#I've been banging my head against the wall about this fic for months it's yours now BYE gotta start part 2

[fastcardotmp3]

The White Rabbit (Part 1/3)

Because Eddie does a headcount. 

And there are five people, not four, standing at the bottom of this dried up lake, and one of them is tearing the final bat in half with his bare hands. 

Robin chokes, hunches over and vomits straight onto the ground.

Fair enough, considering they’re looking at Steve Harrington. 

Fair enough, considering they’re looking at a dead man. 

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steddie - 17k words - rated M excerpt under the cut

“I’m,” Eddie clears his throat, which has Robin looking at him closely, “I’m. Cashing in on it.” 

Steve’s shoulders slump, unimpressed deadpan to his tone as he repeats, “cashing in on it.” 

“Yep,” Eddie grins as smarmy and smug as he can. “You, Steve Harrington, owe me a favor. In case you forgot.” 

“Since when?” Steve makes a face, all scrunched towards the center with befuddled disbelief like Eddie has just said something of personal offense to him. 

Eddie, for his part, can’t help but grin when Steve makes that face. 

“Since forever, probably,” he shrugs, “who cares, but you definitely owe me for something at some point since you’re, y’know, a fuckin’ bastard and a half, so I’m cashing in.” 

Steve stares him down, scowl only growing as Eddie stares at him right back with a closed-lipped smirk of a grin, Robin looking between the two of them like she’s watching a tennis match for all of three seconds of silent communication until she’s snorting, throwing her hands up, and walking in between the two of them with the declaration— 

“I’m taking my ten. Or, like, my however long this takes.” 

She waggles her fingers at Steve in a little wave and Steve, in return, rolls his eyes in a way that’s far too fond for the interaction, but which makes sense with the synced-up movement as Robin disappears into the back through the door and Steve hops through the window and take her place up front. 

A well-oiled machine, the two of them, but not the point of Eddie crashing their work day. 

“Do I actually owe you a favor or is this your way of telling me you got new stock in?” Steve leans forward onto his hands at the counter in the same moment when Eddie leans back with the cross of his arms over his chest, flannel tied around his waist swaying with the motion. 

“I mean, you definitely owe me a favor,” Eddie shrugs, “but both things can be true.” 

“You realize I pay you, right? With cash?” Steve snarks, and it’s such a thing with him, tone, that Eddie feels like he’s constantly relearning how to read the book of Harrington, the layers of distaste and amusement and genuine good guy syndrome hidden somewhere underneath. “Is that not favor enough any-fucking-more?” 

“Oh, dear Steve,” Eddie smirks, forces it out despite the roll of his gut that he’s chosen to ignore for now and also forever thank you very much, “the money is for the good shit, but you helping me fix the rail on my porch is for, y’know, the kid tax.” 

Steve makes a face. He’s kind of the king of making faces, and faces that work their way between Eddie’s ribs specifically, but this isn’t something Steve’s gonna win with a quirk of the brow and a frown to his lips. 

The kid tax is Eddie’s own personal self destruct mode after all– the kind designed to take anyone in the remote vicinity down with him– it’s all his fear wrapped up in a set of rules that no one but him knows in their entirety and it affects Steve Harrington’s drug habit pretty exclusively. 

Steve is all reluctant exasperation in a little hat as he all but actually rolls his eyes at Eddie. He looks away, looks everywhere except Eddie’s eye, and grumbles, “I get off at six.” 

The most telling part about that?

Eddie hasn’t really won either. 

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[sublimecatgalaxy]

hiiii i’m a new follower, and i love your fics! thanks for writing them <3 and i have a fic idea, could you please write about derek hale falling for mccall!reader (she could be scott’s sister or aunt, up to you), if not then you can ignore this! i don’t want to force you to do something <3

-🍒

Love love love. I NEVER get teen wolf requests so this makes me so happy lol. Also thank you so much for your kind words.. they mean the world to me.

"Please tell me you're kidding." Scott groans, averting his eyes as I quickly collect my clothes, clutching the sheet to my chest as Derek glares at the two boys standing in the loft doorway.

"Holy shit-dude he's banging your sister." Stiles gasps with a screeched laugh, grasping onto the front of Scott's shirt as my brother grunts, his red eyes flashing briefly as I slip my dress on over my head, tossing Derek's shirt directly at his face as he scoffs.

"Alright, how about you two learn the important lesson of knocking or calling or anything that gives me a heads up that dumb and dumber are stopping by." Mortified, I clutch my head in my hands, embarrassed beyond belief that my own brother caught me in an interesting position (literally) with someone who's been his friend forever.

"Am I dumb or dumber-" Stiles starts but Scott is quick to cut him off, shoving him with annoyance.

"Stiles!" He groans as Stiles raises his hand in surrender, stepping back from Scott as he seethes.

"Right, sorry- carry on." I send Stiles a sad smile as he scratches at the back of his neck, leaning against the wall as Scott steps towards Derek. The two of them are both angry for very different reasons; Scott, because I'm his sister and god forbid I do adult things with other adults, but Derek's more angry about the fact that he was violated in his own home while spending time with someone important to him.

"Scott, I'm a grown adult, I'm six years older than you. You do not need to parent me on who I'm with." I laugh tiredly, watching as his eyebrows sore upwards, his finger pointing at Derek with conviction.

"Oh, so you're with him?" Derek curses under his breath as he sits back down on the edge of his bed, annoyed and frustrated as I laugh.

"I've been with him for months! You're just too dense to see it- oh my god." My anger turns into a fit of giggles, so baffled by the fact that, as perceptive as Scott and Stiles are, they never figured this out.

Derek and I have been sneaking away from pack meetings for months, going on mysterious trips out of town to 'gain insight on different packs' and we conveniently arrive everywhere at the same time. My mother even knows, so does Peter, so does Malia; but it seems like these two who are staring at us are the only two yet to figure it out.

"This actually kind of makes sense." Stiles pipes up, catching all of our attention as he steps further into the loft with a stutter. "I mean, Scotty, they're always together, r-right? I mean, you guys always pair up together, you have weird inside jokes, you actually laugh around her." I smile fondly at the observation, my head tilting to look over at my boyfriend as he nods simply, looking down at his feet to hide his bashful smile.

"For once, Stiles, thank you." I huff, turning to Scott once more as he mellows out, his fists unclenching and jaw relaxing a bit as he sighs.

"I still can't believe this is happening- do you get how embarrassing this is." Scott whines and my brows lift, shocked by how any of this is embarrassing for anyone but Derek and I given the predicament they walked in on.

"Embarrassing? That your sister is dating the town hottie?" My thumb points over to Derek as he scoffs, reaching over to shove me as I giggle, shrugging. "Here I was thinking you'd be proud." The shit-eating grin on my face does not falter as Stiles raises a hesitant hand from behind Scott.

"I'm a little proud." Stiles's support makes Derek smile, after the years of constantly giving him shit and pushing him around, it's nice to see the two agree on at least one thing. Even if that thing is me.

"See, be more like Stiles." Derek claps his hands and I groan, knowing that this isn't going to be good.

"Be more like-" I step between Derek and Scott quickly as Scott takes a quick, threatening step forward, his eyes flashing once more as I hold a hand to his chest. My eyes are testing as I stand like a lioness protecting her man, my jaw gritted as Scott glares down at me.

"Let's stop the who's dick is bigger contest, we already know how this goes. I'm with Derek, end of discussion. I don't need your permission or your support. If you're going to be a child then leave." My head nods towards the door as I fold my arms over my chest, watching as Scott shrugs.

"I'll tell mom."

"Mom knows and she's very happy." He groans at the grin on my face, peeking around me to stare at Derek.

"You realize if you hurt her, I'll have to kill you." Scott's brotherly protectiveness partially warms my heart but the threats don't exactly sit well with me as my head cranes to look back at Derek with a bored look.

"Won't hurt her so you don't have worry about that." Derek tugs me down next to him as his arm secures itself around my shoulder, his lips pressing a gentle kiss to my temple. "Now, please, get out."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Taglist: @bubblebuttwade @rafelover2405 @leslienjazzy @sorceresss @grxnde-dwt @alex–awesome–22 @bunnietoof @niyamar1e @serialghost @plantlungs @geniusohn @akaliltimmytim @lilaalouuxx @xshariex @elliotsbeigeguitar @elle4404 @lelieja @srhxpc i@joselyn001 @taysirene @spinkspanther @thedivineuphoria @peter-maximoffs @tsukishimawhore @poohkie90@szlaco @distantsighs @nstyles4299 @wolflover384 @givemefoodandlovesstuff @vane28282 @yeswhatever33 @amirrahfranson @vvaalleennttiinna@f-mu @yaspillz @jeyramarie @skylievin @abbybarnes17 @jointherebellion215 @visiondaddy @steezysimfinds @its-ya-gay-boi-luigi @crunchytoenailsyum @glizzymcguirex @beth123lg @melovesmut @rafecameronswhore @ariianelle @write-from-the-heart @vampviolets @haylee-e@popehaywardssecretgf @honee-chai-tea @lokiandbuckywife @smoke-and-fire @officiallyunofficialperson @heyaitsklaudia @rosepetalsparks @bluetreecloud20 @scenesofobx @double-shot-of-tequila @1dluver13xx @colbysbrocks @iamasimpingh0e @smoke-and-fire386 @chiyongberry @id-3-kbro @diorsitgirl @errorfound101-allideasburnedout @neverwillknowme18 @ellyskey @taylors-folk @loversjoy

[thekuraning]

Could I please have 7, 9, 16, 24 and 27 for the fic writer ask? 💙

HFDUAIGHRQHG WOW THATS SO MANY thank you aria!!!!

as always... kura talk lots.... read more time!

7. your preferred writing fonts

For the longest time it was Arial, then basically from Covid lockdowns to maybe about a year ago I was a Comic Sans truther. But recently I've been using Optima and Trebuchet! There is something very delightfully round about them... they are soft like bunnies.... Bonus points, they're a bit of larger, thicker fonts, which makes is much easier for me to read. I have no idea if I'm dyslexic because I've never been tested but reading--while fun and one of my favorite pass-times--is like. So hard. And it feels like the longer I've been out of Lit classes the harder and harder reading gets. :') I've got a mountain of fics and books I'd like to read but it takes a lot of energy to keep track of what line im on that i gotta save it all up for writing... ive had city of dogs open in a tab for like months now bro i just wanna read.... TAT

But yeah I love me them thicker rounder weighted sort of fonts.

9. start to finish, how long did it take you to write the last fic you posted?

so the last finished one-shot i posted was Who We Don't Expect to See, which took probably about six months to a year wrestling to get the dialogue to behave. The last complete multi-chapter fic was the Baristsa on Autumnal Avenue, which took about nine months!

As for unfinished works, I'm expecting Maelstrom to probably take another year , maybe year and a half at this pace! Ideally, I'd love to have it done by December which would mean a year and two months total, but we'll have to see thinking emoji

16. favorite place to write

I'm usually either at my desk in my office or on my couch lol and that's just a question of whether I feel more like writing on my desktop or my laptop! But since I started back at my local community college, I've found INSANE productivity at the campus cafe!! I don't know what it is, but as soon as my ass is sitting at the table with a coffee I'm like fucking sonic the hedgehog the way I start pumping chapters out. Probably about 80% of Maelstrom fic's been written in that little cafe!!

24. how do you recharge when you’re not feeling creative?

banging my head against the wall until im creative again :( or until i knock myself out, whichever comes first

actually lol I spend a lot of my recharge time watching youtube or playing video games. I'm big into Splatoon and Phasmophobia! I used to be really into Fall Guys until Epic bought the game out. but mostly it's just youtube these days lolll cause once im out of creative juice thats like. it. my energy's gone and i tend to spiral, so I'll end up just snuggling my kitty and watching gamegrumps or something (i dont know why, he just really likes watching game grumps)

>:( we used to watch a lot of netflix together too but since they cracked down on account sharing and my parents managed the family account we can only get in on the desktop now... how are we supposed to snuggle like this!!! cozy kitty economy is in shambles smdh

27. your favorite part of the writing process

answered over here winky kissy face emoji

[sarah-sandwich-writes]

Summer Reading/Arting/Writing Tag Game!

Thanks for tagging me @enne-uni and @writinglittlebeasts!

Describe one creative WIP project you’re planning to work on over the summer.

I am going to finish Blue like don't forget about me. I've been stuck banging my head against the three-quarter wall since April but I'm going! to finish! it! The part I'm at is so complicated and delicate I don't want to deal with it lol I honestly think I need to skip to the grand reunion that I want to write and then come back and fill it in later. Yeah that's what I'll do. I'm soooo smart it only took me 2 months to figure out what I would have told anyone else to try first thing.

Recommend a book

Network Effect by Martha Wells -- I just finished it! It's so good! You may have heard of it by the series name, The Murderbot Diaries.

Recommend a fic

okay okay okay hear me out

Bureau of Badass by Chemicallywrit and miceenscene -- It's an adventure zone [hear me out!!] 90's roller derby au that's alllll about found family. I honestly don't think you need to listen to the adventure zone to read and enjoy the everloving shit out of it. Like. Half of the protagonists are one-off characters, some of which (JULIA) are dead before the story began but are given a second chance at living in this au. It's one of my all-time favs. I printed and bound this fic (terribly, but still). I bought merch for this fic. I'm So. Serious. Give it a chance.

Recommend music

Block out an hour. Make sure you have decent quality headphones/buds and that they are charged (if necessary). Turn off the big light. Lay down on the floor. Are you comfortable? If you're not do what you need to do to become comfortable. Okay. Now listen to the entirety of Wasted Worlds & Bad Decisions by Welshly Arms from start to finish. No shuffle. No skips. Most importantly, CALL ME when you've finished number 9.

Share one piece of advice!

I save a local copy (on my computer), a cloud copy (proton drive, for the curious), and an external copy (I use an external hard drive but a flashdrive is just as good). I do this roughly twice a month. Generally whenever I remember, or if I get through a particularly difficult patch and want to lock it down everywhere I can. DON'T LEAVE YOUR WRITING/ART IN GODS HANDS!! HE IS AN ASSHOLE!!! HE WILL NOT SAVE YOU!

Tagging anyone who creates and hasn't done this yet :)

[hiddenendings]

Blanktember Weekly Prompt - Week Two: Angels & Demons

We've made it into week two! I am banging my head against the wall hating myself for not making 'Louder & Quieter' as one of the prompts, but we live and learn and hopefully I'll remember that next time I put together a convoluted event!

It's been quiet out there, but a bunch of you have been creating art and fics for this event and they've been fantastic!

In case you don't know what this even is about yet, here's an explanation: Blanktember (In short, it's a Blankshipping month!)

Life is busy and September is when it all starts to pick up speed, so for those of you who don't have time to commit to daily prompts (or are wary of the stress it could cause), here's a more general prompt just for the week!

Essentially, if you're trying to keep on a schedule, from the 10th to the 16th you can do a piece on the boys that revolves around the prompt of 'Angels & Demons.'

We've seen a lot of angel & demon play from fics and art throughout the tag (I, personally, have "Innocence" by Nemidari open on my phone 24/7 and check it every other day for new chapters), so let's see some more takes! Whether you make them actual angels or demons or play with the metaphorical of it, let's see what you can do!

In case you need some inspiration (which I should have done for week one, but you know, live & learn):

Innocence - Nemidari Unholy Blankship AU - UnovanHunny Angel & Demon AU - Anon Demon in White - AnxiouslyIntroverted (Not Blankship, but amazing regardless)

By no means an exhaustive list, but some of the higher view count ones I've seen!

Since this is a laid back event that's more of an opt-in whenever you feel like it, don't stress if you don't want to do anything or need to take the whole month to get it done! This is about having fun and writing about characters you love!

Remember, though, to tag your posts (whether art, writing, or something else!) with #Blanktember! All posts created for this event are ones I'll be trying to reblog to keep the event going strong!

I look forward to all of your creations and hope you have fun!

[wilsonthemoose]

sorry to bother you but i have fic idea.

steve jobs gave a commencement speech at standford in 2005 when sam spose to graduate. how about an au in which sam did finish college and listened to his speech. it can split up in three parts: connecting dots, love and loss, and death like steves’ speech. the connecting dots can be about the past and hes thinking about how his life started with the death of his mom. thinking about all of the motel rooms and how he saw a kids being normal. how that pushed him to work hard in school. or it can be about his teacher telling him that he can have more in life and inspired him to go to standford. the love and lost part can be about how he lost dean/john but found love with jess. it would be about his life with jess. little snippets of their life together. her laughing. a picnic. their first kiss. the beautiful mundane life in college. the death part can be about the future and it is a flash foward of sam just lying on the ground in cold oak dead bc he and dean didnt come back together.

i should honestly probably write smthng myself one day instead of sending asks. this has been rattling in my head for a while now.

Hi! I'm not bothered in the least, thank you for trusting me with such a cool prompt! I hadn't heard this speech before so thank you for that too.

You should totally write something, if your analysis and this prompt are any indication, I think you'd make an excellent writer, you have an eye for themes and motifs and also a very good understanding of characters, a good combo.

As for the prompt itself, I'm just now finishing up on another prompt (yours, I think) that had me banging my head against a proverbial wall for the past 5 months, so either this is excellent timing and I've hit a groove and will (hopefully) find an angle on this quickly, or it might take another 5 months (or longer). Who knows.

Bit of a challenge to be honest, partly because Sam was such a different person at the start of the show and pre-season 4 Sam is never easy to write in a way that will be recognizable. He was feisty and angry and filled to the brim with self-righteousness, most of which went away later. More so because I've never started with a parable or metaphor before, mostly they show up themselves somewhere near the end and I work them into one of the later drafts. All that to say: I'm not sure my skills match up to this but I will definitely be trying to write it. I'll probably end up taking quite a while though, (which is also why I'm answering this now with nothing to show for myself :p didn't want to leave you hanging!)

Quick question though: do you mean Sam and Dean never reconciled after he left for Stanford? And Azazel yanked him to Cold Oak from where ever he was? So is Jess still alive?

Or do you mean Dean hasn't shown up there yet?

[confetti-cupcake]

Do you have any updates on your reality show AUs? I love your descriptions and the shows you chose. Patient waiting for when you drop updates or even the whole fics.

Hi there! 😊 First of all, it makes me so happy that you're interested and asking about my fics. It means more than you know to know that someone is actually interested in the reality TV premises and are excited to read something that I wrote.

To get a little personal, I haven't written much lately, or been very active on here for a while. We had a death in my family about a month ago, and then a friend of mine suddenly passed away at the beginning of October. So essentially I've spent this month in various states of grief, which as you can imagine, is not the best for fic writing, or engaging in 9-1-1 content in general. I have been slowly getting back into it though, trying to write a little at a time until I get my motivation back.

For more specific updates about each of the fics I'm working on:

🔪 Whodunnit — I'm taking a break from this one until death becomes a little less... topical in my life lol. I'm definitely going to come back to it at some point (I've actually been thinking up ways to change it so I don't have to make it include deaths of characters we all love), but I'm turning my focus toward other fics for now.

✈ Amazing Race — I don't want to promise anything since I don't know what my workload is going to be for the next few months, but I'm fairly certain that I will have this done by the end of the year, or end of January at the latest. This fic is either going to be a one-shot or a two-chapter fic, so much shorter than the others. I already have a lot of the meat drafted out, so most of what's left is writing up the last few legs and building out the connections between the "big" scenes. (I'm really, really excited about this one)

💖 Are You The One? — This one is a little tricky. I'm almost halfway done with this one (7 chapters written out of a projected 15). Problem is, I'm not super happy with chapter 7 and I've kind of been putting off editing it for that reason. I think I'll feel better once I just sit down and confront the issues I've been having with it head-on, but just finding the motivation to do it has been tough. I've been writing it in strict sequential order up until this point, but I have a really detailed outline for the rest, so I might just jump around to the scenes I've been wanting to write to get the creativity flowing and worry about the rest later.

🌴 Survivor — Ah, my beloved that also simultaneously makes me want to bang my head against the wall. I wrote about this in another ask, but there are a few reasons why this one has been taking a while and they pretty much just stem from the fact that I just want it to be really, really good. The first being that I've slowly kind of fallen out of love with Lone Star over time — I still plan on watching it and I don't think it's bad or anything, but it was getting really hard to find the motivation to write from the POV of those characters. So I changed the cast to all OG characters, which has been really exciting for me. It just feels better and it helps the story a LOT that not everyone in the cast is a character we're supposed to like. However, the downside to this change is I had 100k words worth of the fic with the old cast drafted out, so now I have to completely re-write a lot of the scenes and change storylines to get them to fit with the new cast.

Also, unlike my other fics, the Survivor one isn't completely focused on Buddie. It has scenes from everyone's POV, and each person in the cast has their own story arc throughout the game. Buddie will definitely be a big part of it, but there's also a fair amount that has nothing to do with them. I just love all the OG 9-1-1 characters and wanted to write something that gave everyone their time to shine — I also thought the actual Survivor game would be more fun and interesting if we hear what everyone's thinking along the way, rather than from just two people.

Full disclosure, I am in the middle of editing chapter 2 of this fic, so still a ways to go on that, but as the number of characters voted out increases, the chapters will become faster to write and edit. Also as I start finishing up stuff on my other fics, it'll open up more time for me to work on this 😄 I'm very committed to getting it done, regardless of how long it takes!

And now, off to work on some of these! 😉

[minyoongees]

comethru || myg

✧ pairing: manager!yoongi x worker!reader

✧ genre: slight angst? hurt/comfort, pathetic attempt at crack, barely there fluff

✧ word count: 2k

✧ summary: Yoongi saves you from heinous karens

✧ snip: "We have a coupon for a free meal at your restaurant and we demand you open it right now!!" this bitch—

✧ warnings: karens, oc gets all panicky, bubbling anxiety, rude af people, unhealthy relations with parents, unrequited love? (oc doesn’t really know)

This fic was genuinely fun to write! I know I did not do a very good job on this it’s lengthy with useless info but it just felt important. Let me know what you think of this!

Also, the title is inspired by Jeremy Zucker's comethru

As a new worker in a big restaurant, there are a few words one could dread to hear. For example, 'You're fired' sounds horrifying, gut wrenching, all your student loans flash before your eyes. It's scary, yes, but it's not as dreadful as the infamous —

"Can I see your manager?"

"Ma'am I already told you the restaurant opens at 11:30 am, and none of the staff arrives before 11, but I'd be happy to serve you at 11:30" you assured.

BANG!

One of the three ladies with a blonde bob cut hit at the door again.

"We don't talk to low class workers, call your manager!" Called out another from the group while the bangs continued. It was so loud you were almost afraid that they will tear this place down.

"Because of the unavailability of the manager, a low class worker is all you'll have to speak to for now," you spat, "but I'd be happiest if you don't speak to me at all"

Numerous loud gasps were heard. If the head chef heard you talking like this, you'll be out of the restaurant sooner than these karens can call your manager.

"HOW DARE YOU TALK LIKE THAT TO A CUSTOMER???"

"Ma'am since you have not walked into the restaurant yet, you are not our customer." you tried to explain, "The restaurant opens at 11:30 ma'am which is just in an hour and a half, I suggest you wait outside on one of the tables."

Even though it was kinda against the rules to sit on the tables unless you eat at the restaurant, but you desperately needed to get rid of the situation. The restaurant didn't even open yet, so what could be the big deal about them sitting on the benches outside. You were just hoping your manager would be understanding.

Anticipating another harsh string of words from them, the total silence that hit you surprised you. You pulled the blinds lower and peeked through them. The ladies were seated on the chairs outside, looking through their phones. Even though a bit shocked that they decided to do what you asked so easily, you didn't wanna jinx it. You thanked your lucky stars and moved on to getting the coffee machine started.

The day hasn't even started yet and the karens are here to disrupt the place already. Being the newbie, you have to come early to get this place started and on top of that, people like them are making it even harder. You clearly don't get paid enough for this.

Moving on to wiping all the tables, you were wishing that when your manger arrives, he'll understand the situation. To come to think of it, he's actually a good man and been nothing but nice to you since you joined here a month ago. He even covered up for you when you broke a plate. Another time he took the blame upon himself when you put a bit too much salt in of the dishes and a few people left unsatisfied. He's been sheltering you ever since you joined here and you've been enjoying this more than you should. Yet you still can't help but hope he handles it this time too and saves you from these heinous Karens.

brrring brrring brrring!!

The sounds catches you off guard not because of it's sudden penetration into the too good to be true silence, but because it shouldn't be ringing when it's the restaurant's hours closed. Nevertheless against your better judgement you pick it up and place the receiver between your ear and shoulder.

"Thanks for calling the Nile's! My name is y/n, how can I help you today?"

"We have a coupon for a free meal at your restaurant and we demand you open it right now!!"

this bitch—

"Ma'am as I explained already, the restaurant opens at 11:30 and if you walk in by then, I'll be happy to serve you and make use of your coupons too." Is it too early to quit?

"Am I talking to the manager?" she asked penetratingly.

"The manager is not here yet, but as soon as he arrives, I'll make sure you're the first person he talks to." you tried calmly hoping it would help.

The woman on the line took a deep breath but nothing could prepare you for the coming onslaught of distress.

"Missy you've been saying this to us since the morning and yet your manager isn't here. You should not open a restaurant when you do not know how to run it.”

She was so loud you couldn't even hear yourself losing the will to live.

"You do not know my husband. If he gets to know about the way you've treated me today, your restaurant will be closed forever." She threatened and you could hear her talking from the outside. Did she know that you did not own the restaurant?? "You should be grateful to me for not telling. Now open this damn door RIGHT NOW!!”

Another round of bangs started ringing and it echoed through the walls. They seemed louder than you know they should've been. And it was the trigger. The helplessness of the situation created panic. Your eyes unfocused, your stomach churned and your heartbeat escalated. You felt trapped.

Her shrill sound coming from the phone felt like it was piercing your ear drums and you could no longer understand what she was saying. So you slammed the receiver back into place, not knowing what to do anymore.

The grip on the cloth between your fingers seemed weak. You have always been a strong woman, dealing with irrational people all your life since you spent most of it around such people. But the karens have been tormenting you since the past 30 minutes and it was bound to get to you, sooner or later. Though you'd hoped for later rather than sooner. They way they started banging on the door while demanding something from you seemed so familiar to the way your parents banged on your bedroom door when you locked yourself in to save yourself from them.

Anywho, the situation is delayed for now and you have to calm down and start working again or you won't be done till the rest of the staff comes around. You don't know till when you'll be living under Yoongi's shadows and he'll be protecting you.

You put your hands on your face and let out a deep breath. Back to work bitches.

You started wiping the tables again, trying to think about something else. That 'something else' had a lot of options for you like, how are you going to repay your student loan that you took to go to college and didn't even help you land a decent job, or how your mom has been pestering you since months to get married and you haven't the found the best way to tell her yet that you wanna focus on your career for now and become a chef, or... well let's just say you had better things to worry about. But your train off thoughts was cut short when the phone rang again.

You already knew who was calling, so you decided against picking up. The ear splitting sound of the phone again echoed through the walls and it made you want to throw the phone against a wall. You know the restaurant phones should be loud enough to be heard by the staff even when the place is busy, but it did not help with the way it was making you feel.

After what seemed like forever, it stopped ringing and you went on to work again. The phone rang several times after that and with each ring, you felt your patience slipping farther away from you. You had half the mind to pick up the phone and tell them off, but you knew it would only anger them further. Yet you couldn't let this go on so after at least a dozen calls, you decided to pick it up.

"Thanks for calling at the Nile's! My name is y/n how can I help you today?" you spoke through a sigh.

"I'VE BEEN CALLING AT THIS DAMN RESTAURANT SINCE THE PAST 2 HOURS AND NOBODY HAS PICKED IT UP." she bellowed. If you thought she was loud and shrill earlier, you would change your mind now. Also, 2 hours????? you weren’t even here 2 hours ago!

"I HAVE GOT ALL THAT YOU HAVE DONE ON MY PHONE AND I WILL POST THIS ALL ON FACEBOOK THE WAY YOU HAVE TREATED ME IS NOT AT ALL A WAY TO TREAT A CUSTOMER." she didn't even pause for a breath "WAIT TILL MY HUSBAND HEARS ABOUT THIS."

You didn't dare say anything for the fear that anything that may come out of your mouth right now, may anger her further, considering, you were not the manager she hoped to talk to.

There was small hustle on the other end. You could hear the ladies outside arguing a little. After a short pause, someone spoke again.

"Am I talking to manager?" this was not the woman who yelled at you earlier but someone else.

"Yes you are, ma'am"

You let out a small shriek. Surprised to see the receiver that was in your hands a moment ago, placed against Yoongi's ear. When the hell did he get here and how did you not even realize?? Even so, a strange feeling of safety filled up your chest at the sight of him and you felt like you could breath again.

"No ma'am, we cannot do that for you. As y/n here explained to you, the restaurant opens at 11:30 and no exceptions will be made for anyone." he explained calmly and it had you hoping that they'd listen to him if not you.

"I'm sorry for the inconvenience caused to you ma'am."

You just stood being a witness to one side of the conversation. You could hear someone talking outside the restaurant as well, but couldn't make out their exact words.

You admired his calm even in such a patronizing situation. At least to you, it was that way. In your eyes, he seemed so serene, his lips moved to utter the most calming sounds and you felt like you'd hand over your life to him if he asked you for it.

You really needed to practice professional work ethics when it came to him.

"Yes we will take care of this in the future, thank you for your suggestion."

"Ma'am we do not accept any kind of coupons for any of the meals provided here. Are you sure it is the same restaurant?"

Wait. But we do accept coupons here at the Nile's...

"No ma'am we cannot do that for you. There is no such policy, and we do not accept coupons."

"You can totally go ahead and call the police for yourself and we'll be sure to tell them how have harassed one of our workers over here." He said in an unbothered tone, gaze floating to you and you strangely found yourself looking away.

"Sure thing. Thank you for calling!"

And he placed the receiver back, as if job accomplished.

"Are you okay y/n?" He questioned. In his deep eyes, you saw genuine concern for yourself and you wanted to stay there for some while more. His voice was music to your ears and you did not want your own voice to taint the air around.

But he asked you something.

"Yeah." you said breathlessly and cleared your throat. "Yes, I'm fine, thanks for the help Yoongi"

It was something he insisted you call him even though the rules say he is your senior and should be addressed as so.

"Such people are so irritating and do not deserve to be let out of their homes. What kind of a husband would it be, huh!" he wondered, "though I question if there is any husband at all or she was just bluffing."

"Yeah I know right?" you didn't know what to say. "Though it was really impressive the way you handled them, I could never!"

He laughed at that. Sounded so heavenly, your knees kind of gave out.

And it was another day when he saved you. Why does he do that for you? Why was he here here so early? Why does he even try to get to close to you?

These are questions you do not have the answers to yet. You hope to get them someday. But you are happy they you are right now. Or maybe you are too afraid that the answers to these questions wouldn't be what you'd like to hear. Maybe he was just being nice and you being a horndog took the hint wrong way.

But for now, you have all the time (45 mins max before some other employee comes) to enjoy this moment with him alone in the closed restaurant, surrounded by the smell of food and his cologne and you have no idea which you like better. You wouldn't have it any other way.

masterlist | fin. 

[rreyie]

k. (eren j. x reader)

summary; you're well aware by now that your feelings of eren have blossomed into something more than a fuckbuddy. but you're not quite sure if he'll agree.

content warnings; smut (18+), fingering, oral (f. receiving), vaginal, unprotected sex, unestablished relationship, degrading, use of pet names, creampie, slight dumbification, hurt at the end i’m sorry.

word count; 2.2k

a/n; the fic that has been sitting in my drafts for 2 months has been completed! anyways i’m sorry i’m advance

you're well aware by now that eren jaeger isn't just a one night stand you had a week ago. you couldn't quite call it a friendship now, but perhaps fuckbuddies- or people who banged on the low with no strings attached.

well, you wouldn't say you didn't have feelings for him by now. you couldn't tell if it was his mischievous personality or his nine inch long dick, but there were certainly more than platonic feelings on your end.

you two had met when armin, mikasa and eren bought a house to rent out for college. you were a friend of mikasa's and had nowhere to go except to the house they rented, so you moved in. you and eren clicked almost instantaneously, as if you were best friends your whole life.

the sexual tension between you two was inexplicable. and you both knew it. and that's why one day, eren chose to make his move when you two were watching "finding nemo: blu-ray dvd edition" on the couch in the living room.

you two fucked during the scene when the little red-headed girl was terrorizing the other fish. but you two don't talk about it. all that mattered was that it was good sex- and by good, you meant really. fucking. good. you had no clue how he gained all this experience, but that didn't matter either.

now you were here, nearing the end of your sophomore year. this little rendezvous with eren had lasted five months now. you two definitely fucked often- sometimes sucking him off while he was studying for is psychology course, other times bending you over the bathroom counter with a death grip on your asscheeks.

this time he had walked into your room while you were clicking away at your laptop while you sat on your bed, doing your best to study for the exam you had next week. he didn't say a word, just laid down on the bed next to you and stared up at the ceiling.

you tried your hardest to ignore him, but your train of thought was lost when he cleared his throat unnecessarily loudly as if you couldn't already tell that he was right next to you.

you shut your laptop in defeat, and turned your head over to eren, a smile ever so slightly curling on his lips. you were unamused at his behavior.

"yes, eren?" you ask, eyes locking with his jade orbs. he clearly hasn't slept in a while, telling from the dark circles under his eyes, contrasting his somewhat tan skin. his brown hair was in its messy bun like normal, tied up sloppily with some baby hairs poking out here and there.

"dunno", he responded. "just seeing what you're up to."

"mhm? well, that sounds like bullshit to me, mister jaeger", you scoff. "you always come in here and make yourself at home when you're horny."

eren sighed, and sat up from his position. "fine, you caught me red handed. but i know you're as horny as i am."

"...you're right", you admit, before he flips over so he's on all fours and crawls over so he's in front of you. the several rings that adorned his fingers glistened in the ceiling light above, his grey sweatshirt hanging loosely around his body. though what he always wore was so simple, he never failed to look breathtaking in it.

tugging at the waist of your sweatpants, eren growled a "take it off" before you slid your hands down to your waist and did as he told you, leaving you in your panties. you didn't wear nice ones today assuming you weren't going to be fucking somebody, but here you were.

the rest was done by him as he pulled down your panties, breath hitching at the sight of your wet cunt. eren licked his lips hungrily.

"wet? already? what are you, some kind of whore?"

when you only looked at him with doe eyes, he rose his voice. "well? give me an answer, slut."

his very words made something awaken in your core, and you responded with a "y-your whore, eren."

eren nodded in satisfaction, content with your answer. "you're learning."

in past experiences, you had been quite a brat to him- as he would say. constantly going up against what he wanted, trying to dominate him. but every single time he ended up pushing you back down and pounding you into the nearest surface, making you state exactly who you belonged to. but since you were being good this time, he relented.

dipping a cold finger into your folds, he collected the juices that wetted the outer lips of your cunt, savoring the warmth it provided him in contrast to his hand. in response, you jolted at the cold temperature, only for eren to hold you down by the waist to prevent too much movement.

working his fingers inside your impossibly tight cunt, he pushed in one, swirling it around in an attempt to find your sweet spot- in which he succeeded. with a hum of approval, he pushed through another finger past the bit of muscle and into your walls, placing it in the same spot the other finger was. curling his digits around that spongy spot and placing the gentlest pressure upon it. letting a pathetic whimper escape your lips, eren is quick to stop what he's doing and reach for your panties.

"w-what are you doing?" you croak, voice weak from the recent stimulation.

"shutting you the fuck up", he snapped back in response. balling up your pair of soaked panties, he stuffed them in your mouth, making you gag a little. he only smirked at the fact you were struggling. "you're just too fuckin' loud. if armin and mikasa weren't downstairs i would let you have at it, but we've gotta keep this a secret baby."

resuming what he was doing a minute ago, he moves his mouth closer to your cunt, ever so gently wrapping his lips around your delicate little clit. your hips bucked upwards as he put his two fingers in their previous spot, pumping slowly in and out.

you're only able to mumble in approval as his pumping turns languid and rough, and before you know it you're already feeling that knot that's all too familiar in your stomach. you yelp into your balled up panties that occupied your little mouth, the sound coming out muffled. erens brow raises as he removes his fingers from your fluttering cunt.

you're about to mutter something in disapproval, but eren starts talking before you. "i told you to stay quitet, princess. what don't you get about that? are you that stupid whore i thought you were? yeah, i thought so."

"'m not a stupid whore", you say, making your statement clear even though there was a piece of fabric in your mouth.

"then show it", eren demands as he slides his fingers back in, his thrusting become too quick for you to resist an orgasm, but still staying quiet so he would let you cum.

you gush all over his fingers, creamy white liquid coating his fingers as he pulls out, and places his fingers in his mouth, licking off the substance. you're reduced to a panting mess on your bed.

"that tired, are ya?" eren mocks you. "too bad. i still've got a hard cock and you're gonna take care of it." he isn't wrong. his print is easily visible in his grey sweats, at its full length and glory.

"more", you pant out. "want your cock, can handle it, eren..."

"i know you can, princess", he coos as he practically rips down his pants and boxers at the same time, exposing his hardened and flushed cock. the tip was tinted red, a few veins protruding through the skin on the side. he had a pretty cock indeed.

"bend over", he commands. shakily, you comply and get on all fours so that your head is near a pillow in case your legs give out. "that's'a girl."

you can feel him come up from behind you, and rub his warm tip over your cunt, making a shiver run down your spine. his size never failed to make you at least just a little bit nervous, it always hurt a bit when it went in but he prepped you well enough that it would slide in easily.

with his right hand, he grabbed the sturdy frame of the headboard, and with his left, started to push his cockhead into your tight little hole. you squealed as you felt his flesh enter you slowly, but soon sheathed his whole self in with one thrust.

"fuck- you're tight", he grunted, and removed his left hand so it was now gripping your ass. you could feel his fingernails digging into the supple skin, likely leaving red crescent marks. after eren took a deep breath or two, he started his movements. and he didn't relent.

the pace he was moving at was almost dizzying, making you let out a few high-pitched wails. his balls slapped up against your behind, lewd noises of skin on skin filling the room. he held onto the headboard, making the bed shake and creak with every new thrust he took.

"eren, eren, eren", you mumbled, completely cockdrunk by him. "more, more please".

eren smirked, his hair starting to fall out of his bun. "liking that? i knew it, you're just a whore. begging for my cock like always, just like the slut i've always known."

his words were mean, but they made you clamp around his dick, making him release a stuttered moan. were you perhaps sick for liking the way he degraded you? you didn't know and didn't care.

"s' good, 'ren", you gasped, wanting him to keep calling you these names and degrading you down to the bone. you would never let any man talk to you like that- only eren could, he did it the right way.

"i know baby, i know", he purred. "m' gonna cum, you gonna cum with me?"

"y-yes!" you shriek, feeling your second orgasm creep up on you, making your stomach do a somersault. "please 'ren! make me cum! need you filling me up!"

eren gave a dark chuckle, and threw his head back into a moan. your orgasm hit you like a truck, the pleasure taking over your entire body and making you shake uncontrollably, squealing into your pillow as your legs gave out. eren knew this was coming, so he removed his right hand from his headboard and put both of his hands under your legs to hold you out as he rode out his high. he jackhammered into you, balls tightening as the knot in his stomach finally snapped, making his cum spurt out of his tip and into your cunt. you were left immobile and speechless, drooling into your pillow as he pulled himself out and let his semen leak out from your hole and all over your sheets.

after he finished panting, he looked over to you. "you good?"

"mmph", you mumble, eren barely hearing you. you meant for that to be an affirmation.

he flipped you over so you were on your back, your sweatshirt still on your body. he cursed himself for not removing it, but there was always a next time. he smiled at your state, knowing he fucked you that good.

“you did good, princess”, he grinned, and pulled up his boxers again, and searched for his phone which he left somewhere in the room.

“eren”, you ask. “where are you going?”

“there’s a party at jeans dorm tonight. you going?”

you sigh. “no, studying for the exam. i need to pass it, maybe i’ll go next time.”

eren nodded, and walked out the door. “thanks again.”

staring up at the ceiling, you wondered how eren could always treat the fact you two fucked on the regular so casually. he always went around and flirted with other girls at parties, but never took them home.

well, it was now or never that you were going to make your move.

you grabbed your phone from your nightstand and unlocked it, your home screen being a photo of you, eren, armin and mikasa all huddled around the couch for a movie night. you opened your messaging app, and clicked on erens contact. this is where you began drafting your message.

| You: um okay hi eren! so thanks for today, it felt really good as always. but i was wondering if maybe you would want to take things further? we can go out to dinner thursday night if you’re free :)

reading it over once before sending, you pressed the blue button that sent the message to him. it took two minutes for him to read if.

the three dots in a bubble popped up on his end of the conversation. you internally panicked, wondering if this was the right choice.

| erennn: i mean don’t we fuck? don’t get me wrong u cool but i mean idk man

your heart quite literally froze at the sight of his message. the dots popped up again, and you held your breath waiting for an answer.

| erennn: so like fuckbuddies basically, that’s all i want rn so uhhhh yeah 💀

this was the exact moment you felt your heart physically sink. fuck, now you’ve embarrassed yourself. would he think your weird?

wanting to act calm and unaffected by his answer, all you wrote was one letter.

| You: k.

[wannabegwenstacy]

Eden's Favorite Fic's (BTS Fic Recs)

Updated Version: Here!

Note: In the past I haven't indulged in tumblr fics often but I recently (past 3 months) have been reading quite regularly & am planning on branching out a bit. To keep track of the ones that I have enjoyed & the ones that I have even came back to I'm making this list. Again, I haven't been digging into the tumblr fics world for long so for right now its a very short list. I'm hoping with time I can get more fics of different types on here (btsxbts, some gender neutral xreader ones, & more ones that I genuinely like)

About me to understand what's going to be on here:

Age: 21 (99' liner)

Sexuality: Bisexual

Pronouns: She/Her

Ult Bias: Yoongi

Trio: Rap Line

I am OT7. I do enjoy smut but don't think it is necessary to FF. Overall I just want a well-crafted plot that makes sense. I read for entertainment & to escape. But I still need some form of realism (just me personally) to follow the trail of events. PSA: I'm trying to find a broader scope of writers I like but for right now I don't have many. There are gonna be some repetitive writers for now.

______________________________________________________________

Kim Namjoon:

- Librarian Namjoon Universe by @jungshookz

Beauty & the Bookworm (I love this concept SO MUCH)

Pairing: Cute, Good Boy, Nerdy, University Librarian Namjoon x Bratty, Semi-Popular, Procrastinator, University Student Reader

Word count: 20.8k

Summary: You're a procrastinator big time and you may or may not be failing. To get some extra credit you begrudgingly take the library assistant opening where you work under strict dorky Namjoon. Passive aggressiveness, cuteness, fluff, & some smuttiness arises.

Jealous-Boyfriend-Librarian Namjoon (Drabble)

Pairing: Jealous Boyfriend Librarian Namjoon x Oblivious Cute Girlfriend Uni Student Reader

Word count: 3.4k

Summary: You take an Art History Course and end up needing a tutor. Joon offers to tutor you but he doesn't know shit about Art History so you end up getting tutored by an ArtHoe Taehyung that may or may not like you but you are oblivious to this and Joon gets super jealous.

Kim Seokjin:

- Hockey Player Jin by @ve1vetyoongi

HEART OF GOLD (BLADES OF ICE)

Pairing: Sweet Hot New Hockey Player in Town Jin x Ex-Figure Skater (who has a history with jin) Reader

Word count: 20k

Summary: After a fall during figure skating practice dashes your dreams of competing at nationals, you vow to hang up your skates for good. That is until you cross paths with Kim Seokjin, captain of the ice hockey team, who is determined to get you back out on the rink and melt the ice in your heart. (Jimin is a bully in this and their other k-pop idols as characters. Very Very Fluffy and Hallmark Christmas Movie-ish so be aware of that. Overall, it's just cute :) )

Min Yoongi:

Note: these are all but one by the same writer @jungshookz & are written from the pov of a female reader. I'm gonna try to find some gender-neutral fics but for now, if you are female-identifying I really enjoyed these! :)

- Mechanic Yoongi Universe by @jungshookz

Baby, You Can Drive My Car (My favorite AU Fics I've read so far on Tumblr!!)

Pairing: Tatted, Mic Drop Era, Mechanic Min Yoongi x Spoiled Rich, Inexperienced, University Student Reader

Word count: 24.6k

Summary: Welcome to Min Mechanics - What can I do for you today, doll?

Maybe She Can Drive His Car

Pairing: Oblivious, Hot, Boyfriend, Mechanic Min Yoongi x Adorable, Spoiled, University Student, Jealous Girlfriend Reader

Word count: 11.6k

Summary: Yoongi's ex is back in town for a visit and you would be lying if you said you weren't slightly envious of a) how knowledgeable she is about stupid cars and b) how well she gets along with literally everyone.

- Uni Yoongi x Nerdy Reader (mini series) by @jungshookz

Note: these are all drabbles I'm gonna link my favorites in the series. I'll probably add more later.

Cocky Uni Student Yoongi x Nerdy Reader:

^^This is the start of the mini-series, recommend you read it first!^^

The One with the Scrunchie:

Contains: smut, a super cute scrunchie turning into a kink of sorts, slightly insecure Yoongi, experienced Yoongi, slightly inexperienced reader, shy about their own body reader.

Yoongi always had an Overactive Imagination:

Contains: talking about sex, implied smut, reader trying to be productive while also being horny, Yoongi being super distracted and horny.

"I'm gonna need you to shut up now please"

- CEO Yoongi Universe by @jungshookz

Suit&Tie (First Fic in the series)

Pairing: CEO Min Yoongi x Secretary Reader

Wordcount: 21k+

Summary: Young Intimidating Hot CEO Yoongi, Clumsy Secretary Y/N who loves Sugar, Best Friend Jimin. Funny Awkward Meeting that sets up the whole plot, was like reading a Kdrama in book form.

The One Where Augst D makes a Comeback (Favorite Fic in the series)

SPOILERS READ PRIOR DRABBLES TO CATCH UP!! (I recommend The First Date, The One Where Yoongi is Just a Little Jealous, The Proposal, The Wedding, Baby Makes Three, Baby Min's Timeline, The Birth of Baby Min, Daddy's Little Girl, Who the Hell is Augst D.

Pairing: CEO Min Yoongi x Secretary Reader

Word count: 6.5k

Summary: Yoongi finds out you faked an orgasm and he's going to gi-give it to you more ways than one.

- Demon Yoongi by @jungshookz

Hellish (I got some feelings for incubus Yoongi not gonna lie)

Pairing: Bratty, Super Sexy, Sex Demon, Mint Min Yoongi x University Student, Non-Supernatural Believer Reader

Word count: 22.1k

Summary: Jungkook is your clueless, energetic best friend. Wonho is a character in this fic, You are dragged into summoning a demon one night by your overly excited to be summoning a demon? best friend Jungkook. Spooky but Kind of Sexy Shit Happens! (This is probably my second favorite Yoongi Fic I've read!)

- Basketball Captain Yoongi by @jungshookz

Basketball Captain Yoongi

Pairing: Cocky, Popular, Charming Captain of the Basketball Team Min Yoongi x Water girl University Student Reader (who has been crushing on Yoongi hard for some time)

Word count: 18.4k

Summary: Jungkook is your athletic bro of a best friend that signs you up to be his replacement as the water boy (girl in this case) after he makes the team. You have had a pathetic schoolgirl crush on Yoongi for a while and is basically the only reason you agreed to be the water girl aside from spending time with Jungkook. It's fluffy & smutty!

- Android Yoongi @jungshookz

Technologically in love (..I cried! but I also smiled a lot so you know this is well written)

Pairing: Personal Assistant Prototype but SUPER Lifelike Android Min Yoongi x Messy, Junkfood, & Cartoons Loving Reader (basically your early 20s living alone kind of vibe)

Word count: 24k+

Summary: You live in a Detroit Becoming Human type universe but prior to a lot of the advancements. Androids are already a thing but not to the level the M1N Y00NG1 is yet. You are best friends with all the boys and they happen to be engineers which is how you ended up with Yoongi in the first place. Namjoon created Yoongi as a personal assistant prototype android & you are told to live with him. Things get fluffy, SUPER ANGSTY, and super smutty!

- Listen Closely by @avveh

Listen Closely ( sexiest Yoongi fic I have read so far, I kept wanting to go back and read again)

Pairing: Tsundere Office Worker Min Yoongi x Hardworking Office Worker Reader

Word count: 12.2k

Summary: Unintentionally, you stumble upon something that makes you view your coworker Min Yoongi in a whole new light. (SMUT 18+: Masturbation, voyeurism, exhibitionism, breathplay, spanking, degrading names.)

Jung Hoseok:

- Secret Boyfriend Hoseok by @kpopfanfictrash

Keeping a Secret (this took me places...Idk about you but I have trouble finding really good Hoseok fics and this one was perfect. One of my favorite fics on this website)

Pairing: New Relationship Dom Hoseok x New Relationship Tease Reader

Word count: 3.7k

Summary: You and Hoseok have been hooking up for a few weeks now. No one in your friend group knows. What happens then, when he shows up at movie night looking better than anticipated? SMUT!

- Studio Sex Hoseok by @joonbird

Studio:

Pairing: Boyfriend BTS Hoseok x Girlfriend Reader

Word Count: 5k

Summary: Hoseok is stressed about his upcoming mixtape, so you decide to swing by his studio and help him relax. (Hobi being the beautiful glorious sexy man he is and putting those ungodly hips to use!)

Park Jimin:

- Jimin and His Pregnancy Kink by @boymeetsweevil

ME, YOU, AND THIS THING WE HAVE BETWEEN US (NSFW)

Pairing: Sweet Caring Domestic but Horny Jimin x Pregnant Hormonal Reader

Word count:~3.7k

Warnings (aka what to prepare for): everything is graphic and gross lmao, blowjobs (face f*cking), boob job (not the one w/ silicon inserts), cunnilingus, dom!jimin if u squint, cumplay if u squint again, dirty talk/degrading language, penetrative sex (doggy style), unprotected sex, PREGNANCY KINK that’s a big one

Summary: You’re pregnant and Jimin is…happy about it (If I remember correctly this one is 25% cute domestic Jimin trying to calm his hormonal pregnant partner and 75% pure filth aka Jimin having a pregnancy kink and trying to hide it but not well at all. This is however my ultimate fav Jimin smut I have ever read!)

- Crush/Neighbor Jimin by @sketchguk

Lover to Lean On: (I absolutely adore this fic. Overall it's just really well written and I felt like I was watching a show in my head rather than reading a short Tumblr fic. Highly recommend it!)

Pairing: Cute Customer & Neighbor Jimin x Florist Reader

Word Count: 19.9k

Summary: For months, you can hear your no-face neighbor and his ‘girlfriend’ singing and dancing and laughing and falling in love. Above all, you can hear their bed banging against your shared wall, and they won’t ever let you sleep. You’d much rather stay up at night worrying about your own problems, like the weight of an unrequited crush, so of course, you’re bitterly single. But one day, the apartment is radio silent. And one day slowly turns into one week and then into an immeasurable amount of time since you’ve heard his laugh. So on Valentine’s Day, when you’re missing it the most, you beg your neighbor to open up to you with cookies in one hand and two broken hearts in the other.

Kim Taehyung:

-Roommate Taehyung Universe by @jungshookz

Stuck with You

Pairing: Frat Bro bit of an asshole Roommate Kim Taehyung x Clean Organized bit of a Pushover Reader

Word count: 37k

Summary: Kim Taehyung becoming your new roommate is definitely up there on the list of the worst things to ever happen to you. Librarian Namjoon is your Best friend and ex-roommate. Frat bro Jeon Jungkook makes an appearance. There is so smut and implied smut.

The One with the One Year Anniversary (Drabble)

Pairing: The cutest domestic boyfriend Kim Taehyung x girlfriend reader

Word count: 4.6k

Summary: NO SPOILERS! so I'm going to give you a quote: "well, um, look! I made breakfast for you. f-for us!" Also, SFW

Jeon Jungkook:

- Gamer Jungkook by @softyoongiionly

PRESS START (this is the cutest fucking smut type fic I have ever read! it is so pure and is the exact type of relationship I want! IT MADE ME SIMP SO HARD!) gender-neutral I believe!

Pairing: Night owl Gamer Domestic Boyfriend Jeon Jungkook x Witty Domestic Cutesy Relationship Reader

Word count: 5.5k

Summary: A night in with your boyfriend Jungkook includes all kinds of things: anime, witty banter, snacks from 7-Eleven and, you know, sex. (GREAT READ!! I AM A SIMP FOR THIS FIC!!)

[emma-nation]

The Devil In I - Bela x OC (Resident Evil Village AU)

“Step inside, see the Devil in I”

Summary: Aleena Novak is a 19 years old orphan who desired more than living in a village in the middle of nowhere. A talented artist with a big future ahead, she gets the scholarship of her dreams in United States. But everything changes when her twin brother, Auryk, steals an important artifact from Castle Dimitrescu.

In this adventure, Aleena will find way more than she expected.

“You’ll realize I’m not your Devil anymore”

Pairing: Bela Dimitrescu x OC

Genre: Between T and M (Trigger warning for violence, blood, abuse and eventual smut)

Tag List: @nydeiri

Notes: This is my first RES fic, so I'm sorry if I mess it up a bit. English is also not my main language, so a mistake or two may happen. I hope you enjoy it :)

Trigger Warning: Language, abuse, blood and violence.

Eastern Europe - July, 2009

"If he could learn to love another and earn her love in return by the time the last petal fell, then the spell would be broken. If not, he would be doomed to remain a beast for all time. As the years passed he fell into despair and lost all hope. For who could ever learn to love a beast?"

Mother closed the book, placing it on the bedside table between Auryk's bed and mine. Then, she lowered herself and kissed my forehead like she did every night. Her long, blonde hair tickled my face and left a trace of her sweet lavender fragrance in the air. I giggled.

"Good night, sweetheart," she spoke.

"Good night, momma."

"Cherish your last night as a six years old. Tomorrow you will become a..."

"Princess?!"

"A seven years old girl. The prettiest girl in the village."

"Pffft," Auryk let out a displeased grunt from his bed, covering his head with the pillow to avoid listening another word from the conversation.

"And you too," mother sat by his side on the bed and repeated her nightly ritual of kissing his forehead to wish him a good night too. "You'll become the most handsome and brave warrior in this village. Do you understand?"

"I hope so. Good night, mom."

"Good night, buddy."

Mother left the room, leaving us both in the dark. However, we couldn't sleep. Not because we were thrilled about our incoming birthday party as any regular child, but because we knew our lives were about to change. Seven years old was the age every child from our village was introduced to the truth and started being trained to fight the evil that haunted our lands. Auryk and I spent minutes, or maybe hours, in silence, staring at the ceiling.

"Leena?" He was the first one to speak. "Do you believe a spell can broken? I mean, like a curse?"

"I don't know, Ryk," I answered, feeling my thoughts starting to drift away. "Maybe we're doomed after all. Or... we could learn how to love the beasts."

The birthday parties always happened during the daytime, rules of the village. We could no longer be outside after 6 PM. Mother got help from the other women to prepare the treats and organize the decorations. Auryk was disguised as a pirate and I... I was Belle, from the Beauty and the Beast.

"So, what do you think you will be getting this year?" My best friend Elena asked while we were playing with our dolls. She was about two years older than us.

"I don't know," I shrugged. Being a merchant, my father always returned home with the most unusual gifts: a magical music box, a voodoo doll that had a life on its own or a fragrance that chased away the monsters - and everybody else too. "A new book. I'm hoping for a new book."

It was only by the end of the party Adrian Novak made his entrance. That was the mystery about him. Nobody knew when he would show up, or if he would show up at all. He still had that same annoying smirk on his face. The corner of his mouth holding a cigarette. The months away made his beard grow longer, as well as his dark hair. In the sunlight, the scar above his eye was even more visible.

"Auryk," he shouted, "come here, son. I've got something for ya."

My twin brother, who had been climbing trees with his friends stop frozen in spot for a second. I couldn't tell if he hated or feared that man. Maybe both. He slowly followed father's command, approaching him cautiously.

"Hi, dad."

"Happy birthday, son," father ruffled his dark straight hair with his strong and calloused hand. "It's about time you grow up."

He handed my brother a large package. From our experience, we knew exactly what it was, a shotgun.

"T-Thank you, dad."

"I'll be spending some time at home. Tomorrow we'll start practicing."

Auryk consented. He shot me a quick glance. From our twin bond I could tell my brother was far from happy. When he blew his candles that afternoon, he didn't wish for a weapon. We wished to be a normal child.

"What did you get, Leena?" He asked once we were locked in the safety of our bedroom.

"Pencils and a drawing book. Dad thinks I'm talented."

Not really. Adrian Novak would never allow his daughter to hold a shotgun. That was, according to him, 'a man thing'.

"Good, at least one of us got what they wanted. Happy birthday, sister."

"Happy birthday, brother."

4 Years Later - October, 2013

It wasn't easy to be the weakest of the twins. Although he was born first, Auryk was the tinniest. The one who was always getting sick or getting injured. The one who couldn't hit a single fucking target when he had the alcoholic breath of his father on his neck.

He aimed for a crow, sitting still on a fence. How hard could it be? Even the eldest man from the village could do any better than that.

BANG! He shot again. And missed.

"Again?!" Adrian angered, shoving him hard on the shoulder. "What the hell is your problem, kid?"

"I don't know, okay? This gun... it's heavy!"

"Heavy? And why do you think we've been exercising for all these years, huh?! We do not live in Disneyland, Auryk. We need to fight monsters, abominations. Someday I won't be home and you need to be prepared to protect our people. Do you understand?"

Tears started forming in the corners of the boy's blue eyes. He couldn't cry. Not in front of him. Crying was a sign of weakness and he couldn't be weak. Not right now. Auryk started to think about all the things he could be doing. He thought about the ocean, as he had seen on TV and books. He could feel the warmness of the sun on his skin. The sand between his toes. His mom and sister were also there, of course - they'd carry them with him everywhere. And he would study Math and Physics. There would be no guns, no monsters, no blood, only numbers, only formulas, only theories. He smiled. He no longer felt like crying.

"I'm sorry, dad," kindness was always the answer, his mother said. "But this isn't for me, you know? I don't like it. I... Remember that boarding school my teacher mentioned? I thought maybe I..."

His words were interrupted by a hard slap on his face. Auryk could taste a small amount of blood coming out from his lower lip.

"So that's what you want? To become one of those little fancy fags? Maybe you're not my son after all."

Adrian started walking away, leaving his son alone, sitting on the floor.

"I AM!" Auryk yelled, enraged. "I am your son."

"Then prove it."

"You shouldn't take so hard on him," Savannah poured her husband a cup of tea. "He's just a boy."

"He's eleven years old, for god's sake," the husband punched the table strong enough to make it shake. "He needs to man up a bit. You should stop spoiling him."

As I left my bedroom I found my brother sitting on the stairs. He didn't have to be so close to listen to the conversation between our parents, father's voice was loud enough to echo through every wall of our small and cozy home.

I sat down by his side, wrapping an arm around his shoulders.

"Maybe you should do it, Leena. You'd do it better, I know."

"I'm not so sure. Remember when I tried to shoot a scarecrow and almost shot that old witch?"

"Come on, you aimed on purpose! I know."

Auryk finally let out a small laugh at the memory.

"You're good at everything, Leena," he spoke fondly. "You're an extrovert, you're everybody's friend, you can cook, you can draw and paint... you're a true artist. I'm a mistake."

"You're not a mistake, Ryk," I pulled my brother closer, resting my cheek against the side of his face. "We're only at the wrong place and you know it."

Going back to our bedroom, we pulled from the drawers the postcards our grandma Louise sent us from San Diego. Mom had been born in California and lived there her entire life, until she met father during one of his trips. God knows what made her fall in love with that man. Adventure? Danger? I expected better from myself when I turned eighteen. Otherwise, I'd never want to fall in love. Love could be my ruin, just like my mom's.

"Leena..." Auryk held the postcard tightly, "do you think... if he died... do you think mom would take us to nana's home?"

"I don't know, Ryk," I didn't want to think of my father's possible death. But I also dreamed of a better life. "Maybe."

"What the hell?" Father's voice in the kitchen made me jump in fear. I knew that tone. I grew up used to that. Something was wrong in the village. We had to hide.

"To the basement, now!" He emerged at the bedroom, holding a rifle. "Lycans were seen surrounding the area."

We barely had any time to react, mom came and dragged us both to the basement. Father left, carrying his arsenal of weapons as usual. There were other hunters in the village but we always knew how badly it could end. Somebody could always get seriously hurt. Or worse.

The basement had been carefully prepared for that kind of situation years before. It had a big bed, two armchairs, a heating source, some stored food and a shelf. Mom sighed and forced a smile.

"So," she walked to the shelf, "what is it going to be today?"

"Frankenstein," Auryk suggested. My brother loved mystery and horror. As if his life hadn't enough of it.

"Romeo and Juliet," I spoke. There was something about forbidden romance that always caught my interest.

"Okay. I... I'm gonna say a prayer and you two can read the books you picked by yourselves. What do you think?"

"Great!"

Mom kneeled down by the bed's side, holding a crucifix. I could join her if I wanted to, but I'd rather watch in silence. I grabbed my book, sitting on one of the armchairs and pretending to pay attention, while I tried to distract myself from the fact my father could be the Lycans' next prey. Or all of us, if they managed to break into our house.

"Leena?" I woke up hours later with my mom shaking me. "Leena?! Where's Auryk? Where's your brother, Leena?"

I had no idea. I had fallen asleep and apparently, so did mom. She checked for the basement's door, it had been locked from outside.

"No..." she tried to force it open. "No! I can't be..."

All Auryk had to do was to successfully kill and take a Lycan's carcass as a trophy to his father, right? That was what that old douchebag wanted him to do, to prove his courage, his manhood. We had his shotgun, a binoculars and a knife, that should be enough, but first, he needed a good plan.

Looking down to his hands, he had the most perfect idea. Without thinking twice, he sliced a cut through his palm, letting some blood pour on the ground. Then, he found a tall tree. He climbed it and observed. The smell of blood his trail left behind should be enough to attract a creature.

"Come on... come on..."

From a distance, Auryk could hear the sound of destruction and death. There was a battle going on somewhere nearby. Once again Lycans should have found a family or a group of hunters.

And then, he could hear it. The heavy footsteps, the screeching sounds, the sniffing. The mutant creature was only a few meters away from the tree. He aimed, but it was still too distant. He needed to move to a closer branch.

It all happened in one second. He was almost there, reaching for the spot he had picked, but his weight was too much for the tree's branch. In a blink of an eye, he was lying on the ground. His vision was blurred. His head hurt intensely, as well as his arm. It was broken for sure. He possibly had a concussion too. He tried to stand up and run but his legs wouldn't follow his commands. The Lycan was coming straight at him.

"AURYK!" His mother screamed behind him. "NO!"

Time seemed to freeze in that fraction of second. How did she manage to escape the basement? How could she have found him?

But without hesitation, Savannah threw herself on top of her son, protecting him from the jaws and claws of the monster. Auryk couldn't see much, but he could smell it. He could feel it. Blood. There was blood everywhere. He couldn't tell who it belonged to, he or his mom's.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

A fast sequence of shots suggested the hunters had found them. The creature stopped moving, stopped howling. It was finally dead.

"M-Mom... it's dead. We... We're safe."

She didn't answer. Instead, he heard another familiar voice.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?!" It was from his father. "Savannah! Savannah!"

"D-Dad..." Auryk tried to speak, but the words got lost along the way. "I... I..."

Adrian lifted him by his jacket, holding him inches above the ground.

"YOU KILLED HER! YOU KILLED YOUR MOM, YOUR STUPID BASTARD!"

"I..." tears streamed down the boy's face, his injured brain trying to process what had just happened. "I'm sorry.'

After he was thrown back to the ground, he was hit with a hard kick on his stomach. He turned his head around to notice a small figure hiding behind a tree, watching the whole scene in pure horror.

"L-Leena..." he muttered.

"This is all your fault, Auryk. You're a disgrace to this family."

And then, he passed out. Rumors said he was unconscious for days or maybe weeks. When he woke up, he wished everything had been a nightmare.

Present Days - July, 2021

Nobody mourned Adrian Novak when he died. Not his children. Not his village mates. No human being would ever feel any sympathy for a man who abused and blamed his eleven years old son for his mother's death. It had been two years since Adrian left this world and I couldn't feel any more free.

"Hey," I left another message on my brother's voicemail, "in case you've forgotten it's our birthday today. I'd like to have my twin home, you know? Call me when you get this message."

It was useless, I knew. Auryk would only pick up his phone when he wanted to. Or when he was too drunk. God knew where that guy would be at that time, probably waking up at some girl's bed or getting some rest from... working.

After grabbing myself a cup of coffee, I checked the door's mat. Bills, bills, newspaper and... California Institute Of Arts? I remember having an argument with Auryk about this matter at some point. He wanted me to fill the application and send them my portfolio. I insisted we had no money, not even to pay for the tuition. I won - I always win every argument by the way.

"Your damn son of a..." I placed the envelope on the kitchen's table. I was a coward, I confess. However, I didn't know which pain was worse - to be sure I wasn't good enough or to be sure I was, indeed, but I'd never have money to leave that hellhole. Anyways, I decided to leave it alone. I had more important things to do.

My morning routine: to go to the middle of the woods and do some training. My father used to say fighting wasn't a girl thing, but I was no regular girl. And never in this life I'd allow someone to tell me what to do.

After running, climbing and doing a set of push-ups, it was time for combat training. Travelers from abroad taught me some different set of moves, I'd like to think I created my own fighting style. I was also very good with knifes, daggers or any kinds of short blades, they were useful during a close distance combat. My shooting was a work in progress, once or twice I'd miss the center of my handmade targets.

Then, like everyday, I'd go back home, shower and follow to my shift at the village's pub.

"Hiya, Leena," Gustav greeted me when I arrived. "I heard today is a special day... the day a little girl..."

"NO!" I stopped him. Gustav was my best friend. We had known each other since we were children and somehow, he liked to make my birthday a special - and embarrassing - event.

He placed a handmade fairytale-like book on the table. There were some edited pictures, mixed with some messed up drawings about my birth and childhood. He called it 'The Princess Who Carried The Light'.

"God, you're soooo stupid..." I rolled my eyes and moaned, before wrapping him into a very tight hug. "I love you, you know that?"

"I know. You'd probably marry me, if you weren't into girls."

We laughed together, as Olga, our boss emerged from the kitchen, bringing a cake with nineteen candles.

"Here's to another year," the older woman opened a wrinkled smile, "make a wish, my darling."

I fell pensive for a moment, besides having my twin brother back home, safe and sound, what else could I wish for? California, that scholarship, a new life... that's for sure.

"I wish for... a new life, a new adventure," I pronounced aloud while blowing the candles.

"Careful," a male voice spoke behind me, "words have power, little sister. You may get what you want."

"Ryk!"

I jumped straight to my brother's arms. I could swear that in only a few weeks he had gotten a little bit taller, and stronger too.

"I wouldn't miss my own birthday, right?" He smirked. "So, where's the cake? Please, chocolate... tell me it's chocolate."

"Your silly boy," Olga spread some icing on his nose. "Of course it's chocolate, as you love. And with cherries too."

Auryk responded with a satisfied smile. Olga and her husband, Kristoff, were those responsible for taking care of him after the Lycan attack, years ago. They sort of adopted him like one of their biological children.

"Oh!" The woman exclaimed taking a closer look at Ryk's forearm. He had gotten a tattoo. I hadn't been informed of those news either. Apparently, my brother had more secrets than I could even start to imagine. "This is... new. It seems like my kids are really growing up."

"And only now you noticed that, Olga?" Gustav joked.

Olga shook her head, grinning at herself and returned to the kitchen. The customers were starting to fill the pub. I stared at Ryk again, wondering what other secrets my brother could be keeping.

"So, what does that mean?" I pointed to his newly gotten tattoo, a strange and ancient symbol it seemed.

"Protection from the evil. This is what we need the most in our lives, especially in a place like this. What reminds me -" we turned around, taking a small box from the pocket of his jacket. "Your gift."

I took the black velvet box from his hands, it contained a golden necklace with a magenta gemstone as pendant. My blue eyes drowned themselves in the stone. It had a mysterious glow. Something hypnotizing. Something magical.

"Whoa..." was everything my mouth could pronounce. "And I bought you an Astronomy book."

Auryk stood up from his chair and went behind me, taking the necklace from my hands to wear it around my neck himself.

"This is supposed to protect you from any supernatural and inhumane beings. I won't lose you to them, Aleena. Not like I lost mom."

"Ryk, I... I can't even thank you enough."

"You don't have to. Just... stay alive."

First, I was overflowing with happiness. It either had to do with the fact my brother was home, alcohol, or both. Also, Olga should thank me. Most of the costumers of the day only stopped by the bar because of me. They absolutely loved me and knowing it was my birthday, they had to come and see me. A few of them even gave me some extra tips or a small gift, which was even greater.

"Okay, party girl..." Auryk helped me to get inside of the house as I tripped over the door mat. "Time to go to bed now. Don't you think?"

"Come on, Ryk! Have some spirit! You're home, Olga gave me the day off tomorrow, I earned some money..."

"You told Mrs. Hansen you secretly had a crush on her daughter during Middle School, you danced on top of a table, you're gonna get a hangover..."

"Party pooper!"

I threw myself at the couch. Auryk stood in front of me with arms crossed, looking like a father about to give his child a lecture.

"What?!" I yelled. "It's not like you've never been drunk before. Remember when you stole Adrian's..." I started to laugh, remembering the episode.

"When you were going to tell me about this, Leena?" He showed me the envelope. The Art Institute envelope. The one I had been struggling to open.

"Oh! I forgot. My bad, I didn't open it myself yet. I probably didn't get in anyways."

"You did."

I did?

"It's not like we have money to pay for my tuition. Also, how are we supposed to move to California, Ryk? I work at a pub and you..."

"I've gotten more than enough for that. You know that getting out of this place has always been the plan, since we were children. Leena, I've done some big jobs those last few months. I have the money to grant us a comfortable life in California."

"Smuggling, Ryk!" I raised my voice, saying aloud the information that was supposed to be a secret or not. "You've been stealing to grant us this life."

My brother stared at me in silence. I couldn't tell if he felt offended or embarrassed about my words.

"I'm getting out of here, whatever it takes," he ran a hand through his dark hair. "And you are coming with me. In two weeks, we move to United States for your enrollment."

"But..."

What I was trying to protest against? Leaving the village and starting a new life with my brother was everything I always dreamed.

"Look, I promise you," Auryk placed both of his firm hands on my shoulders, "once we settle down, no more smuggling."

"Okay," I sighed. "We leave in two weeks then."

There was a loud knock on the door. Being drunk as I was, I figured out I should have forgotten my purse at the pub. Or it could be a neighbor with some very stupid emergency.

Auryk opened the door and there was a strange looking man standing there. We wore sunglasses and a hat, behind his back he was carrying a giant hammer. According to the rumors and stories I heard from my parents, that was one of the Lords of The Four Houses, Karl Heisenberg.

"Auryk Novak?" He asked.

"Yes, sir."

"Come with me, kid. You've gotten yourself in big trouble."

[vickylamore]

Tuebor | I

Summary: You didn't regret it. If the same option was given to you again in the future, you'd do it without question for the people of Orian. However, what you did did not help your current situation at all, especially now that you're babysitting a literal outsider all the while trying to make amends with the gods.

Pairing: ??? x Female! Reader, NCT (127, Dream, WayV) x Female! Reader (with appearances of other idols under SM).

Genre: Magic Realism, Fantasy, Slight Comedy

WC: 11.7k

Warnings: Mentions of killing, mentions of torture, blood, slight injury, swearing, mentions of toxic relationships, death, mentions of death, violence, attempted murder (sorta), mentions of religion (name drops like archangel Micheal, Azarel), mentions of lynching, toxicity, sexism (slight), misogyny (if you squint), too much foreshadowing lol.

Notes: This is a very quick post before I vanish for another month lol. My favourite fic I've written for far and I have so much more planned for it. This will be a trilogy, the first part being the shortest and last being the longest (one of, it depends on which route I'm choosing for the ending). I hope that you enjoy this just as much as I did! There will be a tag list for this so feel free to send an ask/leave a comment!

Disclaimer: This is a work of FICTION. The idols used in this fic are solely for character use only. I do not condone any actions committed in this fic. The pairings are for lore purposes ONLY and are not real in real life because again, this is fiction. Thank you.

Tag List: @stayarmytinyzenmoa-l (mwah)

Someone was going to die tonight.

It wasn’t the best way to start your morning, to start your day, but the ache in your chest was climbing up your throat and pressing onto your vocal cords, almost suffocating your entire body. You couldn’t move, nor could you speak in the hallowed room. It was so damn quiet that you could hear the little pitter-patter drizzle of rain from your window.

Someone was going to die tonight, your intuition was telling you as much. The phrase was banging in your head like a loose screw in a cookie jar. Constant sounds bouncing from one end of your head to another, and it was getting unbearable.

You flicked your wrist to the side, the curtains automatically pulling back only to reveal the dead and quiet neighbourhood you recently moved into. The solemn high-rise apartments were gloomy and the dirty chocolate-coloured brick walls looked disgusting in this weather, especially since the sun wasn’t out— which is almost every day. Even the plants that were on the window seal were dying, fawning out and losing their green hue. No birds were out, no chirping or singing. It was eerie, almost like it was setting up your day.

Your mother always said that nature was connected to the bad vibes of the atmosphere, that they were connected to the future. You didn’t know how much you believed that however, you were never connected to the elemental lineage of your family tree.

You let out a heavy breath, your throat finally relaxed after the minutes of the dreadful ache and managed to swallow the lump in your throat. Your feet dragged themselves out the door to your nearly empty bedroom and immediately walked into the kitchen seconds later. A hot mug of the darkest coffee beans you could find in Athlar was now in their liquid form, swirling in the mug in your hand. Yet, even then, the taste wasn’t as strong as you’d like it, and you’d probably end up throwing the entire bag of coffee beans down the portal back to Larizmar and shove it down the throat of the shopkeeper that sold them for à whopping three hundred crystallines.

A waste of money. You let out a laugh, a sharp sound of annoyance before placing the mug on the counter. Six days before the council made their decision about what the hell they were going to do with you, it was only a matter of time that they got rid of you. You didn’t understand why Taeyong made you leave your villa in Khisfire just to live here… in Athlar; the city of demons and dark angels, the city where you wouldn’t dare step into unless you wanted to be devoured by the first demon who laid an eye on your weak, power-deprived figure.

It wasn’t even that bad compared to the rumours that spread about the city. Alright, maybe they weren’t exaggerating when they said the entire city was depressing and lacked life and the king of Athlar was a total asshole that you’d love to pluck his eyes out and shove them down his disgusting rotten mouth, but you were already in enough trouble with the council as it was, there’s no way you’d survive if the king of Athlar had something to say about you.

Stupid, it was stupid. The entire council would’ve been in coffins six feet under if you didn’t do what you did. And instead of being the grateful bastards they are, they threw you in jail with a ten thousand gold bail on your head. It was rising to twelve thousand just because you shouted, abolish the fucking council, in Medrain, Khisfire’s square while they tried dragging you to the jail cell. Bunch of misogynistic entitled fucking assholes. Except like two of them, but still.

A knock on your door disrupted your thoughts, and it was only increasingly frantic the more you stayed in your kitchen, debating on whether you should open the door or not. It’s not like you had anything better to do except mope around the literal empty space that was given to you as a little hideout.

You walked towards, sighing before opening the door with a blank expression, only to groan and close it, locking it with a lock spell.

You waited, and waited, probably a good ten seconds before the door burst open, revealing an angry-looking archangel with his black wings sprawled in the hallway glaring at you with less-than-impressed eyes. You raised an eyebrow.

“It’s seven in the morning.” The archangel merely rolled his eyes and dispersed of his wings, closing the door before him with a loud clack. “It’s seven in the morning.”

“Does it look like I have time for your shit?” The black-haired man boar his ink turned eyes into your skull, veins turning black at the sudden frustration that overcame his senses. You merely shrugged and moved towards the couch, leaning against its back with your hands stuffed in your hoodie’s pouch. “I should be asleep right now.”

“Well, you’re here are you not?” You asked with a raised eyebrow, nudging your head towards the end of the hall, “there’s a bed in the bedroom, shocking I know. Use it if you must.”

“Get dressed.” Jaehyun looked at you impatiently, arms crossed over his chest. His eyes were back to their original brown colour, but his veins were now grey, meaning he was still frustrated with you at the moment. “Taeyong got you a deal with the council.”

You squinted before letting out a laugh, “Taeyong literally is the council.” You got up and walked towards your bedroom, slamming the door shut. “He’s the supreme archangel, the hell you mean he got me a deal? You guys should buy me a way out of here.”

“The council is made of four other members,” Jaehyun’s voice echoed through the small apartment complex, his voice a lot closer which told you he was right outside your door. “You’re even lucky he got you a deal before they behead you in front of the entire population of Orian.”

“Not the entire realm," you scoffed. "And you know that’s not true; they're just abiding orders from the king,” you laughed and finished getting dressed into your garments. “Even if they did want to behead me, there are so many ways that will go wrong.” You turned and opened the door, sending a small grin at the man in front of your door, “you forgot I’m quite popular with the people of Khisfire, and the many allies I had will make the entire council shake in their boots.”

“You’re not wearing that.”

You raised an eyebrow and stared down at your outfit, “why not?” you asked. “Isn’t it appropriate that the supreme sorceress of Khisfire wear this outfit that was gifted by the council oh-so-many years ago to her beautiful demise?” He could tell you were mocking your title, ex-title if you plead guilty, which you will. The council aren't a bunch of sympathetic saints.

Jaehyun clenched his jaw, seemingly rethinking his entire decision of helping you in the first place. “I genuinely do not have time for your shit; you know exactly why you can’t.”

“Yeah, yeah,” you ignored his complaints, “it’s the whole ‘I only listen to and serve Taeyong so please don’t get me in trouble’ crap. I’m not changing.” The black-winged creature inhaled deeply, probably counting his lucky stars to possibly avoid an infuriated archangel, that is if he had any left.

“You think the death of a man will stop me from wearing my favourite outfit?” You brought your hands to your hips. “A man at that, if he was a she, maybe I’d reconsider.”

He whispered under his breath and shut his eyes, “angels give me strength.”

“The angels don’t like you.”

“Will you please shut up?”

You shrugged and walked around the archangel, your heels softly clicking through the empty hallway. You waved your hand to close the curtains and with another flick, you close the door to your room, causing Jaehyun to turn around with a heavy sigh, sounding more like a low growl.

Let’s just say that you and the archangel went as far back as your fucking birth. Always in and out of your life, never with you for longs periods of time as he, Taeyong, had his shit with the council and you had your business. You were rather a young sorceress; your kind could live to hundreds of years before dying and going back to the elements of the world. The man in front of you was an archangel that had close ties with your family. You were one of few warlock families that helped the different species in Orian when the great war broke out between the council and the faes, the angels, archangels, demons and so many more. Hell, even the supreme archangel and the warriors and vampires were helped during the war. The archangels and a few different groups were extremely grateful for the help brought to them. Although you weren’t alive during the time of the war, you were born sometime later barely twenty years ago.

Let’s just say that some archangels owned a lot to your family and what better way to repay them than to take care of their now orphan daughter?

Long story.

Anyway, despite the shit your family did for half the council, they’re still a bunch of ungrateful and unappreciated grade-A assholes. There is no sense of loyalty except if it is for their own, and even they’re a bunch of two-faced, backstabbing pricks.

“Okay and so what if I killed someone in this outfit? It wouldn’t be the first time.” And honestly, it was your favourite dress you had. It was a two-piece jumpsuit that had a cape-like piece that attached to your lower back and flowed as you walk. The colour changing from a deep blue to an emerald colour from the top to the bottom, except the white belt and white lace flowers that ran from your torso to the baseline of your neck.

All of that said, it was a gorgeous dress. A dress that was handcrafted by the council as a gift for becoming one of the most powerful and youngest sorceresses in the city. Guess they’d want it back now.

“You killed the commissioner.”

You opened the front door to your temporary house, “I’ve dealt with plenty of commissioners.”

Jaehyun was behind you in less than a sec, slamming the door shut again. You let out a heavy breath and turned to him in annoyance, a spark lightly grazing your fingertips. “It’s seven in the morning.”

Jaehyun held his gaze with his hand still pressing against the closed door, his much taller figure looming over your own by more than a few inches because of those overanxious boots the archangel wore. The look on his face made you look at him; as it was grim and twisted with a serious aura that, given the circumstances, made you feel uneasy. “You don’t get it, do you?” he asked in a low, serious voice. “You killed one of the head commissioners of the Celestial Army who happens to be a pureblood angel and the Orian king’s son.”

The angels were never ones to mess with, not with their soldiers, not with their full-bloods and most definitely not with their children or their royal line. The only difference between full-bloods and purebloods of any species was that one of them wasn’t a part of the royal line. The angels cared immensely for their pure bloodline of royals; they’d raised Hell for both the prince and princess of Orian. The purebloods angels; gold eyes when upset and red when livid, blue when sad and purple when in mourning. The colour code was excruciatingly long and unnecessary to remember; you didn’t need to know what shade of blue means they’re starving and what shade of orange means they’re tired. You genuinely did not care enough to make an effort to memorize the stupid colour list.

The purebloods angels were one of the highest-ranking species when it came to the power they possessed, second right behind their father; the Orian king, also known as the almighty angel. Technically, the almighty angel and the supreme archangel had incredible amounts of strength and power that either came from the high peaks of the divine regions or the darkest pits of the abyss. No one really knew which one of the two was stronger, most didn’t want to know. As for the purebloods angels and pureblood archangels, there isn’t a comparison; there aren't any pureblood archangels, only half breeds. And although they were quite powerful and stronger than some full-blood faes and vampires, they were nothing compared to the angels. The mother of the pureblood angels was weaker than them and other purebloods like the pureblood faes, pureblood wolves, pureblood vampires and so many more. The purebloods, any kind, were legit pains in the ass. Stuck-up, spoiled royal rich kids.

The sky only knows how they react when upset.

“Like I told you, the council and the fucking royal family; Liu Yangyang was not the beloved prince they thought he was.” Your eyes pierced his and, for a moment, one of the leading archangel soldiers of the Uriel region felt inferior under the cold gaze dethroned from a very powerful and young sorceress. If looks could kill, Jaehyun would’ve been in the tower’s sanctuary for the umpteenth time this year. “I still don’t understand why exactly I’m being hauled for doing the entire realm a fucking favour.”

A conspiracy was what started your investigation. A conspiracy against the oh-so-beloved angel prince, one of the greatest leaders of the entire realm. Those who didn’t know his true intentions would say that. The angel was an amazing deceiver, you’ll give him that; a manipulator, a narcissist. He was greedy, wanted many things for him. He had the power to wipe out cities upon cities if he really wanted to. And he nearly managed to do so, your own kind probably wouldn’t have survived the attack if he was successful. There was no way the faes or the wolves would have survived, the mermaids? Maybe. The sorcerers? Not so much. The council, except for the few, would have survived, and it would’ve been the worse ones too; the angels only know how much the Athlar king despises you for just being in his realm.

“I did what I had to do, you guys are just trying to find someone to blame.” You cocked an eyebrow and crossed your arms, watching as Jaehyun slowly removed his hand from the door. “Instead of taking responsibility for their son’s actions, the almighty angel is having the council kill me.”

“They haven’t decided yet.”

“So what?” The smallest lump appeared in your throat at the mere thought of being executed for doing everyone a favour. Unappreciative jerks for sure. “Taeyong might have negotiated some type of deal with them but it doesn’t mean I’m gonna walk later today.”

“He’s not going to let that happen,” murmured Jaehyun, opening the door. “He isn’t going to let them kill you, not with all the history between your family and us.”

Confusing. It was all confusing, the link between the archangels and our family fucking tree. Your parents lived for centuries before they succumbed to their age a lot faster than planned a few years ago. However, before they died, they did a lot for the archangels. One great deed was the help during the war that started nearly two centuries ago and only ended a few decades before you were born. Sorcerers and archangels usually don’t mix, hell, a great portion of them are legitimately terrified of them. Again, except a few. So when Jaehyun said that Taeyong wasn’t going to let them kill you, you believed it.

The archangels had a knack for keeping their word and allegiance to any family whether it be years or centuries or millennials in the future. The bond was that strong. Your parents never told you what exactly they did to have an entire colony of archangels fight for your survival, whether those archangels were forced or not, you didn’t care. You befriended some without them knowing who you were. And the supreme archangel, as well as your most acquainted friends, blatantly refused to tell you so you just gave up after years of trying.

“I feel so much better.” He could practically hear the sarcasm slip from your tongue as you walked out of the apartment, heels softly clinging once more. “This is a fucking death wish.”

“A lot of things you do are death wishes.” The archangel said with a scoff, “now you’re worried?”

“Yeah, well,” you put your foot in the doorway right before Jaehyun was able to close the door, sticking your arm through the small entrance space and flicking your wrist and fingers, “the after-dawn activities I have are always in my control.”

Jaehyun looked at you and leaned against the wall, tongue poking the side of his cheek and a contemptuous expression danced on his face, “you summoned Azrael two weeks ago?”

“Azrael is a very nice demon, thank you,” you defended the archangel of death in a split second, looking back at the man in front of you, “just needed a few things from him, that’s all— where the fuck is it?”

A clutter of noises emerged from inside your temporary home, from keys being thrown to the floor to glass shattering made Jaehyun wince. You really gotta practise your magic in Athlar, the elemental resistance is ridiculous in this realm.

“The hell are you looking for?”

Finally, you brought your hand out of the apartment complex, the last hues and sparks of purple and silver disintegrating in the air. Before the door closed, two items flew out. The first was a double-layered silver choker with a black obsidian pendant hanging from the first layer. The last was a gold rhinestone glove bracelet, enveloping your entire forearm and had a black onyx pendant that rested on your index finger.

Jaehyun’s mouth curled upwards, “you’re bringing your shield?” You turned towards the older male flexing your fingers until they cracked and the black onyx glistened under the dull light in the hallway.

“Of course I’m bringing Soteria’s bracelet if that’s what you’re asking,” you said it as if it was the most obvious thing to anyone. Jaehyun only huffed, you added, “the Athlar king is going to be there right?” A nod. “Exactly, that man hates my guts and does not care if the council is present or not. He will kill me if I piss him off enough or anyone else— am I missing anything?”

“Phone?” You opened your door again and fetched your phone the same way you got Soteria’s bracelet and the collar. You locked the door soon after.

Soteria’s bracelet was a gift from the eldest sorcerer, the bracelet in the form of a glove that cuffed around your wrist and half of your forearm. A protective seal, alerting you of any possible threat that might act on their vicious actions. An energy enhancer, enhancing all your magic if needed.

Jaehyun got off the wall and stretched, looking from left to right before chuckling under his breath. You raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything, you practically read his mind. You keep summoning his demons (Y/n), doesn’t mean he can be a bitch about it.

Jaehyun was one of the first archangels you’ve ever met, Taeyong being the first. Archangels you knew existed, archangels that were feared in multiple cities for their reputation and history with the angels and demons. It was bloody and treacherous, the tales and stories of what their kind did to others, to elderly to children. The deals they had to stay in power, how they’d manipulate the weakest to stay on the top of the food chain.

Predators, the archangels were the predators of Orian. The lions of the Savanna, the sharks of the ocean. Archangels aren’t ones to be messed with, it doesn't matter if you’re a demon or angel. Even Micheal wouldn’t deal with his own fucking people, which is why he left all the responsibility to Taeyong.

It’s funny how you met the most important people at funerals and memorials. The people you didn’t think ever even heard of your name making a grand yet subtle entrance at your parents’ funerals years ago when you were only sixteen. Funny, really, how the supreme archangel said his condolences and even gave a eulogy in honour of your parents. People you didn’t know but knew what their kind was were surrounding the room. Offering condolences was one thing, it was a bigger issue when the archangels are actually present. Again, your parents never really talked about them, never really spoke about their friendship with the archangels. Nothing was left behind, no explanation of the sudden interest after their deaths or what exactly they did to be honoured in such a way.

They were just gone and left you in a state of mourning for months.

“So,” you started walking down the hallway, Jaehyun right beside you, hands stuffed in his dress pants. Only then did you notice how well-dressed he was. “Where are we going?”

Jaehyun nudged his head towards the staircase, and while climbing up, he whispered the location. Your heart fell to the pit of your stomach. Of course, this was where you were headed.

No wonder Jaehyun tried convincing you to change your outfit.

To the Orian palace, you go.

Any mentally sane person would’ve taken a portal, hell would’ve teleported to the palace. Something normal, something that wasn’t over the top, especially after assassinating the prince of the entire world. You didn’t know if Jaehyun thought this through, obviously, he didn’t think a lot of things through because as of right now, you laid on his back while he flew in the air. People were staring, and they were staring hard; whether because the prince’s assassin was in the air or if the archangel’s figure was that damn attractive. He was such an attention whore, my god.

The sky was a beautiful orange and blue hue, the pinkish-purple clouds were clearing as the sun was now coming up, the clouds that were once filled with water and cast a light drizzle on the corner of Athlar had long been gone and dispersed elsewhere. Khisfire’s weather was always the nicest in the morning, you still can’t believe that Taeyong made you move into that dump to ensure your safety.

Ensure your safety my ass.

Jaehyun gazed in the air for a second, and it was then you realized that you were just above the gates to the palace. You sighed into his shirt, closing your eyes, nausea overcoming your senses. “Next time we do this, can you not go so fast, I get motion-sickness easily you know.”

“I’m sorry princess,” he mocked with a curt laugh, “I can drop you off right here—”

“Don’t your fucking dare.”

Jaehyun laughed again and swopped down towards the ground, a series of laughs ripping through his throat while you tried your best to keep your eyes shut and avoid hurling the half cup of coffee you drank this morning. Archangels and their fucking thrill for heights will never not confuse you. Nor will their history with the demons but that was truly a story for another day or hour. It depends on how today’s meeting will go.

He finally landed on the square, concrete pavement right in front of the looming silver gates. You got off his back and hunched forward, dizziness clouding your head. “I think I’m going to hurl.”

“Great first impression.”

“I killed the prince, that’s enough of a first impression.”

The Orian palace was located on one of the three floating cities right above Khisfire but under the clouds. The floatings cities were the homes to the angels, some creatures live there as well like faes, nymphs, pixies and any flying species in the realm who were exiled by the Seelie queen. Octavia, home to the Orian palace and the Orian royals, was the city in the middle of the other two, Tarrin and Ellesmere. The other two were also homes to water, fire, air and earth spirits, the basic elemental elements of the realm.

The palace was a giant white castle with angel warriors and guards flying around the premieres. The palace nearly reached the top of the clouds, a white aura radiating from angel to angel. The sun beamed down on the city like a spotlight, the trees from the fruit in the crates brimming in gold hues. There were a bunch of markets surrounding the castle, a handful of angels walking and discussing among themselves. It was so different from Athlar, not too far off from Khisfire. The main difference was the atmosphere surrounding this place; it reeked of pure magic. Not that you hated it, but it was so damn overwhelming that it made you want to hurl— again.

“Come on,” ushered Jaehyun as you got back up, lightly touching your arm. “It’s not safe out here.”

You raised an eyebrow and were about to question why exactly landing in Octavia was already dangerous to both of you, but you straighten your back and almost immediately felt the laser beam stars and knife-throwing glares that bored into your skull. The whispers were so quiet yet so loud, a clutter of them mettled into à pot and you were able to hear the gist of most. Murderer. You shivered slightly, feeling the unwelcoming chills from nearly every angel, you were spared by those who haven’t spotted you yet.

You followed Jaehyun towards the main entrance. You played with the collar around your neck, the dull thud of your heart bounced in your head. You and Jaehyun continued walking towards the entrance of the palace, where a bunch of guards were standing, wings spread and brown and gold garments lingered on their bodies. You sighed heavily and glanced at Jaehyun, who only stared back in return but didn’t say anything.

It was either go one of two ways; either they know that you’ve been invited to the castle for a deal or they have no idea why archangels are in their city and kill you on the spot. You wouldn’t be surprised if the second of the two scenarios were to occur; the angels were known for their looks and not their brains, one of them was going to pull their spear to your face.

As you approached the group of archangels, you felt a certain gaze glaring at you— not that no one else was excessively staring you down, but this one was different. This one felt menacing, and it was coming from above. You refrained from looking upwards because you neared the station of diving winged saints but you knew that the same gaze would bore into your skull as soon as you stepped foot in the castle.

You settled in front of the guards, the guards eyeing you both suspiciously. You bit back a groan as Jaehyun spoke first, “here for the meeting with the council.” God, you could feel the hostility towards Jaehyun, your own was borderline unbearable at this point. The stares from the guards, who were supposed to be expressionless while on duty were practically giving the middle finger as soon as you stepped foot in their city. Guess the angels and the Athlar king have something in common; they both despise you, one of them wasn’t even justified.

“You can pass,” the guard told Jaehyun but his blue eyes pierced your own in a matter of seconds. With à deep, gruff voice, he growled, “this one doesn’t have permission to enter.”

“The meeting revolves around me dipshit—” you bit your words as soon as Jaehyun let out a cough. You would’ve kept going if the situations were any different, Jaehyun couldn’t just boss you around if he wanted to. The only reason you stopped was… everything was against you right now and because the glare the angel shared with Jaehyun was absolutely terrifying.

Angels and archangels, a simple case of cat and mouse except it had a millennium's worth of history and bad blood that no agreement could ever put an end to the war before the fallen angel and divine angel. Both were equally as petty, one was just as stubborn as the other and just as vicious. If you had to choose who’d within a fistfight, you’re biased and would pick the archangel. But the way the tension was thick and suffocating, you weren’t so sure.

Not that you had no faith in Jaehyun, but it was one against eight with each of them having spears and stones that worked so much better in Octavia than they would in Khisfire. Just like how your powers work immensely well in Khisfire compared to Athlar.

“She’s coming with me, whether you want to or not,” Jaehyun said with a shrug, eyebrow cocked to the side. “Check with the royals if you need to. In the meantime, we’ll be entering now.” Oh, if things were just as easy, life would be a piece of cake.

Jaehyun was always a cocky son of a bitch, Jaehyun was always an overconfident asshole. It was one of the reasons you liked him so much; the man had an excessive way to show his power over others, whether, with a glare or cocked eyebrow, any facial expression will do. It was easy to get whatever he wanted, he was one of the most powerful archangels in Orian, no one would dare cross him.

You? Huh, not so much.

If everything was that easy, you would’ve gotten away with the prince’s assassination. If life was that easy, you would’ve been one of the most powerful people in all of Orian.

But of course, something had to go wrong.

As soon as you even attempted to move, the swift movement of the guard who denied you entry did not go unnoticed. In a split second, a spear nearly caught your neck, the tip light grazing your skin; it would trigger a bled if he moved it just a bit more. “Well,” you laughed, pinching the bridge of your nose, and glanced at Jaehyun, “this is awkward.”

“I told you,” the angel looked at Jaehyun again, spear still laser-focused on your neck. “We don’t accept murderers in our palace.”

You wonder what he’d say if the prince was alive and well while half the realms mourned their people and loved ones. You wonder just how much the angels knew of the entire situation, how much anyone knew what the prince intended to do unless the Orian king kept quiet. Liu Yangyang’s death was a necessary one, his life was eliminated to keep the peace between the realms. You scoffed and looked at the spear, the sharp end grazing your collar a little more. You’d honestly love to hear all the beautiful rumours spread about you.

Like every mistake, there’s some sort of solution. To everything, to ever fuck up, there’s always something to hold it in place and fix it before it completely blows over. Every action has its consequences and although you didn’t know what it was, Jaehyun’s sudden head tilt and smirk told you everything you needed to know.

Lighting thundered in the sky, black bolts lingering in the sky one after another. The warm weather suddenly chilled and nearly everyone was shivering from the bitter and sudden cold. The sky was no longer a bright blue colour, instead, it was now a filthy black and purple, as if a storm was quickly approaching. The lightning bolts became more and more constant, bigger and shorter-lasting in the sky. The sound emitted from the sky sounded like loud cracking noises and came closer and closer to the floor. Thunder roared across the sky, the last much more focused than the first. Every angel stopped staring at you and focused on the sky, dreadful expressions on their faces and flew away as fast as they could.

And finally, four huge black orbs of energy that spurt silver lighting swirled closer and closer to the ground before crashing onto the gravel, denting it in the process, right on your left, a few feet away from you. The black fog lasted for only a few seconds before four figures slowly got up from the floor, the side of their faces lingered with visible silver veins that looked straight out of a mutant experiment movie.

They sprawled their ink-black wings and their ink-black eyes looked around them, taking in their surroundings. Every angel knew better than to glance in their direction, even the children looked away when one of them started. They wore what any archangel would; having a very similar attire to Jaehyun, whether it was for the meeting or regular clothing, you didn’t know. The one in the front groaned once he clicked his feet on the pavement, noticing the caved-in stone.

“They’ll have to send me the bill later.”

“We all know you aren’t going to pay for it.”

The man fixed the cuffs of his dress shirt, looking as unbothered as the now minding-their-own business angels who'd flown as soon as he made his appearance known. With a side look, his voice came out as a sort of chant, like a warning, “soldier, I suggest you put that spear down.” His eyes turned black for a split second as he fully glared at the soldier, whose spear was now far, far away from your neck.

The power of this man was unimaginable.

He dispersed his white fading black wings and rolled his head and shoulders, blonde hair reaching the back of his ears and brimmed against the sun of the now normal sky. The men around him are doing the same. They made their way towards you and Jaehyun, less than impressed expressions lingered on their faces.

The colony of angels that blocked the entrance fully froze in their movements, eyes whining slightly yet some were literally shaking. You raised an eyebrow at the angel in front of you, “not so tough now huh?” you whispered under your breath, smirk tugging your lips. The angel clenched his jaw and closed his eyes. “Mh-hm, that’s what I thought.”

Funny how the angels were almighty and powerful until an archangel step in the proximity of them. Shaking in their boots like a bunch of children scared of a clown. The difference between their auras was overwhelming as well, the blond-haired archangel’s aura was black littered with darkness, death and abyss property that you wanted nothing to do with. The angels’ aura was white and reeked of pure and divine magic, their auras clashed against the archangels, a true fight between black and white.

However, the archangels greatly outweighed the angels, even if they were less numerous than the latter. The power system was an interesting one.

“This was inconvenient, pray to the skies that it doesn’t happen again.” The man was truly a menace to society. He might not be the buffest or tallest archangel, but his power was immense, it couldn’t be measured on scales. He knew that too, for his eyes flicked from one end of the line of angels to the outside. “Gentleman, if you would.”

Again, if it was that easy, you wouldn’t be in this damn predicament fighting your life. The angels moved into two groups, creating a clear pathway and letting you walk as freely as you could until you’d eventually reach the entrance of the palace. Commanding the angels in their own city, embarrassing. The man motioned for you to walk into the field of stone pavement, beyond the gates first and he followed suit after, the rest of them, including Jaehyun, followed from the sides.

The man right next to you didn’t even wait half a second into walking to let out a low, menacing growl. “You make my job one hundred times harder with that fucking outfit.”

“Good morning Taeyong,” you exasperated and looked over your shoulder to the other archangels, “Doyoung, Johnny, Yuta. Haven’t seen any of you in a couple years.”

“Tell me about it,” Johnny laughed bitterly, his hands in his front pockets, “wish we could’ve seen each other under better circumstances.”

Doyoung hummed from beside him, “hmph, all that protection and you can’t use it properly?” You rolled your eyes and twisted the black obsidian around your neck, the pendant glistening and a purple hue encased the stone.

“I didn’t think I’d be attacked at the gates,” you defended. “It’s activated now, happy?

“Anyways, we’ve been busy,” Yuta sent a subtle glare at Taeyong. “We’ve got debts to pay.”

The debt system wasn’t uncommon between archangels. Usually, a fae or vampire would have to pay their debt toward an archangel for a favour the latter has done. You can buy protection, wishes, money, nearly anything except freedom. Once you pledge your soul to an archangel, you have to pay debts over the years. An example would be a warlock who made a deal with an archangel for money. The archangel now had the power to summon the warlock for spells, information and any of the sort. Other fallen angels will acquire a pension from their clients. It was also common for archangels to have a debt towards another archangel.

The Venom Guard. The “council” of archangels. You’d describe it more as a group of the most powerful archangels that lived in Uriel as well as the deepest parts of the abyss. The Venom Guard was a group of seven archangels that reigned over Uriel, the realm of dark beings. From chimeras to skinwalkers, the land was filled with being with black to grey auras. The Venom Guard pledged allegiance to the supreme archangel long before the war broke out. They had an endless list of debts to pay if they ever wanted to be free again. It was how the debt system worked. You never asked what kind of things they’d have to do to clear their debt, but you had a few ideas.

“And how’s that going for you?”

It was genuinely a harmless question, poking fun at an archangel could go one of two ways. When Yuta’s glare went from Taeyong to your neck, you shut your mouth and climbed the last steps to the palace. You’ve been to the palace once in your entire life, and that was to receive congratulations from the royal about your title a few years back. At the time, the prince was a year older than you and the princess had just turned fourteen. Five years. It’s been five years since that happened.

You reached the entrance and looked down the hallway of the unbearable white and light silver walls and white and gold marbled pavement. It truly was a huge cathedral if you were honest, especially if you went up to the third and fourth levels. Two angels stood as guards at either side of the door. Taeyong nudged his head forward, the rest of the archangels continuing forward into the palace.

You raised an eyebrow, “what?”

You couldn’t tell if Taeyong was completely tired of your bullshit or if he didn’t want anything to do with today’s meeting. You can tell by the way his face was tight and his eyebrows were scrunched that something was on his mind. “How much did Jaehyun tell you?”

“Not a lot,” you replied and followed suit after him when he started walking into the palace, the archangels far in front of you. Your heels clicked on the marbled floor and you turned the corner. “Something about a deal you made with the council.”

“Nothing else?”

You shook your head and flexed your fingers slightly, the dull ache from the bracelet cramped them for a split second, rippling impulse shot through your arm. Taeyong glanced at your bracelet but you shook your head, shaking your arm to get rid of the tingling sensations. He didn’t say anything else, only moved the strand of blond hair that lightly skimmed his eyebrow to the side. “Don’t say anything rash.”

You scoffed, “I’ll try.”

“Don’t try, act on it,” he said sharply, voice low and menacing. “Keep the games outside the banquet room. If you don’t think you can control yourself, Jaehyun can bring you back to Athlar or the soldiers can bring you down to the dungeon.”

Your surprised face altered into a sly smirk and your fingers met your pendant around your neck once more. “What aren’t you telling me?”

Something was on his mind and it was nagging to the point where you had to ask. The supreme archangel glanced at you for a second before staring straight ahead. “I’m telling you everything you need to know.”

“Which is nothing at all?” He didn’t reply.

Mysterious. Incomplusive. Obscure. The entire deal was still a mystery to you and it didn’t help that the man who struck it refused to tell you anything. The less you know, the better it is for everyone. Taeyong’s words rang in your head after you had asked him what exactly happened between the archangels and your parents to have infinite protection the first time you met. The archangel had a smirk on his ring and fingers to his lips, dismissing the questions as soon as it had risen. Odd how someone could be so powerful yet so secretive and kept to himself.

He loved to make himself known, state his presence in the room and had a sort of carefree nature. But when it came to matters of the council or his own business, he kept quiet; like a shadow in the dusk, unable to be seen by the eyes of many.

You finally made it to the antic banquet room at the end of the hall after rounding the last corner. The white door, covered in black angel encrypted writing, was closed and guarded by an angel servant dressed in all white. The heirlooms hung on the wall of the hallway and various artifacts such as paintings and swords decorated the halls. The rest of the angels were gathered in the hallway to the left, Taeyong leaving your side to brief them for whatever reason. He had told you that you could enter the room and wait for him there. You nodded with a less-than-interested expression on your face. With nothing better to do than mope and sit around, you twirled towards the angels, skirt flowing in the air and watched as the door opened before you.

Slowly, the door opened. And the more it did, the faster your expression went from bored to alert and hostile. You felt it, you felt the same orbs who stared you down outside the palace return to haunt your surroundings and they— rather, she glared with deep blood-red eyes. A battlecry left the young woman’s throat, despite the yell from the man behind her. Her entire arm’s veins turned to gold and an arrow of pure, white divine magic shot its way out of her palm and towards you like a bullet.

Honestly, maybe she could’ve done some damage. She had the guts and certainly had the spirit.

But the arrow ricocheted off your body and flew right towards the group of archangels who were emulsified in the sudden attack. Taeyong’s hand caught the arrow before it could’ve done any initial damage to Jaehyun’s face and, it slowly disintegrated into white sand-like dust.

Ugh, you just gotta love having protection. You’d have to thank the angel who nearly slit your throat at the entrance, and Doyoung as well— if you hadn’t activated the obsidian around your neck, you would’ve succumbed to your injuries moments after acquiring them. The woman in the room certainly wasn’t happy though, not with her eyes still blood red.

“I appreciate the welcome gift,” you chuckled, staring from the white dust to the angel, your own eyes glinting sparks of purple and silver. You shared a heinous glare with her. “Next time, keep the present for yourself, princess.”

The room was unbelievably quiet, so quiet that you could hear the gritting teeth of the angel across the long, brown table. The archangels were outside of the banquet, at the end of the hallway to be specific. Direct guests are only allowed to participate in today’s discussion. Unless you were in the royal family, no one could intervene, even in the case of emergencies. You averted your gaze from your lilac faded white nails back to the woman who was only looking down at the table, red hair as intense as the internal hatred she kept for you. You scoffed.

Ridiculous. Imagine attacking the person you invited— forced to or not— to talk about this so-called meeting you still had no clue of. And she still had the nerve to sit at the other end of the table, her bodyguard sitting next to her.

“Control your face,” the archangel chirped, mimicking your movements. Your head quirked to the side and you clenched your jaw. “Not a good look on you.”

“Tell princess to control her fucking anger then,” you smiled and locked eyes with Taeyong. The archangel found this amusing, you could tell by the slightly twitched corner of his lip. “We wouldn’t be so hostile if she learned to act civil.”

She scoffed from the other end of the table, head snapping up, “did you act civil when you brutally murdered my brother?”

She loved pushing buttons, hitting nerves and sticking her nose in places it doesn’t belong. It was either listen to her and succumb to all her worthless babbling or she’d make your life a living hell, pun intended. It took everything in you to not turn the entire banquet on its head, and you would; an army of angels didn’t scare you. But an archangel who would not hesitate to stop your dumb shit? You wouldn’t try unless you choose to die.

If YangYang was the heavens’ warrior and protector, NingNing was their divine grace, pride and joy. The Liu siblings, snakes disguised in divine glory and pure magic. Usually, female pureblood angels would take after their mother’s last name, but Orian’s pride and joy loved power a little more than her mother, finally switching her name to Liu nearly seven years ago, at the fucking age of eleven.

Yeah. It should be enough to give everyone an idea on how spoiled the little brat actually is.

YangYang was most definitely a mama’s boy, and NingNing was her father’s precious gem. They were both close to their respective parent, yet argued with the other like the world would end the next day. If only their people knew how manipulative the siblings were.

Sinking further into the chair, you rubbed your fingers against your temples, eyes shutting to block out her gaze. “If she doesn’t shut up, I’ll be on trial for two pureblood deaths.”

“Excuse me?”

“Enough, NingNing,” the man beside her, probably a lesser threat than her— at the moment—, jabbed from under his breath, leaning in the chair next to her. She scoffed but sat back, angrily crossing her arms over her chest like à toddler that was refused their favourite toy. The black-haired man sighed. “Save the arguing for later.”

“There won’t be any arguing,” Taeyong spoke up, looking between both angel and the warrior. “It’s just a matter of agreement.”

“You got it all figured out huh?” Hendery said leaning onto the table, a small smirk tugging his lips, snarking tone and jabbing comments followed, “you really think the council will agree to whatever deal you have planned?”

“I’d watch your tone if I were you,” the archangel merely laughed, his smile only getting wider, “in any case, keep your thoughts to yourself, members of the council ideas only.”

The doors to the banquet opened and two people walked in, a man and a woman, although the woman was advancing further into the room compared to the other. She looked around, displeased eyes scanning item to item, either out of disgust or disinterested. Her heels clicked against the floor while she clicked her tongue. Your seat was facing the door, but you didn’t bother looking back, you noticed those footsteps from anywhere.

“Your mother never knew how to decorate this room.” The woman caught eyes with the princess, and with an already annoyed tone, she hissed with a curt laugh, “you also look displeased— where is she?”

You raised your hand over the chair, eyes still shut but a smile fully planted across your lips. “My queen, I am right here.”

You could practically feel the smirk as she walked closer to her, her probably six-inch heels skimmed the floor. Her dark, elegant yet malicious aura went from one corner of the room to another before her presence was right behind you. With a tap to the shoulders, you felt her many rings and the top of her long nails. She ushered, “fix your posture love,” and chuckled, her hands on your upper back. You groaned. “Queens don’t slouch in chairs.”

“Are you fixing her posture for the execution in a couple days, your highness?”

God, it would take one second to shut her up. You snapped your eyes open, glaring at the princess but didn’t say anything. At least, you wanted to, but the Seelie queen beat you to it.

“We don’t listen to the wrong patch of eggs,” she quipped without even glancing in the angel’s direction, and ushered you to sit back up and straight, “know your place when in my presence; snakes belong in cages after all.”

She didn’t even whisper or talk in a low tone— no. The Seelie queen practically chanted the words aloud, making sure the angel pureblood understood where exactly she was coming. You couldn’t help but smirk, tongue skimming your back teeth while swallowing your mocking laughs.

“Taeyong,” she rested her hands on the top of your head and glanced at the archangel with cautious eyes, “you will not disappoint me, right?”

“Irene,” Taeyong used the same tone as the Seelie queen and fully turned his attention to her, head resting on the palm of his hand. With a smug smirk, he twitched his eyebrows. “Do you think I’m stupid enough to let anything happen to her?”

“Debatable.”

“Reconsider.”

You looked between both immortals, a questionable look bouncing between your eyes. “You guys talking as if I’m not right here.”

“Ssh,” Irene tapped the side of your head and let out a soft chuckle, “love, the immortals are talking.”

The Seelie queen had unique characteristics compared to the other member of the council; dark green and brown vine-like-veins ran from the left side of her face staring from her ear and covered the entire left side of her body. Bright brown eyes under the rays of the sun that turned a dark orange whenever upset and threatening. She always wore her crown when in her realm, but today, she was wearing her classic long-sleeved dark brown jumpsuit with beads running against her sides, silver jewelry— from earrings to bracelets to rings— enhanced the beauty she already held.

How were you so lucky to be friends with one of the coldest leaders? The Seelie queen, whose name remains unknown apart from Irene, ruled over all seelies, fairies, nymphs, pixies, earth and wind spirits alike in Veritas, land of nature and divine creation. The most powerful fae in all of Orian, the most cunning leader and probably the most cold-heart out of the council.

Not towards you— you were a completely different story when it came to your well beings. Just like the archangels, the faes owned a lot to your family, however, the Seelie queen took interest in you ever since you’ve been a child. Whether she knew how powerful you were at a young age or because she knew you’d be a powerful ally in the future, you didn’t know and you honestly— just like with the archangels— didn’t care.

You had the Seelie queen on your side, that’s all you had to know.

“Love the family reunion and all but the Seelie queen isn’t what’s most important right now.” You turned around upon hearing the deep, growl-like voice. The man that entered beside Irene exclaimed, one hand stuffed in his front pocket and his pinky skimming against his front teeth, moonshine ring glimmering under the gold light. “Which one of you cowards decided to have this meeting on a full moon?”

“There are sticks outside, Alpha,” Irene shivered in disgust, her eyes roaming him up and down while he dug his nail further into the crevices of his teeth. “Use a toothpick if you must.”

“A piece of thin, dull and old wood won’t get dinner out of my teeth,” he growled and gave up soon after, “no point in doing it now.”

“Junmyeon please,” the archangel bellowed, crinkling his nose, “take it outside.”

There are the seelies, faes, pixies as well as the angels, archangels and sorceresses. The werewolves were the canines of the realm. The alphas to put it. Egotistical, self-centred and highly sexist wolves who always had to have the last word, even if wrong. Of course, not all werewolves were horrible. You were friends with some of them,.some of the best people in your life. But Junmyeon's pack? The worse decision if ever someone tried crossing them.

The de La Lune pack was vicious, power-hungry and narcissistic assholes that every time you had a conversation with at least one of them, you wanted to pluck your eardrums out to stop hearing the bullshit that littered their mouths. It was even worse when the alphas walked and talked in pairs— horrible if it was all nine of them.

Their leader wasn't any better but you did like him a lot more than the Athlar king— who has yet to arrive— for obvious reasons. Yes, the de La Lune back are conservative and play by their old laws, they were at least civil about it. For the most part; some of them needed a good slap, or four, to get their gears turning again.

You did pray for the women in their pack, especially the younger ones who didn't give two shits about the law. May the sky help them.

"Alpha Junmyeon," the pureblood angel smiled upon seeing the werewolf. "Thank you for arriving, it won't take too long."

"I wouldn't get my hopes up princess," he scoffed lightly and switched his gaze towards you. "This one always had a trick up her sleeve."

Was he wrong? Right now, yes he was. But you didn't dare go against his words, challenge him in a city where no doctor would heal you if he decides to rip you to shreds right now. Sorcerers and werewolves don't exactly mix; it's like physical strength versus magical ability, it already puts both parties at odds. Faes and sorcerers, archangels and demons, werewolves and vampires would mix. Only in a few cases, like your own, would faes, archangels and sorceresses would be seen remotely close together.

But the werewolves would do anything to disassociate with witches. The de La Lune pack was no different.

You rolled your eyes and mumbled under your breath, "I fucking hate wolves."

"We feel the same about you, you aren't damn special."

Fuck alpha werewolves and their stupid fucking enhanced and ultra-sensitive fucking ears. Nothing could go past them, more of a curse than a blessing if you were honest. Hearing everything, especially in the dead quiet of night would be a nightmare. Forget hearing crickets singing, what about the owls’ miles away? A hard pass.

And technically, he was wrong. Not all the wolves felt the same about you. They wouldn’t say it aloud but you knew a certain pack always had your back. And you theirs. But were you going to say it? No. Of course not.

"Your kind isn’t the only one that despises sorcerers," the door to the banquet opened and as soon as the voice ran through the room, the Seelie queen's hands tensed on your shoulders. A small noise, like hiss, escaped her throat. Taeyong and Irene caught eyes, and for a moment, hatred swam in their eyes. “Especially those who commit such vile actions.”

The room suddenly dropped in temperature, you could’ve sworn that the hairs on your arms stood straight and fixed their posture. The room leaked with ice and venom, blood-reeked clothes had an odd sweet scent to them but the eyes that skimmed their gaze through the room were less than kind. You caught eyes with NingNing, for who smirked with a mischievous gaze and stood up.

“Empress,” the princess bowed, “so glad you could make it, things would’ve been out of hand if it weren’t for you.”

“Given the guests in the room, I’m not surprised.”

Why was she so close? Disgustingly close that made your skin crawl and you wanted to sink back into your chair. But with the Seelie queen’s nails practically digging into your shoulders that they felt like nails ramming through a hard concrete wall. You couldn’t even bear to move, at this rate if you tried moving in the slightest, the sudden jolt would rupture all the nerves in your shoulder. You swallowed back a yelp when you felt the skin break underneath your clothing, ever-growing cool blood seeping down your back. At this point, you’re more glad that your outfit is dark enough to hide the streaks of red.

Taeyong must’ve noticed though. “Fingers on the chair, less into her shoulders.”

“Who would’ve thought that the Seelie queen hated the Lamia empress so much that she injured her favourite playtoy,” Junmyeon whistled while smirking, his toothpick logged into his two side teeth and was set across from you. “Just like a dog picking his favourite bone.”

The empress laughed mockingly, “Seelies do betray their own kind, are we shocked?”

“Do not mistake me for a bloodsucker.”

Slowly but surely, the wounds started to heal; Irene’s palms glowed a light green and the veins on the left side of her neck glowed, her energy transferring to you. Seelies had interesting powers, from camouflage to talking to wildlife. The Seelie Queen had many abilities; communicating from water, talking to the wildlife, transferring and gaining energy and strength, and healing. You’re sure there’s so much more you didn’t know. Finally, the wounds healed. “Sorry, love,” she whispered, comfortably rubbing your shoulders, “I tend to see red when someone I dislike gets too close to me.”

“I tend to see red when I’m feasting,” the empress expressed playfully, “but I guess I have that effect either way.” She finally walked past you, her long and overly ink-black dress dragged behind her before merging with the lace-coloured red corset at her torso and ended with blood-red sleeves and ruby red jewelry.

Stereotypical. Vampires that wore red and black as their go-to colours were stereotypical. If you voiced it out, you’d earn a hum of agreement from Irene, a small laugh from Taeyong and a glare from the Lamia empress herself. Lamia, vampire in Latin. Bloodsucking demon, monster of the night, nosferatu, or whatever the fuck other names they had— vampires suck— not only blood.

And the empress was truly the worst of the worse.

She sat right next to NingNing, nodding her head to Hendery as a form of acknowledgement before turning in her seat, moonlight brown hair tied back and braided, gaze piercing yours. Now if you really could sink into your chair, you would.

“It’s been a while since I fed on sorcerers,” her tongue skimmed her lips, a smirk tugging them upwards. “What time does the meeting end?”

“Worry more about your minions lurking in my realm than someone’s neck Taeyeon,” the archangel deadpanned, “they’ve pestered my market and my soldiers, call them out before I make them.”

Taeyeon sadly sighed, exaggerating it to no end and tapped her long black nails in order on the table, palm holding her head up. Puppy eyes. You didn’t think you’d see the Lamia empress give someone puppy eyes but there’s a first time for everything. “If I knew you’d talk to me in that tone, I wouldn't have been with you in the first place.”

There’s definitely a first time for everything and it’s definitely the very first time you’re hearing of an archangel and vampire relationship— let alone Taeyong and Taeyeon. You should really be up to date with the council drama but never you would've thought that they were ever a thing— especially with the way the archangel is boring bullets into the other’s skull.

And if you thought you were shocked, the princess had to close her mouth before she caught flies. For a moment, you understood her shock, both of you making eye contact to address your surprise but quickly stopped when you realized who exactly you were looking at.

The Lamia empress was manipulative and a seducer. Anything she’d want, she’d get; giving out empty promises to those suffering in her realm for intel or convincing some leaders to turn on each other was her specialty. If anything, she always knew what was going on before it was ever spoken by anyone. Which made you think…

Did she know about the prince? Either answer would shock you if you were honest, whether she knew or she kept quiet didn’t matter now; the council was slowly turning into each other and benefiting her, in some way, in the end.

She’d do anything to get what she wanted or disperse of anything or anyone that got in her way.

Though she isn't afraid to cross anyone, there are only a few who she wouldn't dare upset, not when her entire realm dwells on the protection of a certain king of Athlar. You watched as her eyes widened slightly before she sat up, her lips pressed in a thin line. Her eyes grew cloudy, a mist of red swam in her pupils before the door opened once more.

Now, if the room grew cold because of the Lamia empress then the room, as of right now, is freezing and feels like you were caught in a winter blizzard. The walls grew small ice crystals and the jewelry nearly everyone was wearing we're covered by a harsh cloud of ice-cold mist.

The banquet echoed, the floor vibrating under the weight of his footsteps. The air grew tense, as thick as blood and as heavy as the humid summer air. Your skin crawled at the sudden change, a pit forming at the bottom of your stomach. No one said a word, no one dared to speak or mutter anything aloud.

God, your throat was tightening, as if being choked by the wrath of the king himself. Even the Seelie queen's fingers tightened on your shoulders, refusing to tremble out of fear and discomfort. The supreme archangel didn't say a word, nor looked interested in the arrival of the king. Instead, he simply sighed and closed his eyes.

Demons and archangels, best of allies yet the worst of foes.

The footsteps ceased. The air stopped moving. A curt, short and brisk chuckle bounced from one wall to another. "Hmph, tough crowd." His voice boomed so much louder than your heartbeat. His scent was overbearing and overloaded your senses. It was putrid, awful and horrifying.

The difference between archangels and demons was simple; one was created by the heavens and the other was created by the deepest abyss of darkness. Taeyong’s scent— rather, his aura — was not as potent or as dark. He still had some sort of divine element that merely morphed with the elements of Uriel and the abyss. The king's aura was authentic; the true product of the abyss and was overloaded with sin and corruption.

You felt his eyes skimming the room, pupils piercing every head and everybody before settling on the Seelie queen's neck. Somehow, in some way, his glare went through her body and attacked yours in the blink of an eye. You shut your eyes, anxiety climbing up your throat like acid coming from your stomach.

The princess got up with shaking booths and an uncomfortable smile tugging her lips. For someone who wanted the Athlar king at the meeting, NingNing isn't as welcoming as she should be. "My lord, welcome." If the situation was any different, you'd laugh at her quivering voice.

The princess took a deep breath, "I hope your travel was well—"

“This place stinks.”

May the skies have mercy on your soul. May they find some way to forgive because it took everything in you not to let out a loud, mocking cackle while the banquet was dead silent. You might despise the Athlar king but you must admit that the man has a great sense of humour and boldness you can't help but admire.

A smile didn't stop itself from tugging your lips and as hard as you bit them down, the smile just grew larger by the second. The Seelie queen's fingers tapped on your shoulders, seemingly sensing the laughter in your throat. They were warnings— to be careful of how you act in front of others, especially those who disliked you.

"I find it a bit ironic how you're the one complaining about the stench." Those warnings weren't applied to her, not with the unpleasant tone that dripped through her words. "You practically reek."

"Seemed you built the courage to speak," the empress cut in, leaning on the table and glaring at Irene. "Although, I don't think you're in the right position to be talking."

"Because I'm going to listen to someone whose breath smells of mundane blood half the time."

"Don’t be mistaken, I'm a woman of modesty."

"Where's your father?"

The Athlar king didn't boom out the words or even say them at normal speaking volume. He merely had to whisper the word father to gain everyone's attention. And suddenly, everyone's gaze was glued to the princess, including your own, awaiting an answer. Where is the almighty angel? With that kind of title, it'll be quite unprofessional to not appear in the meeting, then again, the same could be said about your outfit.

NingNing seemed to stare off in the distance as if remembering something for her gaze was unfocused. You raised an eyebrow and looked at Taeyong, you simply shrugged and leaned the temple off his fingers. Your already quirked eyebrow only rose when Hendery gently touched her hand and gave her a reassuring squeeze.

"My father cannot make it today, nor can my mother as they are both grieving for the loss of their only son and finalizing the arrangements for the Adieu Ceremony. Which is why I’m here."

Oh. They're actually doing it. You couldn’t help but roll your eyes. You couldn't blame them; losing your only murderous and highly destructive son to a sorceress that did a huge favour to the city? Must be hard. It did make sense now that you think about it, NingNing isn’t even part of the council and yet, she’s here as a representative.

“Is he now?” NingNing nodded at the King’s question. “Can’t say I’m impressed.”

The table went silent, everyone’s eyes either glued to the table or in front of them— anywhere except the Ruler of Demons. As the King walks towards a seat far, far away from you, a loud and dragged-on sigh echoed through the room. Your eyes widened like saucers and not-so-gently threw your head to the side, glaring at Taeyong.

Sometimes, you didn’t understand the nerves the man had, especially since one would think they’d rebel against the angels.

But Taeyong looked up at the Athlar king and said in a tired breath, “let’s get this over with, I don’t have time for your little feud with the almighty angel.”

“And you think I have time for this meeting?”

“Please,” Taeyong had scoffed under his breath, his fingers drawing figure eights on the wooden table, “the only real reason you’re here Onew, is because you want to see what kind of punishment (Y/n) is going to receive. We both know you’ll say no to whatever deal I have to offer.”

Both men seemed to glare at each other, for the room sat in silence for a few moments. You glanced between both leaders but cleared your throat and caught eyes with the ceiling when the demon king locked eyes with your own. Taeyong certainly had the balls to stand up to him but good for him— you, however, will stay far, far away from the man that wants you killed.

“Gentlemen!” Both Taeyong and the Athlar king broke eye contact with each other and gazed at NingNing. “We will now start the meeting. My lord, if you may take a seat.”

The Athlar king took a seat next to the Lamia empress, specifically to her left and sat a few chairs away from Junmyeon, who was still very uninterested in the topic at hand. The alpha sat near no one, a couple of chairs vacant to each of his sides.

To your left was the Seelie Queen and to your left was the supreme archangel. You, in the middle of both of the leaders, sat directly facing the princess while her guard and brother's best friend sat on her right.

The air was dense, whether because you held your breath for so long or because everyone had some sort of grudge with someone in the room. You only and genuinely hope that their hidden-pretty-baldy hatred and signs for one another don’t interfere with the fate that bestows soon.

But like you said, someone was going to die tonight but you sure as hell know it wasn't going to be you.

[doggernaut]

I have no idea what it is I'm writing, but it started as a lighthearted Zimbits summer camp counselor AU and it's turned into a post-college "what do I do with my life?" AU (obviously Jack doesn't go pro in this) with an entire subplot about Jack's friendship with Camilla Collins?

Anyway, I still don't know if there's enough of a plot in my head to string a whole fic together but I kind of like this? I've just really been wanting more fic with Jack and Camilla as exes who work better as friends.

It wouldn’t be truthful to say Camilla Collins was Jack’s first everything, but she was his first a-lot-of-things, and she does happen to be the only ex of his that he’s still on speaking terms with. Not that there have been that many. Two of them, Jack’s pretty sure, weren’t even real relationships.

“Come in!” she calls when Jack raps twice on the door to her cabin. “Hi!”

She’s lying on her back on the top bunk she claims every year, legs up against the wall, head hanging off the edge of the bed. Jack thinks would probably give him a headache but she says it's a good meditating position. She sticks her tongue out at him from her upside-down position. “Come on up!”

Jack hesitates for just a second before climbing up the ladder and settling down beside her. The rusting, metal-framed bed, which has to be at least 30 years old and definitely was not designed with two full-grown adults in mind, creaks under their combined weight.

“Was wondering when you were gonna come see me,” Camilla pouts.

“I had orientation with Hall and Murray. I’m camp photographer this year.”

“I heard. Everybody heard.”

“I didn’t think it would be news.”

“Between you and me, I think people are mostly upset that you won’t be hosing down the water slide in your swim trunks anymore. Those abs, man.”

“Between you and me, I stress ate my way through last semester and those abs haven’t been visible for months,” Jack says.

“Between you and me, I don’t think that’s going to stop half the singles on staff from trying to make you their summer fling.” Camilla brushes Jack’s bangs out of his eyes. “Rough year?”

“How’d you know?”

“The dark circles under your eyes. Also, you haven’t answered my texts since February. I was out your way for a tennis tournament. Thought you might want to buy me a drink.”

“You thought I might want to buy you a drink!” Jack barks out. Then, “Sorry. I would have. I was just having a hard time.”

“Are things better now?”

“Well, I’m here.”

“Not what I asked, Zimmermann.”

Jack blows out a sigh. “Yeah. I made some decisions I had to make about my plans next year. And my doctor upped my meds. Things are starting to get better.”

“Good. Wanna blow me?”

“We have a staff meeting in ten minutes.”

“I’m kidding!” Camilla cackles. “You thought about it though, didn’t you?”

“I’m only human, Mills.”

“I’m not doing the friends with benefits thing this summer,” Camilla announces, even though Jack hasn’t asked. It’s this pattern they fall into; they begin every summer as friends and by the halfway point they’re hooking up every other weekend when Camilla’s roommates take their teen campers on the end-of-session overnight backpacking trip. “And that’s not meant to be pressure to get you to commit or anything. I’m in love.”

“Is he or she on staff here or—?”

“Pfft. I told you I’m not doing the friends with benefits thing this summer. He is the captain of the men’s tennis team at your school, actually. Turns out somebody wanted to buy me a drink that weekend.”

“Peter?”

“You know him?”

“We have captains meetings once a quarter.”

“Of course. He’s coming up for a weekend next month. He’s a good guy, right?”

“I haven’t heard any horrible rumors about him. Haven’t spent a lot of time with him either, but he seems cool.”

“Well, he’s no Jack Laurent Zimmermann,” Camilla says, knocking Jack’s shoulder with her knee. “But his blowjobs are phenomenal.”

“Is he bi? Did I miss out?” Not that it would have mattered. Jack was so depressed last semester that Camilla could have paraded through his apartment wearing nothing but his jersey and he wouldn’t have been able to get it up.

“Guess you’ll never know,” Camilla says smugly.

[ineverlookavvay]

I've hung my happiness upon what it all could be

Teenage Michael wants to tell Alex his secret, but it doesn't go as planned.

Fic prompt: “There’s something you should know…”  - Day 2 of Michael Guerin Week 2020

read it on Ao3

“I’m gonna tell him.”  Michael said it firmly, like they couldn’t argue.  Max and Isobel stared at him with equal but opposing looks of anger. 

“No you’re not,” Isobel said, taking a sip of her vitamin water.  Michael swallowed the eye roll bursting to come out of him.  They were all coping with things differently: Isobel was turning into the perfect wasp-y daughter her parents had always wanted her to be, Max was lining his life with rules, and Michael was trying desperately to find something to make himself feel good for even just a moment.  And, some might argue, ruining his life in the process.

“You’re not,” Max affirmed, giving Michael one of his important, holier-than-thou looks.  Like Michael couldn’t make this decision for himself, after all he’s already given up for them. 

“It’s not your decision,” he insisted, “and I’ve already made up my mind.  I’m just letting you know as a courtesy.” 

“You can’t tell a human.”  Isobel whispered the word human like it was a slur.  “Especially now.  We made this decision as a group, remember?” 

“This isn’t some random guy, this is...it’s important.”

“Oh, it’s important?  Michael, our own parents don’t know the truth.  You know that keeping our true selves a secret is the most important thing.  You know that.”

Michael sighed.  “Yeah, I know.”  He flexed his ruined hand, wincing at the pain of the stretch.  

He wanted to tell Alex, every flash of pain in his damn hand felt like a reminder that he wanted to tell Alex, wanted to be honest about something in his life.  They’d been drifting apart, Michael knew that, and he knew why, knew that it was his fault, his failings.  Everything was going wrong—Michael didn’t have Max anymore, he didn’t have school, he didn’t have a future at all, and he had this guilt, this fear, sitting in his stomach all the time, not to mention his hand, and now it seemed like he didn’t have Alex either; he was going to just be another deadbeat cowboy without a future and with a regular booth at the bar, all the admittedly sparse love he thought he’d found would be gone.  He couldn’t lose Alex, he needed that quiet, he needed to be able to feel the way he did when Alex looked at him, like he mattered.    

What he needed was to close the widening distance, and he couldn’t very well tell the truth about why he’d been so distant, and angry, and lost.  The less pressing truth—albeit maybe the bigger truth—would have to be enough, enough to prove that Michael cared, that he didn’t want a summer thing, that he couldn’t let go.  He just needed someone to know him.  And he wanted it to be Alex.

Plus, he’d been learning to play the guitar backwards, strumming with his mind, a pick floating in front of the strings as he felt out the chords with his right hand.  The guitar he had in his possession was stolen, of course, which wouldn’t be great to lead with, but the trick was fun, and he thought once they got past the initial shock of it, Alex would like it.  And Michael desperately needed something about himself for Alex to like. 

“Do we need to remind you what happened when you lost control?  You want to risk everything and for what?”  Isobel was really growing into her adopted family, her tone straight out of Mrs. Evans’s playbook.  “Some boy who’s too much of a secret to tell us his name?  Who you won’t even talk to in a few months?”  

Michael bit his tongue so hard he could taste blood. 

Isobel’s phone rang and she got up to answer it, shooting Michael a parting look that he only forgave because it was her.  

“She’s right, though,” Max said quietly.  “You can’t tell him.” 

“Yeah, I know.”  

“What happens when he leaves for college?”  Max pressed.  “What happens when you move on and he still knows?  Every scenario ends with us on a specimen table.  You can’t tell him.”

Michael sagged as he stood, the weight of the conversation adding to everything else.  It was all too much.  “I know.”  Max nodded, like that was it, done, decided; and Michael threw one last hail Mary pass to the wind.  “What if it was Liz?  Wouldn’t you want to tell her, if it would save you from losing her?”

Max frowned, and Michael could tell he’d fucked up, hit a nerve that was too deep, and that he should have left well alone.  And it wasn’t the same, not at all, because Liz was gone and Alex wasn’t.  Because Max could get up and go to work and live his life, and Michael could only see the edge of the cliff getting closer and closer.  

“No.”  Max said, firmly.  “We can’t tell anyone.  This is a family thing, Michael.  It’s not a card you can play.  It’s our lives.”  

“Yeah.”  There was no sense arguing, they would never understand what his life was, not when their own experience was so damn rosy, and they would never understand why he had to do this.  Why he needed there to be something true in his life right now, something good. This hadn’t gone the way he wanted, but Max and Isobel never even had to know if he told Alex—Michael was sure that Alex wouldn’t tell anyone, wouldn’t betray him. 

“You wanna stay for dinner?”  Isobel asked, coming back over, her stance softening as she took in the tight shield of Michael’s body.  “Mom’s making a casserole.”

“Nah, I’m good.”  Michael shook his head and started backing up towards his truck.  He hated feeling like a charity case, hated the look in both of their eyes, the one they’d developed to hide their pity, like Michael couldn’t still see through that.  “Later.”

Inside the protection of his truck, Michael leaned his head back against the headrest and sighed.  He wasn’t sure what he’d expected, but somehow he thought they’d understand, he thought they’d see how important this was, how close Michael was to drowning.  Unwittingly, he’d gone from the black sheep to the clean-up crew, the person they would only listen to when something bad was happening, something they judged important, and every other moment he was just a disappointment, the hothead who fucked it all up.  And he didn’t have to put up with that, not when there was still someone else out there who did want him around, who did give a fuck.  

Michael put the truck into gear and drove towards the UFO Emporium.  Alex was still working, which was good, since Michael was probably the only one of anyone who didn’t have a cell phone, and even if he did, there was such a high chance of Alex’s dad monitoring his cell phone that Michael would never have been able to call or text it anyway.  

There wasn’t a line, there was never a line, and Michael stepped up to the window apprehensively.  “Can you come by, later?  I’ve got something to show you.”

Alex looked up quickly, reacting to Michael’s voice, and then looked around quickly, scanning like he thought someone would be watching.  “Yeah, okay.  I’m off at 7.”

Michael nodded and Alex looked so uneasy that he didn’t bother sticking around to talk, just walked back to his trunk and drove off to the small rectangle of land he was currently parking on, a sorry excuse for a home.  Alex knew where to find him, though, and that gave it a sort of silver lining. 

He waited, drinking a beer he’d been given by someone days ago and stashed in the truck, trying to calm his nerves.  He had decided, it didn’t matter what Max and Isobel said—he was going to tell Alex, and it was going to close this chasm widening between them, and it was going to be worth it, and Michael would stay afloat. 

Alex pulled up early enough that it was clear he’d come straight from work.  Michael sat in the truck bed watching him approach.  There was something off about Alex, something different, but Michael couldn’t put his finger on it, not when his mind was snarled with love and nerves and fear and anger and everything else.  A big black tangle, that only Alex had ever been able to begin to unwind.  He was going to tell him. 

“So what’s up?”  Alex said, rubbing his palm against the metal wall of the truck bed like he wasn’t sure he was going to jump up next to Michael.  That wasn’t a good sign, even if he did eventually nod and climb up.  

Michael took a deep breath and immediately hesitated, veering off from the direct words.  “I’m teaching myself to play guitar again.  Backwards, but still.”  

Alex smiled, but there was something like intense sadness under it.  “That’s great, Michael.”

Michael swallowed.  That wasn’t exactly the reaction he was hoping for.  He pulled the stolen guitar out from where it had been hiding under a blanket and lay the fretboard across his leg.  “I want to show you, but—but there’s something you should know.  Something you need to know, first.”

“Actually, I’ve got something to tell you, too,” Alex cut in, rubbing his thumb across the threads of his jeans, the nail catching occasionally.  He wasn’t wearing nail polish, Michael realized with a start.  Or eyeliner.  All of his piercings were just empty holes.

“Let me go first,” Michael said, suddenly filled with an overwhelming sense of dread.  He didn’t want to hear whatever Alex was going to tell him, not at all; he thought his survival might depend on not hearing it.  “Alex, you know I trust you, and I want you to know I’m—“

“I’ve decided to enlist,”  Alex said, looking away and then back to Michael, his face set defiantly.  “We decided.  Last night, that it would be the best thing for me.”

Michael blanched, all of the words he’d spent the afternoon deciding on rushing out of his head.  He must have heard wrong.  “What the fuck do you mean?”  His voice sounded angrier than he meant it to, more desperate, and Alex sighed and looked back down at his hands.  Then the rest of the sentence hit Michael.  “Who the fuck is ‘we’?”

“My dad and I.  It’s—I made the right decision for me right now.”

“Like hell you did.”  Michael banged his fist against the truck bed, the metal sound reverberating through the guitar with a discordant twang.  Alex winced, closing his eyes, and Michael immediately wanted to take the angry gesture back.  “I’m sorry.”  He put his hand gently on Alex’s leg and Alex didn’t look at him, but didn’t flinch away either.  “But…you hate that shit.  What about your music?  What about getting out of here?”

“I am getting out of here,” Alex retorted.  

“Not on your terms.  Not like…”  Michael paused to take a breath.  It had occurred to him recently, that they could just leave, together—once Alex knew the truth, they could leave and protect each other, and Max could stay here and protect Isobel; it would be better for them to be spread out anyway.  Michael hadn’t said it out loud yet, and certainly not to Alex, but he’d been harboring this fantasy deep inside him, and he could feel it slipping like water through his fingers now.  “We could leave,” he said quietly, urgently.  “Just hear me out and we can figure everything out, and you won’t have to—to fight in their wars.”

He could tell it wasn’t enough.

Alex scoffed, looking up at him again.  “You’re talking about nothing, Michael.”

  Michael could hear Max and Isobel’s words from earlier echoing in his bones, taunting him with how right they were.  Michael felt stupid, like he’d been tricked into thinking this meant something, when Alex could just leave.  Except, he didn’t think he’d really been tricked, he thought they were both drowning, both reaching out for something to keep them afloat.  The issue was that thing for Michael was Alex, but for Alex, it wasn’t Michael.  

“You don’t have to do this,” he said, pleading, but trying to make his voice sound certain.  Michael had been so sure, so sure, that telling Alex was the right thing; so sure that they were something different, that this was the first time in his life he wouldn’t be left behind.  He hated himself for thinking that, for getting his goddamn hopes up.

“Grow up, Guerin,” Alex said sharply.  Then he sighed, and when he looked back up at Michael he looked sad, regretful.  But not enough to change anything.  “I should go.”  He slid off of the truck and started walking back to his car. 

“Alex!  Wait!”  Michael jumped down into the dirt, taking a few steps forward.  He didn’t know if Alex wanted to be followed, and he couldn’t take more steps without the guarantee that he wouldn’t be running after someone who didn’t want to be chased.  Alex turned around with his hand on the door of his car and smiled sadly at Michael, waiting for Michael to talk.  He could still tell him, but it felt less like sharing a secret and more like throwing everything away for someone who didn’t even give enough of a shit to stay.  “When do you leave?”

Alex shook his head.  “Soon.”

Michael bit his lip, because he didn’t cry, and he didn’t show weakness, especially to someone who could hurt him.  “Don’t leave without saying goodbye,” he said, eventually, and Alex nodded, still smiling that sad, tight smile.  

Michael watched him drive away, walking back over to the truck.  He’d have to let Max and Isobel know that he hadn’t said anything after all, even if he hated telling them they’d been right. He felt like such an idiot for believing anything other than what they’d known their entire lives—it was just the three of them, and no one else was ever going to know him like Max and Isobel.  Michael just had to get used to that.     

He slammed his fist against the side of the truck again, closing his eyes.  Michael liked the noise it made when he hit the truck, the sympathetic echoing sound of the guitar, filled with the kind of chaos that was inside him.  He picked up the guitar, considering it.  He’d been so excited to show Alex the trick, and now it just felt stupid, trite and childish.  He should be focused on getting himself out of Roswell, and not on what amounted to party tricks.  

The thought hung heavily over him, and Michael was suddenly so fucking angry at everything—at Alex, at Max and Isobel, at the whole situation that left him here, alone, like always, but this time for the long run.  He wrapped his fist around the fretboard and slammed the stupid stolen guitar against the metal of the truck.  Sharp splintering noises that sounded like everything he couldn’t say, as the guitar turned into shards of wood and string, until there was nothing left in his hand, until all Michael was filled with was an empty kind of sadness. 

He got back in the truck and drove to Max and Isobel’s house, pausing and then knocking on the door.  Isobel answered, looking surprised.  

“Everything okay?”

Michael ignored the question.  “I didn’t tell him.  I just—I wanted you to know that I didn’t do it.”

Isobel looked like she was going to gloat about winning the argument, then she seemed to take in Michael’s appearance, and pulled the door open wider instead.  “What happened?”

Michael smiled widely, humorlessly.  “You were right.  It wasn’t what I thought it was.” 

“Want to come in?  Mom just served dessert.”

“No ‘I told you so, Michael’?”  

She hesitated, then shook her head.  “Not this time.  Come inside?” 

Part of Michael wanted to be anywhere else than inserting himself, unwanted, into their happy family, but the other part knew that anywhere else he would go tonight would end up being worse, would end with him hurt or arrested or blacked out.  He probably still would end up there, but at least he could put that off for a few hours.  

He nodded, and walked inside with Isobel, and wished that would be enough.  

[yourjughead]

Little Sister

Request: Reader is Betty/Polly little sister, they comfort Jughead after she leaves him...use Elvis "Little Sister" for inspiration.... Warnings: none. Light swearing but I'm irish so none of this is swearing to me 😂 fluff. Pairings: Jugxreader, bettyxarchie mentioned. A/N: Had fun writing this. I decided to not do smut in this but did leave it open to another part if that's what ye would like. ((Messages in double brackets means it's me speaking)). Also I don't think I used the word Smirk(ed) in this entire fic which is an accomplishment for me. -----------------------------------------------

Betty and Jughead. A pair everyone adored for their differences but I hated for the same reason. Ever since I was small I felt strongly for Jughead but he felt strongly for no one. That is until my blonde perfect girl next door sister took a shine to him. It was circumstantial love I believe and was almost completely right. Jason Blossoms murder brought them together and drove space between Jughead and I.

Betty always got what she wanted, ever since we were small.  I was only a year apart from her and 6 months from Jug but it seemed to make all the difference in the world. When we were younger Betty would fall over herself after Archie, never Juggy. I could and would never understand. It was only when Archie finally addressed his feelings, or lack of, that Jughead suddenly became of interest. It broke me a little more every time I saw them together. Of course Jug liked Betty, not many didn't….except Archie's like of her had limits.

I came home one rainy, stormy Sunday, the best type of Sundays, having just walked Vegas for Fred. I removed my dripping jacket and threw it on the banister knowing mom would give out to me about it later. Betty sat on the couch facing away from me eyes on the wall.

“Umm hey Bets….Y’alright?” I asked slowly stepping into the room.

“Archie asked me out” she said still eyes on the wall. I can't believe what I've just heard. “Umm.....okay….” i have no idea how to respond. “I said yes” she finally turned to face me, looking Betty-ish as ever.

“Umm but what ab..” I started with anger rising as she cut in.

“We….I broke it off” she smiled smally. I wanted to scream at her. How could she do that to Jughead!

“We don't have anything in common...without the investigation and I mean Archie's dad is still getting better so he needs me and” my turn to cut in.

“SO YOU JUST DUMPED ONE OF THE NICEST HUMANS IN THE ENTIRE WORLD TO MOVE ONTO SOME OTHER PROJECT! THESE ARE PEOPLE POL...BETTY NOT YOUR PLAY THINGS! THERE ARE WAYS TO BE THERE FOR PEOPLE WITHOUT DATING THEM! WHAT DO YOU THINK I'VE BEEN DOING WITH JUGHEAD FOR SO LONG DESPITE WHAT I'VE WANTED?!” oops.

I stormed out into the rain before she could react...or at least before I could see it. I threw open the door of our old beat down Nissan that Betty and I shared. I flew out of the drive, much faster than I had intended to and headed in the direction of Jughead's foster home, hoping his foster parents wouldn't be in.

Three quarters of the way there the car began to give out.

“NO NO NO YOU PIECE OF CRAP NOOOOO” i shouted as I banged the steering wheel and threw myself against the seat as the rain beat down on the windows.

I exhaled so loud i thought I would run out of oxygen in my lungs. Screw it.   I jumped out of the car and began to walk the distance left to Jugheads. This quickly became a run as the rain came down harder than ever. I arrived on the porch completely soaked to my skin and out of breath. Teeth chattering I knocked on the door and waited.

Jughead POV

There was a knock at the door downstairs. Ughhhhh Bill and Laura aren't in so I should go down and answer that….or not. I threw myself back into the bed face down not wanting to face the world today. Betty just broke my heart for Archie, something I had always expected might happen but pushed out of my head. Stupid Jughead stupid!

My phone buzzed all day since it happened. Texts from Archie and Betty with apologies. Somehow they're not sorry enough to come to the Southside even for a little bit. Y/N was the only one to come here from riverdale for the sole purpose of seeing me. Ah y/n, I should have just stayed hopelessly crushing on her instead. I didn't think anything would ever happen between us and had to force my feelings away. Stupid Jughead stupid!

The knocking at the door had stopped and I rolled onto my back. Probably a cold caller. Ugh A sudden rapid beating came to the window. I jumped to my feet to see y/ns foggy face staring back at me through the wet pane.

“y/n! What the hell you could slip and fall!” i say pulling her from the tree she climbed and into the warmth of the room.

“Oh my god you're soaking what happened?!”

“Vegas. Rain. Betty. Anger. Cursing. Ran. Coat-less. Car. No car. Cursing. More running. More cursing. Knocking. No knocking. Cursing. Tree. Cursing. Window. You.” she hunched over saying the bare minimum as she try to catch her breath shaking. Okay... I understood most of that.

I went to the dresser and pulled out one of my long bed tshirts and a towel tossing them to her. I left the room briefly to return with cans of fizzy drink and found her dropping her clothes to dry over the chair and bathroom door.

“Thanks Jug” she said taking the can and collapsing down on my bed. I spun on my heels and fell down next to her. Both of us stayed there in comfortable silence looking at the ceiling. I could feel her still shivering so moved closer while pulling the blanket over us. Silence returned after the ruffling.

“So”

“So” I replied. More silence. I already know what she's about to say.

“You and betty….” I exhaled deeply. Although I had known this was today's purpose of her visit I had still held out a glimmer of hope she wouldn't say anything.  I guess I don't know her as well as I thought to the think something so foolish.

I shut my eyes tight wanting y/n to stay but the problem go away. I begged my body not to. Small tears ran down my face and onto the pillow. I had only cried in front of one person before that wasn't in my family and that was the person next to me. The first time had been cause she ran off with my comic books when we were 5, the other was when mom took Jellybean and left so I ran to y/ns. Y/N noticed the tears and caught my hand in hers.

“Now Juggy I didn't take your comic books this time so stop crying” she smiled at me with her kind beautiful eyes, I returned a small smile. She caught my hand tighter and pulled it up and over her so her head was on my chest and my arm around her.

“Yeah you're right...besides deep down I knew I wasn't good enough for her so I shouldn't be surprised” I had never seen y/n move so fast as she left my chest and sat up with such speed that it startled me.

“Don't ever ever say that again Forsythe Pendleton Jones the III or I swear I'll spill honey on all of your comic books! She wasn't good enough for you!  No one is and be sure of that!” she said with such confidence that I felt a little better instantly. She returned to my chest, cuddling in closer. I felt better again.

“I'm so stupid” i said again a moment later. I felt her eyes dart up to mine ready to give out to me. “But for a different reason than….than Betty” “oh?”

“I left my feelings for you be pushed down too much…” what was I doing?! What am I doing?! I just broke up with her sister and now I'm….hitting on her?

"why did you” i feel her shift slightly. Oh great I've made her uncomfortable and ruined the moment.  Good job Jug good job.

“Yanno y/n I've ask myself that everyday i see you” okay who am I and what have I done with me. She shifted again.

“y/n”

“yeah”

“when you think it's been an appropriate amount of time...if you ever do….do you wanna ummmm...you wanna go out” i have no idea who the hell I think I am to be so brazen to ask the little sister of my….of my ex out.

“yes” wow. I can't believe it. I really can't believe it. I can feel myself grinning ear to ear.

“Juggy”

“yeah”

“Archie asked betty out when ye were still dating” okay ouch. I don't need to be reminded of that especially when I'm rising from the ground to cloud 9.

“And….” i try not to sound annoyed or upset at her random statement of the painful obvious. She rolled onto her stomach before pushing up onto her knees.

“and” she repeats. I'm about to say “and” again before she bent back down and we kissed. What a great kiss. So genuine and caring. I instantly missed her as she pulled back away.

“And I think it's been enough time” she grinned before I pulled her back down to meet my lips again, not wanting this to end. -------------------------------- Teehee. Let me know about any other request or if you want a smut part 2. Tag: @sunshine51879

[hotdamnvoltageman]

extra shot

kota igarashi x mc (misaki kasagi)

a/n: so idk if anyone even remembers this series exists, but if you did: ta-dah!!! basically, coffeeshop!AU fics are always longer than my standard fics, so it took more time than i expected, and coupled with my sudden rise in popularity in the slbp fandom it took even longer — but i did it!! and here we are!! thanks to everyone for their support <3 also thanks @oh-well-this-is-awkward for encouraging my coffee pun titles, and @jemchewreadsfanfiction i warned you ahead of time~

(also, can you tell i really love the mc’s canon bff rina from the app? because i love mc’s canon bff rina.)

Misaki glances up from the till, her eyes catching for the umpteenth time that day on the stranger in the back right corner.

She shouldn't call him a stranger, really, she thinks, furrowing her brow. He comes in at least once a week, and has been for almost two months now.

She just doesn't know his name. Or anything about him, except that he likes video games (judging by the stickers on his MacBook), sitting in corners away from the windows, and lots of espresso.

Lots and lots of espresso.

She hurriedly looks down when his eyes flick up from his laptop screen, his gaze both confrontational and curious. She stares at the lazy circles made by her damp rag on the countertop, pretending to be engrossed in her work.

One other thing she does know about the stranger: he has quite the sharp tongue, and he's not afraid to use it. He gives off the air of being constantly irritated, gaze (glare) shifting like a cat's, chin high despite his pale gray hood being pulled resolutely up at all times.

Despite all the scowling and hiding in the corner, though, he's actually not bad looking — and he always leaves good tips, which is a point in his favor as far as Misaki and Rina are concerned. His voice is nice, too, from what little she's heard of it. She imagines it would sound nicer if he'd stop seeming so angry all the time, or reply with more than one word answers.

Misaki glances up again and is saved from his piercing glare by Rina, who comes swinging through the front doors with a little wave and a plastic bag hung over her wrist.

"Lunch is served!" She chimes, setting the bag down on the counter in front of Misaki.

"I'll take register. You go eat before you wither away," she jokes, poking at Misaki's ribs. Misaki shies away from her friend's touch, swatting at her hand and laughing affectionately.

She almost, almost forgets the pair of eyes glaring daggers into the back of her head, and hastily retreats into the back to hang up her apron.

She picks a table along the back wall with just one chair (her usual lunch spot) and digs hurriedly into her lunch. She overslept and didn't eat breakfast (unless orange juice constitutes as breakfast, which, she thinks, it might as well with the amount she drinks), and the second she smells food she's ravenous.

And then she feels the eyes on her again.

She glances up, and there's the sort-of-stranger, eyeing her almost suspiciously. She smiles a little, offers a small wave with her chopsticks still in hand—

He turns abruptly away and back to his computer, rapidly typing away. She frowns at him while he's not looking, and resumes her lunch at a healthier pace, conscious of her actions so as to not attract his glare. When she feels his eyes on her again, for whatever reason, she stares resolutely at her lunch, ignoring him. It's easier said than done, considering she keeps fumbling her chopsticks due to her anxiety, but she pretends to be absolutely caught up in her own world.

"Hey," says a familiar and somewhat angry voice, and she drops her chopsticks like an idiot as she jumps in her seat.

She looks up, and there's the stranger, standing at the other side of her table where there is no chair, glaring down at her.

"Hi," she blurts, then, composing herself with a smile, "Is there something I can help you with?" His expression shifts, just slightly, so he looks less angry and more confused. Altogether, he looks disgusted, and she has enough of her wits about her to feel almost insulted.

"Are you busy?"

"Not at the moment," she replies, as clipped as he had been. Surprise flashes in his eyes, but, instead of speaking, he pushes her lunch to the side and sets his laptop down in front of her. She winces as the chair he grabs from the next table over bumps along the floor.

"Um—"

"Have you ever played a video game before?"

She blinks, but his expression denotes nothing but absolute seriousness. A small part of her, buried beneath all the confusion, wants to laugh at the question. Instead, she nods.

"Yeah, I've—"

"Good. I need you to beta test this for me," he whips the laptop open as he speaks, typing rapidly for a few seconds before turning it to her. She meets his eyes, realizing that this is the first time she's been this close to him without taking his order. His bangs fall slightly into his eyes, which are a lighter shade of brown than his hair — he's actually really pretty now that she's getting a good look at him, and his jawline—

"What, are you dumb or something? Stop staring at me," he snaps, and she immediately rears back on the offensive.

"I'm not dumb! I just zoned out." The stranger blinks, color still high on his cheeks then mutters something under his breath as he looks down at the table.

"What was that?" She asks, forgetting that he's still technically a customer, and he snaps his gaze back up to hers.

"I asked if you were gonna play or not, space alien," he quips, and she furrows her brows.

"'Space alien'?"

"Because your head's always up in space! Just, play my game already!" She opens her mouth to snap a retort, then remembers that she's in her own cafe and probably shouldn't go insulting her customers. She takes a deep breath and looks down at the computer screen.

“Your game?” She asks, and he sighs, long-suffering.

“Yes. I designed it.” Despite his tone, he looks proud, almost fond, and she smiles. That explains all the game stickers and why he’s always on his laptop. She looks away before he can criticize her for grinning again.

The controls, typed in a standard white font, hang on the black screen before her. From what she can tell, it seems to be an adventure-based game, and she hopes that there are no sudden scares to send her careening out of her seat as she presses 'start.'

The game is fun, she has to admit, but she doesn't get far before the timer on her phone warns her that she only has five more minutes on her lunch break. The stranger gives her a curious look, and she turns the alarm off.

"My break is ending. Sorry—"

"I'll save your game," he cuts in, turning the laptop back to face him.

"Name," he demands, voice too flat for it to be a question.

"Misaki," she replies. Then, after a moment, she extends her hand. He snaps the laptop closed and looks from her to her hand, seemingly unimpressed, before returning the handshake at the last moment.

"Kota." He stands, sweeping the laptop under his arm. His fingers leave warm trails on her palm when they pull away.

"Thanks," he says, an afterthought, then turns away. She watches as he walks out the door, leaving her sitting, stunned, at her table.

Rina pesters her for details as she ties her apron on in the back, after.

"His name is Kota," she says, looking at the table he has occupied. "He has warm hands."

Rina rolls her eyes.

He comes into the coffeeshop the next day, orders a cappuccino with two extra shots of espresso (she's concerned for his heart), and, as she's passing it to him, does something unexpected.

"Thanks, Misaki."

It takes her a moment to realize that, one, that's her name, and, two, he's talking. To her.

And not in a mean way.

"No problem!" She chimes, a little hasty and with a too-big smile. She wants to slam her head against the countertops. Repeatedly.

She doesn't, simply because there's nobody but her and Rina working.

Her lunch break is delayed thanks to a midday rush at the coffeeshop, and she collapses into her usual seat as soon as she possibly can.

She's about halfway through her bento when a shadow falls across her table. A glance up reveals Kota, laptop tucked into the crook of his elbow, staring down at her with one eyebrow quirked just slightly.

"Care to sit?" She asks, voice calm if only because she's too tired to be nervous.

Something close to a smile works its way into the corner of his mouth, and he pulls the chair over.

"I opened your save file," he says, turning it to her. She can't help but notice there are new items in her inventory.

"I—"

"Those are items you would have earned in your last run." She nods, pleased with his explanation, and continues on her way.

She gets killed twice by the same enemy, and her phone alarm goes off as she slams her head (gently) against the table.

"In the finished game, you can work in a party to beat a boss like that. I didn't think you'd get that far." She's almost offended, but when she looks up at him he's smiling.

It's attractive enough to make her forget her words, so she just shrugs.

He stays a little longer that afternoon, but eventually he leaves, and she can't help but feel a little disappointed.

They repeat the same routine for almost two weeks, and Kota's seat moves around the table until he's at her side, watching her movements. She's surprised to find it doesn't make her nervous to have him there. Rina digs for information in the evenings, when they're supposed to be resting, gushing about "the way you two look at each other" until Misaki slaps her with a pillow to shut her up.

She refuses to let herself think that there are feelings involved, even if Rina says she's lying to herself.

(She's definitely lying to herself.)

When she finishes the game, Kota nods his approval, and he smiles at her as she gushes excitedly about her victory, even going so far as to take his hands in both of hers. He doesn't seem to mind, which is surprising, but also it's something she doesn't notice in the moment. There are a million thoughts running through her head and it feels like all that espresso he downs is running through her own bloodstream.

Her alarm goes off and she's back behind the counter, still jittery with glee, and Kota glances back from the door as he's leaving.

There's a moment, small, where her heart stalls and his eyes catch and they stand mere feet apart, and yet he seems completely out of reach.

Someone else comes to the door, and he looks away as he slips out, quickly disappearing from view.

He stays away for a week. She tries not to think about it too much, but she knows her smile falters every time she looks up at the door and finds someone else walking in. Rina tries to stay positive, but even she is confused — they had made progress, hadn’t they? Misaki would have almost called them friends, or just short of it, anyways.

She shakes it off, and lifts her chin high. If he isn’t willing to put in the effort then, well, he’s just not worth it.

But the heart wants what it wants.

One week soon becomes close to two before she sees him again, and the circumstances are nothing short of strange.

It happens like a scene out of a movie — she can see him just out the window, and he's running with his laptop tucked under his arm and his hood up, face tinged pink. The door swings open, the bell jingles loudly, and he stares straight at her as if they have a problem to sort out.

(Which is ridiculous, she thinks, indignant and confused. If anyone has a right to be glaring intensely at someone, it's her.)

She raises her eyebrows at him and smiles.

"How can I help you?" She asks, voice cold, polite, void of genuine emotion, and he has the decency to look at least momentarily shocked by this revelation.

"When's your break?" He asks, and it's so strange, to hear him talk just the same way after disappearing for a week and a half. She glances at the clock by the door.

"Fifteen minutes," she replies, and he almost slams his card on the counter.

"Large iced americano, extra shot," he says, already digging out cash to put in the tip jar. She casts glances at him, but can't for the life of her place why he seems so nervous.

She shrugs it off, hands him his receipt, and almost walks away before he says,

"I have something to show you."

His voice is softer, as if he feels a little guilty, but then he walks away from the counter — directly to her lunch table.

She wants to feel offended, or angry, but she just feels confused. He takes his order a minute later without a word, going straight back to his laptop.

Her break rolls around once he's about a third done with his drink, and she hesitantly joins him at her table.

"So," she starts. "You had something to show me?"

Her heart hurts when he looks up at her, because there's a light in his eyes that never used to be there when he looks up to nod at her, and she wants to ask why he left like he did — why he just abandoned her so suddenly. She knows it's nonsensical, feeling the way she does, but she can't help it; she likes him.

She likes Kota.

And she'll admit that, for a moment, she thought he liked her, too.

He turns the laptop to face her, but remains on his side of the table, gaze fixed on her face, as if to gauge her reactions. Her heart beats so loud she can hear it in her ears.

The game on the screen looks like a simple 8-bit style RPG, like an older horror game. She's surprised, to say the least — it's a complete departure from his last game.

"This is new," she remarks.

"Just play," he replies, but it lacks its old edge. She glances up and his cheeks are tinged red, and he averts his gaze to look at his drink instead of her.

The main character of the game is a girl with brown hair kept up in a bun, ugh like her own, and he already made her a save file under her own name.

But then things get even stranger.

As her character walks through town, she encounters a coffeeshop terribly similar to her own — out of curiosity, she sends her inside.

It's so accurate it's freaky, actually. Every table is in its rightful place, down to the chairs stationed there. She glances at Kota, but his eyes dart away from hers again, almost done with his cold press.

The game doesn’t seem to have much of a purpose, that she can see. She walks around the coffee shop, exits it, and finds almost nothing in the surrounding world of the game. None of the other buildings can even be accessed, so she returns to the coffeeshop in the hopes it will give her some answers.

When her character approaches the till, she has the option to buy a drink. Even though she hasn’t done a single thing, her character has money — so she buys a drink out of curiosity. She takes her character to the ‘usual’ table, the only one not occupied by stock characters, and starts to ask Kota what all this is about—

Another character enters the scene. A character that looks suspiciously like him, gray jacket and all, that item-drops a chair across the table from hers and produces a little cup of coffee, too. There are no dialogue options, even when she hovers the mouse over his character — but when she clicks, a little speech bubble appears above his head.

There are no words in the bubble, just two symbols: a heart, followed by a question mark.

She may or may not almost fall out of her chair when she glances up to find Kota staring her down, the tips of his ears bright red and his cheeks similarly pink.

“Um—“

“I didn’t have a lot of time,” he interrupts, redder by the second, and she furrows her brows.

"Kota?"

"Do you like movies?" He asks, suddenly, and although she's taken aback she's quick to respond.

"Yes. But what—"

“The new Joe Watabe movie is coming out this weekend. We should go.”

There’s a pause, and she isn’t even sure if she’s breathing anymore.

“Together. Us.” His face has, somehow, gotten even redder.

“Like a date?” She asks, before she can stop herself, and if the floor were to swallow her whole in this moment she would be extremely grateful. Kota looks as if he feels the same way, but the only indication of it is the blush on his cheeks — his expression remains stoic as always. She looks down at the screen again, where the little heart and question mark still hover on screen, and presses her lips into a thin line.

“This was stupid,” he suddenly grinds out, and snaps the laptop shut. The chair scrapes back, and her heart skips a beat — her fingers are twisted up in the fabric of his sleeve, and she’s preventing him from leaving before she can think of what she’s doing.

“Wait, Kota, I…” She bites her lip, suddenly embarrassed under the scrutiny of his gaze. When she speaks, her voice is softer,

“I’d like that.”

The clouds over his face suddenly lift, and he smiles. She’s never seen him smile like that, all soft edges and gentle, and it makes her heart flutter. He slips his hand into hers, and it’s still surprisingly warm, and everything is so different from what she expected — but she’s far from disappointed.

“Saturday?” He asks, and she’s too caught up in this new side of him to do anything but nod her head, dazed.

He’s dazzling, that’s it. He’s dazzling when he smiles. And he just keeps smiling—

The alarm on her phone goes off, and as they both look at it on the table he suddenly stops smiling, flushing bright red and retracting his hand awkwardly. It’s endearing, in its own way, how the way he suddenly tries to duck a little further into his sweatshirt, holding his laptop close to his side and looking off to the side. She almost, almost laughs, but she doesn’t want to wound his pride.

He notices her smile anyways, and fixes her with something she can only describe as an affectionate glare.

“What are you smiling for?”

“You’re cute,” she teases, just because, and he turns impossibly more red but also more serious. The set of his jaw is suddenly tense, and she starts to think of how to apologize for running her mouth—

Except she doesn’t have time to, because suddenly he’s kissing her and every train of thought goes flying off the rails into oblivion because, oh my God—

He pulls away, looking almost reluctant before smirking triumphantly at the look on her face; she can feel her cheeks burning and she wants to be angry at him, but…

She just can’t be, when he looks like that.

“See you Saturday,” he says, and leaves her just like that, shell-shocked.

“Oh my God,” she hears Rina say from the counter, echoing her own thoughts, and Misaki whirls around to find her best friend staring at her, having obviously seen everything.

“Not a word!” Mistake hisses, making for the counter as fast as she’s able. Rina doesn’t speak, but the grin on her face says it all and it makes her flush with embarrassment and anger.

But even so, her thoughts drift to Saturday, and, inevitably, Kota — and she can’t keep the grin off her face.