are awakened by the smell of food. You checked your watch for the time–it was too late for lunch and still early for dinner. You figured Lani ended up making you soup…she was such a saint. You didn’t deserve her love! 

Next, you reached for your phone to check for calls. There were a couple of ‘hope you feel better’ emails from your team and a voicemail from Jia saying that she could drop off stuff at your door if you ever needed anything.

Oddly, there was nothing from Namjoon even though the notification below the text that you sent to him indicated that he read it over two hours ago.

You felt crestfallen that he didn’t even acknowledge it. You wanted to send a follow-up text to ask about his trip but thought you’d go and have a couple of bites to eat so you could take your next dose of cold medicine. 

You wandered out into the kitchen, fully expecting to catch Lani as she headed out the door for work. 

Your coughing announced your presence. “That smells good. Are you…" You are stopped dead in your tracks. "Joon?” 

He turned around with the biggest grin on his face. “Hey, how are you feeling?”

“W-wait, what are you…I thought–” You stuttered.

“You think you can get rid of me that easily?” He chuckled.

You laughed hoarsely. “I wasn’t trying to get rid of you. As you can see,” you open up your arms, as if presenting yourself to him, “I don’t look so hot right now.”

He took two strides and rounded the kitchen counter to get to you. “Do you think I care about that? I was looking forward to spending time with you and I wanted to do everything I could to make that happen.”

You wanted to swoon on the spot…until you noticed that he wasn’t wearing a face mask.

“But wait…you’ll get sick?”

He laughed softly, curling his arms around your waist. “I’ll be fine, baby. The whole group just got over a virus–and it missed me!”

You scoffed. “Oh, right–and with my luck, it’ll be me giving it to you.”

He shook his head, giving your hips a light squeeze. “You won’t. Aren’t you glad to see me?” He pouted his lips.

His subtle gesture made your belly flutter and your cheeks warm up. Glad to know that everything was still in good working order, you thought.

You gave a small smile. “Yes, of course.”

He flashed his dimple before kissing your forehead.

Taking your hand to urge you towards the kitchen, he says, “C’mon, I brought something that I thought might help you feel better.”

You took two steps before, realization sank in. “Hold on–how did you get in? Is Lani still here?” You’d been asleep for hours.

“No but I called her and,” he hesitates for a beat, “I…kind of… met her…at her workplace to borrow her keys?” He drags out slowly.

You eyed him suspiciously.

“She was cool with it and all she asked me to do was leave the key up on the lip of the doorframe so she could get in tomorrow morning.”

With a soft sigh, you nodded, appreciating the effort. Your eyes suddenly shift towards the kitchen, remembering what brought you out here in the first place. “D-did you cook?” These were words you never thought you’d ask him.

He threw his head back and let out a hearty laugh. “I wish but I don’t think you or Lani would forgive me if I burned your place down. I ordered some takeout–” He says, walking over to the counter, the bags finally coming into view. “I thought you might like some chicken pho?”

You couldn’t deny, that sounded amazing.

Sensing your acquiescence, he urges you to sit at the breakfast bar while he pours soup and noodles into bowls for both of you.

You asked if you could sit on the couch instead since you were feeling woozy and your warm throw blanket was calling your name. 

“Wherever you feel comfortable,” he replies. “I got some imperial rolls, too–I remembered that you liked them.”

“I do.” You smiled appreciatively at his thoughtfulness.

It’s been years since you both went out for good Vietnamese food. You registered the familiar green takeout bags on the counter. To most people, it looked like generic to-go bags but you recognize them coming from the hole-in-the-wall place that you and Namjoon used to go to.

After settling comfortably on the couch, he comes around, bowls in both hands and sets them on the coffee table in front of you. He turns back around to bring the pho add-ins along with the deep-fried eggrolls.

He takes the spot next to you and hands you a pair of chopsticks, which you accept. While he busies himself with the basil and lime, you couldn’t help but stare at him.

He turned his head in your direction. “You want some sriracha–what? Why are you staring?” he chuckled in curiosity.

“Nothing, I just…” at a loss for words, you just smiled, “Thank you.”

He gazed at you for a few seconds before responding, “You’re welcome. C’mon, eat up.”

******

After dinner, you tidied up together. Namjoon had music playing on your bluetooth speaker. As you reach for the rinsed dish that he held out for you to put on the rack to dry, he surprises you by grabbing your hand instead and deftly setting the bowl on the counter. A couple of pushes of a button on his phone with his free hand, he turned up the song’s volume.

Catching you around the waist, he pulls you close to him into a dance. You giggle as he sings along to the song that you recognize.

You can't disguise all the pounding of your heart, yeah I see your eyes And you can't hide

You laugh when he hits the falsetto but he’s too into it to stop.

Start to make sense and quit playing These love games… Tell me what you're gonna do, yeah

You join him when the chorus hits, dancing along to the beat. When the music dropped for the bridge, he pulls away slightly and then squints his eyes at you. He enunciates every word emphatically.

I just want to know one thing Will you be with me?

Hearing the words in his rich baritone made you catch your lower lip with your teeth. You grinned and matched his enthusiasm when you sang the rest of the words to him.

Here comes my darlin’ Here comes romance Here comes my lovin’, please honey will you dance

You pull him back closer to you, grinding against his body as the music swells again.

Then, he threw his head back dramatically to sing the chorus, “Quit breaking my heaaaaartttt…” You both burst out laughing as his voice cracks at the note that was clearly out of his vocal range.

When you calmed down, you looked up into his face. He was watching you with dark, glittering eyes.

“I love hearing you laugh like that,” he said, and you knew he wanted treasured memories like that between you. “It makes me think that I’m doing something right.”

“You are,” you assured him, even as your throat tightened at the sight of his yearning.

“I want to be that person who always puts a smile on your face.”

Slowly, you bring your hand up to cup his nape. “You already do.” With that, you pulled his mouth down to yours. As your lips touched, he hugged you so tightly your feet lifted off the floor.

This relationship may not have started out for the right reasons. You were both young and impulsive back then. 

But now, you were both trying hard to better yourselves for each other. Here was a man who wanted you both to work as desperately as you did. You were finally on the same page.

******

“The girl did it,” you blurted out decisively. 

Namjoon’s fingertips paused from drawing circles around your abdomen. “What? No way!”

You were sprawled lengthwise on the couch, watching Forensic Files. He was spooned behind you, his chin on your shoulder and his legs tangled with yours.

“I’m telling you…classic sociopath,” you told him matter-of-factly.

He scoffed. “I think it was the grandma.”

You gasped, eyes widening in shock. “Oh my god!” You tilted your head to look back at him. “She’s clearly only protecting her granddaughter!”

He grinned and smacked a kiss on your cheek. “Wanna bet on who’s right?”

You snorted. “Sorry, I’m not a gambler.”

“Aw, come on…” He rose up on his elbow to look down at you.

You tutted. “Nope! Besides, I know I’m right. I’ve seen enough of these shows to figure out a pattern.”

As you scooted closer to him, you felt his crotch against the curve of your bottom. He wasn’t hard, but that didn’t stop him from gaining your attention. Curiously, you reached behind you and cupped him.

He arched an eyebrow at you. “Is there anything we can do for you?”

You laughed as you withdrew your hand. “I’m just checking to see if everything is still in its place. You’ve been on your best behavior considering we’re in a tricky position.”

“Maybe because I don’t want to push you too far and scare you off.” Namjoon’s eyes glittered from the light of the TV screen.

“How considerate of you.”

He nuzzled his nose against your temple. “I’m willing to wait however long. Five, ten, twenty dates…whatever you want.”

You wriggled your body to face him. “What about what you want?”

“I thought I made it clear last time that I only wanted you?”

You try to stifle a smile but are spectacularly failing at it. “What if I decided to scrap our no-sex agreement,” you whispered. Your pointer and middle fingers did a ‘walking’ motion up on his chest. “Would you think I was being too easy?”

He watched your fingers then shifted his eyes back to look into yours. “I’d be too busy thinking how lucky I was to have the privilege.” He traced your eyebrow with the tip of his finger.

You seriously considered it. Lani was right, it wasn’t like breaking your agreement would have any legal repercussions. You were both adults!

You cleared your throat in an attempt to strengthen your resolve. “Could we settle with a makeout session for the time being?”

“Make out? What are we, in junior high?” His head fell back and he laughed, his chest vibrating against you. It was a husky, deep tone, your toes curled at the sound of it. 

You pushed at his shoulder. “Come on! Nobody makes out anymore. Everyone just wants to get right into fucking. Don’t you miss that feeling of being so into each other but aren’t quite ready to go all the way yet?”

He slow-blinks at you, wondering what point you were trying to make.

“You know, when I was in the 8th grade, there was this boy—“

“I’m going to need to stop you right there,” he cuts you off. “I really do not want to think about other people kissing you.”

You purse your lips and apologize. “I’m sorry…” Your hands crept under his shirt, gliding over his warm skin. Your lips moved against his jawline. “So…does that mean that you don’t want to suck face?”

“Baby, I’ll suck on any part of your body I can get my mouth on,” he answers point-blank.

“Why don’t we start here for now,” You tap your finger against your lips and he takes them, sealing his mouth softly over yours. His tongue traced the seam, then dipped inside, licking and teasing.

You burrowed into him, moaning when he shifted to lie half over you. 

Your hands slid up and down his back, your leg lifting to hook over his hip. You caught his lower lip between your teeth and licked the curve with the tip of your tongue.

The low growl he let out made you wet.

Your back arched as his hand slid underneath the hem of your hoodie and captured your bare breast, rolling your nipple between his thumb and forefinger.

“Are you sure you didn’t plan this,” he murmured. He kissed his way to your temple, and then buried his nose in your hair. “You’re making it really hard to last through two more dates.”

You pull away from him briefly. “Listen–I had no idea that you were coming over, okay,” you argued. “I didn’t know I had to be in proper underwear around you.”

He chuckled at your defensiveness. “I’m kidding,” he plants a quick kiss on your lips. “Can we just continue making out?”

You narrowed your eyes playfully at him. “You’re lucky, you’re cute.” You pushed past his joggers to squeeze his butt. The heat of his skin and his natural scent was a heady mix for you. It made you feel drunk with lust and need.

His mouth covered yours and you fisted at his hair, urging him closer to you with your arms and legs wrapped around him.

“I want you so much,” he rasped in between kisses.

You moaned in agreement, your mouth moving feverishly against his.

Namjoon held you with one hand at your nape and the other at your waist. Settling over you, he aligned himself against you and rolled his hips to your center.

“Mm, that felt so good,” you groaned, nails digging into his flesh while your insides clenched.

“Imagine how much better it would feel inside you,” he purred.

You nipped at his lower lip, giggling. “Are you trying to convince me to go all the way?”

“I can slide right in,” He sucked gently on your throat, making your core tremble hungrily. “You don’t even have to do anything. You can just lay back and watch me do all the work.”

It was incredibly tempting. He was rock-hard and you were primed and ready for him. All he needed to do was hook his finger to your leggings’ waistband.

You playfully puckered your lips and arched an eyebrow at him. “Hmm…I don’t know. I’m not that kind of girl anymore.”

His hand squeezed your hip bone, eliciting a light squeal from you.

Brushing his mouth over yours, he whispered, “If you don’t like it once it’s in you, I promise I’ll pull right out.”

You scrunch your face humorously at him. “Do people still fall for that line?”

He stared back at you in all seriousness. “You know I’d never feed you lines. I mean every word.”

You gripped the curves of his butt and rocked up against him, making him purr in excitement. Reveling in his playfulness, you teased, “And do you say that to all of the girls?”

His eyebrows knitted. “What other girls?”

“Oh, you know…” you sighed, “You’re Kim Namjoon, international idol. All these women, screaming for you to walk into their waiting arms.”

“You say that, and yet, I’m here in yours,” he lifted his head, his fingertips brushed the hair from your temple, “...where I belong.”

His words hit you like a freight train. You swallowed hard and whispered, “Fuck, what a line! Fine, go ahead and put it in.”

He pressed his forehead against yours, his breathy laugh warming your cheeks. “It’s unbelievable how crazy I am about you.”

You smiled back. “Well, believe it, because I am, too.”

You spent the rest of the night kissing and groping each other like horny teenagers but never went all the way. There was just something thrilling about that youthful, almost forbidden intimacy.

Hours later, you fell asleep in each other’s arms on your bed. You woke the next morning to the sound of his phone going off—work was calling and he had to leave.

As he prepares to head out, he tucks you back securely under your covers, and plants a kiss on your forehead.

When he pulls away, you utter, “Hmmm...I love you,” in the midst of your cold medicine-induced haze.

Before he could respond, you drowsily rolled over onto your side and fell back to sleep. You would wake up nearly an hour later, completely unaware of your words or whether he said anything back.

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Thank you so much for reading!

If you loved it, please comment, reblog, or send me feedback! 📩. I love hearing from readers! If you didn’t like it so much, I would still like to hear about it. Help me become a better writer! 💜

Tagging: @internetjunkdrawer @deepseavibez @itdoesntmatterwhy @yu-justme @e-cm @serendididy @onlythehobi @yoonallthetime @majamarantha @jinjccns @joonbo @shesoldbutcute @joonschocochip

[chasingpj]

𝐈. 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞

“Someone is either having twins or is going to die."

pairing: percy jackson x child of hecate!reader words: 1,929 warnings: none timeline: the lightning thief a/n: finally, the first chapter of the young god rewrite is here! haha, heyyyy. this took way too long. like ridiculously long, and i'm so so sorry. so much happened these last few months. despite it all, i know that i will always return to this story. i can't promise to be consistent, but i will make sure i post very soon. i love you guys and all of your support. it really does keep me revisiting this story. i hope you enjoy this, and don't be afraid to comment! i love hearing what you have to say.

prologue part II

Eager fingers stretch across the keyboard, one by one, to form words, the words into sentences, the sentences into paragraphs. The keyboard was no match for his racing thoughts; every small dent barely satisfied the eagerness in his chest. He could yell at the sky in frustration. Why couldn’t the words just write themselves?

His topic for this lengthy assignment felt unique, equipped with a theory he formulated himself, and he couldn’t contain the excitement of finally documenting his web of ideas. For a while now, the world drowned out around him. No sound or person could get his attention; however, as he marks down a clever thought led to him by her for the first time, his mind wanders.

Florence. The image of her forms in his mind. He visualizes her eyes first. Their green color, how clear they are like moss-covered ponds, and how they droop and pinch at the ends. He can recall the first time he gazed into them, the way they captivated him at first sight. By now, he’s stared into them plenty, and every time, he admired the way they were right at the cusps of both striking and lovely.

She wasn’t his girlfriend. Not yet, at least. She was a friend, a close companion, a like-minded individual that he just so happened to have a major crush on. The side of his mouth quirks upwards. The word crush felt so juvenile but so was his feelings towards her. At his age, he didn’t think he’d find a connection that took him back to the purest form of infatuation from his youth.

He intended to ask for her heart right after the midterms passed. Though, a running feud in his mind questioned whether to ask her when the semester was over. During the summer, they would allow their love to flourish alongside flowers in his mother’s garden. He had fallen in love with the idea but waiting that long didn’t feel right. He knew waiting was stalling the rejection a part of him was expecting to receive.

Another voice in his head told him he was just being paranoid. He’s sure their many outings together had to mean something. Her soft smiles and laughs at his jokes, the tension-filled brushes of their hands. The flirting couldn’t have been all in his head. Right? The idea that he’s misinterpreted it all made him antsy in his seat. It’s enough to release an anxious sigh, and his vision moves upwards to soothe the strain of his neck. His hand rubs the ache, and as he closes his eyes, he suddenly notices a rhythmic creaking.

His mother whispers frantically under her breath, shaky fingers resting on her lips in deep thought. Vincent furrows his eyebrows. It was a rare sight to see his mother so disheveled. Her usually kept hair had wisps out of place, and the look on her face was riddled with torment. She paces again and again, unphased at the bothersome sound of creaking wood or even the harsh thumps of her step. Vincent marvels at how this small woman has such a thunderous stride as if her worry gave her extra weight.

“Um, Mom?” Vincent hesitantly calls, and it’s not enough to catch her attention. “Hello?” He calls for a second time, his voice more pronounced. His mother’s gaze adverts quickly in his direction, and the creaking ends. “Could you not pace? You’re making me anxious.”

“Well, that makes two of us!” Cordelia throws her hands in the air, exasperated. “First, it was the phantom cries—”

“Dad, Mom is losing it.”

“Let her be.” Vincent’s father, Theo, sits back on the loveseat on the younger boy’s right. He waves his hand dismissively, eyes fixed on the crossword puzzle in front of him. After 25 years of marriage, he’s far used to his wife’s paranoia.

“Then the dream where I was in a hospital…. and the geese in the yard! You saw the geese!” Vincent and Theo exchange a look. Cordelia searches for a hint of validation with her frazzled eyes.

“It’s near migrating season, is it not?” Theo points out, scribbling down an answer in the boxes.

“Well, yes… it is, but there were so many! Then, I cracked an egg with two yolks when I was making breakfast this morning!”

“And that means?” Vincent sighs, eyes following her back and forth as if he’s watching an intense tennis match.

“Someone is either having twins or is going to die.”

“Well, let’s hope it’s not the latter,” Theo mutters.

Vincent stifles the chuckle in his throat. “Or you just happened to crack an egg with a double yolk. Not everything is a sign, Mom.”

“I know not everything is a sign, Vincent, but I got goosebumps. Then the candle holder on the altar fell over. Lady Hecate is trying to tell me something. I just don’t know what.” Cordelia makes a beeline for the altar on the other side of the living room. She settles in front of it, adjusting the placement of her offerings with shaky hands.

Vincent sighs, watching his mother whisper a brief prayer for clarity. When she catches her son's eyes, worry flashes in her features.

“Something big is at work here. I’ve asked her countless questions, but the answers are so vague. Last night, I pulled a handful of cards in my divination session with her: The Tower, The Empress, The Page of Swords, The Page of Wands, and The Sun. It all felt domestic, youthful, and transformative.”

Vincent frowns, leaning his chin on the sofa's backrest. Cordelia stares at the tablecloth as if her answer will ascend from it any second now. Suddenly, she gasps, turning to her son sharply. “Have you and Florence—?”

“No! We haven’t!” Vincent groans. He ignores the wave of heat gracing his cheeks and returns his attention to his laptop.

“Well then, what’s all this baby business about?” Cordelia sighs. “Perhaps I’m interpreting it wrong.”

“Perhaps,” Vincent mutters, gaze fixed on the blinking cursor to find his previous train of thought.

“Honey, why don’t you sit down and have some tea? Or you can sit outside and let the neighborhood kids know we’re giving out candy. They always skip our home.” Theo smiles warmly at Cordelia. She sighs once again, her shoulders slumping in defeat this time.

“I guess Funeral Homes are too creepy even on Halloween,” Vincent sighs.

“You know, I’m starting to think that our impressive pomegranate growth in the garden this past summer has something to do with it too!”

Vincent pinches the bridge of his nose, and before he or Theodore suggests Cordelia take up one of their offers, the doorbell rings.

“Maybe your big thing at work is at the door.” Vincent jokes, quickly catching his father trying to hide his smirk.

Cordelia scoffs, fixing her hair in front of the mirror by the staircase. “You both just think I’m a madwoman,” she mutters, trudging downstairs to meet the trick-or-treaters.

There was silence for a while, and both men returned to their tasks before the hysterics. Theo was convinced Cordelia was finally occupied with something, but quickly, his satisfaction curdled into a panic when a wail proceeded to a harsh gasp.

“Mom?”

“Honey?”

The two rise from their seats, eyes widening as the door slams closed. “THEO! VINCENT!”

The calls of their names send their feet moving. They hurry down the stairs and turn the corner through the lounge area. As they appear at the doorway, Cordelia kneels over two golden baskets glowing like lanterns in the darkroom. With glistening eyes, she looks up, her hand over her heart as if it was the only thing preventing it from beating out of her chest.

“Dear Heavens, someone left their babies on our doorstep?” Theo approaches the baskets, kneeling beside his wife. He peeks under the white blankets in need of a closer look to confirm what he’s seeing is real.

“We have to take them to a firehouse,” Vincent gawks, frozen in his spot.

“No! What are you talking about? They’re ours!”

Theo and Vincent exchange glances with each other, pretty sure Cordelia has lost it. As Vincent is about to protest, a choked sob leaves her.

“Lady Hecate sent them; I know it. It all makes sense now.” From Vincent's view, he doesn’t see the letter she’s grasping for dear life on her lap. She shakes her head, “I knew it was her when you brought her into my shop, Vincent. How foolish of me not to recognize my patron in my presence.”

“Mom, what are you going on about?” Vincent kneels beside her. She meets his gaze with a veil of sympathy and presents the letter to him. In gold ink, it shimmered, To Vincent.

“Honey, the babies, they're yours.” There wasn’t a hint of amusement in her tone, but Vincent couldn’t help but scoff. There was no way these two babies were his. It was impossible.

“Is this a prank?” He asks as one of the babies coo and fusses in their blanket.

Cordelia quickly reaches for the child, cradling them until he settles down again. “Lady Hecate has a sense of humor, but I don’t think this is a display. Read the letter.”

Vincent carefully takes it from her, the paper thick in his hand. It didn’t feel like any regular envelope. It was made from a material he couldn’t identify, but its surprising weight is fitting for the heavy news inside. Still doubtful of his mother's conclusions, he opens the letter with shaky hands.

Dear Vincent,

This will come as a great surprise; therefore, I will explain myself the best I can and hope it will be enough. Your mother has been a devotee of mine since her youth, and it was through her did the fates introduce us. My attendance at your presentation was merely an errand; I did not foresee our gazes meeting or our relationship flourishing as it did. It was there I introduced myself as Florence and not by my real name, Hecate. Please do not take the falsehood of my identity as deception. For it was what I had to do to protect you and, as selfish as it may be, to have the room to get to know your soul the way I yearned to.

As for the children on your doorstep, your mother’s suspicions have been right. The twins are ours. They are a physical manifestation of your tender adoration for me and my affection for you. I am confident you and your parents will nurture and keep them well under your roof. You may name and raise them as you please. The only thing I ask is that you see them as gifts, not as burdens. Our time together was unwillingly temporary, and it’s through our twins I could reassure you had a piece of me to keep. Their lives are a lit flame representing our love despite my absence, so please, take your love for me and invest it into them.

As much as I wish to raise them beside you, there are rules I must obey. However, I will never be far. I will watch over your family as I’ve done for over a decade now. Every milestone our twins meet, I will be aware of. I’ll make sure of it. Whoever they become, they will make me proud, and so will you.

Vincent, please take care of yourself. Continue being the wise and gentle man I have fallen in love with.

With lots of love and great apology,

Your Florence

masterlist my lobby: ♡

[cirilla-fiona-riannon]

Ikemen Villains - Part 2

These translations are not intended as a replacement for the game. Please support cybird by buying their stories. SPOILERS under the cut. Expect mistakes.

(I couldn't watch anymore, so I forced him to go out, but maybe it was none of my business.)

Kate: "Sorry for being selfish."

Elbert: "No."

Elbert looked around the courtyard and let out a breath.

Elbert: "I just realized I'm having trouble breathing, too."

Elbert: "Thank you."

Kate: "My pleasure."

(Thank goodness. I think his expression softened a bit.)

I felt a rumbling in my stomach as I felt relieved.

Elbert: "Are you hungry?"

Kate: "It looks like it."

(T-This is embarrassing.)

Kate: "I should've brought some food before we snuck out. That was careless of me."

I smiled to hide my embarrassment, and he gently held his palm toward me.

Elbert: "Want some?"

Kate: "What?"

A beautiful package sat in the palm of his hand.

When I opened it, I found an orangette coated with dark chocolate.

Elbert: "That caught my eye as we were leaving the hall."

(Does that mean he likes it?)

(If that's the case...)

Kate: "Thank you. Since we're lovers, let's have a halfsies."

Elbert: "Huh?"

I divided the orangette into two, struggling a bit to tear off the orange peel.

Kate: "Which one do you want?"

When I offered it to him in my palm, he looked at the orangette and stared into my eyes.

Elbert: "The one that is yours."

Kate: "Huh?"

Elbert: "I want the one you will choose.”

(It feels weird when he says it like that. It's like we're really lovers.)

(I know we're just "pretending," but if he keeps this up, I'll get the wrong idea.)

I calmed my clamoring chest and offered him the one with lots of chocolate.

Kate: "Here, take this one, then."

Elbert: "Thanks."

We both savored the sweet and bitter orangette.

My racing heartbeat refused to slow down, so I looked around the garden for a distraction.

Kate: "Hey, look. There's a birdcage on display."

Inside the birdcage, a beautiful parrot with blue feathers was quietly resting.

Elbert: "I want that one."

Kate: "That parrot? Why?"

Elbert: "It's on display because it's beautiful. So I want that one."

(He wants it because it’s beautiful?)

According to the information about Elbert’s curse that Victor gave me, he has the curse of the Greedy Queen.

He collects art, jewelry, and sometimes even rocks in the hope of acquiring the most beautiful thing in the world.

(I've been thinking about it ever since I read that one.)

(I can understand if he only likes beautiful things, but to want something so vague as “the best in the world”?)

(Plus, I don’t get how a rock could be the best thing in the world.)

Kate: “How can you be awed by something so beautiful?”

Elbert: “Because...”

Elbert: “Because I have to have it for a reason.”

Kate: “Reason?”

Elbert: “...........”

He remained silent, unwilling to be asked any further.

(I wonder what’s in the back of his mind.)

If I carelessly poked in too much, I might hurt him, just like the people in the hall.

Unable to say anything, he suddenly asked me a question.

Elbert: “Do you think that bird is beautiful?”

(I bet if I agree, he’ll try to get that parrot.)

I could sense this from his dark possessive gaze focused on the parrot.

(But...)

(I shouldn’t just agree without knowing what he wants.)

Kate: "What is beautiful to you?"

Elbert: "I don't know."

Elbert: "I thought I knew, but my idea of beauty was worth nothing."

(What does that mean?)

Before I could even think about it, a loud voice broke the silence in the courtyard.

Graham: "Hey, is that you two there? There's a big fuss about you two disappearing from the venue."

Elbert: "----!"

(Graham and a guest, maybe?)

Graham, the party's host, was on his way to another room with some man.

Graham: "We're going to play billiards now. I hear you're not a big fan of this game, Count."

Graham: "How about you, Kate? If you join us, I promise you'll have fun."

(It sounds like a normal invitation, but somehow, it smells fishy.)

The two of them suspiciously smiled at me, making me feel uneasy.

Kate: "No. I'm..."

Just as I was about to decline the offer politely, a hand slipped around my stomach.

Elbert: "I told you to leave her alone."

Kate: “Elbert?”

He suddenly pulled me close to his body.

(Why is he...?)

Elbert gazed at him harshly.

Graham: “I’m surprised. I didn’t realize you could have that look in your eyes, too.”

Graham: “Sorry, I’m not trying to pick a fight. See you then.”

Kate: “Yeah, see you.”

Elbert: “............”

Elbert watched them closely until Graham and his friend turned the corner and were out of sight.

Even after Graham disappeared, he didn’t remove his hand from my stomach.

(I knew it. Something is wrong.)

Kate: “Elbert, is something wrong with Graham?”

Elbert: “No, nothing yet.”

Kate: “Nothing yet?”

Elbert: “Kate, come here.”

Elbert led me into an empty room.

Kate: “Elbert, what’s this room?”

(Is this a guest room? Can we really go in here without permission?)

Elbert: “I don’t want you to leave here until I pick you up.”

Kate: “What?”

Elbert: “I’ll be right back. Until then, stay here.”

He quickly turned around and left the room.

Kate: “Ah, wait, Elbert!”

I rushed to the closed door and heard a light metallic click. I tried turning the doorknob, but it wasn’t budging.

(He locked the door? Why would he do that?)

(He was acting strange all day. Especially in front of Graham.)

(Something is definitely up. There's a reason why he locked me in here.)

(Maybe I should wait quietly. But I need to understand him better.)

(If I wait like this, won't I miss something important about him?)

(Plus...)

His hurt expression as he endured the touches and his pained expression as he stared at the parrot, like a possessed man, flashed through my mind.

(That guy is kind of hard to leave alone.)

At that moment, someone knocked on the door.

(Who is it?)

Alfons: "Kate, Kate, guess who?"

Kate: "A-Alfons?"

Alfons: "Correct. I'm so glad you remember my voice."

(Alfons knew I was locked in here.)

(Is the thing he gave Elbert earlier the key to this room?)

(If so, they planned this from the start.)

(But why? What's Elbert trying to do now?)

Alfons: "Fufu. I can feel the seriousness through the door. It's almost suffocating me."

Alfons: "I can open this for you, but what do you want me to do?"

Kate: "Are you sure? If you let me out, aren't you betraying Elbert?"

Alfons: "Aha! Are you worried about me? You’re so kind."

Alfons: "El can't do anything, no matter who betrays or hurts him."

Alfons spoke as if sensing that I couldn't leave Elbert alone.

I heard a metallic click, alerting me that he had unlocked the door.

Alfons: "If you want to get to know him, go ahead and get out."

I followed Alfons and stepped into the dark, dusty room.

(Is Elbert here?)

A figure emerged from the darkness, dimly lit by the twilight.

His golden hair was dazzling even in the darkness, and I knew at first glance that it was him.

Kate: "Elbert?"

Elbert: "Kate?"

Part 1╏Part 2╏Premium End╏Epilogue

[discar]

HZD Terraforming Base-001 Text Communications Network

Chapter 43 | Prev chapter | Next chapter Chapter Index

DIVINER: And now I think Aloy is a Tenakth saint or something because you gave her the sunwing override.

β: wasnt she already a saint

MARSHAL Kotallo: She was well-respected, that is all.

FlameHairSavior: I'm still JUST well-respected, right?

MARSHAL Kotallo: Aloy. You flew overhead on the Wings of the Ten. It doesn't matter that everyone knows how you did it, it's still a miracle.

β: oh god shes an angel now isnt she

FlameHairSavior: Oh, look! A change of subject!

DIVINER: Uh, let's see...

DIVINER: There's not really all that much more interesting that happened while you were gone!

DIVINER: Tilda hated memes and French people and Minions!

β: knew that

DIVINER: Sylens loves holo-calls!

β: oh ew

Icarus: You are all savages.

HIMBO: YOU CAME BACK, SO IT'S OFFICIALLY YOUR FAULT.

ADMIN [Zo]: Please don't scare him off now.

ADMIN [Zo]: Sylens, I know I said it before, but truly, thank you for coming back. It means a lot.

Icarus: I fully intend to flee the second you people prove incable of living up to Aloy's promises.

Icarus: I am not willing to gamble with yet another malevolent AI bent on our destruction.

HIMBO: RIGHT, I HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS NEMESIS THING.

FlameHairSavior: Can they wait? We're a little busy.

HIMBO: THE REST OF US ARE JUST RIDING. WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

β: were hooking up gaia

HIMBO: OH, I THOUGHT YOU WERE JUST ABOUT DONE BEFORE WE LEFT.

FlameHairSavior: We ARE just about done. Still, it takes time.

β: goota make sure we do it right

β: gotta

β: or shell wake up a blank slate and have to download everything again

FlameHairSavior: All right... that should be it.

DIVINER: Wow, that was fast!

[FlameHairSavior] has invited [GAIA] to the group

GAIA: Thank you, Aloy, Beta. You have both been incalcuably helpful.

FlameHairSavior: Of course.

β: sure

DIVINER: Oh no!! Now I have to go over everything that happened while you were gone again!

DIVINER: So, it started with Aloy getting kidnapped by Tilda!

DIVINER: Or rescued, technically.

GAIA: That will not be necessary. I have already read all of your Focuses and have fully assimilated everything that happened while I was gone.

HIMBO: SO... YOU CAN JUST SEE EVERYTHING WE'VE EVER DONE WHILE WEARING THESE THINGS?

GAIA: Yes.

HIMBO: GREAT.

HIMBO: THAT'S NOT CREEPY AT ALL.

β: remind me to show you space odyssey

DIVINER: Do you want him to smash everything with a hammer?

DIVINER: Because that's how you get him smashing everything with a hammer.

GAIA: 2001: A Space Odyssey is not in the media archives.

DIVINER: Mmm-hmm.

DIVINER: [SkepticalOwl.gif]

DIVINER: Let me take a look.

GAIA: I'm sorry, Alva, I can't let you do that.

GAIA: Oh dear.

ADMIN [Zo]: What?

GAIA: Alva just fell off her strider laughing.

DIVINER: I'm okay!

HIMBO: WHATEVER. CAN WE GO BACK TO NEMESIS FOR A BIT?

FlameHairSavior: Sure. What's your question?

HIMBO: I WROTE IT DOWN, ONE SECOND.

FlameHairSavior: Oh no.

HIMBO: OKAY, QUESTION ONE: WHY DID THE ZENITHS MAKE MIND COPIES IN THE FIRST PLACE? THEY WERE ALREADY IMMORTAL.

β: they wanted more

MARSHAL Kotallo: More than unaging bodies and perfect shields?

β: their shields werent perfect its just no one on this planet had enough firepower to break them

β: there was always the chance of random accidents killing them having a backup mind would mean they could just download into a new body

HIMBO: YEAH, I MUST BE MISSING SOMETHING, BECAUSE THAT STILL SOUNDS CRAZY.

Icarus: Think of it for keeping a blueprint for your favorite invention, along with all the parts required to build it. When your invention is broken or lost for whatever reason, you can build an exact copy quickly and efficiently.

HIMBO: BUT THE ORIGINAL IS STILL GONE. IF IT'S JUST A TOOL, FINE, WHATEVER, BUT IF IT'S YOU THEN IT'S A WHOLE OTHER FORGE.

β: its called the contuinity flaw and there were long arguments about it even before zero day

HIMBO: SURE, OKAY, GUESS I HAVE TO JUST ACCEPT THAT.

HIMBO: QUESTION 2: THE MIND COPY THING FAILED, RIGHT?

Icarus: Yes. The exact reason they considered it a failure is unclear, however. There are any number of possibilities. Perhaps the copies weren't perfect. Perhaps the copies were too perfect, and insisted they were the originals.

HIMBO: I KNOW I DON'T KNOW A LOT ABOUT THIS COMPUTER SLAG, BUT WHY COULDN'T THEY JUST DESTROY THE COPIES?

FlameHairSavior: Actually, I was wondering the same thing.

ADMIN [Zo]: If the copies were even slightly functional, that would be murder.

FlameHairSavior: There is no way the Zeniths cared about murder.

MARSHAL Kotallo: Even if they did, it would be easy to rationalize it as either putting down a wounded animal or killing an enemy, depending on circumstances.

GAIA: I am afraid that I have no more information than you do. Perhaps Sylens has the answer.

Icarus: There were no explicit explanations in either the extinction signal or the Zenith database. I would only be able to speculate.

FlameHairSavior: Go right ahead.

Icarus: I can only think of two reasonable possibilities: That they were continuing to test the copies to determine what went wrong, or that they were putting the copies through a series of experiments that they would never want to perform on themselves.

Icarus: Either way, it is clear they were not paying enough attention, which is why the copies were able to merge into Nemesis and escape containment.

DIVINER: Even I know how to keep a dangerous virus quarantined from the network! Surely they should have known better than to leave a data link, even a locked one!

MARSHAL Kotallo: They were masters of their world for a thousand years. I suspect they were simply overconfident and had not faced a real danger in centuries.

Icarus: I am still astounded they made such a basic mistake.

MARSHAL Kotallo: We cannot understand the depth of their overconfidence. Putting aside their technology, none of us have lived even a single century, and our lives have not been complacent. How would we relax our guards, if we were safe for hundreds and hundreds of years?

MARSHAL Kotallo: I don't think any of us have ever been truly safe for so much as a year.

DIVINER: My life was pretty calm for the most part! I mean, we had to deal with the Derangement, but things only started getting REALLY bad in the past couple years!

β: i was safe pretty much my whole life

MARSHAL Kotallo: I was including psychological torture and manipulation in the general arena of "unsafe."

β: it wasnt really torture

DIVINER: [UCDavis.WhatIsPsychologicalTorture.pdf]

β: why would you have that

DIVINER: Why wouldn't I? It's not like it takes up much space!

β: i mean because i would have thought it would be from a chinese or japanese college

DIVINER: Oh, I pretty much only have English language data on my Focus! I barely passed the foreign language courses!

FlameHairSavior: Wait, they spoke different languages across the sea? Why is everything you have in our language, then?

DIVINER: Translation software was VERY advanced by the time of the Plague, and even our relatively primitive Focuses could translate almost anything! Furthermore, English was a very common trade language, so many of the files we found had an English language option by default!

DIVINER: Foreign languages were an elective, because they were largely unnecessary!

β: dont know how i feel about that

ADMIN [Zo]: I'm not sure what you mean.

β: language shapes culture and culture shapes language

β: forcing everyone to use english seems like something is lost

MARSHAL Kotallo: Surely it is better that everyone can communicate.

β: i dont know

MARSHAL Kotallo: ...I suppose it's something to think about.

FlameHairSavior: Zo, have you reached your people yet?

HIMBO: SUBTLE SUBJECT CHANGE.

FlameHairSavior: You hush.

ADMIN [Zo]: Not quite. I've reached Plainsong, but I dismounted to walk in.

FlameHairSavior: Have you decided if you want to give them Focuses or not?

ADMIN [Zo]: I know I SHOULD.

β: there has to be at least one person you actually like among the utaru

ADMIN [Zo]: It's not that. The problem is that, no matter who I give it to, the Chorus would find out about it. Their reaction could be... unhelpful. For the time being, I will wait to see if my negotiations bear fruit.

Icarus: If your people had any wisdom, they would accept any weapon they can in this struggle.

ADMIN [Zo]: You haven't met many Utaru, have you?

Icarus: No, not particularly.

ADMIN [Zo]: Let's just say that I'm considered an aggressive firebrand.

Icarus: Why are we bothering with these people?

FlameHairSavior: Doesn't hurt to try. If things go sour, Zo can just leave.

β: yeah no need to worry about her safety with the pacifists

MARSHAL Kotallo: Do not underestimate the value of Utaru farmlands, and Utaru farmers to work them.

MARSHAL Kotallo: They are the reason that that the Utaru and the Tenakth have had strong relations for so long.

FlameHairSavior: Speaking of the Tenakth, any progress there?

MARSHAL Kotallo: I have reached the Clanlands. Everyone is very happy to see me. I am sure Hekarro will accept a Focus gladly.

FlameHairSavior: Is there any reason he wouldn't? Worst-case scenario planning.

MARSHAL Kotallo: The only reason I can think of is if he wanted to make sure all Marshals and Veterans have Focuses of their own. If we don't have enough for all of them, he might not accept it.

MARSHAL Kotallo: But I find even that scenario unlikely.

β: actually we should have enough for all of them right

β: there would

β: there should be thousands in the cradle

FlameHairSavior: I only brought a pouch full. That still might be enough, but it might be a bad idea to use so many, at least until I replenish my supply.

MARSHAL Kotallo: Regardless, I guarantee that Hekarro and the Clans will stand with you. You have earned more honor than anyone I have even heard tales of.

MARSHAL Kotallo: I suspect at this point, if the Ten descended from the sky, they would receive less trust.

FlameHairSavior: [Groan.gif]

MARSHAL Kotallo: Problem?

β: she really doesnt want to be a saint

ADMIN [Zo]: Again?

FlameHairSavior: Again.

DIVINER: I think it's a good idea to bring in as many into the network as possible! Even if it means you have to go back to the Cradle and collect more Focuses, more is always going to be better!

FlameHairSavior: Oh, I forgot that you have a big network in your homeland. I don't think you said how big, though.

DIVINER: I'm sorry citizen, that is a state secret kept closely guarded for tactical and strategic reasons.

DIVINER: Sorry!!

FlameHairSavior: I just wanted to know how a network with a lot of people operates. We'd go crazy if we were getting constant messages from a dozen more people.

DIVINER: Oh! Well, first off, you can parcel off people into their own message groups! You'll want to make one main group with everyone in it for emergencies, and then everyone can be part of multiple smaller groups! So one will be us, another might be you and just the tribal leaders, and then at least one more for each tribe!

Icarus: I would also suggest that you codify the rules early. They are easier to enforce from the start. Don't let anyone post in the emergency channel frivolously, stamp down on any harrassment, so on.

Icarus: This is especially important for you, since you won't be able to use the Eclipse's method of dealing with rule-breakers.

FlameHairSavior: ...which was?

Icarus: They killed them.

FlameHairSavior: Of course they did.

Icarus: They had more loyal officers than they had Focuses. From their perspective, the math was simple.

FlameHairSavior: [Sigh.gif]

FlameHairSavior: Alva, how are you doing?

DIVINER: I'm almost to the Sunken City!

HIMBO: HOW? IT'S SOMETHING LIKE FIVE TIMES FARTHER THAN WHERE ANY OF US ARE GOING.

DIVINER: I don't take as many breaks, and mapped out my course in advance!

HIMBO: YOU CAN USE THESE THINGS FOR MAPS?

ADMIN [Zo]: By all the songs and shoots Erend, did you never read that primer on how to use your Focus?

HIMBO: VARL SHOWED ME HOW TO PLAY MUSIC, AND THAT WAS BASICALLY THE END.

FlameHairSavior: Erend, stop playing the idiot.

HIMBO: BUT I'M SO GOOD AT IT!

FlameHairSavior: Alva, are you still going through with it?

DIVINER: Yep! It's going to be scary, but it's important that I stay close by to help you! I gave Overseer Bohai a warning, and he's okay with it! I think most of the expedition is staying behind, actually! Just one ship is going back to the homeland!

β: is he staying

DIVINER: Oh, definitely not!

β: does that mean youll be in charge

DIVINER: .

DIVINER: .

DIVINER: .

DIVINER: ٩(●ö●)۶

FlameHairSavior: Taking that as "I didn't think that far ahead."

MARSHAL Kotallo: It is a shame we will not be able to communicate with the Quen homeland. Coordinating with a powerful military empire would be invaluable in the face of Nemesis.

β: we might

β: probably not

β: but we might

MARSHAL Kotallo: Interesting.

FlameHairSavior: We shouldn't discount the Quen in the Sunken City. They have enough experience with Focuses to be valuable. Especially if we manage to take over a couple Cauldrons and produce some personal machines.

HIMBO: ANY LUCK WITH HEPHAESTUS?

FlameHairSavior: Nothing concrete yet.

Icarus: I am searching for clues in the APOLLO database.

β: he means hes playing around with the engineering tools

Icarus: I mean that I am investigating our most valuable tool for any and all leads.

β: which looks a lot like playing

FlameHairSavior: Erend? You at Vegas yet?

HIMBO: I SEE SAND?

FlameHairSavior: Well, keep me posted.

FlameHairSavior: Oh, and did I thank you for volunteering to go to Morlund?

HIMBO: YES YOU DID, BUT YOU DON'T NEED TO. I LIKE MORLUND! I WONDER IF THEY'LL REMEMBER ME.

FlameHairSavior: I think Stemmur still has the wrench you threw at them.

Icarus: Remind me again why you feel the need to involve a trio of entertainers in our attempt to save the world.

FlameHairSavior: They're smart, resourceful, motivated, and currently sitting on one of the most intact Old World cities. I don't think it has any printers, but if nothing else it has a power source that's still going strong.

DIVINER: And don't underestimate the value of entertainment! These next few years are going to get dark, we're going to need something to keep our spirits up!

Icarus: I suppose.

GAIA: Aloy, I can confirm that I am fully stabilized. Your concern was ultimately unecessary.

DIVINER: What was that?

FlameHairSavior: Oh, I need to leave the Base for a while, but I wanted to make sure GAIA was fully online first. I told her to text once she was sure.

β: it only took her twenty minutes to be sure you could have just turned around if something went wrong

ADMIN [Zo]: Why are you leaving the Base? I thought you had handled all the emergencies in the region.

MARSHAL Kotallo: I know you finished with all the rebel camps before the assault on the Zenith compound.

FlameHairSavior: I'm going to try and find Talanah. She should still be somewhere in the area.

MARSHAL Kotallo: The Carja woman?

HIMBO: THE SUNHAWK?

FlameHairSavior: Yeah.

FlameHairSavior: I'm going to give her a couple Focuses. She might be heading back to the Sundom, she might not.

HIMBO: WHAT DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH ANYTHING?

FlameHairSavior: She can give Avad a Focus.

HIMBO: ...OH NO.

β: your drinking debts were going to come due eventually

HIMBO: MAYBE WE CAN JUST TELL HIM I'M DEAD.

Chapter 43 | Prev chapter | Next chapter Chapter Index

[ladyswillmart]

"THAT'S Bowser's Keep?!" Mallow squinted into the smoldering distance; whatever he perceived with his beady black eyes, it evidently did not impress. He frowned with a little sigh. "It's pretty crumbly now that I see it from here."

"Crumbly!" snarled Bowser. "Crumbly, he says! About my castle?"

"That's what it sounded like to me!" said Peach.

"Ghrk... well! Well!!"

Mallow turned his beady eyes towards the overgrown turtle. "Well what...?"

"D'aw, well, of course it's gonna look crumbly!" was his stellar retort. "Damn thing's got a big fuckin—"

"—language—!"

"—sorry, Princess—I mean the darn thing's got a big fuckin' envelope opener sticking out of the foyer! You know we just renovated that part of the castle? We were gonna put the new Bowser's Castle Welcome Center and Gift Shop in there," Bowser continued; while his brave face was game as usual, it would once more be stymied by the way his eyes welled up like overflowing toilets. "It was looking real good, too! Mario saw it! Yeah, you saw it didn't you? Didn't it look real good?"

The plumber nodded and gave a couple energetic bounces with his arm raised in the air; by now his traveling companions knew to interpret this as an enthusiastic yes.

"So don't gimme that crumbly crap! It's just... It's just got a boo-boo right now, okay? Eh? Oh yeah, that reminds me—oi, Geno! Oi!"

The caped creature failed to respond to Bowser's verbal hailing, forcing the testudine tyrant to resort to a more physical means of address; the well-timed punch to the shoulder not only did the intended trick, but also did roughly 8-10% AOE splash damage to the rest of the party.

"Ow!" Geno yelped and clutched his arm, thus putting paid to the question of whether or not a doll's body could feel pain (at least while occupied by the incomprehensible essence of an extraterrestrial lifeform).

"What was that for?" he begged.

"Got a question for you!"

"Great! Can you ask it without maiming us?"

"Apparently not." Bowser shrugged. "I just wanna know one thing! Whenever we fix that Stairway to Stardom thing you keep going on about—"

He paused.

And Geno waited, only a few awkward seconds before it became clear enough that that blankly blinking prompt was meant for him. "Huh...?"

"Aren't you gonna correct me and go That's Star Road like you always do?"

"I hadn't planned on it," he replied. And he really hadn't planned on it; in truth, he gave up on trying to correct everyone's constant misnomering long ago. The endeavor started to feel both pedantic and pointless, and frankly he couldn't tell which one was more grating. "Why, do you want me to say it?"

"Ghrk—! Of course I want you to say it! How the hell else am I supposed to know you're payin' attention?"

"...that's Star Road, Bowser."

"Yeah! That's more like it." He nodded, eminently satisfied. "Now. If we collect all the pieces and actually fix the Star Rail thing, that'll definitely get rid of that overgrown Ginsu knife squatting in my castle, right? Like automatically, right?"

Geno tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Mm. Now that's going to be hard to say."

"What do you mean by that...?" asked Mallow.

"I mean it's going to be impossible. Impossible to say."

Bowser growled, a promise of a threat. "Don't care much for that word, Timbertoes. Especially when it involves my castle..."

"Sorry Bowser, but I just don't know," said Geno. "So far, my experience in your world has led me to conclude that only two things are an absolute guarantee: Death, and a Toad-Mart in every village. And given the number of Dry Bones I've seen lurching around the place, I'm not so sure about the former."

Mallow resumed gawking at the castle across the chasm; crumbly as it was, the sword itself had a rather mean look about it. The hilt glared back at them hatefully, daring them to approach. The blade looked new, sharp enough to effortlessly split infinitives.

"You think we're gonna have to fight that thing, then...?" he wondered meekly.

"Well. The kid did say Death is one of this world's absolute guarantees," spat Bowser.

With these hopeful words left hanging in the air with the smoke and cinders, Mario jumped up and down a few more times, his arm raised high.

[weather-cluddy]

The Purge March translation trivia

One thing I noticed is that between the trailer and Purge March's actual release, the chorus got reworded to sound considerably more lofty and literary. Deny vs disavow, "nary a sound", "eyes corrupted", that sort of thing. This goes even further for the rules section, which starts slinging around 'tis and thou.

And the thing is, this is not really the case in the original Japanese. The grammar isn't particularly archaic, nor is the word choice unusually complicated. But there is one line that stands out for something along those lines. Wanna know which one?

It's one of the last lines, translated as "You're sorry? I don't care!". Put literally, it'd be something like "Even if you apologize, bleh!" What's "bleh" supposed to mean, you ask? Well, it's the onomatopeia for the gesture of pulling your eyelid down and sticking your tongue out, sometimes blowing a raspberry for good measure. Not the most dignified behavior, is it?

And, you know, I actually want to focus on the last three lines more, because I think it's an interesting example of how a small change can make for a big shift. As a refresher, this is the official translation of the end of The Purge March:

"After you cry, repent, and kneel, it’s now your turn to say that hopeless 'I’m sorry' You’re sorry? I don’t care! Please, go ahead and die already. Remember MY cries, MY repents, MY words of “I’m sorry” that I said to you?"

Let's start with the first line. Translating it myself, I'd render it as "After you cry, repent and kneel, try and say 'I'm sorry'". As we can see, there's no implication that this happened to Amane first, and the word "hopeless" is not present either.

But this is actually the second time this particular line shows up. The first time time is right after the trailer part. You know, "these scum saying it can't be helped is unforgivable, let's crush their eyes and throat so they'll stop"?

Now this is my interpretation, but talking about how awful "they" (AKA, you) are and how they're going to be punished horribly and following it with a request (okay, order) for an apology… kind of makes it sound like redemption is possible? If it was just about getting rid of a worthless heretic, who cares if they apologize?

And sure, this redemption doesn't sound very pleasant! But then again, it never was for Amane, was it? That's probably part and parcel of "purification", to her. She did said that "they" would forgive our trespasses if we reflected and corrected our behavior, after all. And the lyrics right after this are "If you become a bad girl, monsters will come out. This is the magic that stops that from happening". The first stanza of Magic already told us what the magic word is: "Sorry." Taking all this into account, isn't it possible that this is intended a very, very tough love?

The stanza leading up to the second chorus also goes along similar lines. She says she doesn't need it/you anymore, if you're going to break your promise. She'll tear you apart, as punishment (though that word got skipped in the translation). She'll deal back what you gave her, so that this won't happen again. It's extremely aggresive, but the constant refrain is that this is deserved and will set everything right. Everything, perhaps including you. It seems like there's a small, faint ray of hope peeking through the clouds…

And that's where the twist in last two lines come in. You thought you could maybe worm your way into the light? Nope, she's already decided that you're done for! And this also marks a transition in the lyrics, from Amane as the avenging angel of justice she's been the entire song, to Amane as an imperfect human who, once upon a time, also had to cry, repent and kneel down. But that's not going to save you now.

That contrast doesn't exist if we already know that Amane tried and failed, nor does the implication that forgiveness is possible. Now, you could say that "scum that can't be helped" already foreshadows that they/you are supposed to be beyond salvation, but it gets a lot less focus than the "say you're sorry" line, much easier to gloss over as a simple play on words. So I still think that the last stanza is supposed to be unexpected, especially considering that it happens only fifteen seconds before the end of the song and has Amane dropping the singing for extra emphasis.

That's more or less all I have to say about the song itself, but I'd like to double back on something I glossed over. Now, maybe your ears perked up when I said that the original lyrics include the word "punishment", but I should note that this is not the same word as the tagline "Doubt your punishment", nor the one Kotoko uses (in her voicelines, at least). For that matter, the next sentence doesn't actually say "judgement" either (though it does appear in the intro), so it doesn't seem like this stanza is supposed to be a call-back to Milgram in particular, at least no more so than the rest of the song. It's not the same one as in Amane's T2 VD either, that one's more like "retaliation" or "revenge".

However! You know what word is shaping up to be pretty important? It's right there in the title: purge!

So far we've seen it in three places, not counting voice dramas or app convos: one is of course The Purge March. The other two are Kotoko's second glitch line ("Purge complete. These are your just desserts") and the very first page of the manga, where Es narrates "This is a purge" over a corpse.

I assume Es says the same in the novel, but as I don't have the original text I cannot confirm. Either way, that scene wasn't originally a flash-forward, so isn't it interesting that they chose that line to be the very first thing you see when you open the volume, even putting it above the title? I suspect we'll be seeing it a lot more in the future as we unravel Milgram's mysteries. The word "lost", as well.

[readingsimp]

the cheerleader and the freak

*The above image is not intended to force the reader to identify with any of the people in it. Its purpose is to present the concept of the story.*

pairing: eddie munson x reader

theme: fluff, a bit of angst and a lot of flirt

warnings: mentions of drugs, mentions of weed, mentions of struggle with public image

word count: 1675

summary: basically you are chrissy but you don't get murdered by vecna; you go to eddie to buy drugs but something else happens

a/n: ok the original plan was a smut, but i think that this is much better :)

                    »»————-　　————-««

The breeze flows into your hair as you wait for Eddie. He's late as usual, but this time his tardiness could put you in real danger. Anyone could find you in that clearing.

It is actually really peaceful, with a picnic table and a shed as decorations. The trees that surround it are home to many birds, in fact they make beautiful noises as you are sitting down the bench.

Suddenly the quietness of the chirping is disturbed by the trampling of branches and dry leaves. You flinch in that direction just to see a thick-haired figure walking towards you.

«I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to scare you,» Eddie says, approching and sitting before you. He has a little metal box with him, so you immediately assume that it is where he stores his weed.

«Can I just say that this whole situation is surreal? Never I would have imagined selling drugs to the cheerleader captain,» he confesses to you. «But, hey, I don't judge,» he shrugs.

It is, in fact, very strange. You are a cheerleader, the prom queen, the most perfect girl in school. But it is not easy to stay that way. Nobody knows what’s behind all that and turning to weed to escape from this reality, even for a little while, says a lot.

Eddie notices that you haven't said anything yet. «Hey, don't worry, nobody can find us here, I promise. Beside we don't have to do this, just give me the word and I'm outta here,» he reaches out his hand to touch yours, but then he reconsiders it.

«Oh, no, no, it's okay, it's just that this is my first time... buying drugs,» you finally speak, reassuring him but also yourself.

He smiles. «I get it,» he says, hiding his box. A moment of silence passes by when suddenly Eddie stands up.

«You know, this isn't the first time we hung out,» he walks in circles laying his eyes anywhere but you. He's waiting for your answer.

«Oh really?» you try to remember when you first saw him.

«You don't remember? You're hurting me,» he puts his hand on his heart, mimicking a fake pain in his chest.

«No, I'm so sorry,» you laugh in embarrassment. You really can't remember him.

«Okay, I'll help you: middle school, talent show, you were doing this cheer thing, while I was playing with my band–» he is suddenly interrupted by you.

«Corroded Coffin! Oh God, how can you forget a name like that?!» you clap happily, your laugh is genuine this time.

«Yes, I knew you were a freak y/n y/l/n,» he laughs with you, jumping joyfully.

«You were so different back then,» you say smiling at him.

«Well yeah, my hair was buzzed and I didn't have these sweet old tattoos,» he says while showing one of his tattoos on his chest.

Your eyes wonder on his body in search of all his tattoos. His arms are muscular and full of gothic and dark drawings. You start to wonder how many does he have.

«So, should we start our business?» his question breaks the cute moment that he created and your expression falls again from serenity to anxiety.

He sits down again and he opens his metal box, which is more likely an old lunch box. He shows you many small sachets with small doses of weed inside.

«How much do you need? I have several doses and types,» he starts to explain all the kinds of weed he has, but as he describes them you are not convinced on their strength.

«Look, just for you, I can do a 25 percent discount, so only 15 dollars, how does that sound? You're robbing me,» he finishes his speech, but you don't answer.

Your eyes are fixed on what's in the box, then they move on him. «Do you have anything stronger?»

He seems confused by your question. «Well, yeah, but not here,» he closes the box.

«Look, y/n, if this is your first time I don't think you should go for something stronger than this, I really don't want you to get hurt, they're gonna blame me and I really can't do this right now,» Eddie tries to explain.

He keeps talking as fast as a train, the words flow out of his mouth in total panic. He stands up and walks away from you, gesturing his way out of this deal.

You get up and try to follow him while he walks with great strides around the clearing. You try to call him.

«Eddie, wait please, I'm sure of what I'm doing, believe me, I wouldn't be here if I didn't need it so bad, you have to trust me,» your hands land on his shoulders, trying to stop him and turning him towards you.

He's towering you, but your eyes are still fixed on his. There's a moment of silence that you both decide to soak in. Your breaths are synced and his eyes are wondering on all your body pressed against him.

You finally notice it, you scroll away your hands from him and take a step back. Your gaze falls on your shoes. «Please, Eddie, I need this, I need you to trust me,» you beg trying to fight back your tears.

Eddie takes a big breath as he tangles his hands in his hair. «Let's get this over with.»

                    ____________________

«Welcome in my castle,» Eddie exclames as he enters his uncle's trailer. You step in right behind him.

«Excuse me for the mess, I forgot to call the cleaning lady this morning,» he jokes, hinting at the chaos.

«Oh, it's okay,» you take another step in what seems to be the living room. «May I?» you ask pointing at the couch.

Eddie sprints on it to clean it from the clutter and old pizza boxes, or at least he tries. Just as a sit clears out, he points at it, bowing theatrically. «M'lady, you're sit is ready,» he says.

You laugh in response as you sit matching his energy. «Thank you, My Lord.»

Before standing up straight, he turns to you. Your faces are inches away and your eyes are intertwined. You smile at each other before he speaks.

«Okay, wait here, your order is coming right up,» he says with a sigh, as if he didn't want to break away the gaze.

You look around the trailer. It is very messy, but homey at the same time. Between the shelves you see many pictures of Eddie and his uncle, many are very old. You decide to get up and watch them closely.

The frames are a bit dusty, but it doesn't discourage you to pick them up. You grab and caress each one to let the dust fly away and reveal who the people in the photos are.

But the only picture that stands out is one of a child holding a little guitar. You smile as you immediately recognize Eddie's features. The background of the photo is the same trailer park as the one where he lives now. It reveals much about his life.

As you put the photo back to its place you hear a presence behind you. «I've lived here as long as I can remember,» he explains, «and I've played the guitar as long as I can remember.»

You turn around and you find him very close to you, with an hand on the shelf, enclosing you between it and his body. You look up to him and smile. «You were very cute,» you admit.

«"Were"? What about now? Am I not cute enough?» he asks pretending to be offended, but gifting you with a smirk.

You suddenly feel your cheeks on fire and you mentally thank God that the trailer is not that much lit. You chuckle as you try to answer his question. Finding the correct words is hard since you have to reconcile the truth, which is that yes, he’s very cute, and the detachment, which is that you just came to him for drugs and nothing else.

You clear your throat. «So, uhm, do you have it?» You squat to pass under his arm that still blocks you.

Eddie sigh. «Yeah, it's on the counter, but forget the discount for that.»

You approach the little packet with the green substance in it. You pick it up and suddenly many thoughts came in mind. Do you know how to smoke it? What would happen if anyone found out? Do you really need it?

You stay there for a moment, while Eddie is right behind you waiting for a reaction from you. But as soon as he hears you sniffle, he sprints to your side.

Your face is hidden by you hair as little drops fall on the counter. Eddie moves your hair behind your ear.

«It's okay, you don't have to do this,» he says cupping your shoulder. You sniffle again, taking your hand on you face and wiping the tears.

Eddie picks the sachet and he hids it in his pocket. «See? There's no need for that,» he smiles at you even if you're not facing him. At the disappearance of the packet you turn to him and look him in the eyes.

You never noticed him at school, or at least that what's you were supposed to do. He's the freak and you're the cheerleader. There's no place for you to coexist, but here you are.

«I'm sorry,» that's the only thing you can say and do, apologize for how people treat him, for not getting to know him before, for being named 'the freak' or 'the banished', for everything that goes on in his life.

You englobe him in you arms, hugging his waist. He's caught off guard, but he soon reciprocates, hugging your shoulders and caressing your hair.

His smell of cigarettes and old aftershave assails your nostrils, but it doesn't bother you, because you know that, from now on, it won't be the last time hugging him.

And he knows it too.

[sunymar]

8. “Daddy’s had enough now, stop that.”

DADDY KINK/GENTLE DOM SENTENCE STARTERS - thank you!!

"Daddy's had enough now, stop that."

Damen's large hands come to rest on Laurent's hips, stilling them firmly. The sound that leaves Laurent's throat has him biting his bottom lip and pressing a kiss against the back of his golden head, trying to conceal a smile. Laurent doesn't seem comforted by this gesture.

"It's meant to be a punishment, doll. You know you're not allowed to move," He smoothes a hand up Laurent's flank, over his hoodie, and then the other one underneath it. His hands are cold, so it makes Laurent flinch. "You don't need me to remind you how to behave this soon, do you?"

He lets his hand wander down again, this time to squeeze a generous handful of Laurent's soft and warm ass cheek. Laurent jolts in his lap with a small cry, trying to shy away from his touch, but Damen's grip holds him in place effortlessly. When he realizes he has no option but to take it, Laurent presses his damp face against Damen's neck with a sniffle and stays there.

"Do you, angel?" Damen asks, sweetly, rubbing comforting circles on Laurent's abused skin. He can tell Laurent is bitting down on his bottom lip, hard, trying to suppress the small sounds bubbling up his throat; but he feels so sorry for him that he can't even bring himself to scold him for it. "Do you need Daddy to help you remember how to be good?"

Laurent shakes his head weakly, and his soft hair tickles Damen's cheek. Damen kisses the top of his head and pets him for a bit longer, hushing him lovingly whenever he makes a small sound, until Laurent starts shifting in place again, unable to help himself. Damen can only sigh and pinch him reprovingly, to which Laurent retaliates biting him.

"Laurent." Another sigh. It doesn't really hurt, he's used to this. Laurent's teeth are barely pressing into his skin, and it's probably more a way of soothing himself than him intending to harm Damen. "If I have to spank you again, I won't be only using my hand. Please help me, sweetheart. You only have thirty minutes left."

"Then stop bouncing me," Laurent hisses, digging his fingers into Damen's shoulders. It takes a couple seconds for Damen to process what he's just heard.

When he does, he starts laughing. Laurent doesn't like it.

"I am not bouncing you, baby," Damen says, and, just to prove his point, he grabs Laurent's hips and lifts him with ease. Laurent's breath hitches, but that doesn't stop Damen from slamming him back down onto his cock without any kind of regard for Laurent's sore ass. Laurent jolts again. Damen repeats it. "This is bouncing you."

"Daddy," Laurent begs, whimpering, and it's so sweet and clever of him to use that name that Damen can't help but have mercy on him. He lets his hands rest on Laurent's waist instead and kisses the tears off his cheeks, rubbing his back.

"When I move you it's because I need to reach something that's too far from my reach or because I need to type an email or make a call. Sometimes I just need to shift positions so my legs won't fall asleep. I'm not trying to be mean, baby, you are he one who's not allowed to move. I still have work to do, it's not my fault you decided you needed to be naughty this morning." Laurent stiffens at the word naughty, which Damen knows very well he hates, and which he finds very adorable. He kisses the crown of Laurent's head and rubs his well-spanked ass one last time before he has to focus on work again.

"Thirty minutes," he promises, smiling approvingly when Laurent drops his head on his shoulder with a huff, not moving his hips anymore. "Then you can come and we can get you a nice bath and some cream, I promise."

Laurent doesn't nod.

[isa-ghost]

Reading your journal thing rn and damn that's a ride XD

Was curious at "figure out a communication method that my skepticism can’t debunk" and honestly should've guessed that it'll end up being tarot, these little shits (affectionate) never fail to feel me called the fuck out lmao. A pendulum was my guess tbh (pendulum & dice were my first tools)

But also, damn Leviathan & Michael? - you're in very good hands. (the rest likely too, just no experience with them). Think... healing, recovery, shadow work, trauma work... Both of course have different approaches, but when they intend to help you get better, they mean it.

And your response to my ask - yeah, I tend to be drawn to the ones that feel like powerful friends as well, rather than the ones that expect me to walk on eggshells and overthink every action... imo that makes things a lot less stressful.

"He loves slapping me with my Spotify playlist" - Leviathan used to do that to me lmao. Me: trying to chill. Leviathan: okay but what if we think about *growth* instead??

Honestly, everything you're saying sounds promising and you sound excited :3

Heard only good things about Apollo tbh, but don't know much personally, I'm more familiar with demons ;) - A

YES I was so hesitant to use a pendulum at first because it's easy to go "no that was me moving. No it was already swinging like that. No the fan blew on it and made it move. Etc." I still often ask questions twice or even three times to confirm the answer is legit and I make sure the pendulum is absolutely still before I ask a question, so that any movement is Definitely An Answer after. Tarot, however, doesn't lie, and WOWIE do Apollo and Levi love to go for the throat. It's very funny.

Last night before Leviathan was like "yeah I scratched you, L. Anyway put Ashton on the mic I want him dead rn," I was doing a reading with Apollo because I'd seen a crow while I was out, which usually means "Isa I have words." And he basically came outta nowhere with 4 cards that were basically like "take a wellness break, all your major obligations are dealt with, things at home are peaceful, you're doing great sweetie." And I was bewildered bc he'd made it sound like I was super stressed out but I really wasn't.

I was scrambling and probably overthinking that he was referring to something specific when he was just speaking generally, but when I asked him if it was just a plain message with the pendulum, its movement was basically the spiritual equivalent of him going "EEEHsorta? ... You'll figure it out later."

Leviathan hasn't personally obliterated me with anything but literal Lake Michigan waves yet, but he basically turned my friend Ashton into soup last night, so I know I'm definitely in good hands and whenever he DOES have a tarot message for me, I'm lovingly dead meat. I always joke that he's my Paranormal Activity Demon, he claimed me as a baby and he'll fuck up anyone who touches his blorbo.

Michael is probably the third most present entity of the five, despite him lurking rather than working with me. My sister is,,, Desperately In Need Of Therapy and refuses to get it, so she's A Lot /Neg. I'd confidently say she's verbally/emotionally abusive to me, let's just say that. And Michael gets very defensive of me about it. He got into it more in that reading I mentioned about Family Matters in the post. He's also been like "Its ok bestie I got you" while I've been in churches for weddings and whatnot.

Ceridwen has had a single message for me, which was basically "hey dummy, start talking to Levi and I more, I know you're only confident in talking to Apollo but you gotta talk to us in order to get that far too." And this poor woman. I was misunderstanding the cards so hard, I ended up pulling like 6 more cards and asking questions that all got progressively more exasperated "NO"s. Like mom I am so sorry, I'm a huge dumbass omg. So eventually I gave up and talked to the friend who found out these 4 were around me in the first place bc she was the first one to start working with Ceridwen, and right away she was like "yeah no you were overthinking so hard, she meant this." I have yet to get anything else from her, but our group has gotten to the point where if more than one of us works with a certain entity (nearly all of us work with Apollo. After he picked me, he went on his "actually I want this whole server" arc, which is funny bc we're all art kids and that's His Thing. Multiple of us work with angels, Morrigan, Ceridwen, Thor, Aphrodite, Athena, and Asmodeus, just to name a few), we can ask the others to help discern what the entity is trying to tell us if we can't figure it out for ourselves.

Morrigan hasn't said anything to me directly Or through other friends yet. Which tbh is on brand for her I think, she's probably the most intimidating entity present in the server. Has big Disciplinarian Stern Mom Woman Of Her Word energy. She said she'd lurk and she meant it, whereas Michael lurks but he'll be like "heeeyy :>"

Overall I Definitely feel like I'm in good hands. I've looked up symbols for all of them, so when I'm out of the house there's a high chance at least one of them (usually Apollo) makes me laugh because I see something and I'm like "REALLY DUDE?" They're all really good at making it known they're here.