#also I decided to go with a slightly longer format

[missrosegold]

I've got a blood trail red in the blue

Synopsis: Vampire!AU You moved to the quiet, costal town to escape from your ex, only to find yourself entangled with a man with fiery blue eyes, and a grin that’s slightly too sharp.

He may or may not be an immortal gang leader to a bunch of other blood-sucking degenerates, but you’ll worry about that later.

Word count: 20k

Pairing: Dabi x Reader (fem!reader)

Warnings: Mentions of murder, Blood and gore, Smut, Mentioned past toxic relationships, Smoking, Smut and additional warnings listed below so Minors or Ageless blogs please DNI. This is rated 18+

Playlist: Take Me To The Sun - D4VD + The Summoning (the ending. if you know, you know) - Sleep Token

For @kimkaelyn Thank you for all of the encouragement you’ve shown me when I needed it most – this one’s for you. Also, thank you for making this beautiful banner for me!! It looks so good!!

Title is from The Summoning by Sleep Token

Inspired by The Lost boys

Happy Birthday Dabi - I'm so pleased I was able to finish this for his birthday. He deserves all good things.

**You can read it on A03 here if the formatting on Tumblr is throwing you off! I cross-post all my works to my A03 account!

Tagging: @vambirezz @dabisqueen @little-red-insomniac @sunaraii @touyasprettydoll @touyas-back-lover @cloudsz04 @faetheral @impulsivethoughtsat2am @whitemochabunnie

You sigh loudly as you move the last box of your things into your new bedroom.

Dusting off your hands, you stand up and look around the small room, giving it an approving once over, before heading out into the living room to continue putting the rest of your things away in your new apartment.

Opting to take a quick break, you crack open the sliding glass doors leading out onto your small patio and step outside into the evening air. Closing your eyes, you breathe in the balmy, salt laced air, as a cool breeze combs through your hair, sending pleasant chills down your spine. You stay like that for a moment, before the sound of seagulls cawing overhead draws your attention to the surrounding view.

The sight of the small costal town spread out before your balcony greets you, as you look outward. You’d just moved to the town of Ashikita a few days ago, leaving your life in the busy city of Tokyo behind you. You scowl even thinking about the place.

You’d loved your life in Tokyo. It was the person you shared your life with there you’d hated.

You purse your lips as your thoughts trail back to your ex-boyfriend, despite your best efforts. He was the sole reason you’d moved all the way out to this small town in the first place. Your relationship had been on a downwards spiral for a while, and had gradually become unhealthier the longer you’d stayed with him. He had become progressively more controlling and manipulative whenever you’d tried to leave your shared apartment for anything else aside for work, and his behavior had only become worse by the day.

Eventually, things came to a boiling point when he decided to try and lock you in the bathroom when you’d told him that you were going out to see a friend, and that had been your breaking point. You had packed your things up when he’d left to go to work, and that had been that. You had taken up residence at your parent’s place for a few months while you’d searched for a new apartment and a new job, far away from your ex’s grasp, all the while dodging his incessant calling, before blocking him all together.

You had settled in Ashikita, a small costal town in Kyushu, known for its attractive beaches and coastlines. It was also quiet during the off season, deeming it the perfect place for someone who was trying to escape from the city.

Perfect for someone who didn’t wish to be found.

You allow your gaze to sweep through the sights spread out below your balcony. Your apartment was located near the coastline, and had a nice view of the nearby beach and wooden boardwalk that wrapped around it, much to your inner delight. The twinkling of lights from the few carnival rides you can see on the old wooden platform catches your attention, and you can’t help but smile to yourself as you recall old childhood memories of when your parents used to take you to the small country fair that used to come by your hometown in the summer.

You sigh as the multicolored lights gradually become brighter as the sun slowly sinks behind the watery horizon in the distance. Glancing back into your dark apartment, you decided to go down to check out the boardwalk after night falls – not wanting to spend more time in your lonely apartment then necessary.

You slowly slink back inside, and force yourself to continue to unpacking as the outside becomes darker. Once your apartment looks somewhat like your own space, you quickly change into something a little warmer to explore the boardwalk, before making your way out of your apartment.

The boardwalk, as you discover, is only a ten-minute walk away from your building, and you use the time to lightly explore the surrounding area as you make your way towards the beach. The distant crashing of the ocean waves against the shore makes your heart pound excitedly in your chest, and the sounds of the boardwalk rides echoes through the air around you, only adding to your growing excitement.

You make your way onto the old wooden boardwalk and look around at the rides and other various vendors set up on both sides of the platform. You slowly make your way around the brightly lit area with the crowds of other people taking in the sights and sounds like you, before a gentle musical chime accompanied by soft twinkling lights in the coroner of your eye catches your attention.

Turning to your left, you gasp in delight as you find yourself looking at a vintage merry go round. It’s old, older than you by probably several decades, but it’s no less charming than it would’ve been when it was brand new. You can’t remember the last time you’ve been on one, and before you can think about what you’re doing, you’re in the short line to buy a ticket.

The teen running the ride looks entirely uninterested as he takes your money before passing you a ticket and waving you on. You slowly make your way around the merry go round, taking in all of the old wooden animals – most of their paint old and dull – before settling on a sleek black horse wearing a blue saddle and bridle.

Not long after choosing your mount, the voice of the teen operating the ride crackles to life over the loud speaker and announces the ride was starting, before the squealing of gears and the hum of hidden electronics signals the start of the ride. You grip the pole as your horse slowly moves up and down, giggling in spite of yourself.

The world spins around you slowly and you lose yourself in the tinny sounds of music blaring out of the ancient speakers scattered around the ride. As you glance out at the boardwalk outside of the merry go round, something catches your attention.

No, not something, someone.

You catch a fleeting glimpse of a tall man dressed in various shades of dark blue and black, standing just outside of the fence blocking off the ride. You have to wait for the ride to do another full circle before you see him again, this time in clearer detail.

He’s standing still as a statue, allowing you to get a better look at him as you come around once again. He’s imposing looking, with his dark attire, save for a white shirt draped loosely around his gangly frame. He’s wearing a long dark blue duster and stitched pants, tucked into black combat boots – a strange choice of clothing considering the warm weather. He’s tall and lean, but you can tell he’s well-built underneath the loose clothes he wears; but his unique choice of clothing isn’t what draws your attention to him.

He is without a doubt, one of the most handsome men you’ve ever seen.

His spiky black hair is as dark as night, and his skin is pale and flawless, drawing attention to his high cheekbones but you notice a slight roundness to his cheeks, giving a gentle softness to his otherwise edgy features.

As you pass him once more, you lock eyes with the intriguing stranger and your breath hitches in your throat. His eyes are as blue as the surrounding ocean. You don’t think you’ve ever seen any one with eyes that particular shade of blue before.

As you slowly pass him again, he smirks at you, and you feel your heart flutter in your chest involuntarily.

The crackling sounds from the old loudspeakers snap you out of your trance as the teen from before announces the ride was over, and to leave at the nearest exit point. You slide off your horse and make your way to the exit, speed walking back to where you first saw the dark-haired man, only to find he’d seemingly vanished.

You look around the area, confused as to how he could’ve disappeared so fast, only to hear deep laughter echoing a little further down the boardwalk. You turn in the direction of the laughter, only to see the dark-haired man standing in the middle of a group of four other men.

They’re an interesting looking group if you’ve ever seen one: a silvery, white-haired man with vibrant red eyes is standing next to your handsome stranger, snickering at something he said, drawing your attention to the odd amount of scarring under his eyes and around his mouth. Beside him, a man with what you can only assume is box-dyed pink hair, dressed in a black hoodie is leaning slightly on him, listening intently to what he’s saying. On the other side of the ravenette; a taller, slightly older looking blonde-haired man with a long scar running down his forehead, is smoking a cigarette, and beside him, a well-dressed brunette who looked to be about the same age as his scarred companion, is fixing his tie, smiling and nodding with whatever was being discussed.

You smile to yourself as you take in the group. As much as you would’ve liked to talk to the dark-haired man, you didn’t want to interrupt his time with his friends. You turn around, ready to make your leave, only to feel a sudden weight draped around your shoulders. Startled, you whirl around only to find yourself staring up into the deep blue eyes of handsome stranger from before.

Now that he’s up close and personal, you find yourself unable to look away from the unique blue of his eyes. There’s something about them that has you completely entranced, and suddenly, the rest of your surroundings seem to fade away until it’s just you and him. You’re stuck in his orbit and he’s pulling you in simply by looking at you, pinning you in place where you stand. The stranger suddenly blinks, and just like that; he releases you from whatever hold he had you in, abruptly snapping you back to reality.

You don’t even have time to wonder how the hell he was able to catch up to you so fast, before you feel your throat dry up and close up involuntarily as he shoots you a dark smirk.

“’Sup sweetheart?”

His deep voice startles you. It’s smooth, with a slight rasp to it, sounding like he’d smoked recently. He’s warm as well – it’s almost shocking how hot he is, as you feel the heat from his body leaching into your side through the barrier your clothes provide.

You struggle to come up with a response to his greeting, and you can tell by the way his grin grows slightly, he enjoys the effect he has on you. He squeezes your shoulders again, almost teasingly.

“What’s the matter? Don’t tell me you’re getting all shy on me now? I saw you checking me out on the merry go round. Thought you wanted to say hello.”

“You saw that?” you ask before you can stop yourself, fighting to keep the flush you feel creeping up your neck under control, as the man throws his head back and laughs, allowing you to catch sight of clean white teeth that seemed slightly sharper than the average person’s.

“Yeah, I saw. Gotta say, I’m flattered. Haven’t seen a cute thing like you around here for a while. You new here?”

“I… Yeah.” You finally manage to sputter out, “I just moved here.” causing him to grin again.

“Yeah? Where are you from?”

“Tokyo. I got a new job down here. It’s a lot different than the city. Nice though.”

The dark-haired man nodded. “I bet. Why did you move here? This isn’t exactly a major city. I’m surprised you’d want to come here of all places.”

You freeze. Memories of your ex come flooding back, and you chew on your lip as you struggle to figure out what to tell the handsome man. You didn’t want to divulge your shitty dating history to a total stranger, when you yourself were trying to move on. Thankfully, the longer you remain silent, the more the grin seemed to slide off his lips, seemingly understanding what you were thinking, without you having to say a word.

“Someone there made you want to leave?”

You nod soundlessly, causing the man to kiss the back of his teeth.

“Well, that’s a shame. Dunno who the jackass is who made you feel the need to come to a remote shithole like this, but fuck ‘em.”

His brunt comment makes you snort in spite of yourself. You turn in his hold so you’re facing him more directly, offering him a half smile. “I don’t even know your name. What is it?”

The man grins salaciously at you as he stoops down to your level. “Dabi. And you, gorgeous?”

You know there’s not a chance in hell that’s his real name, but you decide not to press him on it. Maybe you’ll ask him about it later, if you ever run into him again.

You tell him your name, and he straightens back up, rolling your name off his tongue, causing you to flush gently under the intensity of his piercing blue gaze, He jerks his thumb back at the group of young men behind him. “The guys and I were just hanging around the boardwalk. Wanna walk with me pretty girl?”

You look over his shoulder to see the other four men staring you down intently. There something about the way they’re looking at you that makes you uneasy, but you can’t place what about it makes you uncomfortable. Instead, you smile up at him and shake your head.

“That’s okay, I don’t want to interrupt your time with your friends. I just wanted to explore a little bit. I’m still unpacking my apartment, so I should probably get back to doing that.”

“You wouldn’t be intruding.” Dabi sends you another grin, teeth glinting like knives in the carnival lights. “I’m sure you’d be better company then those jokers always.”

“I’m good.” You tell him, gently removing his arm from around your shoulders, watching as his smirk falls slightly at your gesture. “Maybe next time, if you’re around.”

“My boys and I live close to the area. I’m sure we’ll meet up at some point.” Dabi takes a step back from you, shoving his hands into his pockets, and sends you another smoldering grin that makes your heart speed up to dangerous levels.

“See you later sweetheart.”

“Bye.” You tell him with a timid wave, watching as he sends you a knowing wink, before turning on his heel and making his way back to his friends, who are already at his throat.

“What the hell was that, Dabi? Thought you were going to bring her back for sure.”

“Dude, I can’t believe you didn’t take her out. You always manage to pull—”

“Shut the hell up you psychos.”

Your roll your eyes as at their conversation as you shift your purse on your shoulder and walk in the opposite direction, away from the interesting group and back towards your apartment. The sound of the roaring ocean overtakes the sounds of the boardwalk as you make the trek back to your apartment alone.

You wake up the next morning to the sound of your phone alarm going off.

You get up with a groan, and slowly begin your morning routine. You shuffle around your apartment as you get ready to start your new office job. You pack your lunch with what meager items you have in your fridge, before heading downstairs to where your car is parked. Hopping in, you quickly plug the coordinates into your car’s nav system, and make the twenty-minute drive to your new office.

 It’s small building, and your job is an entrée level position, but it pays decently well and is still more than enough to cover your living expenses – it’s part of the reason you took the job in the first place, since you’ll have to pay the entirety of your rent by yourself now.

Still, you’d much rather struggle by yourself then crawl back to your ex.

You day is uneventful, and you spend the majority of your day filling out new employee paperwork and getting to know the rest of your new colleagues. They’re nice and seemingly keep mostly to themselves, something you’re not used to after working in Tokyo for the last several years.

Still though, you can’t complain. Honestly, you think it might be good to keep your head down for a while as you get settled in. There’d be plenty of time to get to know the rest of your new coworkers later.

Your day passes quickly, and before you know it, you’re pulling into your parking space at your apartment building. Soon enough, you find yourself shutting the door to your apartment with a sigh as you kick your shoes off, before heading into your bedroom to change out of your work clothes and into something more comfortable.

As you make your way back out into your small living room, you’re hit with how bland your new apartment looks in comparison to your old one, and suddenly you don’t want to be in your tiny apartment. You glance out the living room window that’s pointed towards the beach and you know where you want to go.

Grabbing your keys, you find yourself making the short walk to the beach as the sun sinks lower in the sky, casting golden reflections on the water’s choppy service. You spend an hour on the beach, relaxing and breathing in the salty air, before getting up and making your way over to the boardwalk where several food vendors are setting up.

After paying for some cotton candy, you walk around the darkening boardwalk, nibbling mindlessly on your food as you explore several areas you hadn’t been able to look at the night before. As the numerous strings of fairy lights decorating the rides gradually get brighter as the sky grows darker, you decide you head back to your apartment before it get’s too late.

Before you can turn around to make your way back to your home, you feel a presence behind you and a sudden heat washes over you.

“Didn’t expect to see you back here so soon sweetheart.”

You whirl around at the familiar voice, only to see the dark-haired man from the night before standing behind you with a sharp grin. You note he’s wearing the same clothes from the night before, but he’s switched out his long duster for a shorter leather jacket with a ripped collar, adding to his intrigue.

“Oh hey! Dabi, right?” you ask him, prompting him to nod with a wicked smirk.

“Sounds nice, coming from you.”

You roll your eyes at his flirtatious comment, instead asking what you wanted to ask him last night. “That’s not your real name, is it?”

Dabi’s smirk only grows wider at your question, his bright blue eyes seemingly growing brighter. “No.”

“You ever going to tell me what it is?”

The dark-haired man clicks his tongue against his teeth. “Maybe later, if you stick around long enough.”

You shrug, not seeing any point in pushing it further. “Do you live around here?”

Dabi nods after a moment. “Yeah, I rent a place near here with a few guys. They’re tolerable.”

“Oh, your friends from last night?” you ask, thinking back to the group of men with him last night. You can’t help but grin as the man’s handsome face twists into a grimace at your comment.

“Wouldn’t go as far as to call them my friends, but we’ll go with that.” His dry response causes you to laugh.

“So, you’re more of a lone wolf, huh?”

Dabi snorts, the hint of a smile gracing his lips. “Absolutely. Up until those idiots wormed their way into my life years ago, I was fine with being on my own.”

You laugh at his comment before asking: “Have you lived here long?”

At your question, Dabi seems to pause. You watch as he chews on his bottom lip before carefully responding.

“I’ve been here a while, yeah.”

You nod, “Well, it seems nice here from what I’ve seen so far. It’s a lot different from Tokyo, but in a good way, I think.”

Dabi snorts, shoving his hands into his pockets as he looks away from you. “If you’re saying that, then you clearly don’t know what actually goes on around here.”

You frown at his cryptic reply, not sure how to feel about what he’s telling you. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Dabi only gestures for you to follow him, and you do without much resistance. He ends up taking you further down the boardwalk to a spot you hadn’t yet been to, and stops in front of a large bulletin board plastered with several layers of white filers.

He taps the board. “Welcome to the missing person’s capitol of Japan.” He tells you flatly, allowing you to get a closer look at the papers rustling in the breeze. 

You feel your heart sink into your stomach as you take in the layers upon layers of printed paper faces and their basic information printed out under them. From what you can see, some of the missing person fliers are months old, and others are as recent as a week ago. The missing people seem to be of every age and ethnicity, but the number of people plastered on the bulletin board is shocking.  

You turn to Dabi, flabbergasted. “What the hell is this?”

Dabi shrugs nonchalantly. “An open secret.”

“I checked out the area before I moved here. All the websites I looked at painted this place as quiet and safe. I never saw anything like this.” You protested, causing the dark-haired man to nod.

“That’s because the authorities do whatever they can to cover it up. This has been going on for a long time. Years, honestly. These are the most recent ones.”

“The most recent?!”

“Like I said, years, babe. Didn’t you ever wonder why the rent around here was so cheap?”

“I—well, I mean, yeah, but—” You run a hand through your hair nervously. “I came here to escape from the chaos – not get involved in a different kind.”

Dabi pulls out a pack of cigarettes from his jacket pocket and puts one in his mouth, but doesn’t light it, instead opting to nudge your shoulder gently. “You’ll be fine during the day. No one’s going to steal you away sweetheart. It’s night time you have to be worried about. Just keep your head down and don’t go looking for trouble, you’ll be fine.”

You hum in response, but you must not look very convinced, because he sighs around his cigarette, taking it out of his mouth and flicking it into a nearby trashcan. “Tell you what; how about I walk you back to your building. Will that make you feel better?”

“I don’t want to inconvenience you—”

“You’re not.” Dabi interrupts you as he brushes past you gently, his abnormally warm fingers ghost the skin of your arm as he passes you. “Come on. I’ll take you back home. Can’t have someone snatching you away now, can we?”

He winks at you, laughing lightly as your face flushes against your will, yet you find yourself tailing after him, leading him back to your apartment. Normally you’d be very against allowing a near perfect stranger to know where you live, but the news of the missing people has shaken you more then you’d like to admit, and right now having some extra company doesn’t seem like a bad idea.

You walk slowly back to your apartment side by side with him, and in that time, you end up talking about anything and everything. Conversation seems to come naturally with him, and your guard slowly drops. The more you talk to him, the more he seems to loosen up in turn, though he keeps a polite distance when you try and find out more about him, instead, re-directing the conversation back to you.

“So, you never told me why you left Tokyo.” he drawls, heavily lidded eyes finding your own. “This isn’t exactly near there. I’m just trying to understand why you’d wanna leave your family behind to come here. You don’t strike me as the type who likes being alone for long periods of time.”

You stop short and mull over his question in your head. As much as you didn’t want to get into it, the raven-haired man was the closest thing you had to a friend here, and if you continued talking to him as you were, the question was bound to come up eventually. Instead, you exhale loudly through your nose before answering.

“Your original guess wasn’t far off.” You admit quietly, watching as his dark brows rise slightly at your subdued response.

You elaborate. “I left Tokyo to escape from my ex. The relationship had been bad for a while, and I should’ve left sooner then I did, but it was really hard. He was so possessive at the end, I felt like I was suffocating. It never got physical between us, but it probably would’ve if I stayed longer.”

You look up at your companion, only to see that his normally bright eyes are dark, and there’s a prominent tick in his jaw that hadn’t been there earlier. Dabi catches you staring at him, and sighs.

“Does he know where you are?” You shake your head.

“Not that I know of. I didn’t tell many people I was moving here aside from my parents. Most of my friends know I moved, but don’t know where to. I wanted to keep it quiet since he’s still trying to find ways to contact me. I don’t want him knowing where I am.”

Dabi hums in agreement as you approach your building. “So, you don’t have any friends out here, huh?”

You shake your head as you approach the main entrance. “I’m all by myself.”

You both stop a few feet from the door, and to your surprise (and relief), Dabi makes no move to invite himself in. You were worried he’d insist on walking you to your actual apartment, and as handsome as he was; you weren’t sure you wanted him knowing what apartment was yours… yet.

You’re just about to bid him goodnight before he suddenly speaks up, catching you off guard.

“What are you doing tomorrow night?”

“No plans as far as I know. Just working during the day. I should be free past six. Why?” You sputter, not expecting him to ask.

Dabi shrugs, sending you a relaxed grin, and once again you note how his teeth are oddly sharp. “It’s Friday night. If you’re not busy and you want to make some new friends, the guys I room with are having a night in. If you want to join, you can. Our place isn’t far from here.”

You’re slightly shocked at his offer. He doesn’t seem like the type who enjoys more people hanging around him then necessary, but then again, you’ve been wrong about people before, and now that he’s offered, he’s right: you don’t have any friends out here, and you are becoming lonely. Maybe meeting some new people wouldn’t be a terrible thing.

Before you can think about it any longer, you hear yourself agreeing. “Sure, that sounds great.”

Dabi smirks at you, broadcasting his pearly canines. “Excellent. I’ll let them know you’re coming. I’ll come pick you up back here when the sun drops. My place is about twenty minutes by car.”

You nod with a small smile. “That sounds good. Thanks again for walking me back Dabi.”

He only waves you off. “It’s nothing, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Yeah, bye.” You tell him as you open the door to your building, watching as he shoves his hands back into his jacket pockets and heads back in the direction of the boardwalk without another word. You watch him leave until he’s all but swallowed up by the surrounding darkness, before smiling to yourself and heading inside.

Dabi sinks his fangs into the man’s neck faster than he can scream for help. He holds him locked in a death embrace until the man’s frantic thrashing grows weaker, before completely stilling as his body grows limp in his hold.

It’s only when the man’s colour pallet has gone a deathly white does Dabi finally release his grip on the man, letting him collapse onto the sandy ground underneath the boardwalk. He wipes his bloodied mouth on the back of his sleeve with a grimace as he stares down at his victim.

Sour. Too sour for his liking. Clearly the man wasn’t in the best health before he got his hands on him, but beggers couldn’t be choosers, and he was hungry.

That’s the biggest downside to being what he is: the insatiable thirst for blood couldn’t be ignored for long. He would know. He’s tried to fight against his unsavory appetite in the past, but the end results are always the same, and he not about to starve just so a few lost souls could be spared. He’s no saint – in fact, he’s damn near the opposite of one.

Vampire.

The title is branded into him, even if only he can see it. He has to feed regularly in order to keep his more monstrous tendencies at bay, but he can go a few days without a meal. Any longer than that, and the real him becomes visible to all. The last thing he needs is anyone finding out what he really is.

Dabi feels his fangs slowly retract into his gums as he cooly observes his latest kill. It wasn’t anything personal, he didn’t even know the guy’s name. Just like the rest of his victims, he prefers not to know anything about them – it makes draining their blood harder later on. The body laying before him was just some random man he’d seen wandering the boardwalk by himself half drunk, making him an ideal target. It was all too easy to lure the man to a more secluded spot before jumping him, but he’s had years of practice perfecting his craft. He’s done it so many times he doesn’t feel much of anything anymore.

The missing person board can confirm that much.

Once he’s certain most of the evidence has been cleaned from his face, he snaps his fingers, and the corpse before him suddenly bursts into bright blue flames – consuming the unnamed man until there’s nothing left of him except for a pile of blackened ash, and the horrid smell of burnt meat. 

Dabi sighs as he turns away from the remains and slowly trudges out from the wooden underbelly of the boardwalk above him, kicking at sand carelessly as his thoughts drift back to you.

You smell so good. Your blood practically sings to him. Walking you back to your apartment had been a challenge to him, as he had to fight every urge screaming at him to whisk you away and drain you dry, just like he’s planned to when he’d first laid eyes on you. But the more he talked to you, and the more you’d let him in on certain parts of your life, the less he wanted to do so.

You were… different. You stuck out from the other humans he’s forced to be around. You were sweet, if a bit withdrawn, but it added to your appeal. Your personality was refreshing, and it made him want to keep you around, and figure out just who you really are.

It helped that he found you to be rather… pretty, to say the least.

He wouldn’t bother trying to deny you were a good-looking girl. He’d seen the way you’d looked at him on the merry go round, and if that meant anything, then you found him to be just as attractive.

Well… at least you found his current face to be handsome. He’s not sure how you’d react to his real face, but he’d cross that bridge if and when he came to it.

He feels the corners of his lips upturn at the thought. Now the real test would be if you could handle him and his boys.

The next day is uneventful. You continue your training at the office, and slowly get to know some your co-workers past a first name basis. You finish up your work load at the end of the day and bid your co-workers good-bye, before making your way back home.

The sun is just starting to dip down in the sky by the time you get back into your apartment. You toss your keys onto your tiny kitchen table, taking a seat and scrolling through your phone mindlessly.

You respond to a few texts from your friends who know where you moved to, letting them know that you’re doing okay, and how you were going to meet with some of the locals later, before one of your friends texts out something that sends a chill down your spine.

Your ex had reached out to them asking them where you went.

Your friend assures you they didn’t tell him anything before you can ask, but you still feel a heavy weight building in your stomach. You end up putting your phone down after promising you’ll text them later, before getting up and moving into the living room, breathing heavily as you fight to control your nerves.

The sun has just sunk behind the horizon as you peer out your window, only to balk as you see a sleek black car parked beside yours in the parking lot, and a familiar man lounging on the hood, smoking a cigarette.

You swear to yourself as you grab your room key and bolt out of your apartment and down the staircase to the main floor. You make your way out into the parking lot, waving at the dark-haired man, who straightens up upon seeing you.

“Hey.” Dabi rasps, tossing down his cigarette and stomping it out.

“Hi.” You tell him with a slight smile. “I didn’t expect you to come by so soon.”

“I told you when the sun sinks.” The blue-eyed man retorts, but there’s no venom behind it. “You ready?”

“Let me get changed first.” You tell him, gesturing down to your work clothes. “You can come in and wait in my apartment if you want. I’d feel bad if I left you out here.”

Dabi looks hesitant at first, but he nods and follows you stiffly towards the entrance of your building. You wave him through, and he passes you with a slightly uncomfortable look on his face, before following you up the stairs to your front door. You open it and step in, expecting him to follow you, but he doesn’t. You shoot him a questioning look, and he cocks an eyebrow at you, giving you a tiny smirk.

“Gonna invite me in doll?”

“Oh, sorry, you can come in.” You laugh, and that seems to be the invitation he was waiting for, since he glides through your doorframe easily, shutting it behind him.

You can’t help by notice how glaringly out of place he seems in your minimalist apartment. He sticks out against the light colours like a sore thumb, and you have to bite back a giggle as you watch him take a seat on your small living room couch.

“Can I get you anything to drink?” you ask him as you make your way towards your room. Dabi only shakes his head as he leans back into your sofa.

“I’m good doll, thanks.”

“Okay, I’ll be out in just a second.” You tell him as you dip into your room, shutting your door behind you. You quickly throw on some casual but nice clothes and run a brush through your hair in an attempt to rid yourself of the tangles. You don’t know what kind of night you were in for with a bunch of men who looked to be in various stages of their twenties and early thirties, but you still wanted to look presentable. The last thing you wanted was to be accused that you were trying too hard, or turning Dabi’s invitation into something it wasn’t.

Once your satisfied with how you look, you make your way into your living room where Dabi is waiting for you. You don’t miss how he eyes you up and down as he stands up and makes his way over to you. “Ready?”

“All set.” You confirm, watching as his fiery blue eyes seem to light up as he grins at you. Twirling his car keys on his finger.

“I’ll drive.”

You follow him downstairs to his car, and surprisingly, he holds the door open for you. You slide into his passenger seat with a stammered thank you, allowing him to close the door behind you and get into the driver’s side, starting the car with a low roar. He puts the car in gear and pulls out of the apartment complex, before turning onto the road that leads back towards the beach, chatting you up all the while.

Your nerves about meeting the rest of his roommates slowly fade away as he assures you that his roommates where alright (even though he claimed they were still annoying), and while some of them were quieter than others, they meant well.

He steers the car past the boardwalk, causing you to raise an eyebrow at him. Dabi catches your look and chuckles. “I rent a house on the other side of town with a few guys. It’s more secluded.”

You nod as you watch the multi-coloured lights from the rides pass you by as Dabi continues on down the road. You learn very quickly he wasn’t kidding about his house being secluded, as he pulls off the main road and onto a dirt path leading into the trees that line the left side of the road. You can’t help but inwardly sweat at the change of scenery, but the passive look on Dabi’s face doesn’t change as he focuses on the road.

“You plan on murdering me or something?” You half joke, only for him to snicker.

“Naw doll, not tonight. You’re too pretty for that.”

He must see how flushed your face is reflected in the mirror, because he laughs openly at you and reaches over to squeeze your knee with a hot hand

“Kidding. Relax, we’re here. Probably should’ve told you I live in the middle of nowhere.” He chuckles as he pulls into an old driveway and puts the car in park. “Welcome to my house.”

You find yourself looking at a large traditional-styled home that looks like nothing’s been done to it since the turn of the past century. There’s moss and dead leaves littering the roof and front yard, and some of the white paint on the front of the house is cracked and pealing. If you had stumbled across the house on your own, you would’ve thought it was abandoned – if not for the two other cars parked on the other side of the driveway, signaling the house was inhabited.

Dabi must see your apprehensive look as he gets out to open your door again despite your protests. “I know, it looks like a bit of a dump.” He admits as he jerks a thumb towards the house. “That’s what happens when you have five guys who all work nights living under one roof. Rents cheap though. It’s why we’ve been here for so long.”

“You all work nights?” you ask as Dabi leads you towards the front door. He hums in agreement as he opens the door, exposing a dark inside interior.

The more you think about it, the more it makes since. You’ve never encountered him during the day, and every time you’ve run into him it was always near the boardwalk.

“What is it that you do?” you ask him as he flicks on a light near the door, illuminating an old mudroom and part of a dark hall. He shuts the door behind you as he kicks off his shoes, prompting you to do the same.

“I work near the docks.” He tells you vaguely as he gestures for you to follow him further into the house. “I do some operational work. Shipping and receiving. All that boring shit. It’s not very exciting.”

“What do the rest of your roommates do?” you ask him as he takes you towards a closed off room near the back of the house. You can hear different voices echoing behind the door as well as what sounds like a TV playing in the background. Dabi only shakes his head at you as he opens the door, exposing the room inside.

“You can ask them yourself.”

You step inside and are greeted to the sight of the four men from the boardwalk lounging around a large flatscreen TV. The man with the pink dye job and silver haired man with the odd scarring on his face are huddled around the screen playing a fighting game, while the two older looking gentlemen are sitting on the worn leather couch behind them, providing commentary. The blonde one with the scar running down the front of his face is smoking another cigarette, while the brunette dressed in well-tailored clothes is sitting on the other side of the couch, away from the smoke.

The pink haired man lets out huff of annoyance as his on-screen character dies. He turns around, only to freeze as he locks eyes with you.

“Oh shit.” He breathes, “She came.”

His comment causes the other men to turn around and stare at you, their facial relations ranging from a mixture of surprise to slight distrust. You don’t know why some of them are looking at you with slightly guarded expressions, but you don’t get to dwell on it for long, as Dabi comes in behind you and lightly drapes an arm across your shoulders.

“These are the guys.” He announces, nodding at each of them in turn. “The two idiots on the floor are Tomera and Iguchi. That’s Jin,” he nods to the blonde who breaks out into a grin, waving at you. “—and last but not least is Atsuhiro.” The aforementioned man stands up to greet you, giving you a polite handshake.

“I apologize for the mess.” He tells you, gesturing around the crowed room. “We seldom get guests. We weren’t sure if you were actually going to come.”

“That’s alright. I didn’t notice.” You tell him as Dabi steers you towards an empty couch to the side of the one Jin and Atsuhiro are sitting on. You notice he keeps his hand on your frame as you sit down with him, and he doesn’t remove it afterwards, almost as if he’s guarding you. It’s not uncomfortable, but you notice the same uneasy feeling you had when you first met him and his motley crew is back. There’s something about them that unnerves you, but for the life of you, you can’t place what it is.

They seem alright at first glance though. Tomura and Iguchi resume their game, but make a point to talk to you while they play, as Jin and Atsuhrio engage you in conversation, all the while Dabi observes you, not really adding anything to the conversations, and seems content just listening to you talk to his roommates.

You find out that Tomura and Iguchi are streamers – their online tags being Shigaraki and Spinner respectively – while Atsuhrio works as a street performer using the stage name Mr. Compress. Meanwhile Jin (who insists you call him Twice, for reasons he doesn’t get into), does deliveries around town during the evening, on top of working with Dabi at the docks when it’s slow, but has the night off tonight.

As you slowly start to relax, the conversations gradually become easier until you’re questioning why you felt so uneasy in the first place; that is, until Tomera makes an off-handed comment to you.

“M’surprised he brought you back here.” He jerks a thumb back at Dabi, not looking up from his game. “Most girls don’t last that long with him—”

“Tenko,” Dabi seethes out through gritted teeth beside you. “Shut. The fuck. Up.”

“Don’t call me by that name.” The red eyed man snaps suddenly, pausing the game to glare at the man beside you. “That name is dead, and you know I’m right.”

“Don’t be an ass.” Dabi snarls back as he pulls you towards him. “I told you to behave tonight while she’s over.”

“Fuck you, you’re not my father.”

“No, but I can torch your ass—”

“Alright, maybe we shouldn’t have this fight in front of her.” Iguchi suddenly speaks up, cutting them both off. “I don’t know about you guys, but I like her, and I want her to come back.”

“Thank you, Iguchi, I like you too.” You tell him sweetly, causing the tips of his ears to pinken, as he mumbles something intelligible under his breath and turns back towards the TV. Tomura rolls his eyes and resumes the game. Jin only chuckles as he turns towards you.

“I’m glad you’re here.” Jin tells you with a genuine smile. “Himiko’s going to love you.”

You shoot Dabi a questioning look, but he only rolls his eyes. “You’ll meet her shortly.”

“Her? But I thought only you guys lived here—”

Before you can get another word out, the distant slam of a door, accompanied by the sound of footsteps rushing towards the room interrupts you. As the light footsteps grow closer, you feel Dabi tense up beside you, as he leans over to whisper something to Atsuhiro that sounds suspiciously along the lines of, “I swear, if she’s just getting back in from one of her nightly rampages, we’re going to have a problem-“ Before a blonde girl who looked to be no older then eighteen, with two hair buns on either side of her head, bursts into the room with an almost manic grin on her face.

“Guys, you would not believe what I smelled coming back up here.” She cackles. “I think there’s a—” she cuts herself off as her abnormally golden eyes find yours. Before you can blink, she’s tossed herself over the couch that Jin and Atsuhrio are sitting on and plops herself down right in front of you.

“Hi! You’re really pretty! I’m Himiko Toga! Who are you?” she questions you with a smile that’s almost too wide for her face. You introduce yourself with a breathless laugh at her animated introduction, only to hear what sounds like a rumble coming from Dabi.

You turn to him only to see his insanely blue eyes are locked on the girl sitting in front of you and realize that he is, in fact growling at her.

“Back off Toga.” He warns her, but she ignores him.

“God I’m so happy another girl is here – I’m stuck here with these smelly boys every day and it get so boring! Do you know that you smell really, really good by the way—”

“Okay, enough.” Dabi hisses through gritted teeth. “Jesus, you don’t need to come onto her that fucking strong.”

Himiko gapes at him in mock shock. “Oh, come on. I could smell her all the way from outside the front door. You know she smells good. We all know!” She points around the room, but for some reason none of the other men meet her eye. In fact, they seem to be trying incredibly hard not to acknowledge what she’s saying.

Odd. You don’t remember putting on any perfume before you left.

“Thanks… I guess.” You tell her, unsure of what to say in response. Before the younger girl can respond, Dabi swiftly interrupts her.

“It’s not a bad thing. This psycho just doesn’t know how to give a compliment like a normal fucking person.” He shoots her a pointed look, but he’s not snarling at her anymore. Himiko seems to get the point, and sticks her tongue out at him, settling into the space between Jin and Atsuhrio, chatting excitedly with the older blonde, while occasionally sneaking glances at you.

The earlier tension fades away and you spend the next couple of hours with the odd group, chatting with each of them. Some of them have more to say then others such as Jin and Himiko, while Tomura and Iguchi are more on the quiet side, but still pleasant to talk to none the less. Dabi remains quiet for the most part next to you, never saying much, but you can tell he’s pleased with how you interact with his roommates.

Still, even as you grow more comfortable around them, there’s still a nagging feeling in the back of your mind that something is off about them. You have no proof to back up your unease though, so you try your best to ignore it, and focus on having a good time. After all, the seemingly mismatched group was the closest thing you had to actual friends here, and made you realize how badly you missed your group of friends back home.  

You quickly end up losing track of time, and it’s only when Dabi checks his phone besides you, and muffles a curse under his breath, do you realize how late it is.

“Shit, it’s already five, I gotta take you home, sun will be up soon.” He mutters as he stands up, offering a hand to you, which you accept.

“Gotta keep up your sleep schedule?” you ask, hearing Tomura snort in the background at your comment. Dabi only nods as he heads towards the door.

“Something like that.”

You wave at the rest of the group. “It was really nice meeting you all.” You tell them sincerely. “Hopefully we can do this again sometime.”

“Come back anytime!” Himiko chirps, waving at you enthusiastically. “You better bring her back!” she crows at Dabi’s retreating from, and he waves at her without turning back around.

He leads you towards the front of the house where your shoes are, before walking out into the dewy morning air towards his car. Once again, he holds your door open for you, ignoring your protests, before getting in himself and starting the car, pulling out of the old driveway, and heading back down the dirt path towards the main road.

The sun is just starting to peak out from the horizon, painting the coastline in soft pinks and purples as Dabi steers the car past the old boardwalk, before you finally ask the question that had been on your mind for the last couple of hours.

“So, what’s the deal with Himiko?”

The dark-haired man only grunts. “You mean why is she so unhinged? Beats the hell outta me princess. “

“No, not that.” You wave him off, smacking his shoulder playfully at the nickname as he sends you a shit-eating grin in response. “I mean… you didn’t tell me about her initially, and I’ve never seen her with you before. Does she live with you too?”

Dabi mulls over your question for a moment, keeping a careful eye on the horizon which is slowly growing brighter, as he turns onto your street. After a moment he nods.

“Yeah, she does.” He confirms. “I know how it looks: one high school girl living with five guys in their twenties and thirties, but trust me, it’s not like that.” He’s quiet for a moment before elaborating.

“Toga has a shitty past. She ran away from her folks years ago – bad homelife from what she told us – and she had nowhere to go for a long time. I found her wandering the boardwalk one day and she never left after that. She took to Twice immediately, and she’s basically like his little sister. He’d do just about anything for her.” He exhales through his noes as he begrudgingly admits; “Hell, we all would.”

“Damn, how much did it hurt to admit that?” you tease him, prompting him groan.

“Shut up.” He grumbles as he pulls into your building’s parking lot. He parks the car and turns to you. “So, did we scare you off?”

“Not yet.” you tell him with a smile as you unbuckle your seat beat and open your door, posed to leave. “You guys are definitely interesting, I’ll give you that, but honestly; this was really nice. Thank you for inviting me over. I hope we can do it again sometime soon.”

Dabi shrugs his shoulders, “Well they seem to like you, especially Toga and Twice, so you’re welcome to come over again if you want. It’ll have to be during the evening though, since we all work at night.”

“Noted.” You tell him as you slide out of the car, only for him to suddenly grab your arm. You turn to stare at him quizzically, only for him to nod at your purse.

“Gimme me your phone for a second.”

You unlock it and pass it to him wordlessly, only to see him open a new contact in your phone and type something into it before passing it back to you. “My number.��� He tells you before you can ask. “It’s easier to get a hold of me this way, rather than running into me at night at random.”

“Good call.” You agree, “I’ll text you later?”

“I’ll be waiting.” He sends you a knowing smirk. “I’ll see you later sweetheart.”

“Yeah… later.” You tell him, closing the door behind you. He waits until you’ve made it inside your building’s lobby, before peeling out of the parking lot and taking off towards his house like hell on wheels. You find it a little strange, but you loose track of your thoughts when you glance down at your phone, only to see he’s labeled himself as Dabi with a little flame emoji and a winky face next to his name in your contacts.

You feel yourself blush involuntarily as you stuff your phone back in your purse and climb the stairs to your apartment.

You definitely had a crush on him, you couldn’t deny it. Yet there was something off about him you just couldn’t place. There was something he wasn’t telling you – you just couldn’t figure out what it was.

The next several weeks come and go, and for the most part, they’re uneventful.

Work is going well, and you finally manage to find the time to finish personalizing your apartment so it looks more like home. Your friends still message you occasionally, giving you updates about what’s going on back home, and your ex pops up in conversation with them once or twice on how he’s still asking about you, much to your dismay. Aside from that, everything in your life is shockingly normal.

It feels almost odd being able to say it out loud. This is the most at ease you’ve felt since breaking up with your ex. Being on your own, away from him and his obsessive tendencies, makes you question why you didn’t do it sooner.

It feels nice, being able to breathe for the first time in almost two years since calling it off with him. Your life is calmer, maybe a bit slower than you’re used to, but it’s peaceful and stable. You’re happy.

The only major thing that’s changed recently is how you’re spending a lot more time around Dabi now.

Ever since he gave you his number, you’ve been texting back and forth frequently. You’ve gotten to know him better in that time (even though he still refused to tell you his real name), and you can safely say; he has his quirks.

For starters; he only messages you at night. He’s radio silent during the day, and only texts you back once the sun has set, or whenever he gets up. You’d blame it on him working nights, but he’s always quick to respond to your texts late at night, and always seems to be free whenever you message him asking if he wanted to get together, making you wonder what kind of work schedule he runs on.

Another thing you find peculiar is how you don’t think you’ve ever seen him eat before. You’ve offered to make him dinner a few times or to go into town to get something, but he always waves you off politely, telling you he’s already eaten, or giving you some other reason why he doesn’t want to get food with you. It’s not a deal-breaker by any means, and he doesn’t strike you as the type to have issues with food, but you leave it be just in case.

He's also weird about coming into your apartment even though he’s been in it multiple times by now. You’d initially thought he was uncomfortable being in your space, but it seems to be more of a politeness thing than anything else. He’s definitely not as stiff about entering like he was when he first came to visit, but he still makes a show about you inviting him in, even though he claims he could waltz right into your unit if he wanted to, but he never does.

Finally, you’ve noticed he isn’t particularly well-liked by the locals. In fact; none of the people in his house seem to be, but it’s especially bad with him.

It’s glaringly obvious. He’s taken you into town a handful of times so you can walk around together, only for people to glare pointedly at him and start whispering as soon as you were both out of ear-shot. If it bothers him, he doesn’t let it show, but you know from how his jaw tenses up, he’s aware that people are talking behind his back.

You tried to ask him about it once, but he shrugged you off, saying something about how there was some bad blood between him and some of the older locals, but refused to dive into it, stating how it was old news, but some people didn’t like to forget the past. His tone had given you the impression he wasn’t going to tell you any more than that, so you’d left it alone, not wanting to get into it.

There were somethings people didn’t feel comfortable sharing. You could relate; your rocky relationship with your ex was one of those topics for you.

To his credit, Dabi doesn’t pry into it, but it’s come up a few times – it’s inevitable, you knew it would eventually – but he doesn’t force you to say more then what you want to tell him. You don’t think you’d have to say much anyways; he seems to be able to piece together what happened in your past relationship on his own, without you having to say much of anything.

“Guy’s a dick.” He’d told you bluntly one night as you were taking an evening stroll around the boardwalk. “Seriously, he sounds like a tool. You should be glad you got out of there when you did. I wouldn’t waste your time crying over someone like him.”

“Easy to say that now – it wasn’t so easy when I was living with him.” You’d told him calmly. “We had joint banking. It’s hard to get out when you have to pay rent and buy groceries. I saved up enough to move out and get my place here eventually, but it took time.”

He’d fallen quiet at that, shifting his piercing blue orbs from your figure to the wooden boards beneath his feet, before nodding and muttering mostly to himself; “Yeah. I get that.”

For some reason, your heart had swelled in your chest upon seeing him vulnerable for a moment – a far cry from his usual fiery and cocky self.

In that moment you knew you were screwed; you were down bad for a man whose real name you still didn’t know. Somewhere along the lines, he had wormed his way into your heart without you noticing, and made a place from himself there.

Yet, you couldn’t say you minded. He was different from anyone you’d ever met, but in a way you found refreshing.

Currently, you find yourself walking with him on the boardwalk once again, admiring the blinking strings of fairy lights. Dabi doesn’t hold your hand, but he walks stride for stride with you, your shoulders bumping occasionally at the close proximity. Suddenly, a loud wail interrupts the usual fair noises permeating the warm evening air around you.

You both turn in the direction of the cry, only to see two middle-aged women standing in front of the massive missing person’s board. One of the ladies is sobbing unconsolably, while the other one is trying to console her.

Ah yes, you’d been so wrapped up with moving into your place and hanging out with Dabi on top of work, you’d almost completely forgotten about the town’s dark underbelly.

You can see Dabi’s lips pull downwards slightly as he takes them in, and he reaches out to try and steer you away from the scene, muttering under his breath about not wanting to get involved, but you gently pull your arm away from his grasp as you take a hesitant step towards the ladies who are slowly moving away from the old wooden board. You manage to overhear the last bit of their conversation as they leave, and older woman’s cry’s pull at your heart.

“—I don’t understand, where could he have gone? I saw him that morning, but he never came back home!”

“—We’ll find him dear. Maybe he’s visiting your friends on the other side of town.”

“—He would’ve called! It’s been three days! Three days since I’ve heard any word from my husband!”

You creep closer to the old corkscrew board and feel your heart sink in your chest as you find yourself looking at a fresh photo of a middle-aged man, presumably the woman’s missing husband. Now that you can see the board in its entirety, you notice there’s several new fliers posted among the sea of other missing faces, presumably never found.

You hear the heavy tread of Dabi’s combat boots behind you. “There’s more.” You tell him sadly without turning around. You hear him exhale loudly through his nose.

“Told you there would be. I wasn’t lying. This place is the missing person’s capitol of Japan.”

“I don’t understand.” You turn to face him, only to see that he has a blank expression on his face, giving nothing away. “I’ve never seen anything suspicious when we’ve gone out at night, and you told me that’s when this stuff usually happens.”

“The difference is; you don’t go out looking for trouble.” Dabi tells you smoothly, his insanely blue irises meeting yours, locking you in place. “Trust me, these people probably went out of their way to stumble across something they weren’t supposed to see, and they paid the price for it. Bad things happen all the time sweetheart, whether you see them or not.”

“You seem pretty confident about that.” You murmur finally, holding his gaze. “Had some experience with trouble in the past?”

For once, Dabi doesn’t have anything to say to you. Finally, he sighs and rakes a hand through his inky spikes. “Maybe.”

You want to ask him what he means, but in that moment, you feel your phone vibrate from inside your purse. You fish it out, only to see a text appear on screen that has your blood turning to ice in your veins.

???

Found you.

There’s no name attached to the text, only a random number you don’t recognize, but you think you already know who it’s from.

It has to be him. There’s only one other person you can think of who would text you something so innocent but so sinister, and it has you feeling like you want to puke.

Your ex-boyfriend.

Your eyes dart around the packed boardwalk wildly, trying to see if you could spot the familiar face of your ex in the crowd, but thankfully, you don’t see him anywhere.

How in the hell did he find you? There were only a few friends aside from your parents who knew where you’d moved to, and you highly doubt any of them would tell him where you’d gone. It was possible he’d simply gotten a new number and found a way to text you just to scare you, and if that’s what he wanted, he had accomplished his goal.

Your panic must be written across your face clear as day, because the next thing you know, Dabi has a hand underneath your chin, lifting your face up to meet his concerned expression.

“—I asked if you were okay doll. I’ve been calling you, but you didn’t respond to me.” He tells you. He glances down at your phone, a frown pulling at his lips. “What’s that?”

“I don’t know.” You tell him truthfully, shoving your phone back into your bag. “A really sick joke, I hope.”

His eyes narrow, the fire burning in them shines brightly, even though they’re more lidded then usual as he narrows his eyes at you. “What’s going on sweetheart?”

“Nothing—I—” You croak. You can’t stop looking around, hoping, praying, you don’t see the one person you were trying to escape from staring back at you. “—I gotta go.”

A look of concern passes over Dabi’s face, and you feel a flash of guilt for lying to him, but you don’t want to get him involved. You don’t want to bring anyone else into your mess. It’s not fair.

“If this was about earlier, I can—”

“It’s not!” you cut him off, already backing away from him. “I’ll text you later. I just—I just gotta go. I’m sorry.”

You don’t give him time to respond, before you pivot on your heel and book it down the boardwalk, away from the blinding lights, and away from him.

You don’t look back, and you don’t stop running until you’re in your tiny apartment – slamming the door behind you and locking it – even though it feels suffocating. It feels like the walls are closing in on you, and you’re finding it hard to breathe as you collapse onto your bed and cry.

You don’t know what to do.

You awake to the sound of furious pounding on your door.

You don’t know when you passed out; probably sometime after you managed to calm down slightly, but you can feel the dried tear tracks covering your cheeks as you slowly sit up and shuffle hesitantly towards your front door. The pounding continues, and you can’t help but wonder what time it is, and if you were going to receive a noise complaint from one of your neighbors, before you hear a horribly familiar voice just outside your door:

“I know you’re in there. You better open up right now or I’ll get your whole building involved!”

Your blood turns to ice in your veins as you hear the unmistakable sound of your ex-boyfriend’s voice snarl threateningly from the other side. You feel like someone’s dumped a bucket of freezing water on you as you start to panic. Tears flood your eyes involuntarily as you try to process what’s happening, but nothing’s making sense.

You have no doubt he’d wake the rest of your apartment building to get at you – if he hadn’t already woken up your neighbors. You know what he’s like better than anyone. Your ex has always been a big guy, and once he has his mind set on something (or someone), he’ll stop at nothing until he’s gotten it.

You have no idea how he got in the building in the first place, or how he figured out what apartment was yours, but that doesn’t matter as you watch your doorknob start twisting violently. You bolt forward and grab it with both hands, trying to keep it from unlocking as you listen to your ex-boyfriend grunt outside the door, no doubt trying to pick the lock from the outside.

After a few moments of back and forth struggling with the door; you hear the tell-take click of the door unlocking. You don’t stick around to watch it swing open – you know you won’t be able to hold it closed against him for long if he tries to force it open – and you sprint to your bedroom, slamming the flimsy door shut and locking it behind you.

You can’t calm down; you hear him in your kitchen, treading around the tiny space, calling for you, before his heavy footsteps slowly make their way towards your bedroom door.

You have limited options; if your apartment was closer to the ground, you’d consider escaping out your bedroom window, but you’re several stories up and you don’t want to do something that may cause you to break your leg, putting you at even more of a disadvantage against your ex-boyfriend. You have no idea what he wants from you, but if he’s so desperate that he’s willing to stalk you and break into your apartment, it can’t be good.

The police will take too long to get to you, you already know this. In the past, they hadn’t been helpful in these kind of situations – you know from experience. You can’t call them… but there is someone you can call.

You dive for your purse and pull out your phone just as your ex starts pounding on your bedroom door. Your finger hovers over Dabi’s contact in your phone, as he starts yelling at you through the door. You don’t want to involve Dabi in your personal troubles, you really don’t… but right now, you don’t have a choice.

Even though you don’t want to call him… you know he’ll help you.

Before you can second-guess yourself, you’ve hit the call button, and scoot yourself into the farthest corner of your room from the door, as you listen to the phone ring. It only rings twice before he picks up.

“It’s three in the morning sweetheart, what’s going on? Are you okay—”

“Dabi please help me!” you interrupt him, whispering frantically as your ex starts to rattle your doorknob. “I’m in trouble. I don’t know what to do!”

“What’s wrong? Where are you?” Immediately, his voice deepens, and you can tell he’s on high alert. You can’t see him, but you can hear rustling on the other end, and the tell-tale jingling of keys in the background.

“I’m in my apartment—it’s my ex—I don’t know how, but he found me. He broke in, and now he’s outside my door!” You hate that you’ve starting crying again, but you’re terrified, and Dabi can tell.

“Is he in the room with you?” Dabi rasps on the other line. “I can hear shouting in the background, that him?”

“Yeah, that’s him, and no he’s not, but he’s trying to force his way in!”

Dabi hums and you hear a door slam in the distance, followed by the sound of what you assume is his car starting.

“I’ll be there in less then ten. Just stay on the line with me. Everything’s going to be okay doll, I promise. I don’t know what he wants, but he’s not going to hurt you, I promise—”

At that moment, your bedroom door flies inward, causing you to scream and drop your phone, ending the call, as your ex rushes towards you. A surge of pure adrenaline hits you, and you drive your foot into his stomach and kick him back, giving you enough time to push yourself to your feet and make a mad dash for your door, only for him to grab you around the middle, and throw you down onto your bed, climbing on top of you and pinning your hands before you can recover.

“Get off me you freak!” you screech as you thrash in his hold. You manage to knee him in the sternum, briefly knocking the wind of out him, but it only serves to make him angrier, as he presses his knees into your thighs, and grips your wrists so tightly you know you’ll have handshape bruises adorning your arms for days after.

“Hell no, I finally found you, you little bitch—there’s no way in hell I’m letting you go again.” Your ex seethes above you. “It took me weeks to track you down. Your friends were no help, so took me longer than expected to find you.”

“I didn’t want you to find me, that was the point of me moving here!” you wail as you desperately try to free your legs. “I never want to see you again! What part of that is so hard for you to understand?!”

“Bullshit. You and I aren’t done until I say we’re done.” Your ex snaps. He looks around your bedroom and scoffs.

“I see you’re trying so hard to build a new life without me. Ungrateful brat. You moved on fast.”

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean—”

“Don’t lie to me!” Your ex-boyfriend dips down so your noses are almost touching. “I saw you on the boardwalk with that guy earlier. Who the hell is he? Your fuck-buddy? Your new boy toy?”

“He’s not my boyfriend, but he’s on his way here so I suggest you leave before he makes you!”

At your threat, your ex throws his head back and laughs. “I know what he looks like. He’s not even half my body weight. I’m not fucking scared of him—”

The abrupt sound of your front door being kicked in aggressively stops him mid-sentence, and the sound of heavy boots stomping towards your bedroom causes him to freeze. Your ex shifts so he’s more upright and looks behind him, giving you a clear view of your doorframe; only to see Dabi standing in it, looking absolutely feral.

His dark hair is wilder then usual, obsidian spikes sticking up every which way, and he has on the dark, torn duster you’d first seen him in over his usual dark pants and white tee-shirt, giving him a an almost deranged look. He has a mean glint in his eyes you’ve never seen before, and he looks almost predatory as your bedroom casts odd shadows across his face. You’ve never seen him this pissed before, and all of your instincts are screaming at you to run as you take in his disheveled appearance. 

“You’re not scared of me, huh?” Dabi chuckles, but there’s no humor to it. His voice is as cold as ice, but his eyes are like blue fire, and are locked on your ex.

“You should be.”

It’s the only warning you get before he lunges at your ex. The sudden tackle rips him off of you and Dabi wastes no time taking him to the floor as you bolt upright. You look on in shock as both men wrestle on the floor before it turns into an all-out slug fest between them. You leap out of the way as they make their way off the floor and crash into your walls, never once taking their hands off of each other as they yell obesities and filth that you’re certain your next-door neighbor can hear through your shared wall. 

Honestly, you’re shocked at how well Dabi is handling himself – you didn’t think he was weak, but he’s much leaner then your ex and not as tall – yet, he’s clearly got the upper hand as he cracks your ex across the face in rapid succession. You freeze as his nose explodes into a mess of scarlet, splattering across his face and your wall as he yells out in pain, taking his hands off of Dabi to hold his nose in a pathetic attempt to stanch the bleeding. The sudden display of gore has the opposite effect on Dabi.

He stares at the blood flowing from your ex’s nose like a faucet, before shooting you an almost apologetic look. 

“Sorry you have to see this doll.”

You don’t have time to ask him what he means before he seems to shift right before your eyes. The shadows of your room seem to warp and twist around him, and you think it’s just a trick of the moonlight streaming in from your window; until you watch his obsidian hair turn stark white.

You feel your eyes widen as his form shifts – you ex is too busy trying to keep his nose together to pay attention to what’s happening in front of him – but you notice a horrible burning smell wafting through the room as his once pale, flawless skin morphs into a patchwork mess of dusky, wrinkled burns, held together to the few patches of visible healthy skin by what looks like silver surgical staples glinting wickedly in the pale moonlight.

You have no idea what’s happening to him or who or what he is, but you feel your knees give out as he flashes you a nasty looking grin, giving you a full view of the wicked sharp fangs sliding down past his burnt lower lip.

“You—” you whisper, but you don’t manage to say anything more, before Dabi turns back to your ex, grabbing him by the hair and yanking him down to his level, before sinking his razor-sharp fangs into the side of his neck before the larger man can even register what’s happening.

Your ex tries to fend him off, but Dabi is stronger. He ends up relinquishing his hold on his hair in favour of wrapping his arms around him in a death embrace. You can’t pull your eyes off of the scene in front of you, as your ex’s struggling gradually grows weaker, while Dabi laps at the blood flowing freely from the deep puncture holes in the side of his neck.

You hear your ex gargle wetly in the back of his throat before he goes completely limp in the white-haired mans grip. After a moment, Dabi retracts his fangs from his neck, before tossing his motionless body to the floor. You whimper involuntarily as you cover your mouth, staring at the lifeless body of your ex-boyfriend as Dabi whirls around to face you, his piercing eyes finding yours.

“You killed him.” You whisper. Dabi only glances down at the still-warm corpse on your bedroom floor for half a second before locking eyes with you again.

“I did.”

“Why?”

“He was assaulting you.”

“Oh.” You croak lamely. You try not to stare at the red coating his lips and dripping down his chin, staining the white of his shirt.

A moment of silence descends on your room. The only thing you can hear is the frantic pounding of your heart in your chest – it’s so loud in the resounding silence, you’re sure Dabi can hear it. The air is so tense you can cut it with a knife, but neither of you make a move. Finally, you clear your throat.

“I think I’m going to call the police.”

“You’re not going to do that.”

When the ivory-haired creature speaks, his voice is low and quiet, but you can tell just by looking at his eyes, he means business. You swallow thickly and nod to the corpse behind him.

“There’s a dead body in my apartment Dabi, I need to call the police. I—” you cough, trying to reason with him. “I’m not going to tell them about you. I won’t say anything. I know you were trying to protect me, but I can’t just ignore a dead body in my bedroom—”

“Don’t worry about it.” Dabi interrupts you, waving a hand at the corpse dismissively. “I’ll take care of it.”

“What do you mean you’ll—”

Dabi snaps his fingers, and before you can blink, the corpse of your ex-boyfriend bursts into bright blue flames. You scream as you scramble backwards, pressing yourself further against the wall, as the flames rage and quickly consume the body before your eyes. Dabi only grins savagely at your reaction.

“Don’t be scared sweetheart. He’s trash. The least he can do is become fuel for my flames.”

“Oh my god,” you whisper, watching as the cobalt flames extinguish themselves, leaving nothing but ash in their wake. “What are you?”

Dabi only stares you down as he wipes his mouth with the back of his hand. “I think you already know the answer doll.”

You do. But you don’t think you can voice it out loud. You don’t know what it means for either of you now.

Dabi licks his mismatched lips, allowing you to catch a glimpse of his red tinted fangs. “You’re coming with me.”

You shake your head. “No, hold on—”

“I’m not giving you a choice sweetheart.”

He’s on you faster than you can blink. He slaps a brunt hand over your mouth before you can cry out. He grabs your chin with his free hand as he presses you up against the wall, forcing you to stare into his burning irises.

“Sleep.” He commands.

You feel a wave of sudden fatigue pass over you, and your eyelids flutter shut against your will. The last thing you remember is feeling his insanely warm arms wrap around you and a sudden feeling of weightlessness, before sleep takes you.

You wake up with a pounding headache.

Blinking away sleep, you slowly sit up with a groan and rub at your eyes, wincing internally as you feel your eye makeup smear even further. You slowly look around, only to freeze as it suddenly dawns on you have no idea where you are.

You’re in what appears to be a bedroom, but it’s hard to tell since it’s so dark. The window coverings block out any form of light from outside, keeping you quite literally in the dark. You have no idea what time it is or (more concerning), who’s bedroom you’re in, until the events from before you passed out come flooding back to you.

Your ex. Blood everywhere. Dabi. Scars. Blue flames. Fangs.

You shudder at the last thought. Had you hallucinated the whole thing? It didn’t seem real. You think back to feeling the heat of the flames that had consumed your ex-boyfriend on your skin, and you rub at your arms involuntarily.

No, they had definitely been real. Which means everything else was real too.

Currently, you were certain of two things:

One: your shitty ex was dead. Drained of his blood before being incinerated to a crisp before your very eyes.

Two: Dabi wasn’t human.

Before you can sink too far into your thoughts, you’re suddenly aware of a prickling sensation dancing along your skin. You know the feeling all too well, and as groggy as you might feel in the moment, you’re painfully aware someone’s watching you.

You’re not alone.

A slight shuffling noise from the far corner of the room catches your attention. You slowly turn in the direction of the sound with baited breath, only to see an abnormal looking shadow faintly outlined in the surrounding darkness of the room.

You already know who it is without him having to say anything.

“Dabi?” you call out to him timidly. A deep sigh answers you.

“Good, you’re awake. You’ve been out for a while.” He rasps quietly.

“Where am I?” you ask, squinting at his outline. The more you try to make him out, the more he seems to try and blend into the pitch of the room.

“My room. Back at the house. I drove us back here after you passed out.” You hear him kiss the back of his teeth. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to make you sleep for so long.”

“Wait, how long have I been out?” you question, as you feel around your surroundings, only to realize that he’s put you on his bed.

“About an hour. Dawn’s coming soon. I couldn’t leave you alone after you saw all… that.”

He doesn’t need to clarify what he means.

You both laps into an uncomfortable silence, before you finally gather up the courage to ask him the question that’s plagued you since he took you.

“Are you going to kill me?”

Silence answers you, and you feel yourself start to shake as every horrible scenario you can think of races through your head. Almost as if he senses the what you’re thinking about, you hear Dabi take a hesitant step forward, only to catch himself at the last second.

“…No.” he finally admits. “No, I’m not going to kill you.”

“Then why did you bring me here?” you sniff, as you try to control the tears you feel pricking at the corners of your lash line. “Why do any of this. What are you? Who are you?”

He doesn’t answer you. You squint into the abys of the room where you know he is, and you can faintly see his deep blue eyes gazing back at you, looking like twin flames in the gloom. You swallow hard and try a different approach.

“It’s too dark in here… can I have some light?”

Dabi sighs, but you hear him snap his fingers, and suddenly a candle you didn’t know was nearby, bursts into blue flames. The wicks hiss and sizzle before settling, casting an eerie blue glow around the room, illuminating it slightly. You glance to the corner where you know Dabi is, and you can see him a little better, though he seems to be trying to keep himself out of the light as much as possible.

You frown slightly. “Come here.” You tell him quietly, patting the space beside you on the bed. You know you’re tempting fate, but you believe him when you say he won’t hurt you. He had multiple chances to kill you, and yet; you’re still here.

You hear Dabi snort. “I don’t think you want that.”

You shake your head. “I do. C’mere. We need to talk.”

Dabi falls silent, but you see him turn towards you, and slowly makes his way over to you. The flickering blue light the candle provides casts twisted shadows over his lean frame as he stops just in front of you, and bends down so he’s eye level with you.

You find yourself face to face with a mess of painful looking burns covering the majority of his face, held together with countless surgical staples. The burns are everywhere; under his eyes, his neck, the entirety of his lower jaw, and even his ears. Now that you’re up close, you can see he even has some staples decorating his ears much like regular piercings, and he even has three studs dotting the right side of his nose. They suit him in a way, and you can’t help but find him handsome, even with half of his face completely ravaged by burns.

Dabi’s eyes glint savagely as you take him in slowly, his two-toned lips pulling back and exposing the deadly sharp fangs inside his maw. “Not pretty, is it?”

“What happened to you?” you whisper, hesitantly reaching up to touch his burnt lower jaw. Dabi seems to want to flinch away from your touch, but he forces himself to stay grounded as your fingertips gently brush his destroyed skin.

He laughs breathlessly and rakes a burnt hand aggressively through his now very white hair. “It’s a long story.”

“I have time.”

“Yeah. Sure.” He agrees, pulling away from your gentle hands reluctantly. He trudges over to a small loveseat pushed up against the wall opposite to his bed and sits down on it, shrugging off his torn duster, before putting his head in his hands with a sigh, giving you a painful view of the long wine-coloured burns tracking down his arms and ending at his knuckles.

You try not to focus at the dried blood that’s still decorating his shirt and hands.

After a moment he props his head up on his hands, fixing you with his intense gaze, but still doesn’t say anything. You realize he’s waiting for you; but now you’re at a loss for words. The agitated vampire across the room from you sighs, and you can see the veins in his neck become more prominent as he forces himself to try and relax.

“I know you have questions, so ask.”

“So, you’re really a—” you cut yourself off and swallow thickly. Even though you know what he is without him saying it, you still can’t quiet bring yourself to say it out loud. He leans forward, smiling meanly as he rests his forearms on his knees, eyeing you with his burning stare of his, that suddenly seems so cold.

“Go on, you can say it.” He prompts you, finally getting you to unfreeze.

“—A vampire.” You finish lamely. He nods, leaning back and draping both arms over the back of the loveseat.

“You got it sweetheart.”

“But how?” you prod, finally finding your voice. “I thought they were myth?”

“So did I, until one bit me.” Dabi snickers unkindly across from you, before quieting down, allowing you to ask your next question.

“How did you become one?”

“I died.” Dabi tells you flatly, avoiding your gaze for the first time since he brought you here. His nose scrunches up after he says it.

“Well, I almost did. Technically I was walking the line between life and death when the old fucker found me.”

He sighs and runs a blood-stained hand through his spiky white mane, leaving faint russet streaks behind. You force yourself to maintain eye contact with him as he speaks again.

“When I was alive, my name was Touya Todoroki.” He admits softly, giving you his real name for the first time since you met him.  “I was taking a walk in the woods near my family home when a forest fire broke out, burning everything. I got trapped in the blaze and I ended up with these.” He gestures to the dark patches of gnarled skin covering the majority of his visible skin.

“I’m not sure how I managed to survive, and I don’t know how long I was left there for; but it was the vampire who ended up turning me, who found me in the aftermath. I was in bad shape and probably would’ve died if he hadn’t given me his blood, turning me into this.”

He says it so scathingly. You know he’s frustrated without him having to tell you. Still… the horrific burns that mar his skin tell you a story of unspeakable agony. There’s no way a normal person would’ve been able to survive what he went through without help. His help just happened to have come from an unexpected source.

“He saved you.” You murmur quietly, causing Dabi… Touya… whatever his name was, to snort bitterly.

“He didn’t fucking ask, he just did, consequences be damned. Believe me, there was plenty of days at the beginning where I wish he hadn’t and just let me die.”

His bluntness causes a deep ache to bloom in your chest as you take in the vast amount of damage covering his body. You can only imagine how much worse the burns had been when he’d first been turned, on top of dealing with becoming what he is now. Before you can say anything, Dabi continues on, still refusing to look at you directly.

“After he turned me; my sire brought me back with him to recover. I ended up staying with him for a few years while I was figuring out my new body before I eventually left. Found my way here a while ago and never ended up leaving. Been here ever since.” He looks at you pointedly. “Don’t ask me how old I am. I stopped keeping track a while ago.”

Normally you’d be content to leave it there (honestly, now that he’s said it, you’re not sure if you want to know exactly how old he is anyways), but he has a car, which means he must have a license of some kind, which then begs the question how he was able to get one in the first place.

“Wait, so if you’re a vampire and you’re… older than you look, how have you been able to get a drivers license, or any I.D. for that matter?” Dabi snorts.

“Remember how Compress works as an entertainer?”

“Yeah…?”

“Turns out he’s really good at forgery too.”

“Oh.” You furrow your brows at his explanation.

“So… Compress knows about your… condition?” Dabi smirks at your hesitance.

“Oh yeah. Fully aware.”

“Is he… I mean… is everyone in the house a—”

“We’ll put it this way doll: nobody in this house has a heartbeat except for you.”

Well, this just kept getting better and better. Not only was your crush and his friend’s part of the undead; they were also committing fraud. You definitely knew how to pick them.

In hindsight, you shouldn’t be as surprised as you are upon hearing the rest of Dabi’s roommates are also vampires. All of them operated at night, and they definitely had quirks that set them apart from other people. Not to mention it would also explain the feeling of unease you always experienced around them. You’re more shocked at how many there are, which brings you to your next question:

“So, your sire—” you look at him questionably, waiting for him to explain. Thankfully, he provides you with an answer.

“—is a term referring to the one who turns you, yeah. Mine happened to be a particularly old bastard. Strong as hell, but old as time. He had a lot of influence over my kind back in the day. Pretty sure he died some years back. No idea who killed him, but I’d thank them if I knew.” He pauses before laughing lightly.

“Come to think of it; Shigaraki and I share the same sire, but he stayed with him way longer than I did. I left as soon as I could.”

Well, that was interesting news. “Why?”

“He played favourites.”  The snowy-haired vampire grins at you from across the way, but there’s no warmth behind his eyes.

“I’m pretty sure he turned me first, but I was already gone by the time Shigaraki came into the picture. We knew of each other, but our paths never crossed. He sought me out a year or two before our sire bit the dust, and I’ve been stuck with him ever since. As for the others…” he waves his hand dismissively. “Hell if I know. They just sort of showed up one day, one after the other. I don’t know how they found us, s’not like I was broadcasting we were here, but they still came regardless, and then they never left.”

“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry about what happened to your sire.” You tell him. “It must be hard, loosing your mentor like that.” To your surprise Dabi only laughs, waving off your concerns.

“Don’t be. In fact, I’m not. I’m glad he’s gone. Shigaraki was more torn up about it then I ever was, but even he got over it. There’s a lot of perks that come along with your sire dying. Powerful perks.” He leans forward, pointing to the blue flames chewing away at the candle wicks.

“When it comes to vampire hierarchy, the most powerful vampires are the older ones who create the majority of newer vampires. The vampires they turn are basically their pawns – never to get any stronger – unless, their creator dies. Then they can inherit some of their former sire’s abilities through succession.”

He grins darkly at the confused expression you know you must be wearing on your face, because he elaborates before you can ask. He taps the marred skin of his lower jaw.

“If you haven’t noticed, I can shift between my real face, and the one you’re used to seeing; minus the burns. I didn’t used to be able to do that. Do you know how fucking difficult it is to go out in public when your face looks like this? Even at night, all people do is stare. It’s fucking annoying.” He shakes his head, allowing the dim candle light to reflect off his pale hair, giving it a blue tinge. “There’s a bunch of other things I can do now, but this is the most useful.”

“Like the flames?” You ask. Surprisingly, Dabi shakes his head.

“No, that I’ve always been able to do since I turned. My own special ability if you will. Normally you get one when you become a vampire. Shigaraki can decay shit; Toga can transform herself into a different person if she’s drank their blood; Twice can create multiple copies of himself; you get the picture. there’re some weird ones out there. Mine’s a sick fucking joke, considering it’s what killed me in the first place, but it’s powerful, so I can’t complain too much.”

“Oh.” You mumble, still trying to wrap your head around what he’s telling you, but you know you’re failing miserably. You’re not worried about him killing you, but you still don’t understand why he’s telling you all this.

“So… you don’t want to kill me.” You clarify gently. Dabi only shakes his head.

“No. Wouldn’t have bothered tell you all that if I did.” He confirms softly.

“Then what do you want with me?” you ask him again. Dabi sighs.

“I don’t think it’s a secret that I like you princess.” He tells you with the faintest hint of a smirk, and you feel heat rise to your cheeks. “—and I know you like me too.” He adds after a pause.

Your mouth twitches and you nod slowly before looking away. “I do, it’s just... this is a lot to take in.”

A thought occurs to you suddenly, an awful thought. One that you wish you didn’t think of, but now that you have, you have to ask.

“All those people… the missing ones from the boardwalk… that was you, wasn’t it?”

His silence is telling.

“Oh my god Dabi…” you whisper, running a hand through your hair as you let out a breathless laugh. “There’s so many people… how long have you been doing this for?”

“To be fair, not all of them were me.” He corrects you, but his answer lacks any of his usual fire. “There are five other vampires here. I can’t drain over a hundred people by myself. Besides, I don’t need much to survive. I can go two or three weeks without feeding, but the longer I go without blood, the worse the thirst is.”

“Over a hundred?” you sputter. You think back to all the faces you’d seen posted on the bulletin board. Some postings had been quite old while others had been days old, and there had probably been more before them – many more.

“Like I said; we’ve been here a long time. We never get old, and we basically never die… but we have to feed. That’s the trade off.” Dabi tells you solemnly.

“We normally try to go for people who won’t be missed; drunks, the occasional asshole who pisses us off… and some piece of shit abusers.” He growls ominously, and you know that he’s referring to your ex without him having to say it.

“… But some people just end up coming across us at the wrong place at the wrong time.” He admits after a moment. “We try to be selective about who we feed off of, but if we’re starving, we have to feed, otherwise we would go feral.”

“Is that why you brought me here?” you hate that you have to ask him, but you need to know. “To feed off of?”

“Hell no.” Dabi reaffirms. “Of course not. Your blood smells incredible, and I’d be lying if I told you I hadn’t thought about drinking from you...” He bites his burnt lower lip as you visibly cringe in front of him, before quickly adding: “But I’m not going to feed off you. I enjoy having you around too much. You’re different from the other humans I’m forced to be around. Besides, I’m not hungry anyways.”

You try not to read too much into that.

“So then what are your plans for me?” you finally ask, as you pull one of the blankets you were laying on over your legs. “Why bother telling me any of this? Do… do the others know I’m here?”

“They know. If you’re worried about them getting at you, they won’t. They’d have to go through me, and I’m not someone they want to fight anyways. I’d light their asses up if they got within ten feet of you. But they don’t want you harmed either, so don’t worry about them.”

“You’re sure about that?”

Dabi scoffs. “Shigaraki isn’t happy that I brought you back here, but he’s a miserable bastard on a good day. I couldn’t very well leave you back at your place anyways.”

“So then what happens now?” you ask quietly. “I don’t think things can go back to the way they were before.”

Dabi shakes his head; his ivory spikes sway sightly at the motion. “No. They can’t. I figured if I brought you back here and tried to explain what was going on, you’d understand at least a little. I wouldn’t have bothered saving you from that piece of shit if I didn’t somewhat care for you, you know.” 

“I know.” You pause before averting your eyes, and mumbling bashfully; “Thank you for saving my life. I have no idea what he was going to do with me, but whatever it was, it wasn’t good. I was… so scared.” You admit as you drop your gaze to your hands.

You ex had never acted like that before in the past – even when things were at an all-time low between you, he’d never physically assaulted you. The look he’d had in his eyes could’ve fooled you into thinking he was possessed by a demon. You don’t want to think about what would’ve happened had Dabi not intervened.

At your silence, Dabi stands from his spot and slowly makes his way over to you, giving you plenty of time to stop him if you wanted, but you let him approach. He cautiously kneels on the bed in front of you, and slowly takes your hands in his large, scarred ones.

“Look;” he tells you softly, but firmly. “I wasn’t lying when I said I like you. There’s something about you I find irresistible – and it’s got nothing to do with how I find the smell of your blood intoxicating either. I want you to stay… with me, that is.”

You feel yourself soften at his admission and he groans in the back of his throat, squeezing your hands. “Look. I’m not good at this shit. I’ve been around a long time and I’ve never been good at it – never needed to be – but ever since I met you, I’ve wanted to keep you all to myself.” He bites out a laugh at his admission.

“It’s selfish of me to say that; especially considering everything that happened with your ex – but you make me want to be.” He licks his lips before quietly admitting;

“I may be a monster, but I certainly won’t treat you like one.”

You mull over his words for a moment. His eyes convey nothing but sincerity, and you find yourself believing what he’s saying to you. You squeeze his hands back.

“I feel the same way about you.” You admit, watching as a variety of emotions flicker through his eyes. Shock. Surprise. Acceptance, and something else you couldn’t quite place—

“Can I kiss you? He suddenly blurts out. You blink, realizing he’d gradually gotten closer to you, invading your space and crowding you in. If it’d had been anyone else, you’d be uncomfortable with how close they were to you; but it’s Dabi, and even with the knowledge of what he was, you don’t feel anything but calm.

Odd, considering you’d watched him murder a man right in front of you not too long ago – but even knowing that, you know he won’t hurt you.

You nod, your eyes slipping closed, and he leans in and presses his two-toned lips to your own. The texture of his lips is unlike anything you’ve ever felt; his upper lip is soft while his bottom lip is rough and chapped from the burns, but the contrast is nice, and you feel yourself sigh into the kiss, giving him further access to your mouth. The scarred man takes the opportunity to slip his tongue into your mouth, deepening the kiss, as you feel his hands leave your own to cradle either side of your face. You realize how big his hands are when you feel his fingers splay out across your lower jaw and sweep over the pulse point in your neck, keeping you tethered to him as you fist your hands in his shirt.

You only pull back when air becomes too much of a necessity, but not before you boldly run your tongue over the too-sharp teeth hidden in his mouth, causing Dabi to laugh slightly as he watches you regain your breath. His hands never leave the sides of your face, as you reach up to cover the backs of his stapled covered hands with your smaller ones.

“You’re playing a dangerous game sweetheart.” he chuckles, slowly rubbing circles onto your face with his fingertips. “Keep doing that, and I really won’t be able to control myself around you.”

His statement makes you blush and you squeeze his hands. “Dabi I—"

“Touya.”

“What—?”

“Touya. My real name. It’s Touya.” He tells you breathlessly. “You asked me when we first met what my real name was. It’s Touya. Just call me Touya.”

“Touya.” You test his real name out gently, and a pleased rumble escapes the back of his throat.

“Fuck, it sounds good coming from you.” He tells you, eyes half-lidded. “Really good.”

Your heart pounds in your chest as he closes the gap between you again, pressing his lips to your own, only this time, he’s bolder and allows his hands to wander down your body until they settle on your hips, hot as a brand.

“Shit.” You murmur as you wrap your arms around his neck. Touya chuckles against your lips before tilting his head so his head his mouth is right next to your ear.

“If you want to keep going, just know I’m not going to stop.” He rasps as he squeezes your hips. “I won’t force you, but if you don’t want to then you have to tell me now—”

You cut him off by turning your head and pressing your lips to his again, prompting him to pull you closer until you’re practically straddling his lap.

“Fuck.” He snarls as he shifts and pins you down on his bed. “Here I was trying to be nice. Trying to be good for you, but you had to go and rile me up—”

“Touya.” You whimper as you feel something hard pressing into your inner thigh. “Touya please. Don’t tease.”

“Fuck sweetheart, I know. Don’t worry I’m going to take care of you.” He hisses as he paws at your shirt. “Fucking—take this shit off. I want to see you.”

He helps strip you out of your clothes in record time, and suddenly you find yourself bare before him. You move to cover your exposed breasts but Touya swiftly pins your hands. He doesn’t bother to try and hide his unapologetic gaze as he takes in the sight of your naked body on his bed.

He looks at you as if you’re a work of art, you realize, and he seems to be completely lost in you. You call out to him gently, snapping him out of whatever trance he’s fallen under.

“I can’t believe you’re letting someone like me do this to someone like you.” He admits. “Even after I told you what I am. After you’ve seen what I can do. What I’ve done.” He shakes his head, but his eyes light up as a wicked smirk overtakes his features, allowing his fangs to peak out from under his lip.

“Think you might be as fucked up as me, pretty girl. No woman in their right mind would let a monster like me fuck them after watching me kill their shitbag ex. You’re a sick little thing, aren’t you?” he teases you, but you only shake your head.

“You’re not a monster.” You tell him sincerely. “I don’t think you are.”

Touya only smiles down at you as he touches his forehead to yours. “Think you might be the only person in the world who thinks that sweetheart, but thank you.”

You fist your hand in his bloodied shirt. “Take this off.” You tell him, and for the first time, he hesitates slightly.

“It’s not pretty underneath.” He warns you. “The burns go all the way down.”

You help him out of his shirt in response.

He’s not wrong: his torso is a mosaic of dark purple burns and staples crossing over his shoulders, stomach and back. His legs aren’t much better once you shimmy his pants down his legs, but you couldn’t care less once you see his cock.

It’s beautiful and pale like the rest of his unmarred skin, it’s a good length, and decently thick. The tip is flushed red and you can’t help but swallow in anticipation as he kneels between your legs again. Touya grins as he hovers over you.

“I can hear your heart about to burst out of your chest princess. You might wanna calm down; don’t want you passing out on me.”

“Shut up.” You mumble sheepishly, prompting him to laugh. “It’s been a long time since I’ve—well…”

Touya chuckles at your hesitance. “Me too.” He admits, and for some reason, it makes you feel better. Touya’s eyes rake down your exposed form, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he drags his eyes up to your neck. “You smell so good.”

“Do you want to?” you ask breathlessly, turning your head slightly to the side. “I could let you—”

“No, not yet.” Touya murmurs, bending down to kiss you. “Let me try something.”

You don’t get the chance to ask him what he means before he’s bent down between your legs, and licking a long stripe through the middle of your pussy with the flat of his tongue.

You let out a load moan and throw your head back as he begins to lap at your pussy like a man starved, his large hands hold your thighs open as he licks at your center. You whimper and moan as he eats you out with vigor – your cries only increasing in volume as he introduces his fingers to where you need him most.

He starts with one pushing deep into your core, but it isn’t long before he’s adding a second digit, scissoring you open as he eats you out like he’s biting into a ripe fruit, and you feel divine.

It’s not long before you feel yourself teetering on the edge, and you close your eyes as you prepare to fall – only for your eyes to suddenly snap open as you feel something sharp digging into your inner thigh. You bolt up with a gasp only to see your vampire’s fangs buried in the meat of your thigh as he continues to pump his long fingers in and out of you.

Your blood dribbles down his chin as he continues to suck on you – moaning around your leg – and some sick part of your brain thinks it’s one of the hottest things you’ve ever seen. You reach down and fist your hand in his hair, tugging on it slightly and watch his eyes close as he groans something that sounds suspiciously like “harder.”

His fingers brush up against your sweet spot when you tug on the blood-streaked strands again, and you buck up into his hand, causing him to stroke the spot again and again has he drinks your blood. You’re getting light-headed and you can’t tell if it’s from your impending orgasm or the blood loss, before Touya pulls away from your leg, and twists his fingers just right, causing you to fall over the edge with a loud gasp as you feel yourself come undone.

“Fuck me.” You hear Touya snarl, and suddenly he’s looming over you again, caging you in with both his arms on either side of you, mouth dripping red with your blood. He grins down at you sadistically, elongated fangs streaked red with your blood. “That’s so fucking hot.”

You only moan in response as you feel for the puncture wounds he’s left in your thigh, but he swats your hand away as he lines himself in with your entrance. He pins both of your hands above your head with his free hand, and swoops down to press a heated kiss to your neck before slamming himself home – filling you up in one fluid motion.

You feel your back arch off the bed, and your mouth drops open in a silent ‘o’ as you struggle to adjust to his size. Above you, Touya hisses, as he struggles to keep himself in check.

“I can feel you squeezing down on me.” He pants. “You keep doing that, I’m not going to last long.” He warns you, but you shake your head.

“Don’t care. I just—I just want to feel you Touy—”

You don’t get to finish your sentence before he’s moving within you. His movements are deep and deliberate, leaving your breathless as he snaps his hips against yours at a brutal pace. He’s relentless, almost as if he’s trying to make a home for himself in your depths. You notice that his pupils are dilating and shrinking rapidly as he struggles to hold himself back break completely breaking you.

“Fuuuck.” The white-haired vampire groans as he slides his hand down to your hip, holding you in place as he pounds into your gummy walls. “You’re perfect. I knew you would be. I wanted you. I wanted you from the moment I smelled your blood. I’m glad I didn’t—” he cuts his ramblings off, and buries his head in the crook of your neck, inhaling your scent as you moan his name.

You feel his fangs ghosting along your neck, and it brings you back to reality. You weakly tap at his hand holding both of yours prisoner with your fingers, and he quickly releases you. You opt to wrap your arms around his burnt neck – being mindful of the staples holding his skin together – trying to keep him as close as possible, as his other hand finds your free hip, and grips you hard enough that you know you’ll have handshape bruises by the time you’re done.

But that doesn’t matter, not when he’s trying his damnedest to rearrange your insides.

“I’m close.” You murmur in his burnt ear, and he grunts in acknowledgment.

“Me too.” He rumbles, pressing his warm body to yours. “Need you to come for me doll. Need to feel it—” he sneakily reaches down to rub at your clit, and that does you in. 

You come with a choked scream and he follows you with an almost feral snarl. You feel his cock twitch and are rewarded by the warm stream of his dead seed deep within you. It’s too much stimulation, and you try to move away, but he follows you, holding you down with his body weight. You feel the press of his fangs like a whisper against your neck, but he doesn’t bite down, much to your surprise.

You stay glued together for what feels like an eternity, only for him to pull out of your body with a huff and flop down next to you on his bed. He doesn’t go far though, and opts to pull you close to his scar-ridden body so you’re practically laying on top of his chest; not that you mind though.

It’s funny, now that you’re so close to him – it’s only now that you realize he doesn’t have a heartbeat.

It should be concerning. It should have you running for the hills. You should be panicking at the knowledge of the literal undead roaming around, draining unsuspecting victims of their life blood – and while you’re still not sure what to think of the last part – you also know the vampire next to you wouldn’t hurt you. He’s protected you in his own gory way, and while you know you probably shouldn’t; you feel safe around him.

You trace the seams of his scars, and feel him hum contentedly in the back of his throat as he shifts you slightly against him. Peering at the dark window coverings, you can see the faint traces of dawn light trying to break through. Touya follows your gaze through heavily lidded eyes.

“Guess you’re staying here doll; I’m not going out in that. I’ll take you home later.”

“What, so you can make me do the walk of shame in front of your roommates?” you ask him, causing him to laugh.

“They won’t say anything. Not if they don’t want to get turned to ash.” He wiggles his eyebrows, and flashes his fangs at you, glinting wickedly in the low candle-light. You tap them hesitantly.

“Why didn’t you do it?”

“Do what?”

“Bite me. You could’ve.”

“Your leg says otherwise sweetheart.”

“Not that.” You brush him off. “I mean my neck. I know you wanted to. I could feel you.”

Touya exhales loudly through his pierced nose. “I did.” He admits. “The problem is, if I did, I probably wouldn’t stop.”

“Ah.”

You lapse into silence for a moment more, before you go back to tracing seams of his broken skin. “Can you turn people? Into what you are?”

He only nods, closing his eyes gently. “I can.” He confirms. “Never done it before though. Never had the need or want to.”

You feel your heart speed up in your chest, and you know he must be able to hear it as you force yourself to ask; “What would you do, if I asked you to turn me one day?” Touya only chuckles.  

“I’d turn you into my own personal thrall. Keep you by my side.”

“Oh, so like some sort of slave?” you tease weakly, but Touya only shakes his head with a slight grimace.

“I was thinking more along the lines of a Dracula’s Bride sort of arrangement actually. I wouldn’t put you through the shit I went through when I first turned.”

The implication hangs heavy in the air between you, but he doesn’t make a move to take it back. You twist and prop yourself up on your elbow so you’re looking him dead in his eyes, only to see he’s deadly serious, causing your breath to hitch in your throat.

“You mean that?”

“Wouldn’t say it if I didn’t.” he tells you gruffly, placing one of his large hands on your head and pushing you back down to his chest. “Don’t ask me shit like that unless you’re actually serious though. It’s a one-way street. The change is permanent. You’re this forever.” He warns you.

He must see the hesitation in your eyes, because his voice softens, and the hand that’s currently holding your head down switches to lightly combing through your hair.

“Live your life for now sweetheart. My offer still stands: If you really want to toss your mortality out the window. I’ll be the one to take it from you. But for now, just think about it. You can give me your answer when you’re ready.”

“…and what if I decide I’m never ready?”

Touya chuckles. “Then you’ll have my undead ass as a boyfriend when you’re an old lady up until the day you die.”

“A boyfriend huh?” you tease, grinning up at him softly. He rolls his eyes.

“Yeah, yeah. I just told you I’d make you my thrall, that’s all you’re getting from me pretty girl.”

“You basically said you’d make me your wife. Dracula’s bride, remember?”

Touya rolls his eyes, and you swear you see the faintest dusting of pink flash across the parts of his cheeks that aren’t brunt, but it’s gone as soon as it came, prompting you to giggle, and you both fall into a comfortable silence.

He squeezes you once after a heartbeat. “I’d take care of you, you know; if you wanted me to turn you. I’ll take care of you now, but I’ll look after you if and when you decide you want me to change you. You know my secret so you’re stuck with me now. It’s not like I can let you go. You don’t have a choice.”

You laugh in spite of yourself and snuggle closer to him. “I could think of worse things.”

“You say that now…”

“and I’ll mean it later.” You tell him as you reach up to stroke the burnt flesh of his jaw. “Really, I do.”

You feel Touya press a light kiss to the crown of your head, “Yeah I know.” He confirms, murmuring into your hair. “Now, sleep. I’ll take you back to your place once the sun has set. We’ll figure out what to say to your landlord about the scorch marks I left behind. Worse comes to worse, you can just move in here with me.”

You feel your eyelids droop at his words and you snuggle into his burnt flesh, trying your best not to apply any more added pressure to the sutures keeping him together, as you feel his arms settle at your waist, keeping you close to him.

You weren’t sure what the future held for you now, but you were sure that whatever it decided to throw your way, your vampire wouldn’t be far behind you.  

FIN

[ang3lofdivinity]

༘⋆𓍢ִ໋🌷 𝙵𝚕𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚝𝚘𝚍𝚊𝚢

｡ﾟ•┈꒰ა ♡ ໒꒱┈• ｡ﾟ

Relationship(s): Charlie Morningstar + Vaggie (romantic), kinda Yan!Alastor + Fallen Angel!Marionette!(implied)fem!Reader (platonic or romantic, whatever you want), slight Husk + Angel dust

Genre: Fluff :))

Warnings/notes: Spoilers(?) For Hazbin hotel, reader is able to make plants and stuff, reader is decently human and fought in war, they fell from heaven too, Emily sees the reader as a “mother” figure, death mentions, Alastor being alastor, Angel being himself as always, Alastor has been made.. somewhat yandere, Drugs and other hell stuff mentioned, ooc? Suggestive content (mostly from Angel), Cannibalism, toxic dependency, SWEARINGGGG

Format: Long/Short stories + Headcanons

A/N: GOD. SCHOOL SUCKKSKSKSKSKKSKS. Sorry i’ve been gone for a bit again- sickness is very much not fun. Anyways, here’s an late Valentines present for you all featuring our favorite deer demon! :)) - Also, you can just see Niffty and Charlie calling you a female (if you aren’t) an accident on their perception— HUGGEEEE inspo taken for an idea/convo in this from @/princekeerys :))

Reminder: YOU are responsible for your content consumption!

There’s a reason why you’re here now.

Everyone is.

Perhaps heaven made a mistake when they first allowed you to enter heaven after your death, allowed you to live amongst angels and other pure beings whom had never done a single horrible act in their lives- or well, since their creation.

The morals that they purveyed were so.. impeccable, granular too.

Everything here was having a pernicious effect on you, these individuals were so much better than you. They didn’t take the life away from others without a second thought. They didn’t grow up to become a weapon. They didn’t feel wrong for the things they did in their lives or just in the past-

They weren’t like you. A monster.

It’s basically an antithesis. Between you, and the ‘winners’.

But you tried your best to fit in. And it worked.. for the most part..

You decided to pick up working as a gardener and freelance artist, which was.. quite fun. You felt genuinely happy after so long where you have been deprived of it, not allowed it, and not given it before. You actually managed to make it to a high ranking position, The Head Archangel.

“(____)?” A feminine voice speaks up from behind you, it’s gentle- dulcet. It’s like they’re afraid to speak up in the slightest. You pause, removing yourself from your memories. That’s right— you’re painting. You place down your brush into the cup filled with paint water as you shift around on your stool, looking at the woman.

Catherine Stockholms, that’s her name. She’s a young 18-year-old girl who died in the 1940’s due to a train going on the wrong track and crashing into the one she was riding that fateful day. Her light blonde hair, cut short and curly in the back, frames her face with the side parts gracefully reaching just at her shoulders, slightly longer than the back. Her hair is adorned with a dark purple headband featuring a bow. She has pale yellow eyes which are nervously looking around, hugging herself.

She wears a white collared shirt with sleeves that extend slightly above her chest, ending in a square-like shape near the shoulders and neck. Layered over the shirt is a charming dark purple dress that falls to her knees, boasting puffy sleeves and a skirt that puffs out, followed with a nonchalantly worn black coat from her era with some intricate details of flowers vines on it. Her attire is completed with white socks adorned with lace and simple black mary janes.

“Good evening, Catherine.” You say with all of the warmth you can, smiling as you tilt your head to the side.

“Is there something I can do for you?” Tone quizzical as you ask your question, causing Catherine to tense.

She stayed silent for a good few seconds before she answered your question.

“..(____)” She started as her eyes nervously darted around the room.

“You’re being taken to.. the Angelic Court.”

Eyes widened, your mouth went agape as your breath hitched. No.. no way. What have you done?..

“May.. I ask why?..” you mutter your words, almost slurring them as you try to hold back the other words and tears threatening to spill out. You don’t think you’ve done anything wrong… unless… perhaps they figured out their judgment was incorrect—

“They haven’t told me but- they want you to arrive in an hour from now. Today.” Catherine fiddled with a piece of her hair, face painted with worry.

“..I see. Alright. Thank you for letting me know.”

Catherine simply nodded before heading off, leaving you all alone with your thoughts as they raced. Causing you to slowly stand up and start pacing around, hugging yourself. No. Nonononono, please don’t do this now. Not now.

Why does this have to happen now? But hey, at least they could correct their judgment. You would no longer be in a place where you did not deserve to be in from the start ever since you died so many years ago.

Your eyes drifted off to your violin, custom made just for you. Flowers all over, intricate details engraved into the instrument as you stride on over to it within the corner of the room, picking it up. A shaky escaped your lips as you tried your best to keep a cool-head, fingers coiled around the fretted neck of the instrument while the other went to circular body’s strings.

Not playing anything as you simply just tried to remember the good moments as you played it, the times where you made flora flourish and beauteous. Dying plants now brought back to life due to your abilities, that made you feel like something- it gave you a purpose. Something you needed to live.

..God, you hope this is all a fever dream.

You’ve heard how Hell is dirty, filled with disgusting freaks who didn’t deserve the true salvation of Heaven.

But perhaps you should be down there, after all, you killed so many..

Yes… you deserve to be burning with all of those same sinners.

. . .

“(____).” Sera loudly speaks, her voice firm as she looks down upon you. You’re in the supreme courtroom of Heaven and the operating place of the Heavenly Court. The courthouse is quiet, however there are the occasional whispers between the angels as they look down at you in shame, anger, or sympathy.

You try to control your tears as you dip your head down low, gripping your upper-arm as you dig your nails into the flesh of your skin.

“Yes, Madame?” You pathetically utter out as you tried to relax yourself with the thought of you being able to stay here. But either way, it would still be a harsh situation..

Doubt gnaws at your soul, questioning whether you truly belong among the pure and righteous. The fear of being exposed as a true sinner, unworthy of such divine tranquility, consumes your thoughts.

Yet, as you contemplate the alternative, the prospect of hell sends shivers down your spine. The thought of being surrounded by vile beings, perverse and wicked, fills you with revulsion. The idea of enduring torment alongside the depraved and despicable is a horrifying prospect.

“We have found that you are…” The Seraphim pauses for a moment before she continues.

And you almost fall to your knees.

“Guilty, of the sin of Pride.”

"I understand, Madame," you spoke softly as your heart weighed heavy as you watched the angelic court dismiss and the whispers among the decision grew. Guards surrounded you, all with perfect posture as they motioned for you to follow them as hands were put in cuffs.

You simply nodded and you were escorted towards the pearly gates. Your gaze was avoiding everyones as you bit your bottom lip, trying to suppress everything you felt in the moment like you had for years. You’ll remember the feeling of the soft clouds beneath your feet as you walked through these gates the first time, truly a beautiful feeling.

Emily, the second seraphim, slowly walked over to you with her head lowered. She stood there for a moment as she stared at you while the guards stopped in their tracks, waiting for Emily to say or do something. She was the first person you looked at directly, and just looking at your despair-ridden face.. She just collapsed into your arms, emotion crashing over her as she couldn’t even utter anything besides sobs.

"There is no need to cry, dear. It'll be alright," you comforted the best you could, a smile plastering itself on your lips as you awkwardly managed to slightly hug her back. Emily took a deep breath, hiccuping as she handed over your violin.

"I love you.." Emily mumbled through tears. With nods of farewell from the angels, you were whisked away once more, now standing tall at the heavenly gates.

"Goodbye, dearest friend," Sera's voice trembled as tears welled up in her eyes.

"I will miss you too, Madame," You replied with a nod, before you stood near the edge of the giant fluffy cloud that held you up, along with the entire of Heaven. Near the edge, handcuffs forcing your hands to remain behind you just in case before you fell backwards.

You plummet down, it is that of beauty intertwined with tragedy. It looks like a falling star. The descent feels inevitable, as if you're being drawn inexorably into a hellish abyss. Doubt creeps in: do you truly deserve this fate? But nevertheless, you are destined to crash into the unknown location below, a city.

..city?

Yes, Pentagram City.

The sky is overcome with a red sky- dark to light, a sun far too bright, no wait. That’s where the angels come down here for the extermination. The city is separated into different sections, as far as you can tell, 7 of them. 7 deadly sins.

You wonder if Lucifer is still here. Alive.

Well… he has to be!

Nevertheless, as you crash with a loud smash of nearby items and such, you can’t find the energy to get up. Your once purely white wings, fluffy and all now covered in dirt along with whatever feculent things from beneath you and with a slight ash gray hue. It feels like you’ve broken something in your body, or maybe multiple things as your once glowing halo that hovers above your head lowers- slightly cracking.

Who knew it could do that.

Taking a guess, you’re probably in the pride ring. What did you even do that was so prideful?…

Although struggling a bit, you manage to lift your head up and survey around.

These.. demons have their businesses in these places, where it seems like they’re allowed to sell everything from cigarettes to drugs. How unholy…

There is a Clock Tower located in the city that seems to be glimmering with a gold shine, which serves as a counter for the 365 days that pass until the Exorcists return for the next Extermination. Yes, you know about the extermination, you once heard Lieutenant Lute speaking of it before to Adam.

Are you to be killed like the rest of these filthy creatures? Criminals, drug dealers?

You don’t wanna get up. Scratch that, you can’t. Your body won’t allow you to do anything besides breathe. This hurts, it hurts so bad, why does this have to happen to you—

Writhing around for a moment, you manage to utter out some words to yourself;

“Am I.. really allowed to live?”

“Just keep living.”

“But am I allowed? Why.. why must this happen to me, they should’ve just sent me here in the first place.”

“(____), stop. Please. Live, even after all of these horrible acts.”

“But-“

“No. No, I will not have any refutes here, (____). Live, for all of us.”

“..Yes, sir.”

You stumble upwards on your feet, managing with a motion of your hand to put your violin in the safe inter-dimensional pocket dimension, just for you to place all of your items into it, safely. The feeling of your wings heavy behind you as you come to find you’re in a hidden alleyway, filled with cigarettes, condoms— filthy sinners.

Fighting the urge to cry, you intake a sharp breath. An angel would not cry over this. But it doesn’t really work.

But you’re alone, you have no idea about anything in this place of what it’s like, how the people are, you can only imagine all the terrible things they’ve done to be punished and sent down here of all places. Hell is just the definition of unholy, it’s the exact opposite of heaven. The only thing going through your head is to cry, scream, try to get heaven to take you back and get out of this horrible place.

But then again, don’t you deserve this?

You don’t know anymore.

It’s all hurting your head.

It hurts to think about, and the tears which have now started slowly pouring down your cheeks sting.

It didn’t work.

This is pathetic.

Your body reacts before you can do anything else, running in some random direction. You can just feel the millions of eyes staring you down like predators carefully marking down their prey, burning through you. It doesn’t feel safe here, it’s hell after all.

The trial had to have been all a lie, fabricated with evidence that was made up. You haven’t done anything prideful, nor lustful, not even envious or any of those other sins that ended mortal souls or other angels whom were truly guilty of the crime. But you— no, you weren’t them. You aren’t guilty.

Someone must’ve made something up!

That trial was unfair, arbitrary, unjustifiable.

Tears spill as you’re too busy with your thoughts and your legs almost fail on you a few times due to it, well, it does happen when you just can’t do it anymore. Hugging yourself pathetically as you fail to notice how luminescent, thin yet strong strings are tightly wrapped around your ankles, neck, hips, and arms. Yes, hell uses some of the worst things you feared or hated in life, and it’s using the idea of a marionette for you. These strings really won’t do much, but they’re not entirely safe. They just make things.. difficult.

That’s unfortunate..

Just another soon to be hindrance.

“…..’lo??”

Someone’s speaking, but the ringing drumming through your ears is so loud, it’s hard to hear them—

“Hello?..” A feminine voice tries to capture your attention, even going as far as to snap her fingers in front of your face. Your head immediately raises to stare up at her, as she looks panicked.



“Sorry- so sorry! You just..” She stuttered out an apology, but you weakly waved your hand.

“..No worries. It’s okay.” The woman in front of you looks relieved as a sigh escapes past her lips.

The woman is very tall, and slender. She has pale white skin, her cheeks a rosy red that compliment her red eyes. She has long, blonde hair, mixed with a lighter blonde and even pink highlights, which is tied into a twice-banded low ponytail. Her blonde bangs flip to her left with a curl.

She has an untucked white, long-sleeved dress-shirt with a simple black bowtie. Over this she adorns a fitted red tuxedo jacket with pointed sleeves, dark-red lapels and a pair of red fitted dress pants. She wears black and white saddle shoes, which remind you of an older time in human history.

“I apologize- again,” she awkwardly laughs with a somewhat goofy smile on her face before leaning forward and holding out one of her hands to you, which shocks you. Aren’t demons in Hell supposed to be.. well, hellish?

“I’m Charlie! Charlie Morningstar!” As she introduces herself, you take her hand albeit hesitantly, lithe fingers wrap around your hand and she pulls you up. Her touch is gentle, although it feels like her nails are going to scrap you- they don’t. She seems.. too nice as of currently for her to hurt someone she just met.

“..Previous head Archangel, (____). It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Morningstar.” You know that last name. At least it feels like you do. As she lets go of you, you curtsy as Charlie’s cheeks heat up a bit while waving her hand dismissively at your actions.

“Same here! Um… would you mind telling me why you’re down here?..” Her tone is fearful almost as she inquires about your predicament.

“..Some fabricated trial where they found me guilty. But— I….” You halt, taking a deep breath and shaking your head.

“It’s nothing to be worried about.”

She understands before continuing to speak.

“Would you like to try and.. get back into heaven?” The blonde’s question intrigues you as you raise an eyebrow.

“I… that would be nice.” You reply almost monotonously as you lower your head, but the woman places her hands on your shoulders, causing you to tense a bit. But she doesn’t seem.. threatening, not in the way you imagined at least. So you loosen up a bit.

“Well, I think I have the solution for you, Head Archangel!”

“That would be?”

“Coming to my Hazbin Hotel to get redeemed!”

. . .

The idea was ludicrous- or well, close to that. But when you first arrived here, you weren’t expecting any of this to happen. You don’t regret coming here— too much, that is.

The hotel is tall, elaborate amalgamation of arched windows and turrets, one of which seems to be broken. It appears to be at least seven stories tall, with at least five of which being guest floors. An ocean liner, a sailing ship and a carousel litter both sides and appear to have been incorporated into the structure of the building itself; there is also a train with some tracks looping the first and second floor exterior. Located on the top right of the building is a small radio broadcasting room, used as the work area for… someone Charlie referred to as ‘Al’.

Many signs are displayed outside the hotel: One atop the entrance reminiscent of the Hazbin Hotel logo, a large pink one atop the building with the hotel's name in lights, a neon 'HOTEL' sign at the bottom right and atop the building where Al’s broadcast room is located, a small 'On-Air' sign is visible. Also located on the outer facade are various arrows pointing to the entrance and the broadcast room.

The entrance has a tented cover with a booth in the center reminiscent of a circus or theater ticket booth. In a sense, at least!

The interior however— theres wooden boards covering shattered windows, signs warning of asbestos, bloodied tools left lying around, and paintings are shown hanging off the walls. Much of the furniture in the lobby are strewn around haphazardly or remain boxed up in several large wooden crates.

The bar, why is there a bar in a place meant to discourage sin? You have no clue, uses skeletons, snakes, and bones as general themes, along with card suits and candles, and advertises itself as a casino. The area the bar in has glowing green wooden walls instead of the usual red wallpaper, given that it’s been sorta… merged with the lobby of the hotel.

Despite the shabby and poor condition of the hotel, the overall theme of the building remains ornate and regal, with stained glass windows, (semi?) lavish furniture, and generous usage of gold. Like the rest of Hell that you’ve seen so far, the hotel has a largely red color scheme.

Along with like.. almost every person here and around the place.

“Charlie?” A more deep, feminine voice calls out. You snap your head in the direction of- …Vagatha?

The silver haired woman appears to notice and remember you as well, due to her expression changing immediately.

Holy.

“Honey- please don’t attack her!!“ Charlie stammers, moving in front of you. But you gently push her aside and walk towards her.

“..Agatha?” She bites her bottom lip, giving you a look saying: l‘please.’ You know what she means by that.

“I haven’t seen you since.. well, life.” You almost trip over your words, given that you haven’t lied in about a few years or so. Despite that, she looks relieved. She gives you a small nod before looking at Charlie’s surprised expression.

“Right.”

“How.. OHHHH! Wait- you guys know each other from Earth!?” The Blonde exclaimed in absolute delight, cupping her cheeks. Vaggie quickly nodded in response, giving you a look of appreciation before walking over to Charlie who held her captive in a bear hug, babbling on about how she was so happy for the two of you.

You stared at them for a moment before bursting out into a fit of giggles. Vaggie pouted, but she really did love it. Even if it didn’t show.

You’re glad she found someone who made her happy. Even if it’s the daughter of Lucifer.

Wiping away the tears of delight from your eyes, you sigh contentedly before you started to survey around the hotel more while the two lovebird’s were being all adorable. Two figures- a black and white cat wiping down the bar, and a tall spider-like character were talking (mainly the spider one) as the cat seemed entirely done with everyone and everything.

Blinking repeatedly for a second, your head turns to the door of the hotel. You don’t know why, but you almost head towards it, you’re unsure why- but it almost feels like something is beckoning you to leave, to run out and leave this place.

But you can’t.

Why?

Simple: you don’t have anywhere else to go.

“ANOTHER WOMAN?” A voice shrieked out, causing you to recoil away and snap your head to the voice.

A smaller demon was looking up at you, a cyclops-like demon with pointed limbs, white skin and one large eye. Her eyes light yellow iris, hot-pink sclera with a yellow gradient were basically the size of atoms as she continued to stare. This is certainly awkward…

Her red-pink hair is kept into a slightly messy bob cut with swirls on each side, and a single light yellow streak located at the top. Her mouth has sharp light yellow teeth inside and black lips, and small hot-pink dots on each of the corners.

The bug-like woman wears a neckerchief around her neck, red-pink maid dress under a white apron with three hot-pink dripping splotches. She also wears long black gloves which covers most of her hands and arms, along with matching-colored tights.

“…Hello, Miss?” Choking out the words, you smile the best you can despite how tense you were.

“Nifty!!! It’s nice to meet you!” She squeals out, a large toothy grin on her face.

“Right well- Hello, Miss Nifty.” You bobbed a curtsy to the small woman who seems far too excited to be here.

“Y’know, I was kinda wishin’ you’d be a bad boy, but whatever! Anyways- this place is filthyyy so, I gotta kill more bugs to make sure they know not to come here anymore!” Niffty bounces up and down elatedly,

“Pardon?-“

“Okay, BYEEE!!” And with that, she was running off in the opposite direction.

Your breath hitches, and your body tensed. Is.. everything super fast here? Everything feels too fast for your liking.

You take a moment to breathe, trying to relax your tense body. It’ll all be okay… you just, need a moment to let everything sink in.

Striding over to a chair, you sat down and leaned your head back, making you stare at the ceiling. A sigh slips past your lips as you rest your hands in your lap. Surprisingly, the couch is.. much more softer and comfortable than you had imagined before.

“Why, another patron?” How many people are going to approach you today?

You tense, turning to the voice speaking- it sounds like that of an old radio…

A slender, darker brownish beige-skinned demon with a dapper appearance stands before you, a slightly messy, red-pink bob-styled hair with black tips and a pair of rather large, black-ended fur-tufts on top of his head which evokes the ears of a deer. On the back of his head is a brown undercut, while small black antlers protrude from the crown of his head.

Kinda cute… you admit.

The man wears a high-collared, fitted red pinstripe coat with darker-colored sleeves, strawberry-red cuffs, white-trimming on darker-red lapels, and the bottom hem being ragged. Under his coat is that of a strawberry-red dress-shirt with a black cross on the chest, and an accessorized black knotted bow tie with a strawberry-red center on the top front.

He has black gloves- are those his hands???… probably not. You hope.

Nevertheless, they have strawberry-red fingertips, black dress pants with cuffs the same color as he coat, and black heeled ankle boots with strawberry-red pointed toes, with his hands behind his back he’s holding a thin cane with a vintage styled microphone attached to it.

“..Good evening, Sir.” You say, voice drained even when you try to keep the politeness you still have left. A drowsy smile plastered its way on your face, attempting to straighten your posture. The man seems amused by your words and current situation as his smile gets ever so wider.

“Manners? My, what a rare thing to come across in Hell, mm?” He quips as he motions for you to stand up. You tilt your head in confusion as you leisurely rise up from your spot to stand up from the couch, and he approaches a bit closer before dipping down, grabbing your wrist while dipping down and kissing the back of your palm.

…

You don’t think you’ve ever blushed that much before.

A man has never done this to you before, when did this ever happen in time???? Does he just- do this whenever he meets someone new??? Why in heavens name is this attractive and why are you finding it so?????? What is going on..

It takes you a good long minute to process what just happened as the man straightens up his posture once more, letting your hand fall to your side. You can hear him laughing a bit at your flustered expression, making the blush become more apparent and darker in color.

“Now who are you, my dear?” The way he emphasized ‘my’ in his sentence was.. odd, but nevertheless: you didn’t comment on it.

“(____). It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir.” You curtesy at the man in respect despite your flustered state.

His smile grew wider in amusement and satisfaction- in a way— this is certainly something.

“And, you are, sir?”

“Alastor! Quite a pleasure to be meeting you, my dear, quite a pleasure!”

. . .

Well.. this place has started growing on you.

And the people too.

Charlie by far has been the friendliest to you, trying to get you comfortable over the few months you’ve arrived here. She hasn’t forced you to do anything, only given suggestions and her ideas, asking for your opinions, etc.

But you’ve taken the role of a musician for the hotel!

She could not be more overjoyed.

Vaggie and you don’t speak too much.. but have a friendly relationship. Any chance you got, you would also ask for her opinions on the music you’ve been working on, if it sounded good enough because.. Charlie would just be a bit vague in her rating, but Vaggie could be much more blunt and straightforward.

You’re thankful for that, musically that is.

Even if it might hurt your feelings sometimes, it’s better to know your mistakes.

Husk hasn’t interacted with you much, but has decided to give you a record for you to possibly use as a reference for a song, or even play it! That.. honestly gives you a bit of a confidence boost, given that he really doesn’t reveal much of his past to anyone.

But he trusts you enough to at least give you one of his favorite records!

You’ll make him proud, no matter the cost.

Angel Dust has attempted to make an advance or two upon you, flirting with you like he does everyone, but you’re a bit too awkward for that and instead decide to invite him into your room to listen to you play.

Genuinely? He’s impressed. That façade of being the porn-star that he is fizzes away a bit as he simply stares at you while you play on one of your instruments.

He might just get more fond of you.

Niffty is.. okay!! You find her to be quite adorable like.. 90% of the time, despite her habits with bugs. You try to help her clean sometimes, but most times it doesn’t work. Though the times when it does, she thanks you a lot! And you even let her test out some of your instruments.

As long as she doesn’t break them, or ruin them in any way. To which she promises you she won’t, and you hold it to her.

She enjoys your company quite a lot, though!

Alastor now… he’s quite the character! He was the second person who persuaded you into letting him hear you play your music (with the first being Charlie despite how scared you were.) He even gave you some songs that were some of his favorites to play!!

All of them were jazz, but you didn’t mind. They weren’t too bad, after-all!

However his behavior now has… ringed bells in your head.

Made you frightened.

You decided to ask Vaggie what she knew of him, and eventually told you his story. How he had gained all of his power from those overlords and deals..

It made you unnerved. How could someone of a mortal soul kill so many people???

And despite being an angel, why is he so interested in you?

You, for one, don’t consider yourself to be very interesting. All besides for your species and musical abilities, you don’t see why..

But, you didn’t question it for so long and kept quiet.

He appeared to enjoy your presence more than others, even being as willing as to ask you if you want him to send some of his shadows to follow you around town when you went to do errands for Charlie, Vaggie, Husk, or just one of the members of the hotel.

Of course, you denied but thanked him for the offer. It’s not like it stopped him. It was only for your safety.

What if one of the Vees approached you?? Or Vox used his manipulation powers on you??? What if you got attacked??? He can’t let his new source of entertainment get harmed, or be taken away!

You weren’t some delicate flower.. but he definitely saw you like it.

He even offered you deals.

Ones for your soul.

Denying every-time, of course. You liked your freedom. The mere idea of a deal for your soul felt like every bit of freedom would be drained from you, everything taken away from you. They could do anything to you.. even kill you.

God forbid.

It scared you.

But that didn’t stop him from trying to own you.

Whenever he was listening to you play and you did a wonderful job (especially if it was one of his favorite songs or jazz in general), he would pat you on the head while merrily singing praises to you of how well you played!

It got to the point where Angel Dust even has made some.. inappropriate remarks about Alastor’s words to you. It makes you blush out of embarrassment every time, and you yelp back a response.

“Damn, toots, didn’t know you were baggin’ smiles over there. You two had-“

“NO. NOTHINGS HAPPENING BETWEEN US!”

“HE DOESN’T EVEN LIKE THAT STUFF…”

It’s infuriating at times. And you had to do it by yourself, as Alastor usually wasn’t around during those times when Angel Dust made his remarks.

..It’s.. whatever.

But it doesn’t help your case when Alastor offers you his hand for you to hold, or with his arm for you to link with, to walk around with you, walk you back to Hotel…

Most times you accepted! Back when he wasn’t so…

…Possessive.

It wasn’t bad, at first. You thought he was just being kind to you. He had manners- proper decorum. How could you dislike a person with manners, after-all!

You didn’t notice it.

But that possessiveness grew.

Almost like ancorruptive infection.

Now, it’s just straight up.. bone-chilling at times.

It’s like he was infatuated with you, trying to get you to do everything with him—

Most times you deny it now.

Still he was a persistent one.

And even got you to say yes.. a lot.

You don’t even know what even led to this behavior from him, why everything you seem to do he has an interest in already.

He’s even tried persuading you into getting a radio for yourself in order for you to listen to his radio shows! And honestly? The idea didn’t seem too bad, in your opinion. And.. this was before any of the bells started ringing in your head about his behavior, so there was really nothing bad about it! At least, to you. So, you headed out and found yourself a radio (although, you have to say it was certainly quite the adventure).

Alastor was especially pleased by this.

Yet, ever since you got it, you didn’t even feel safe in your own room anymore. Main cause of it being like a thousand eyes watching you when you were just simply trying to work on your music, sleep, draw— anything. The only time it went away is when you were going to dress yourself. Thank whatever saving you for that. But, even around the hotel- you could still feel the hairs rise up on your neck due to the sensation.

A part of you wanted to tell Charlie, or even Vaggie of your troubles. Hell, even Husk or Angel Dust about it. But, Charlie would.. more than likely blame herself a lot more, and you didn’t want her to worry her to the point of exhaustion since she was already doing so much. You don’t believe you’re close enough to Vaggie to even… tell her much, especially about a problem as banal and close to unbelievable as this. Husk could try and help, but probably would be too indifferent about the situation and your wellbeing as the two of you aren’t that close either. And, for Angel Dust… he probably wouldn’t help you as much as you wanted. Niffty? She was kinda out of the question because you really couldn’t see her taking you seriously, nor finding her around much.

So there was only one option, probably one of the worse ones: Alastor.

Honestly, you believed he would probably just laugh at you. But maybe he’d take you seriously. Maybe he wouldn’t.

God forbid, this is horrible.

Like the foolish idiot you were, you told Alastor about your worries one day.

“Mister??..” Your voice is a mere whisper as you gently knock on the door to his room. Knuckles softly hitting the wood, you recoiled your hand back and fidgeted with your fingers as you awaited for a response you were, more than likely, weren’t going to receive. Well..

Those were your thoughts. Before the door quickly opened, causing you to jerk backwards, stumbling over yourself. That’s certainly the fastest anyone has answered the door for you. He took a moment to stare down at you, surveying your expression, you suppose.

“Good evening, my dear!” His normal orotund voice speaks up with the radio-like effect still filtered over it. You nod in greeting, waiting to see if he continues on.

“Is there anything you need? You know, I could’ve been doing something terribly important!” He emphasizes ‘terribly important’, and the way he does it has you worrying now. Did you interrupt him?

“Oh— i’m sorry. I can leave and come back later. Or just,, not come back if you’re not available.” There’s silence that follows your response as you wait. Until there’s..

Laughter.

Hysterical laughter.

“No no! It’s a joke, my dear! I’m available. Come in.” He stepped off to the side, motioning for you to enter. And, you gave a nod of appreciation before approaching any further. So.. now you know that half of Alastor’s room is a bayou.

One that appears to always make it seem like its night. Fireflies flit around, their lights illuminating ever so slightly. The bayou is mainly cool colors, blues, and greens (for the trees mainly, which look reminiscent of weeping willow trees), and even a tint of purple to it, not including the light from the fireflies. The only thing making you uneasy is the fact that there’s a.. dead deer. Resting on a table. In the middle of the bayou area. And a fork is poking out from its chest, with a knife properly placed down on the side of it on the table. There’s even a few puddles around the grassy floor, and a larger lake in the back you can slightly see

For the rest of the room which is decently normal: an intricately designed fireplaces, being its sharp teeth designs, and golden colored swirls. A neon green light is shining from inside, slightly dimmed due to the darkness. Upon it there are skulls, and oddly shaped candelabras with lighted candles. On the walls are pictures within picture frames to which you really can’t depict, some tilted and others straight. Then, there’s the large buck antlers and what you can suspect to be its teeth hung proudly above the fireplace in a wooden frame. A long, red and golden trimmed carpet is spread out from near the door to a small desk off to the side, covering some of the wooden flooring.

The stag sits down in one of the red cushioned chairs next to the fireplace after having the door closed for privacy, and motions for you to sit by the one in front of the other. When you do find yourself comfortably sat in the chair, your eyes drift off to look at the rest of the room.

On a wooden bookshelf, he has… a lot of books, all of different sizes but with a similar, burgundy color. There’s also one of his signature radio’s on the top shelf, along with another on a lower one. An animal skeleton, and a golden statue that’s matched with intricate designs of swirls with a bottom compartment with what looks to be voodoo symbols for the handles. Not even mentioning the gator skeleton on the wall with little fairy lights you can suppose, there’s a small container for papers on his desk, a black and dark orange lamp, and a bottle of ink all neatly placed on it.

“So.. what is it you need from me, darling? Perhaps a deal?” Again with the deals..

“No. I just— .. you have to promise me you won’t laugh, even if you find it stupid.” Please, please, please, agree. You cannot deal with these thoughts and feelings anymore, god forbid.

“Mm… Is it that serious?”

“To me- yes. To others I might just seem.. delusional or paranoid.” Replying to his inquiry, he hums a noise of satisfaction.

“Alright. Go ahead then.”

With those words, everything you’ve been holding in ever since these sensations have started spilling out almost naturally. You tell him almost everything, how you’ve been feeling someone watching you, how you’re scared for yourself and the rest of the hotel staff if its soon going to happen to them, if anything bad is going happen to the hotel itself- or any of the residents. Being the bleeding heart you are, now?

The overlord quietly listened, grin never leaving his face as he felt so many things at once. It’s almost annoying to him why you’re like… this. The fuming hatred is something that cannot be fathomed by merely anyone, something so deep, it’s incomprehensible for him even. Someone who has murdered so many innocent people, someone who can never show his true emotions beyond that cursed smile that’s plastered on his face. He loathes you so much for simply everything you do. Isn’t that the reason he liked you for the things you did??..

But then there’s the other feeling.

It’s confusing.

Say, if you were to start… disliking him, ignoring him, avoiding him at all costs. He feels like he’d go insane. Like he needs your attention on him, or else he cannot function. And yes, he likes the attention from everyone on him, but if he lost yours- dear satan, he could actually be insane. Why do you think he’s offering you so much?? A twisted part wants him to own every little piece of you, everything about you, and he cannot deny that he likes that idea more than you could ever possibly imagine. Ripping away every little bit of innocence you have would just be delightful to him, it’s all making him have this awful feeling swirl within his chest. One that twists and tugs at his dead, tar colored heart.

He wants to rip it out.

He needs to. Perhaps then these vile feelings that you’re causing him will eventually.. wither away.

This is making him weak. Making him go soft.

And what will that do to his reputation?

“Well, my darling..” Alastor cleared his throat.

“If you would like, I suppose I can offer you a deal.”

“Alastor-“

“Not for your soul, this time. Just a simple deal between friends!”

To say this intrigued you would be an understatement.

Well now, you’ve made a deal with the devil!

Or, a devil.

He offered you his protection in the way of being by your side for most of the time, or having one of his shadow spies with you, in exchange for a favor from you later on, of his picking. And you were desperate, you didn’t even think first about negotiating the terms of your now first deal in Hell! With.. the Radio Demon!

And thankfully, not for your soul.

Oh freedom how you love it.

He’s thankful you still haven’t figured out who has been watching you all this time, who you were worried about.

Nevertheless- ever since you made that deal, you and Alastor were practically connected at the hip. But the rare times where you weren’t together, one of his shadow spies was with you! You have to admit it- they were adorable. You had to at least pet them a few times on the head while gawking at them. Of course, they squealed in delight due to the sudden display of affection shown by someone. Even when they at first, didn’t trust you, they definitely started to warm up to you now.

Charlie, Vaggie, nor any of the other residents have said anything about this so far- besides Angel Dust and his usual remarks.

..But then Husk spoke up one time.

Being at the bar, resting on a stool as you tried to unwind a little bit, and given it was quite lonely at the time- you decided to just.. simply relax for a moment in the company of probably one of the quietest people within the Hotel. It was the right opportunity for him.

“Kid.. a word of advice: don’t get too close to that asshole. He may seem all nice and charming, but he’s in Hell for a goddamn reason.”

Those words stick with you.

And with passing months, you think more deeply and deeply about your deal. And those little spies don’t seem so cute in a way anymore. And Alastor..

Maybe you’re overreacting.

“Okay, okay! So.. I have a great idea!!” Charlie merrily exclaimed as she clapped her hands together, bouncing up and down in delight. Her smile was wider than ever, and her girlfriend beside her was softly smiling with hands planted on her hips. Vaggie was so in love with that princess..

It was adorable!

Charlie had called a staff meeting to the living room, where everyone (Including Husk even) were resting on the couch or floor.

“I thought, if we wanted to get more in touch with the idea of rehabilitation, we might want to become more.. human! By getting in touch with certain, good aspects of human life!” The princess continued, surveying everyone’s expressions.

“So, me and Vaggie picked some holiday’s we could possibly celebrate here at the Hotel!” She motions to a writing board where the handwriting is rushed but, legible. Some ideas on the board are scribbled out, and 3 main ones are circled, followed bullet points displaying what each are about, what they would do, and how the Hotel would celebrate.

‘Halloween’ , ‘Valentines Day’ , ‘Christmas’

“..Are you fuckin’ kiddin’ me?” Husk huffs out, grimacing.

“Language. And, seriously?? Let’s just try it.” You try and persuade the cat.

“I’m with Husk on this one, toots.” Angel adds. Your head snaps to the Spider, furrowing your brow as he simply shrugs in response.

“Don’t care for these anymore like I used to. I bet most of us even celebrated ever since getting here, including you! Whens the last time you celebrated goddamn Christmas?!” He continues on, raising an eyebrow at you.

“..When it last happened in Heaven?” The confusion in your voice had Angel looking at you in an awkward manner as he just… turned his head away from you.

“That’s even more of a reason!” Charlie exclaimed, quickly turning to her girlfriend and motioning for her to speak which led to her giving a small sigh, and a gentle smile before turning to the rest of the group with a now blank expression.

“So- we want you all to take a poll. You’ll all get a small slip of paper, and a pen. Then write down your answer. After you’re all done with that, then just slip in into the bowl.” Vaggie explained, gesturing to the bowl resting on the surface of a wooden table with a dark pink cloth draped over it.

And just as said, Vaggie and Charlie gave everyone (including themselves at the end) a small slip of paper and a pen to write with. Husk grumbled about how stupid this was, but still scribbled something down, Angel doing the same but with a huff of annoyance beforehand. Niffty had to be more excited than either of them, being the first to put her answer into the bowl. Then Charlie put hers in, then Vaggie did, then Angel and Husk (begrudgingly- that is). So there was just you, and the Radio Demon.

You didn’t know what to put down.. honestly. Biting your bottom lip, you slowly wrote something down onto the slip. Arising from your spot, you treaded over to the table and dropped the paper into the bowl.

“Pardon me, darling!” Alastor excused himself, causing you to come to the realization that he was standing right behind you. Turning on your heel, you held out your hand.

“Sorry— here, I’ll put it in for you. As… an apology? Of sorts?” You awkwardly chuckled.

“Well, aren’t you a lamb!” He laughed, placing the folded piece of paper into your palm and you turned back around and dropped it in, before heading back (being that Alastor has already went back to his seat) to your spot and sitting down.

Charlie almost jumped out of her seat, rushing on over to the table while gripping onto Vaggie’s wrist. She was practically bouncing up and down as her girlfriend first picked up the bowl, shaking it gently, before she pulled out the first slip and cleared her throat.

“First holiday of choice...”

“Christmas.” The angel stated as the princess happily clapped her hands in delight, before she was given the bowl where she shoved her hand inside of.

“Next isssss…”

“Valentine’s day!” She beamed, grinning widely. The couple went back and forth passing the bowl.

“Valentines- WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS NOTE, ANGEL!!!??”

“Halloween!”

“Valentines, again.”

“..Whatever Angel said!!..I guess..?? Huh.. Okay um, so whatever Angel answered…”

For the last one, Vaggie allowed Charlie to say it (to which she was ecstatic to do.)



“And last but not least.. Valentines!!”

. . .

“Soooooo..” Charlie started as she looked at Vaggie, holding her hand tightly as they smiled at each other before once again turning to the group.

“The holiday is that we’re going to be celebrating is going to be..”

“Valentine’s day!!”

This was going to be fun.

Charlie had husk save all of the red wine possible, Vaggie was discussing possible decorations for the hotel, and you were left to find some romantic music to play on your violin and possibly on the piano.

Niffty was making sure that the Hotel looked more perfect than ever as to not have to worry about it after the soirée, and for the after party for just the employees and patrons of the hotel. (although, got more distracted by roaches more than ever.)

Angel Dust was feeling especially romantic, trying to advance upon Husk at the even more than usual, to which Husk had to endure and ignore.

For Alastor? God knows up to what he was doing.

Like— you could barely find him around anywhere..

But nevertheless, you tried to play some romantic pop tunes, romantic jazzy tunes, anything that would work for this holiday. Took you quite a bit, but when you got it- you felt very accomplished!

And this.. got Charlie to actually get a venue where you could play at..

Oh lordddddd….

Of course, you asked for Charlie and Vaggie’s opinions on it, and they were elated to hear it. (Mainly Charlie!)

You’d tried figuring out what outfit you were going to wear for the holiday, searching and scanning everything you possibly had in your wardrobe for something.

And you found that very something.

The outfit that you’d chosen was lovely, in your opinion. A white collared dress up shirt underneath a red, button up tailcoat. The back was a large ruffled fishtail hem, and with puffy sleeves that turned into long, fitted sleeves to the wrists. 4 golden buttons embroidered onto the chest area where the coat ruffed out into a darker red. The buttons had small, thin chains that connected them to the one across from each other. White fingerless gloves where a bit of it wrapped around your middle finger looked… nice. Nicer than you thought. This was then followed by some black pants, which were a bit baggy and flared out near the ankles And to top it all off, you put on some black heeled boots.

If you were to say you weren’t excited to show everyone your outfit and see theres, you’d be lying to yourself.

..this holiday thing actually might be a bad thing!

(Not that you thought so in the first place.)

You’d even play in that outfit as practice, just to see if it was comfortable and playable! (Which it very much was).

With every passing day approaching the Holiday, everything mainly felt like bliss. Charlie was more elated than ever, starting to teach more lessons about how Valentine’s day could help the Hotel more, Vaggie was.. very high strung (yet tried her best to relax for her girlfriend when asked by her). You yourself even started helping with decorations around the Hotel just to get the couple to relax for at least an hour. You ended up working for almost a whole day, yet it was worth all of that time and work. They deserved all of that resting. And the best thing at that? You did it mostly by yourself!

Very rewarding, if you might say so yourself.

Before you got self-conscious about everything you helped on.

Especially when the special day had arrived.

What if they don’t like it?? What if they don’t like your music? Don’t like your outfit???? If you make a fool out of yourself, then what next?? You’ve become so tense, your shoulders almost reaching to your ears— this is not going as ‘stress-free’ as you’d planned.

Fidgeting with the cuff of your overcoat, you bit your bottom lip and anxiously awaited for the inevitable knocking that would arrive at your door soon. As an angel, you’ve gotten quite stressed due to a multitude of reasons, but this might be one of the more stressful and worrying situations you’ve been in since.. a bit.

The hand twiddling with the cuff then turned to your other hand, playing with your fingers. A part of you really didn’t want the string of knocks to arrive, but.. there was really no control over the current circumstance. Only to freak out about something you’ve worked so hard in, something you thought you’d looked decent enough in, decorations they’ve probably already seen and possibly laughed at- your breathing hitched at the thought. God, you feel so stupid. They’re going to hate it, you’re going to embarrass the Hotel, aren’t you?

Knock, knock!

And there it is. That dreaded sound. Your nails started digging at your hands, and you felt your stomach drop. This is going to be ruined- you’re going to ruin it.

Hesitant to open the door, another knock sounded out as you further approached the door. And with a final deep breath, your hand rested gently on the cold metal of the doorknob before twisting it and swinging it open.

To someone you.. weren’t exactly suspecting to see!

Alastor!!

“…Good evening, Alastor!” You almost stuttered over your own words, forcing a smile to plaster itself onto your lips.

Even more surprising, the man was dressed much more differently!

A black, long collared dress up shirt where it’s sleeves slightly poke out with a red cross on the chest under a Bordeaux red pinstripe coat with same colored lapels. A ribbon red waistcoat with rosy pink colored, vertical strips decorating it along with 2 wine red buttons. A pair black dress pants and his usual shoes, along with his gloves.

It takes you a moment to realize the stag has put up his hair into a small ponytail. Good grief… how can a man be so attractive.

“Good evening to you, my dear! I do believe it’s time for your little performance soon at this soirée!” His head tilts to the side a bit, trademark smile always on his face as per usual as he stares down at you. Your smile immediately turns into a small frown with a sigh from you, causing you to bury your face into your hands.

He halts for a moment, before continuing on.

“Now, what’s got you all a mess? I thought you would love this!”

“I do!! It’s…” The words lodge in your throat as you falter to continue on, turning away from the man with your arms wrapped yourself in a hug.

“..What if I fail- what if I look tacky?? In my performance, and by just.. looking at me and my appearance!!” Facing the man once more, you motion to your ensemble with a fearful look as your gaze downturns to the ground.

“If I fail.. I ruin the image of the hotel. I ruin my image, I ruin everything!! If i’m not perfect in this.. I don’t even know anymore…” Internally, you’re questioning on why you’re telling your deepest fears to an overlord known for being mostly apathetic to most. Who knows.

The overlord grin remains the same as his eyes narrow looking down at you. He’d be lying to himself if he didn’t like the little thing you had going on here! He enjoys the amusement of people failing so much!!.. but, theres something that pangs him right into his unfeeling and dead heart like a knife.

An exhale escapes past his lips as one of his rest upon your shoulder.

“Darling.” The biggest part of him is telling himself to say something akin to his normal snarky remarks.

But he can’t now.

Whats stopping him? Has he gone soft?? What in hell is wrong with him??

“I’m more than certain you’ll do wonderful in your little show for the Hotel. Have you disappointed us before?” Your head raises a bit as you open your mouth to speak, before a clawed hand reaches for your jaw and lifts it up to fully face him, making you avert your gaze almost instantaneously.

“You’re going to say ‘oh, I don’t think so. At least I hope so.’ And darling, only half of that is semi-correct. Your performances have not once failed to amaze us, including me, beyond belief and words that could describe it. Your voice is delightful, and your playing is even rivaling one of my favorite jazz songs from back in the day!! I can understand your stress, but you shouldn’t worry much about it, my darling doll.”

The mans words had you actually speechless.

“However, you can never beat me at piano!” He laughs, and you huff in response before he clears his throat.

“Now.. hasn’t this been enough dawdling for now, doll?” Alastor inquired, to which you leisurely nodded due to yourself still processing his words.

He hand already laced his arm with one of your arm, almost making you squeak out from surprise in response. Like a second instinct, you moved slightly closer to him, mainly behind, and bit your bottom lip once again.

“Off we go, now!” The deer explained in a sing-song-like tone, marching out of you, trailing behind while struggling to close your door…

Walking down those stairs is nerve racking as you keep your gaze downcast at the steps and your shoes, almost clinging to Alastor’s arm now with both of your arms wrapped around it.

As much as he despises touch- ..he doesn’t seem to mind this much.

“..Tell me if my touch makes you uncomfortable.” Oh? How thoughtful! His grin strains a bit as he strides on over to the group, you clinging to him as you take a moment before you start raising your head to the couple to which you have stopped in front of within the lobby of the Hotel.

And, they’re certainly matching.

You have to stop yourself from squealing like a fangirl.

Vaggie's ensemble has a black and purple mauve dress featuring asymmetrical layers and a feathered tailcoat of a matching red that Charlie has, eye-like designs embroidered into the fabric. Similar colored fingerless gloves she now wears, with a black ring with a bunch of hearts on her ring finger. Her hair has been tied up with her usual bow but now into a ponytail. A shawl-like garment is adorned with three bold red hearts along the left side in a line. She finishes up with dark lace stockings and white flats.

Charlie wears a black overcoat draped over her shoulders that reaches to her upper calves, and small golden sun shaped pins on both sides of the coat with a thin chain connecting them across her chest. She wears a black choker with a dark red heart pendant hanging off of it, and a golden bracelet around her right wrist. They even have matching, black rings with hearts all over it with each other!! Black petals adorn her hair, which is tied in her usual hairstyle. She wears a sleeveless, red top followed by a black and golden belt where the center is a golden shaped, empty heart. To top it off, she wears black baggy pants with black boot heels.

“..You both look-“

“WONDERFUL!!” Squealing, you start happily bouncing up and down, gawking at the couple with linked arms in front of you.

“Oh, thank you!! YOU LOOK AMAZING TOO!” Charlie beams, stars practically shining in her eyes.

Vaggie gives a nod as agreement with Charlie, and one of appreciation at the same time.

As the couple and Alastor engage within a conversation for who knows whats, you find your eyes wandering off to look at the rest of your friends to see what they’re doing.

Over at the bar, a certain well dressed spider demon and a slightly underdressed cat demon are.. ‘interacting’.

“Ohhh c’mon, babycakes. We could-“

“No. Go fuck yourself..”

“Only if ya’ watch me!” Husk groans at Angel, who has now slightly climbed onto the counter of the bar, to which Husk pushes him off.

You try to suppress the urge to giggle out-loud and decide to look for a certain small bug demon.

But.. you can’t find her—

“WOAHHHH!” Gasping, you almost recoil at the familiar voice, but ground yourself as your head snaps down to look at Niffty- who is all spiffed up!

Niffty’s hair has been put up into one that appears to look more like one from the 1950’s as it’s far more curly than before. It’s accompanied by two white roses which are held together by a thin, red wine piece of rope in the shape of a.. bow slightly sagging.

Her outfit incorporates a short sleeved, white dress up shirt, matched with 5 coral pink buttons aligned in the middle of the shirt. Added on, she has two pearl earrings and a white, and pink pearl necklace which is matched with a silver chain. The skirt of her dress has a sort of.. belt incorporated into it already as it has a slightly white, rectangle belt holder in the center of the blush pink skirt- which reaches to her ankles. White polka dots along with venetian red roses matched with a Russian green stems are embroidered on the skirt scattered all over it. To top it all off, she has simple white Mary Jane-like shoes.

Heat rushes to your cheeks as you smile.

“Awwh! Nif, you look adorable!!” You pat the small demons head. Not in a condescending way.. just.. as a spur of the moment decision.

“YOU LOOK VERY PRETTY!!” She squeals out, bouncing up and down.

And before you could actually start speaking once again, the small demon… bunny hops onto your chest, making you stumble back with a squeak-like sound and unlace your arm with Alastor’s in order to have both hands on Niffty to make sure she doesn’t fall either..

You’ve noticed that the couple and Alastor have stopped their conversation, probably looking at you and Niffty now…

“I could add something to make you look better!”The words don’t sound too sinister, but she’s grinning like a maniac.

“..Like?” You anxiously smile. Her toothy grin grows wider.

“ROSES!! IN YOUR HAIR!!” Yelping out her words, which makes instantaneously nod her request, she giggles happily.

Suddenly the small demon… now has a bouquet of red and white roses. How? You have no clue. While she climbs her way to your shoulder, plucking some petals from both colored flowers. You try your best not to move as your gaze drifts off to look at the trio beside you.

Yep.. they’re staring at you.

“..You guys good?”

“Of course, my darling!” No. Nothings alright. Why is that little miscreant touching you?- why did she make you stop being so close to him now? He’s owned her soul for quite some time now, and knows how she acts, being quite fond of her! But, why is she acting ever so.. friendly with you?..

His smile has become more strained than ever as his head turns to the couple still looking at the display of you and Niffty. Charlie looks more excited than ever, and Vaggie is.. more surprised.

“Now! Where were we?”

As the conversation now resumes, Niffty finishes up with placing the rose petals in your hair, and actually plants on red rose near your ear!

“Okay!! I’m done!!!” Niffty practically shrieks out, clapping her hands as shes placed down on the ground.

“Thank you, Nif. It’s beautiful.” The small demon merrily bows before rushing off… somewhere else.

Nervously, your head turns to the center of the foyer, where the piano to which you’ve avoided up until causes to gulp. But, in response, you take a deep breath.

You just.. need to be calm. You need to relax.

What causes you to come back to your senses is a small tap on your shoulder.

“You ready?” Vaggie quietly asks, moving closer to you. And you pause for a moment before nodding, now putting a smile onto your face. She even gives a smile back.

“Alright, everyone!! Gather the hell up!” Angel and Husk both appear from the darkness of the Bar, approaching the center to where the small stand with the piano atop of it rests. Niffty has rushed into the room, happily bouncing from adrenaline, you suppose..

“We’re headin’ out. And we aren’t going to mess any of this up for the hotel.” She loudly exclaims, resting a hand on her hip as the rest of the group nods. Safe to say you’re panicking so much internally

Please, please do not let this venue end horribly because of you…

. . .

Backstage, you’re pacing.

The venue is lovely from what you’ve seen so far. Velvet curtains shroud the stage as of currently, which has you awaiting for your time to step up and play those lovely songs you’ve been practicing all this time.

As you had first entered: seating area is adorned with cushioned chairs arranged around tables draped in cloths of white, pink, red, or regal purple, each adorned with intricate heart designs. Silverware gleams under the soft glow of candlelight, while glasses of wine shimmer with anticipation. Plates overflow with delectable cuisine from most sinners and overlords who’d arrive here at the Princess of Hell’s invitation (of course, with threats unknowingly added by the Radio Demon!!)

Candelabras cast a warm, flickering light across the room. A polished and lavish golden chandelier hangs from the ceiling, its crystals catching the light as dangling heart pendants gently sway, casting a romantic glow over the scene.

At the bar, being ran by Husk, patrons are usually having ‘lively conversation’, as they await for their entertainment.

But thats also worrying for you, adding more stress. They’re awaiting you.

What if—

The curtains part slowly, and you tense. Goddamnit, no time to think, and no time to have these silly worries replay in your head. You impatiently wait for the curtains to fully open, as rehearsed before. And when they fully do, you can see the eyes of thousands just.. staring inside, from the wings. It takes every last string of restraint for you to try to relax yourself during this.. ‘predicament’.

Taking one last deep breath before the inevitable fate for you on that stage.

You stride with as much perfect posture you can, hands clasped in-front of your lap as you make it to your grand piano, stationed on the mahogany floorboards of the stage. It takes you a second to settle down upon the stood, but when you do, you hover your fingers over the keys of the instrument, recounting every single one in your head as best as you can.

With nothing more to think of besides playing, you start playing the first few chords..

And just like that, you’re immersed within your passion, and everlasting fears as you play key after key.

To say each of the residents and sinners were baffled would probably be an understatement. A great understatement.

You’ve been practicing.. so hard for this very moment, and everything you’ve done has been paying off. Charlie is just absolutely blown away, Vaggie is.. speechless, Husk has his eyebrows raised and arms crossed as his listens to the tune and your singing, Angel Dust is just grinning with an ‘I knew it’ look, Niffty looks like shes going to… explode, and Alastor.. is smiling. Smiling more than ever before- no, this is.. a genuine smile.

Turns out his word really was true.

As the last chord of the piano and last note of your singing lingers within the air, you awaiting for well.. anything.

Booing, laughter, anything.

It only took a few seconds for loud clapping to echo throughout every nook and cranny and your head snaps to the audience. They’re all cheering, all in a slightly similar way of course. Husk is nodding, softly clapping his hands with an amused smirk plastered on his lips. Charlie is vigorously clapping, bouncing up and down merrily as she hugs her girlfriend who was clapping at your performance with a small smile, as well. Angel is cheering the loudest, proclaiming “THATS MY FUCKIN’ BESTIE!” Or… something along the lines of that. Niffty is actually about to jump from her seat, and people start whistling in awe at your play.

Heat crept on your cheeks as you gave a sheepish smile towards the crowd, standing up to slightly shift away from the piano in order to curtesy in respect as they continue on with their cheering. Before you could process, flowers- specifically roses were being thrown onto stage. With widened eyes, you stand up straight again and stare at everyone, trying your best to ignore the heavy light which felt too warm for your liking- but you shouldn’t complain..

Flowers are constantly being tossed onto stage, the applause continues and you take another curtsey before scurrying off stage, making the lights dim.

You don’t really know why you ran off in such a beautiful moment, but you were going to have to leave eventually. The main thing is that you really aren’t.. used to such big crowds applauding for you. It feels much different than just being in a theater, for example.

Finding yourself backstage into the single dressing room it has, you almost collapse onto the sofa with a drawled out groan. You haven’t even bothered to turn on the lights within the room, or the lights on the vanity off- being your only light source as of currently.

..Not gonna lie, you’re probably going to fall asleep if you lay down like this for the rest of the evening.

That would be nice.

Yeah.. you might just do that.

Your eyelids slowly start to get heavier and heavier, making you shift to your side and slightly curling into yourself for warmth. May all be damned because this was surprisingly comfortable despite how you were dressed and.. well, everything else. And with just a few more seconds, you shut your eyes with a content smile gracing your lips.

“Now.. was I wrong, my darling doll?” A voice beams from the side, causing you to immediately rise up out of fear and shock. Well, so much for getting some rest now.

“Oh— Alastor! Hi!..” Trying to pull yourself together, ruffling up your hair a little with a hand, leaning back on the couch as you sit more in a tailor position on the couch.

He takes a moment survey the room, tapping a clawed finger against the side of his microphone before turning to face you. You swear you can see him hiding something behind his back- but you can’t prove anything, can you? You’re too tired for this anyway..

“What are you doing? Don’t you know, the people are quite excited to see you outside?” The inquiry has you blushing even more from embarrassment and hope that the floor magically eats you whole.

A huff escapes you, now turning to bring your knees up to your chest and bury your face into your legs instead of facing the one man who would make fun of you as he found you just trying to rest. It’s.. irritating. And, not really because of Alastor. Just, upsetting.

“Sorry. I’ll.. be out in a moment.”

“Before that, my darling. I have another question for you.” It takes you a second to raise your head up at the stag, staring at him as a motion for him to continue on speaking. He seemed almost hesitant to continue, but slowly managed to get the words to come out.

“Do you have a Valentine so far? Has anyone asked you?” Oh fuck.

He’s so going to mock you. Holy shit.

“..No.” Please please, please do not make any remarks. Don’t. Please.

“Mm.” The mere hum in response freaks you out, but you manage to keep a straight face as you’re internally screaming at the top of your lungs, probably crying as well.

Biting the inside of your cheek, nails digging into the cloth of your pants, close to the flesh of your legs as you await the interchangeable fate from this encounter.

“How would you like to be mine then, darling?”

..what?

You’re honestly.. shocked by this. The amount of time it takes for the cogs in your brain to process this new information is.. quite a bit. And, just before you can even utter a single word to the man’s advance- he reveals what he’s been hiding behind his back this whole time: wilted red roses. How romantic.

Blinking repeatedly at the gesture, you find yourself leisurely getting up and walking closer to the buck, gently wrapping your hands around his holding the roses.

“..I would love that.” Simply staring at the roses, you can’t help but smile and then look up at the man.

“And, is this you asking me out?” The query is mainly a joke as you chuckle a bit, his face still the same as ever: smiling, staring back down at you. However, you thought this mainly as a platonic gesture instead of a romantic one, being that you know a lot better. He chuckles for a moment before clearing his throat.

“Perhaps. Would that be so bad?” That definitely had your heart fluttering.

You’re still reeling from the unexpected gesture he’s made. His usually charismatic demeanor has softened, revealing a vulnerability you never thought you'd see in him. He should be withholding this. His eyes, although still half-lidded have a.. gentle warmth that draws you in. The air is charged with tension, a palpable mix of anticipation and uncertainty as you try to comprehend the depth of his actions. And with your thinking in that moment, you realize that this enigmatic figure before you is more than just ‘The radio demon.’ More than just a demon that has been feared for centuries.

He’s another mortal soul. Just like you.

Yet however, curiosity pangs you right in the heart as you recount the things he’s told about himself to you.

“Wait, Alastor,, are you sure?.. Please- I would not want to lose you over this. I know-” The more you overthink this and try to babble on, he slides his hand from under yours and brings it to cup your cheek.

“My darling doll, do you think I don’t love and cherish your company more than any of the others at the Hotel? it’d be a downright shame to not have a beauty as talented and great like you on my arm. Yet, I don’t believe you feel such similar feelings, no?” He laughs obnoxiously at his own words, but inside he’s.. he doesn’t know what he’s going to do if you don’t-

“Oh- no, of course not!”

He swear he can feel his undead heart halt like it had been beating all of this time.

“I wouldn’t want to ruin your image anyways..” With a shrug, you feel guilt wash over you. Why did you lie?

“..It wouldn’t, my darling doll!” The reaffirming words seemed much more disappointed than before and it almost made you freak out even more. Did he know?

As silence passes through between the two of you, trying to figure out what to make of each other’s feeling and words. You start to speak.

“Alastor.. are you actually trying to court me?” The words come out as a whisper, a hand of your own reaching up to place over his on your cheek while the other still held the rose bouquet.

..Static.

Radio static fills the room.

You’re afraid.

“My darling doll.. would that be such a problem?”

“…No. I don’t think so..”

His grin widens even more than you could possibly think of after being strained for such a long while. His thumb brushes downwards to your jaw and tilts your head upward more, stopping as soon as he has you looking more at his own jaw and the lower part of his mouth.

“Now tell me, why would you lie to me? Quite the bad habit, doll!” That static from earlier has still not left- in fact, it’s gotten louder than you’ve noticed up until this point in this encounter. He’s even lowered his head to go face to face with you this time.

Goddamnit.

“I didn’t want to make things awkward between us. I truly value our friendship, and I didn't want to risk losing that by admitting.. that I saw you in a far different way than probably you did for me. It's not that I don't appreciate your affection or the effort you've put into courting me before or even now, it's just that I didn't want to lead you on or give you false hope. Not only that- I was certain that you didn’t have any romantic attraction to or for anyone for a matter of fact.” Speaking faster than you intended made it harder to even keep up with your thought process.

“Not in a rude way! Just- I care a lot about making you comfortable and not passing any boundaries of yours. You don’t like romance much, you don’t like when people touch you if you don’t initiate it first.” Your shoulders slumped as you continue to ramble on, or at least try.

“All that? Dear.. I told you exactly how I felt. I wouldn’t mind if it was you.”

“..Are you sure you like.. aren’t pressuring yourself to feel this way?? Or something?”

“Darling, I force myself to do nothing. It all comes naturally!” Oh yes, naturally. That obsession? As much as he despises it- it did happen.. naturally.

“Besides…” The feeling of his claws starting to dig into the flesh of your cheek causes you to whine in pain, flinching even. You almost drop the roses due to the sudden reaction. This.. is not something that’s happened before.

“You aren’t dating anyone, correct?” His odd sing-song-like tone made you so.. uncomfortable. Dear goodness, all the color drains from your face as your eyes widen a bit at this. Immediately pulling your hand off of his, now wrapping both arms around the bouquet.

His claws stop digging into your cheek, almost making you instantly cry if you weren’t restraining yourself, wanting to run away, yet he brushes his thumb against your bottom lip ever so gently. How can the same person who just hurt you be the same person with such a gentle touch, told you such comforting words and possibly be the same person who just hurt you?

Stumbling backwards away from the man with hitched breathing, your eyes anxiously survey the man who hasn’t moved but, his smile has become more tense as his eyes have become narrowed as he stares you down like prey.

Why in Heaven’s great name is this happening??

Feeling a warm liquid trickle down your cheek, you instantaneously raise a hand to feel the damage done- already knowing what it is. It’s fucking blood. The sensation of tears start welling up and you lower your gaze for a long moment as you try to piece everything together.

“You- why!?” You cried out, with the tears now pouring down and mixing with the blood on one side. Unintentionally, you back yourself against one of the walls of the dressing room.

Oh you’re so screwed.

“Oh? Are you against me now? But, you don’t know even the beginning of how deep these vile feelings course through me for you!! You started this, darling.” Screwing your eyes shut as you hear his footsteps start to approach, you can’t help the whimpers that leave you.

With the subtle touch of one of his hands on your shoulder, you no longer think you can see him as the same person you did before, even after the sentimental moment. Even after the few times you’ve revealed your feelings to him, no matter how kong you’ve spent time together.

“Everything I’ve done for you so far was because of these wretched emotions started fluttering around, making me feel so much at the same time. It’s infuriating. They’re filthy, disgusting, but they’re still there. But, perhaps if I finally do something about these, I’ll finally be able to be rid of them. Perhaps it’s time that I take action on these, no?” You desperately want to shake your head no- but being frozen with shock with everything currently happening does you no good.

“You’re my valentine, darling. Always mine, and mine alone!”

Those are the final words spoken as your tears continue to pour, but he couldn’t care less and kisses them away. He enjoys this anyway. After-all, you’re helpless. The entire situation is helpless. And with no other thought in mind, he finds his lips on yours in a chaste kiss.

You physically have no idea why this took so long- and I’m sorry y’all. ILY POOKIES, ENJOY YOUR FOOD.

[misc-obeyme]

Tbh CC, I don't think MC is still in love with the brothers after everything that's happened,,, thinking about it, it feels more and more like MC is just putting up with the brothers and taking care of them rather than loving them

Imagine MC admitting their love for the brothers died a long time ago and now they're just here to keep things in check, what do you think would happen?

Oh hey Lucifer, bringing me the angst today I see! Ouchies!

I think it probably depends on the MC involved. Generic OM MC is highly tolerant, slightly crazy, and somehow insanely resilient. They've definitely been through a lot and I think it's interesting to note that they have never once had any kind of emotional breakdown. They've had little outbursts here and there, but that's about it.

I think part of this is due to the story format. We've got a situation where MC is a character that doesn't say or do much. They're very reactionary in general.

But if we consider how this same story might go if it was a specific MC, one who was a fully fleshed out character, things can change dramatically. And there is absolutely a chance that MC could fall out of love with the brothers or even not fall in love with them to begin with.

It's kinda funny because I have a preference for the side characters in general and I think it's because they don't need MC to take care of them. The brothers are all very demanding and don't like when MC isn't with them all the time. But the side characters have their own stuff going on and are independent. They're all still hopelessly in love with MC, but they don't rely on MC the same way the brothers do.

But let's consider the scenario where one day MC has reached their limit. They don't explode or anything, but they quietly admit that their love has died and they only stick around out of obligation.

The thing about this is that I think all the brothers would have picked up on it before this moment, but some of them wouldn't know what was happening and others would. For instance, I see Lucifer and Asmo just sorta being like yeah we expected this. Whereas Mammon and Levi would be like okay we knew something was up, but we didn't think it was this!

I think at that point, the brothers would do all they could to change things. They can all be idiots and they get carried away and often cause MC more stress than anything. But I think if they knew how MC felt, that they were feeling this way, they would try to change.

It might not work. These demons are old and old people are often set in their ways. It might be hard for them to change. Then again, they were also created to live as long as they do, so perhaps they're better at adapting than humans are. Maybe they would find it isn't so hard for them to make the changes they need to in order to have MC be more comfortable again.

The problem is that even if they succeed in changing their behaviors, that doesn't mean MC will love them again. No matter what the brothers do, MC won't be able to make themselves love again. It's not impossible, but it's not something that's predictable, either.

I think part of the solution would be MC spending time away from them. Whether that's staying in the Devildom, but living somewhere else such as the castle or Purgatory Hall or going back to the human world, I think it would require some time apart.

I think a lot of times people fall out of love because they change in different directions. So if MC has changed, but the brothers haven't, that could be the cause. It could be that MC and the brothers have both changed, but differently enough that they no longer have that same chemistry from before. And sometimes you just can't fix it.

MC would have to make their choice at that point. If they all spent some time apart, then the brothers actively tried to change, but MC still finds that they aren't in love with them anymore, then MC has to decide. They have to decide if it's worth spending the rest of their life taking care of a bunch of demons who have already managed to survive a long time without them and who will likely live on far after they're gone. If MC is still mortal, they may decide they don't have time for that. Maybe they'll permanently move in to the castle or Purgatory Hall. I think that has a lot of angst potential because they'd still see the brothers a lot, but it'd be like there go my seven exes lol.

Ahhh it's such a sad scenario! And there are a lot of ways it could go, depending on the MC involved. My MC is more likely to lose their shit way before it ever got to this point so I can't even imagine it with them lol. But a quieter MC who feels the responsibility of being everything the demons expect them to be might certainly stick around long enough.

Anyway, this is getting lengthy, but I think it'd be a difficult time for all if this happened. The brothers might try to fix things, but I think in the end everybody would want MC to make the right choice for themselves.

[silver-hwaberry]

NINETEEN: fears and reunions

Warnings: mentions of bipolar disorder, mental health and OCs fears around it, does not go into explicit details

Word count: 11.2k

Summary: It is the morning after the previous night's events, Seonghwa and Hongjoong have a conversation about Luna's condition. After some thought, Hongjoong decides to talk to her directly. Luna has a heart-to-heart with her mother before returning to the apartment, where everyone has come back from visiting their families.

(AN: this entire chapter is in 3rd person, I appreciate all the feedback on the different format and have decided to focus mainly on 3rd person now with Lunas 1st person POV during certain periods. Again any feedback on this is always appreciated! Thank you to everyone who has read, liked and reblogged so far!)

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“How was she this morning?” Hongjoong asks, a note of concern in his voice

“I don’t know. She left the apartment before 7am. I thought she was just on her regular morning run but when she still wasn’t back by 7.30am, I checked her room and her work things were gone.” Seonghwa replies. “I know she has a lot of work at the office today and maybe just wanted to get there as early as possible but it’s just worried me a little bit that she left so early.”

Seonghwa had messaged Hongjoong the night before to give him a brief rundown of what had happened. This morning he had got up early, planning to speak to Luna before she left for work. See how she was feeling after a nights sleep but she was already gone. It was now 9.30am and Hongjoong had called him after reading his messages when he woke up.

“When she told me about her bipolar, her main concern was that we would treat her differently. I wish I had been there last night so I could have reassured her.” Hongjoong sighs on the other end of the line

Seonghwa stiffens slightly at the implication, "Are you suggesting that I didn't do enough to reassure her?"

"No! That's not what I meant! You did your best. It's just...I feel so helpless!" Hongjoong exclaims, frustration evident in his tone. "I shouldn't have left Seoul. I should've stayed."

"You're our team captain, but even captains need rest. You couldn't have predicted this," Seonghwa says softly, trying to soothe his friend’s guilt. "Besides, Luna wouldn’t have let you stay even if you tried. Don't beat yourself up over this."

“You are right.” Hongjoong replies. “My dad is driving me back to Seoul in an hour or two so I will be home soon. Maybe I should get him to drop me off at the office instead so I can check up on her.”

“Do you think that is wise to do? Given how Luna hates being fussed over, she might feel cornered.” Seonghwa cautions

“I’m just worried.” comes Hongjoongs reply

"I understand your concern," Seonghwa reassures him. "Look, Luna's a fighter. She's been through so much, yet she remains resilient and strong. If you're set on seeing her before coming home, I won't stop you. Just tread carefully. We don’t want to push her away."

“I’m honestly unsure on what to do. As we get closer to Seoul I’ll see what my gut tells me. And you are right, she is an absolute fighter.” Hongjoong agrees “I am glad you were there for her last night. Do you think she’ll make things up with her mom?”

“Her dad assured me that this can be a common thing between them. Luna can’t suppress her feelings anymore and snaps, her mom gets more protective and Luna pulls away from her. He told me that they will patch things up either today or tomorrow but if it takes a bit longer, not to worry.” Seonghwa says as Hongjoong relaxes a little. He didn’t want a rift between mother and daughter when he knows how close they are and it is obvious how much her family, especially her mom means to her. “He also told me to reach out to him if we have any questions or looking for ways to support her without it being overbearing. He included the others in this.”

"That was considerate of him," Hongjoong remarks with a small smile, "Especially since they see you as her boyfriend and us as just coworkers."

“I don’t think he sees you all as ‘just coworkers’. He knows we all live together and I think Luna has been telling him little things about us all. He said he is thankful that we all look after her.” Seonghwa replies

“What are her parents like?” Hongjoong finds himself asking

“They are genuinely wonderful people. Her dad is really tall! A bit scary at first obviously but he is funny, down to earth and kind. He isn’t the scary old school military guy I had imagined in my head! Luna gets her caring nature from him.” Seonghwa answers with a small smile

“And her mom?” Hongjoong presses further

Seonghwa continues, “The same as her dad. Funny, laid back and really kind. She is tiny though, shorter than Luna but they look so alike. Obviously she can be pretty intense. She's fiercely protective of Luna, sometimes to a fault. But it all comes from a place of love. She wants the best for her daughter and can be a bit overbearing at times, but it's only because she cares so deeply.”

“It sounds like Luna is lucky to have such supportive parents.” Hongjoong reflects thoughtfully, “We just need to make sure she knows she can rely on the two of us, until she is ready to tell the others.”

“We will!” Seonghwa assures him, “We will be there for her as much as she will let us be.”

“Anyway, I should go make sure I have everything packed up. I’ll be back in Seoul soon,” Hongjoong sighs lightly

“I’ll see you when you get home and don’t worry about Luna.” Seonghwa replies before the pair say goodbye and hang up.

As Seonghwa gently places his phone on the sofa, his eyes shift towards her partially open bedroom door. Through the gap the early morning sunshine floods the room with warmth, casting a soft glow that extends into the little alcove between the lounge and her room. His heart sinks a bit, hoping that she is truly okay this morning.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

Hongjoong instantly feels relaxed the second he opens the door to his studio. It was his safe place, his little sanctuary. Spending 4 days without work was hard for him but he was determined to keep his promise to Luna that he would spend his break resting, enjoying time with his parents and his older brother who was also visiting them at the same time. He actually found that he was coming back to Seoul with a clear head though, the time away from his studio and work laptop gave him some clarity regarding the music he was currently working on, and he was excited to get started on it again.

He places his suitcase in his studio before leaving the small room and walking to the door next to his. Inside he can see a light shining through the frosted glass of the little window, a small smile creeping onto his face as he knows Luna is in there.

As he raises his hand to knock, a familiar voice calls out from behind him. Turning around, he sees Maddox, a close friend and fellow musician, approaching with a steaming mug of coffee in hand.

“Looks like I surprised you.” Maddox teases him with a grin. “I wasn’t expecting to see you until tomorrow morning at the very least!”

“You know me!” he laughs shrugging his shoulders. “I can’t stay away from here!”

Maddox raises an eyebrow in playful curiosity. "Don't tell me you have an English lesson with Luna on the same day you came home?"

Hongjoong quickly improvises, thinking on his feet. He couldn't possibly reveal that his sole purpose for stopping by the office was to see Luna. "Nope, not today! I just wanted to drop by my studio for an hour. But when I saw the light on in Luna's office, I can’t resist saying hi."

Maddox takes a sip of his coffee, amusement dancing in his eyes. "Ah, I see." Something in the playful look in his friends eye made Hongjoong feel like Maddox was seeing through him.

“How was your break? Did you work nonstop like usual?” Maddox asks

Hongjoong shakes his head, a slight smile forming on his lips. "No, not this time. I even left my work laptop in my studio."

Maddox lets out a laugh. "Miracles do happen! So, you're here, probably itching to get some work done now that you're back."

“Caught red handed!” Hongjoong jokes, playfully holding up his hands

“Well I better go. I am doing a live in 10 minutes. I’ll see you next week as the team has the final meeting on the new bands album.” Maddox says

“Gosh, their debut date is so close now!” Hongjoong smiles, fondly remembering his own with Ateez. “See you next week!”

As Maddox walks down the corridor and disappears from sight, Hongjoong's attention returns to Luna's door. He quickly scans the area to ensure no one else is around before knocking gently. A moment passes without any response, so he knocks again, this time a little louder.

A loud groan comes from within the room, followed by some mumbled swearing in English. Hongjoong's stomach tightens with worry, fearing that he might have interrupted her from important work. Suddenly, the door swings open, revealing a frustrated looking Luna. But as soon as she sees him, her expression softens and she pulls him into her room by his hand, swiftly closing the door behind them. Luna wraps her arms around his shoulders tightly.

"Joongie!" she exclaims blissfully.

Hongjoong is momentarily taken aback by her sudden display of affection but quickly recovers, reciprocating by wrapping his arms around her waist and holding her just as tightly. Her head buries into his neck and he can feel her warm breath on his skin.

“I missed you so much, Joongie!” she mumbles

"I missed you too," he replies, a genuine smile tugging at the corners of his lips. The sound of her calling him by that nickname sends a flutter through his heart. He takes a deep breath, inhaling her familiar scent of vanilla and coconuts. “I didn’t interrupt you, did I? You sounded a little annoyed when I knocked a second time.”

Luna pulls back slightly, looking up at him with affectionate eyes. "Of course not. I had my earphones in, and the loud knock startled me. I jumped and accidentally hit my knee on the desk."A faint blush colours her cheeks at the fact he heard her swearing.

“Is your knee okay?” he asks concerned

“It is fine! My own clumsy fault.” she replies “Why are you here? I thought we were meeting back at the apartment tonight.”

Hongjoong smiles and caresses her face gently with one hand. "I kept my promise to you - no work while I was away. I had decided to leave my laptop in the office and I wanted to pick it up before heading home."

Luna feels her heart swell slightly at the fact he had went so far to keep his promise to her.

“Plus I wanted to see you too.” he adds.

"Check up on me, you mean?" she teases gently. "I know Seonghwa would have told you what happened last night."

"Yeah, he did," Hongjoong acknowledges, worry etching his features. His voice carries a plea for understanding as he says, "Please don't be mad at him."

Luna recognises the worry in his eyes, mirrored from last night when Seonghwa asked if she was okay and when he told her he agreed with her mother about the big changes in her life. It was worry with a hint of fear in the eyes. It isn’t the first time one of them has said the words ‘don’t be mad/upset’ to her either.

"Hongjoong, do I make you feel uncomfortable sometimes?" she asks, searching his eyes for the truth.

Confusion flickers across his face as he asks, "What do you mean?"

"I've noticed in the past few days that sometimes you all seem a bit on edge around me," Luna explains. "It's like you're afraid to tell me something or voice an opinion like I'll fly into a rage or get upset."

Hongjoong hesitates before answering, searching for the right words. In that moment, Luna knows that her fears are not unfounded.

“I don’t want any of you to feel that way!” she tells him earnestly “I know I can be moody and hard to be around but I don’t want you all to be scared to talk to me or ask me how I am.”

Hongjoong's voice is gentle as he responds, moving one hand from her waist to cup her cheek. "Hey, you aren't moody or hard to be around. You make each of us so happy just by allowing us into your life. We're not scared of you; we just worry a little about upsetting you."

“I realise that I made a big deal about not wanting to be fussed over. However I don’t want any of you to be afraid of how I’ll react if you do. I know my condition will make you and Seonghwa worry twice as much, but I promise I won't get upset if anyone fusses over me.” she says, “The reason I said I didn't want to be fussed over is because of my moms over-protectiveness. I know it is because she loves me but I have to hold back so often with her, bite my tongue a lot that when someone else fusses over me, I tend to snap easily. I just didn’t want to take my frustrations out on any of you.”

Hongjoong nods in understanding, his dark eyes soft and sympathetic. "I understand, Luna," he says softly. "And I can only imagine the added stress and strain you must feel by concealing your bipolar disorder from the others."

Luna takes a deep breath before continuing, her voice trembling slightly. "That's why I've decided it's time to stop hiding and be honest with everyone about my bipolar disorder. I'm tired of living in fear, constantly worrying my sleeve will ride up or hiding when my medication like a dirty little secret. It's exhausting." She meets Hongjoongs gaze.

“Are you truly ready to do or do you feel you have to?” He poses the question to her, his voice gentle but probing.

Luna looks away for a moment, gathering her thoughts, before leaning back into his embrace once again. His arms encircle her protectively, and he starts rubbing soothing circles on her back.

"No," she whispers vulnerably, "I am nowhere near ready." She takes a deep breath and continues, "But I wasn't prepared for Seonghwa to find out and today I feel a little lighter. I told him everything, more than I told you about the scars, and there was no judgement. Neither of you have judged me."

“Baby, I'm glad you feel that way, but it's important for you to be truly ready." he cautions. “I don’t want you to do it and then regret it because it was too soon for you. Seonghwa and I will support you completely until that time comes, so do not worry about that.”

"I honestly don't deserve you," Luna sighs, her voice filled with gratitude. "Thank you."

They linger in each other's embrace for a moment, relishing the rare moment of solitude.

“Oh I had a meeting today. Whether it is good outcome or not I’ll let you decide since it involves you!” Luna beams up at him

Hongjoong recognises the mischievous glint in her eyes, prompting a smile to spread across his face.

“I am sure it will be good!” he chuckles, tucking some of her hair behind her ear

“The CEO has asked me to work with you all for the Japanese track. It’s mainly to ensure the Japanese lyrics and vocals are on point.” she says “Not that he doesn’t trust your Japanese!” she quickly adds, realising how her words might have sounded to him

“Are you kidding me? I think this is amazing news Luna!” he grins, feeling his stomach bubble with excitement

“I was hoping you’d be okay with this, me being a part of that process.” she returns his level of excitement. “I don’t know anything about making or producing music, and lord knows I am a terrible singer so should not be involved in any of that stuff!” she laughs before continuing “However I am very fluent in Japanese as it was the second language I learned as a child alongside Korean and I am confident in my skills in that regard. Eden has already given me the songs that will have a Japanese version and I am working on translating them now.”

"We're all pretty basic when it comes to Japanese." Hongjoong admits with a smile. "We usually bring in someone new for these tracks, someone we've never met before but it will be amazing to have you there, something we fully trust."

"I just hope I can contribute and not hinder anything," Luna replies.

With a gentle smile, he reassures her, "You will be incredible. We usually do vocals individually in the recording studio, given our busy schedules. I'll make sure it's just us and whatever member is doing the vocals at that moment, one on one to make the process easier for you." He reaches over to caress her cheek, his touch warm and comforting. "I'm excited to have you in the studio with me. It will be a great experience," he adds with genuine enthusiasm. “And getting to spend some time alone with you will be an added bonus.” his voice takes on a low, husky tone that sends butterflies dancing in her stomach.

His eyes drop to her lips, Luna noticing and instinctively tucking her lower lip between her teeth as his fingers thread through her soft dark hair. Her usual wavy hair is poker straight today, her long bangs perfectly framing her delicate face. With a slight tilt of his head, Hongjoong leans in and their lips meet.

It was the first time they’d kissed since their first one in his studio weeks before but also the first time they had been alone. Both being busy with work and like ships passing in the night. In this moment of pure solitude, Hongjoong promises himself to make more time for her.

The kiss is slow and comforting to them both. The outside world around them fading away as they get lost in one another. After what seemed like an eternity, Hongjoong pulls back slightly, his dark eyes searching hers for any sign of hesitation or doubt. “I really missed you.” Hongjoong whispers softly.

Luna's feel a warmth spread through her chest at the way he is looking at her, his eyes filled with affection which she has never seen before from him. She brushes her fingertips against the side of his face. "I missed you too," she replies softly. She leans forwards to capture his lips once more but a firm knock at the door causes them to pull apart harshly. Hongjoong taking a few steps backwards and while Luna quickly fixes her tussled hair from his fingers before saying as calmly as possible, “Come in!”

Both Hongjoong and Luna look towards the door to see Hyunshik walk through the door. His usual mischievous grin on his face as he looks at Luna before spotting Hongjoong at the other side of the room looking at a textbook from Lunas desk in an attempt to look nonchalant.

“Oh hey Hongjoong! Didn’t know you were back at work!” he greets him

“I am not, I came to pick up my laptop then going home. Just wanted to say hi to Luna before I left.” Hongjoong explains

“Ah right.” Hyunshik nods. “Luna, reception called up, your mom has just arrived in the lobby. Ilsung is bringing her up as she has a lot of bags!”

“That will probably be food for everyone!” Luna chuckles. “Thanks for letting me know.”

“I have a meeting to go to so let me know if there is any leftover food!” he replies laughing too

“Oh you can bet on it! I’ll message you first!” she says

“That’s my bestie!” he grins holding his fist out for her to bump

“I got your back!” Luna replies with a smile reciprocating the fist bump

Hongjoong observes their interaction closely, his eyebrow arching slightly at the exchange. Hyunshik gives him a smile before leaving the room. Luna tilts her head, catching the subtle change in Hongjoong's expression. Sensing an unspoken question hanging in the air, she decides to address it directly.

"Is everything alright, Hongjoong?" Luna asks

Hongjoong's demeanour softens as he meets Luna's gaze. "Oh, everything's fine," he reassures her with a small smile. "Just observing the ‘besties’ in action."

Luna chuckles lightly, “Hyun is the only person I’ve made friends with in this place. He keeps bugging me to join the staff hangouts after work but it’s not really my scene.”

“Why not?” he asks

Luna ponders for a moment before responding. She doesn't particularly want to mention that there are certain colleagues like Chaeyoung and Iseul whom she can't stand. Although they don't attend these post-work gatherings, there are some who do that are friendly with them and she doesn’t fully trust them.

“I have enough friends. And with my relationship with you guys I don’t want more people involved in my life. I am a private person in general. With Hyun, we get along. He was the first member of staff to actually talk to me, we have the same sense of humour and I know I would have been friends with him if we’d met elsewhere.” Luna responds. “Does it bother you that we are friends?”

“No!” he answers instantly. “Not at all! I love that you’ve got a friend here! I just wasn’t aware you had been a close friend yet as you don’t really talk about your friendships with members of staff. It didn’t even cross my mind, which I know is bad and comes across like I don’t care.”

“Oh Joongie, I know you care, even when you are busy with work,” Luna reassures him, smiling warmly and reaching for his hand. “I notice the little things you do for me, like filling up my tub with fresh strawberries every day.”

“I didn’t think you knew it was me doing that.” Hongjoong replies, his cheeks blushing.

“I caught you doing it one night when you came home late. I was on my way to the pantry for a midnight snack and saw you in the kitchen.” Luna reveals affectionately.

Hongjoong goes to respond but they hear a noise outside her room door and he quickly lets go of her hand. Ilsung and her mom walk in. Hyunshik wasn’t kidding when he said she had a lot of bags! Ilsung has 6 giant bags of food while her mom is holding 3.

“Apples were my saving grace during my morning sickness with the twins.” her mom shares with Ilsung “I was lucky with Luna and didn’t have any of those symptoms but the twins were a very different story!”

“I’ll definitely pass that on to my wife. She’s tried everything, but the nausea really takes a toll on her at work, and I feel utterly helpless hearing how her day is being affected by it all.” Ilsung responds, a tinge of guilt clouding his tone.

“It is different for all women but giving the apples a shot won’t hurt.” she advises with a warm smile

“Thank you, I’ll grab some on my way back tonight,” Ilsung replies gratefully. “It was truly delightful meeting you, Eunbi.” He flashes a smile at her as Luna and Hongjoong observe quietly.

“You too, Ilsung. I wish you all the best for the future too!” she says “Make sure you take those bags to the others.”

Ilsung bows to her and nods towards Hongjoong before leaving. Luna looks at her mom and feels a bubble of nerves in her tummy. She knows they would talk and sort things out, like they always have done in the past but she was always nervous to have these talks.

“Oh he is such a lovely young man! His poor wife is suffering so badly from morning sickness, such a shame!” her mom says to Luna and Hongjoong

“Hi mom.” Luna says, rubbing at her arm

Hongjoong notices this from the corner of his eye. He longs to reach out and take her hand for reassurance but holds back due to her moms presence. His struggle between desire and restraint becomes apparent to himself as he grapples with his newfound feelings for Luna and his typically reserved demeanour that never allowed him to be openly affectionate – until now, that is. The days they spent apart made him realise how deeply he cares for her.

“Ah Hongjoong! It is lovely to finally meet you!” Lunas mom smiles at him

“You too.” he replies bowing to her

“I brought some food for you boys as well.” she says holding one bag to him “Nothing fancy, just some home cooking I did this morning.”

Luna can’t help but smile. She knew her mom would have been up at the crack of dawn cooking this. One thing she took great pride in was taking care of people and one way of doing that is through cooking. It was one of the many traits Luna got from her mom.

“They are still on holiday, Mom. Joongie was just picking up his laptop.” Luna explains

Her moms eyebrow raises, Luna instantly feels her heart skip a beat at the nickname slipping out. Hongjoong feels her body tense up from beside him and quickly takes the 2 bags from her moms hands.

"Thank you, Mrs. Lee. I'm sure the others will appreciate it," he says with a warm smile. “I am heading back to the apartment now so I’ll make sure the others eat and there will be leftovers for Luna when she returns home tonight too.”

“I’m delighted to see you have such a caring friend Luna! Someone who clearly cares for you.” she smiles as Luna nods trying to remain neutral and hide any hint of her true relationship with Hongjoong from her moms great detective skills. “And please call me Eunbi! My husband is Sam too! Make sure to tell the other boys as I am sure our paths may cross at some point and I hear enough of ‘Mrs Lee’ from my students and Sam hears plenty of ‘Major Lee’ at his job too!!” she adds with a light laugh to Hongjoong

“Of course Mrs L… Eunbi.” he says with a slight wince on his face as he bows again. Luna hides a smile as she knows Hongjoong will be hating calling her by her first name. Lunas mom also picks up on his face and gives Luna is playful wink. “It was lovely to meet you, but I should be going now. I’ll see you tonight Luna.” he adds moving towards the door

“Bye.” Luna says as he walks through it

Her moms voice echoes through the room, mischief lacing her tone. "Bye Joongie!" The door closes behind him just as quickly as her words had left her lips.

"Mom!" Luna protests, a soft laugh escaping her as she lightly nudges her moms shoulder. "That was mean!"

“I live with your dad! I need to get my kicks where I can!” she laughs opening the food containers as they sit down at Lunas desk.

As they settle down to eat, Luna feels another wave of nervous anticipation wash over her. The thought of discussing last night's events twists knots in her stomach.

“You and Hongjoong seem close.” Eunbi observes softly, breaking the silence

“Hongjoong’s been there for me. He has become a… very dear friend to me already.” Luna replies taking a sip from her water bottle.

She looks at her moms expression carefully, uncertain if she is hinting at something more than friendship or merely making an observation.

“He seems to care for you a lot and I like that he does.” Eunbi says with a fond smile “I know you have your core group of friends with Seojun, Nayeon, Jieun and Dasom, and they are wonderful kids but it is nice to see you letting more people into your life.”

After a pause, her mom looks at her with a serious expression. “Luna,” she begins, causing the knot in Lunas stomach returning. Has she saw through her facade of Hongjoong being a friend only? "I owe you an apology for my words last night. I should have approached you privately. I was under the impression that Seonghwa was aware.” she says

"I hadn't found the right moment to tell him yet," Luna admits, her eyes downcast as she focuses on the food in front of her. "I needed more time."

Her mother's voice softens with regret. "I'm truly sorry for forcing you into revealing something so personal before you were prepared."

“I should have told you beforehand not to mention it. But honestly, I didn’t think you would.” Luna says. “However, it was okay. Seonghwa wasn’t freaked out by it.”

“Why would he be?” Eunbi asks, her eyes full of concern as she looks at her daughter

"I’m not ashamed of my bipolar disorder… it just frightens me sometimes," Luna confesses, blinking back impending tears.

“Oh honey!” Her mother immediately sets down her utensils and rounds the table to envelop Luna in a comforting hug. Overwhelmed by emotional exhaustion, Luna sinks into the embrace, releasing all her pent-up emotions.

“It’s okay to be scared from time to time, but never forget how brave you are every day.” her mom says gently, brushing a strand of hair behind Luna's ear.

After taking a few moments to compose herself, she pulls back slightly and looks up at her mom with tear-filled eyes. The sight of her firstborn daughter in such emotional turmoil tore at Eunbi's heart. Like all mothers, the sight of her child in pain was unbearable. Yet, this was a pain she could not erase for Luna, no matter how much she wished she could.

“I don’t like people treating me differently,” Luna admits “and I don’t want to be defined by it.”

Eunbi smiles caringly, dabbing Luna tears away. "You are so much more than any label. Those who truly love and care for you you will understand that."

Luna sniffles, grateful for her moms reassuring words. "I know, Mom. I just... it's hard sometimes."

“I know honey, I know.” she replies stroking her head, “And I know I can make it harder for you, I am overbearing and smothering at times. I am so sorry for that.”

“I know why you are though.” Luna says looking at her mom, “You care a lot and just want the best for me but please just trust me. I understand that is hard given the hell I put you and dad through last year and you’ll probably always worry about me but I know how to look after myself now. I take my medication everyday at the same time, I see my therapist regularly, I practice mindfulness, I talk to my friends when things are tough and go for my morning head clearing runs. I am aware of things now and I am in such a happy place in my life with my job and with… Seonghwa.”

“I can see that. I know that he cares for you deeply, I could see that the second I saw him look at you last night. Hongjoong does as well.” Eunbi says, “Talk to them the way you do with your friends, let them in and allow them to help.”

“Hongjoong knows about my diagnosis but I don’t know how to tell the others. I’ve built up such a protective wall around myself regarding my diagnosis.” her voice falters slightly, “First thing I said to them when I moved in, was not to fuss over me with my allergies, don’t ask me how I am, or treat me different and speaking to Hongjoong this afternoon, I realised that I’ve made them all on edge with that. They are too worried to do those things now. I want to let them in, be closer to each of them but I don’t know how to without being guarded.”Another stray tear falls from Luna eye as her lip wobbles.

Eunbi looks carefully at her daughter, seeing the conflict in her face but also picking up on the way she is mentioning to the others. It is clear to her that Luna cares for more than just Seonghwa and Hongjoong.

“You have been little Miss Independent since you learned to walk! Wouldn’t let your father or I help you.” Eunbi smiles gently “Your health conditions have made you more guarded, which is understandable. However, don't let it prevent you from opening up to all of them and allow them to be there for you.”

Luna shifts in her seat, the hesitation evident in her voice as she takes a deep breath. “What if they see me differently? As a weak fragile person.”

“Oh my dear Younha,” Eunbi's words are filled with affection, speaking her birth name with a softness that catches Luna off guard but reassures her deeply, “opening up doesn’t make you weak. It takes strength to be vulnerable, to trust others with your heart and I know they will take care of you, all of them!”

Luna feels more tears welling up in her eyes as she looks at her mom, thankful for her. "I don't want to push them away," Luna admits, her voice barely above a whisper.

Eunbi smiles and replies, "Then don't. Let them in one step at a time, at your own pace, show them your true self - vulnerabilities and all. They care about you more than you realise, and together, you can all support each other through anything life throws your way."

A sense of peace washes over Luna's chest as she nods slowly, a glimmer of courage shining through. Luna knows her mom is beginning to understand the depth of her relationships. “Thank you mom!”

“I love you so so much honey.” Eunbi says kissing the top of Lunas head and hugging her once more.

“I love you too mom.” Luna replies

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

Luna walks through the door and instantly can hear the buzz of activity in the apartment. Her face breaks into a smile; it's good to have everyone home. She takes off her coat and hangs it up before slipping off her sneakers. Suddenly a pair of strong arms wrap around her from behind, lifting her effortlessly off the ground. Surprised and delighted, a playful scream escapes Luna's mouth. She feels warm breath against her neck, accompanied by a tender kiss that ignites a spark within her. In that moment, she knows exactly who it is.

"Wooyoung!" she giggles, turning to face him with gleeful arms wrapped tightly around his shoulders. His cheeky grin mirrors her own excitement.

“Miss me?” he asks playfully

Luna smirks, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Not really," she teases, barely able to contain her amusement. "I barely noticed you were gone!"

“Oh wow, that hurts!” he says pretending to be upset “Maybe I won’t give you any kisses then!” he grins

“Ha! I’d like to see you try to go a night without trying to kiss me!” she laughs in reply

In truth she missed him and he had missed her too. They all had but playful banter and teasing were Luna and Wooyoungs first instincts with one another.

“Just you see me succeed with that!” he replies

“Okay Mr Jung! Lets see how long you last!” she says, pulling away from him “I wonder if San is home yet…”

“Oh hell no, he isn’t getting kisses before me!” he pouts, holding onto her arm and pulling her back into his body again. “Not when I’ve been waiting by the door for nearly an hour for you to come home!” his lips capture hers as she lets out a muffled giggle

She throws her arms around his shoulders once more and kisses him back, happy to have him close to her once again but also secretly enjoying that he didn’t even last 10 seconds. His hands slip down to her rear, gently squeezing it as he pulls her even closer.

“Did you miss me though?” he asks, pulling back. Luna can see his eyes are serious.

“Of course I did Woo.” she replies softly. “A lot!”

“Good!” he smiles, placing another kiss on her lips. “As much as I want to pick you up, take you to my room and keep you all to myself for the rest of the night, we should go see the others.”

As Wooyoung and Luna walk into the kitchen, Seonghwa and Yunho are in there. Seonghwa is cleaning the cooker while Yunho is sitting at the kitchen island. Luna goes straight to Yunho and hugs him causing him to smile and pull her onto his lap sideways. He places his lips on hers while leaning her backwards, holding onto her tightly so she doesn’t fall as she laughs lightly. Luna is pleased to see how confident he is being at showing affection for her in front of the others now and she knows their night together has definitely made them closer. He gently pulls her upright, pulling back from the kiss but still keeping her close to him.

“Someones in a good mood.” she teases playfully as her hands play with the fabric of his hoodie.

"Just happy to have you home," Yunho replies contentedly, savouring the soft kisses she plants on his cheek, a chuckle escaping his lips.

Luna settles comfortably into Yunho's lap, feeling his warm embrace around her. But as she leans against him, she senses a presence lingering nearby. Turning her head, she catches sight of Seonghwa standing a few feet away with a gentle smile on his lips as he looks on at them. Sensing Luna's silent acknowledgement, Yunho eases his hold on her, silently granting her permission to approach Seonghwa if she desires. Grateful that Yunho has picked up on this, Luna pecks his cheek before gliding over to Seonghwa, who meticulously removes his cleaning gloves.

“How was your day?” Seonghwa asks leaning down to hug her

"Surprisingly good," Luna replies happily looking up at him, a shadow of her previous night's weariness erased. Seonghwa notices the visible transformation in Luna, putting his earlier concerns to rest.

"That's what I like to hear, darling." A warm smile plays on his lips, reflecting his genuine relief. She goes on her tip toes to place a kiss on his lips before resting her head on his shoulder.

As Luna and Seonghwa share a moment, everyone can hear the loud footsteps of someone rushing down the stairs. Luna pulls away from Seonghwa, turning her head towards the sound. Her eyes light up as she recognises the familiar figure stepping into the room.

“Ah my princess is finally home!” Mingis deep voice booms through the kitchen as he enters. Seonghwa lets go of Luna so she can go to Mingi as he watches on fondly.

“Mingi!” she smiles widely. As Mingi lifts Luna into his arms, spinning her around, she giggles and murmurs into his ear, "I missed you today."

"Missed you too," he replies gently, setting her back down on the floor and planting a kiss on her forehead. "Brought me any treats today?"

Luna feigns indignation, rolling her eyes playfully. "What do you think?! Of course I did! I got you cookies today."

As Mingis eyes light up at the mention of the cookies, Wooyoung chimes in “Hey! What about me? Am I not getting any treats?” he pouts

“You just got kisses, isn’t that a treat?” she laughs poking his side

“I mean kisses are great but a man needs his snacks too you know!” he replies, grabbing her waist and tickling her gently

“Woo, don’t!” she shrieks with laughter trying to get away from him

Luna's heart races as she tries to escape Wooyoung, who chases her around the spacious kitchen. Their laughter echoes around the room as Seonghwa, Yunho and Mingi look at them with smiles on their faces at the playful scene. As she runs around the kitchen island her soft socks causes her to slip on the hardwood flooring. Wooyoung tries to grab her to stop her while Yunho who was second closest to her jumps from his seat on the bar stool to catch her. However their attempts are in vain as Luna hits the floor with a loud thud.

“Oh shit Luna, I am so sorry!” Wooyoung says the first to reach her

Lying flat on on her, Luna can’t help but laugh again as she looks up at the ceiling with the 4 men surrounding her on the floor. At this point Hongjoong enters the kitchen.

“What happened?” he asks, a smile on his face at hearing Lunas joyful laughter

“Luna fell over.” Yunho replies

“Oh god!” he says, his smile dropping. He rushes over, nudging Wooyoung out the way to get to her side.

“Are you okay?” Seonghwa asks Luna, concern in his voice

“I am fine!” she manages to reply, trying to suppress her laughter.

“Are you sure?” Mingi asks, his eyes big and round as he looks down at her

“You fell really hard, little one!” Yunho says reaching out to help her

“Really guys, I’m fine!” Despite her assurance, Wooyoung stands off to the side biting his lip nervously, guilt weighing heavily on him. Mingi and Yunho help her up while Hongjoong supports her arm. "I'm surprised it took me this long to fall in front of you all! I am super clumsy on my feet."

Out of the corner of her eye she notices Wooyoung lingering in the background, his face clouded with worry. Guilt hitting him that his actions could have really hurt her. Instantly her laughter stops and she moves from Yunhos hold to go to Wooyoung.

“Hey.” she whispers, cupping his cheek, “I am okay, I promise you!”

"I could've hurt you," he mumbles, not meeting her gaze.

"But you didn't. My clumsy self has fallen over countless times before, so I think my body has developed some kind of resistance to injury by now." She tries to lighten the mood with a joke.

A small smile tugs at Wooyoung's lips as he finally looks at her, relieved that she's alright. Luna can’t resist leaning forwards and hugging him, feeling relief when he hugs her back tightly.

"I fall over my own two feet, I have a habit of dropping things, and sometimes I possess the ability to break objects just by casting my gaze upon them.” She looks over at her other boyfriends. "I've been trying my best to contain it around you guys," she continues, "but I think it's safe to say that Clumsy Luna has finally made her appearance. Brace yourselves for what's to come!"

Yunho chuckles, his eyes crinkling in amusement. "So what you're saying is we need to baby proof the apartment?"

Luna's laughter mingles with theirs, a token of gratitude for their light-heartedness in the face of the situation. Wooyoung leans in, his lips brushing a soft kiss against her temple, sending her heart into a flutter. Turning to him, she finds a gentle smile meant only for her. Drawn to him, she meets his lips in a tender kiss.

"San, Yeosang, and Jongho have collected the food," announces Hongjoong, glancing at a message on his phone.

"We've almost finished setting up. Mingi and I need to grab some drinks from the store quickly," Seonghwa adds.

"I'll get changed," Luna replies, gently extricating herself from Wooyoung's hold. He places a parting kiss on her forehead before releasing her. "Hongjoong, Seonghwa, can we talk privately?" she adds quietly

“Of course. Lets go into the lounge.” Hongjoong replies

The trio retreats into the lounge as Yunho watches them leave. Curiosity tugs at him, but he respects Luna's need for privacy.

“I wanted to thank you both for being so understanding.” Luna begins as they sit on the sofa, Luna in the middle of them. “The last 24 hours have been a lot for you Seonghwa. Your support and non-judgement means a lot.”

“There is no need to thank us darling.” Seonghwa says

“How did things go with your mom this afternoon?” Hongjoong asks, showing concern

“We talked it out, things are back to normal again.” Luna answers, “I’ve decided not to tell the others yet. I know I said to you earlier that I would but honestly, last night was hard enough. Not ready to go through that again so soon with 6 other men.” she continues, "If your offer to support me until I'm ready still stands, I'd be grateful."

“Of course it is, baby!” Hongjoong reassures her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pressing a comforting kiss to her cheek.

Seonghwas eyes widen slightly at the sudden display of affection Hongjoong is showing. It isn’t something he has seen from his oldest friend and leader, nor has he ever seen him be affectionate with a woman ever! It was a running joke within the group that as soon as a female is in close proximity Hongjoong will be as far away as possible.

"We'll both be here for you, as much as you'll let us," Hongjoong promises.

"That's what I wanted to discuss too. I'm going to allow you all to fuss over me, for those who want to," Luna says, managing a smile.

"Really? We don't want to make you uncomfortable," Seonghwa cautions gently.

"There's a difference between showing concern and being overbearing. I think I was conflating the two. I want us all to have an open relationship—that includes letting you all care for me." Luna abruptly adds, "I want to tell Yunho about my bipolar."

"Are you sure?" Hongjoong asks, his hand cradling her cheek with care.

“The hiding has caused me gut-wrenching anxiety and Yunho’s noticed. I know he is worried about me.” she answers, “The other night we opened up to one another and I want him to know.”

She feels a small heat flash across her cheeks, wondering if Hongjoong and Seonghwa know what she truly means by that. Seonghwa had a sense their relationship had progressed to this stage, due to Yunhos recent displays of affection and now Lunas words only confirmed it for him and he is genuinely happy for them both.

“Do you want to do it now or leave it until later?” Seonghwa asks in a gentle tone

"It's better to do it now before everyone else returns. We won't have another quiet moment like this for a long time.” she says with determination

Hongjoong nods in agreement before slipping away to fetch Yunho from the kitchen. Luna seizes the moment to snuggle into Seonghwa, who warmly welcomes her embrace.

“How are you holding up?” he asks softly

“Good.” she smiles

Moments later Yunho and Hongjoong come back into the lounge, both sitting on the sofa beside Luna and Seonghwa.

“Is everything okay?” Yunho asks calmly, his voice reassuring.

“There is something we need to discuss before the others get home.” Hongjoong discloses as Yunho nods

Before Seonghwa opens his mouth to tell Yunho what is going on, Luna starts to speak. She knew it had to be her to say the words.

“Yunho, I have bipolar disorder. I was diagnosed at the beginning of last year during a very dark period of my life. My recent heightened anxiety has been caused due to the pressure I was putting on myself to keep it hidden from you all.” she says. Yunho nods and taking a moment to process the information. “Hongjoong has known for a while and Seonghwa found out last night from my mom. That is why we returned home earlier than expected.”

"Is that why you were so quiet last night too?" he asks gently, to which she responds with a nod. The way Seonghwa was looking at Luna, she was so quiet and subdued when they got home, not her usual bubbly self then falling asleep so suddenly - it all made sense to Yunho now.

“I am sorry for keeping it from you…” she begins

"No need to apologise. I'm just glad you trust me enough to share this with me," he reassures her, reaching for her hands which she gladly accepts.

“I feel bad dropping this on you out the blue and not being able to talk properly about it but I promise you we can talk more in depth tomorrow, or another day if you want. I will answer all of your questions,” she says, “yours too Seonghwa.” she adds looking back at him as he smiles in return.

“All I need to know tonight little one, is if you are okay.” Yunho says, his fingers tenderly squeezing her hand

"I truly am. Our talk the other night, Hongjoong and Seonghwa's reassurance today, and my talk with my mom this afternoon has lifted the crushing weight that has been on my chest for weeks.” Luna takes a small deep breath before a gentle smile lights up her face making Yunho heart skip a beat, “I feel like I can finally breathe."

Hongjoong observes Luna's change in demeanour with a smile. “I am glad.”

"Also Luna has now given us permission to fuss," Seonghwa interjects with a playful grin at Yunho.

“Finally!!” Yunho breaks into a smile, “Just wait until Wooyoung and San find out!”

The room fills with laughter as relief washes over them all.

"I should change out of these work clothes," Luna announces after the laughter subsides, still glowing with happiness. "Thank you all for everything! If only I could hug all three of you at once!"

"No need for wishes—group hug time!" Yunho declares, pulling everyone into an embrace despite Hongjoong's protests, causing Luna to laugh.

After the laughter subsides, Luna extricates herself from the group hug, her face still flushed with joy. “Alright, I really need to change now,” she says, her voice filled with warmth

With a quick smile she’s off, leaving the room with a sense of lightness that belies the pain beginning to creep into her side. Once safely inside her bedroom, she takes a deep breath and rubs her hip where a dull ache lingers. She's managed to hide her discomfort, not wanting to worry the others—especially Wooyoung. There was no need to let them know, she was only slightly sore, nothing major. She collects fresh clothes before retreating into her bathroom to wash away the remnants of the day and enjoy her night with her boyfriends.

In the kitchen Wooyoung and Hongjoong are sorting the plates and cutlery. Hongjoong can sense Wooyoung still feels bad about what happened. As worried as Hongjoong was when he found her on the floor and hearing she had fell over, he knew it was an accident and he wasn’t mad at Wooyoung.

“Luna’s tougher than she looks.” Hongjoong says casually, trying to ease his worries but not make a big deal about it.

“I know, but it is still my fault she fell over. I was playing around with her.” he sighs, remorse clear in his voice as he opens the cupboard door and begins to retrieve the glasses. “I am responsible for her fall.”

“She wasn’t injured though.” Hongjoong says

Wooyoung nods, knowing he is right but still feeling a sense of unease lingering within him. “I just want her to feel safe with me,” he admits quietly, “not frightened that I might harm her.”

Hongjoong feels his stomach drop a little at hearing this, he places a reassuring hand on Wooyoungs shoulder. “She won’t feel that way! Luna understands accidents happen and she has told us how clumsy she is. She is a tough little cookie, she can handle a tumble now and then.”

“Thanks Hongjoong. To be honest I was bracing myself for a scolding from you, I wasn’t expecting this.” Wooyoung says with a small smile of relief on his face as they move into the lounge

“Captain mode will be activated tomorrow!” Hongjoong laughs lightly, glad to see his friend is feeling less burdened.

As they continue to set up the coffee table Mingi and Seonghwa return from the store. They have bought extra snacks with the drinks. At the same time Luna emerges from her room dressed in a pair of cream sweats with a long lilac coloured sweatshirt. Seonghwa can’t help but notice how content and comfortable she looks tonight. Immediately she goes to Wooyoung and hugs him close, wanting to give him extra reassure for earlier. He relaxes into her embrace, his arms loosely wrapping around her waist.

“I’m truly sorry about earlier.” he whispers into her ear

“No more apologies.” she smiles softly pulling her head back from his neck to look at him, her fingers running through his soft black hair. “Now where are my Woo kisses?” she asks with a playful glint in her big brown eyes that cause him to melt a little

“I’ll give you all the kisses you want, lil cutie.” he smiles back at her before capturing her lips

The warmth of Wooyoung's lips against hers sends a shiver down Luna's spine. She melts into his embrace, her heart racing with joy. One of his hands slowly travels down her back, before sliding under the soft fabric of her sweatshirt to feel the warmth of her skin beneath it. Luna smiles softly into the kiss as she tastes the light minty flavour on his tongue from the gum he must have been chewing earlier. As their lips separate Wooyoung leaves a series of playful pecks along her jaw and into her neck as she giggles lightly.

From the doorway, Hongjoong observes the intimate scene with a satisfied smile. He feels a wave of relief seeing Luna's radiant happiness and the dissipation of Wooyoung's worries. His eyes meet Seonghwa's as he passes by en route to the kitchen.

“He is whipped for Luna.” he says lowly, nodding his head towards the pair causing Hongjoong to chuckle.

“Aren’t we all!” Hongjoong simply replies following him

The mellow chime signalling the arrival of San, Yeosang, and Jongho with food pulls Luna and Wooyoung from their bubble. With playful cheekiness, Wooyoung lightly pats Luna's rear and disentangles himself from her.

“You should go see San, I know the mans been eager to see you since he came home.” he smiles at her

“You sure?” she asks him as he nods, wanting to make sure he was okay with her going to San. “Okay, save a spot for me beside you!”

“I’ll make sure I get us one of the corners so we have more space then can go into the corner of the sofa when we are finished eating.” he replies, feeling a flutter in his stomach at Luna wanting to be beside him for the rest of the night.

“Could you go into my room and get my blanket for us to cuddle under?” she asks as San and Jongho come into the lounge with the pizza boxes and food containers. “It is on the chair at my desk.”

“Of course I will.” he replies, pecking her lips before letting her go

Luna makes her way over to San who quickly puts the boxes on the coffee table before grabbing her into his arms. It was clear to see by Wooyoung and Mingi who looked on that San had missed Luna a lot, as she had with him. Wooyoung goes into her bedroom to collect her blanket while the others start to come into the lounge.

“It feels like I haven’t seen you in forever, sunshine!” San smiles lifting her up into his arms

“We face timed this morning when I got to work!” she laughs

“Not the same as seeing you, face to face, being to cuddle you,” he hums “ and kiss you again.” he mumbles quietly looking into her eyes

A smile tugs at Luna's lips as she leans in to give him a tender kiss. "I missed you so much," he murmurs against her lips.

"Me too," she replies with a content sigh, happy to see him and that everyone is back home again.

San gives her another kiss, carefully putting her back on the ground, his hands moving to her waist to keep her body close to his, pressing his forehead against her with his eyes closed. Luna's delicate fingers glide through his blond hair, the golden strands starting to reveal darker roots underneath. Wooyoung returns with the blanket in hand, a soft smile playing on his lips as he watches the scene unfold.

“Is everyone ready to eat?” Jongho says coming back into the lounge, his eyes resting on the couple.

“Absolutely, I am starving!” Yeosang says coming in behind him

San and Luna pull away from one another, San letting go of her waist. Before making her way over to Yeosang she softly kisses Sans cheek. It seems kisses were on the cards for everyone at this point as Yeosang is next in line. Jongho can only watch on as he goes to sit on the floor, wanting to hug her too but feeling too awkward.

“It is so nice to have everyone back home again!” Seonghwa says sitting beside Jongho, his legs stretched out under the coffee table and his back resting against the sofa

“Oh I am so looking forward to this tonight!” Luna smiles as she sits on the floor beside Wooyoung. He instantly pulls her onto his lap, wrapping her blanket over them both and puts his arm around her. His nose nuzzles into her neck, kissing the skin making her smile more.

“Before we get fully settled into our night, I have some good news for you all.” Hongjoong says as he comes into the lounge

His announcement commands attention. The room falls silent as everyone turns to face him, curiosity piqued.

"Once we return from LA, we'll begin working on our new Japanese song and album," he reveals, "Luna will be joining us for the translations and pronunciation!"

The room erupts into loud excitement as Luna can only blush and hide her face into Wooyoungs chest.

Mingi grins broadly. "I was hoping you'd be part of it!"

San adds his own praise. "We couldn't ask for a better translator or pronunciation guide for this album."

Luna peeks out at the others from Wooyoungs chest. “Thanks guys. I honestly shouldn’t be anywhere near a recording studio or associated with it in anyway as I sound like a dying cat and I am completely tone deaf! However, languages and translations are my speciality so I will work extra hard for you all.”

“Just be yourself, don’t stress yourself out over it. You are amazing at what you do and we have complete faith in your skills.” Seonghwa says

“I spent most of today doing the song translations from Korean and Japanese and over the next week I’ll be working with Hongjoong and Mingi on their lyrics for the new song.”

Mingi gasps dramatically. "So you already know which songs are on the album?"

She nods, amused by his reaction. "Based on your surprise, I'm guessing you didn't?"

Jongho interjects eagerly. "Which songs?"

"Cyberpunk and New World," she reveals, then frowns slightly. "You guys really didn't know? Was I not supposed to tell you yet?"

"Don't worry, Luna. I'm sure Eden planned to tell us tomorrow." Hongjoong laughs easing her concern she had revealed something she shouldn’t have “We will all just act surprised when he does!”

“I am slightly nervous as I’ve never translated something so important before but I am also excited to see the whole process. See you all recording too.” she says

“We are thrilled to have you working with us on our music. But even if you weren’t involved in a professional level, we would still have wanted you there for it.” Jongho says from the opposite side of the sofa. His gaze holds hers, a genuine smile on his face that makes her heart flutter.

“Absolutely!” Yunho agrees, “Now lets dig into the food before it gets cold!”

The guys begin to open the pizza boxes as Luna feels Wooyoungs arm around her tighten, his fingers playing with the fabric of her sweatshirt. “It is going to be awesome, jagiya.” he whispers kissing her softly

“Dear god Wooyoung, let Luna breath! You’ve had your lips attached to hers since she got home!” Mingi teases with a chuckle

Grinning mischievously, Wooyoung fires back, "Oh please, Mingi. You're just jealous that she wants my lips tonight and not yours!" Laughter fills the room.

“I had lots of Luna kisses while you were away!” Mingi replies with a smirk

“Oh my god!” Luna groans dramatically, rolling her eyes but unable to conceal the smile tugging at her lips.

“Guys maybe we should take it down a notch,” Yunho interjects gently, mindful of Luna's comfort. After she confided in him about her insecurities, he was extra cautious not to escalate any teasing that might make her feel uneasy. Concerned that the route the conversation was going down could lead to that situation, he wanted to slow it down now.

“It is cool.” Luna says smiling over at Yunho, letting him know she was fine with the current level of banter. “Woo just needs extra attention tonight, isn’t that right little baby!” she adds playfully looking at Wooyoung as he pouts back at her causing her to peck his lips as the others continue to laugh

As everyone begins to start taking the food and pouring drinks, Jongho's gaze remains fixated on Luna and Wooyoung, who seem to be lost in a little bubble of their own. He observes as Wooyoung leans in close and whispers something into Luna's ear, earning a sweet giggle from her before she gently hits his arm playfully and places a tender kiss on his cheek, and Jongho can't help but envy the easy intimacy between them.

His chest feels heavy, aching to embrace her closely like Wooyoung is, to share whispered conversations that light up her face with joy, and to feel the warmth of her lips on his cheeks

He felt the same way when he saw San kissing her, Yeosang too. It wasn’t jealousy he felt towards the others, far from it. Just a sense of longing that fills his heart as he yearns for a connection like theirs – to hold Luna close, whisper into her ear, and make her laugh effortlessly. The accidental closeness they shared last night, when Luna fell asleep on his shoulder, only amplified these desires.

Just as Jongho contemplates his own desires for Luna to reciprocate his feelings, their eyes meet. His head screams to look away, fearing that she might see the intensity in his gaze and feel uncomfortable by it. However he finds himself incapable of turning away, captivated by Luna's radiant smile and the adorable scrunch of her nose as she winks at him. In that moment of a shared moment between just the two of them, the heavy weight on his chest evaporates into a comforting warmth that spreads throughout his entire body. Unable to resist, he returns her smile, recognising the unspoken connection they are having.

“Luna, we went to that vegetarian place you told me about the other day so we could get you the tteokbokki you love.” Yeosang says handing the food container to her

“Ooooh!” Hongjoong exclaims, his eyes widening at the sight of it. Memories flood back of Luna bringing him some tteokbokki on the day she visited his studio for lunch, and how delicious it was.

“You want some?” Luna asks him with a grin on her face

“N-no!” he stammers, “That is your food. The guys got it for only you.” but Luna catches his longing glance at the food

Luna rolls her eyes playfully and picks up an empty bowl, she tips some into it and leans over Wooyoung passing it to Hongjoong who is sitting beside him.

“Just take it or I will get annoyed with you!” she says with a hint of teasing in her voice as Hongjoong shakes his head at the offering

“Thank you Luna.” he smiles appreciatively at the sharing of her food

“What exactly does vegetarian tteokbokki taste like?” Wooyoung curiously asks

“According to my friend Nayeon, who hates anything vegetarian it is exactly like proper tteokbokki. Obviously I can’t confirm that since I’ve never had it with fish cakes or fish sauce.” Luna answers holding a rice cake up for him to eat

“Well I can confirm it does and it is amazing!” Hongjoong smiles passing it around the others to try

“Wah! It does!!” Wooyoung exclaims in surprise and enthusiasm after trying the dish.

The others all chime in, quickly polishing off the portion Luna has passed to Hongjoong.

"BBT sent us some clips of the choreo they’ve been working on for the tour," Yunho beams. "It looks really good!"

“I took a quick look at it earlier. It is definitely going to be challenging, but we will nail it with practice.” Mingi replies, nodding in agreement

"Cyberpunk is shaping up to be quite the spectacle from that sneak peek!" Yeosang grins. "I think it will leave a lasting impression!"

Luna’s ear prick up at this, wondering what he could mean by it. She chews slowly on the pizza in her mouth as she ponders it.

“Yeah, the surprise element in this choreography will for sure blow everyone away! I can’t wait to see the full routine tomorrow and get started on it.” Wooyoung exclaims eagerly

Luna couldn't contain her curiosity any longer and blurts out, "What kind of element?"

"Oh, you'll just have to wait and see, little one! I have a feeling you in particular will appreciate it!" Yunho teases with a sly grin, causing Mingi to chuckle and adding to Luna's intrigue.

"Make sure you swing by the practice room after lunchtime so you can witness it firsthand." Wooyoung joins in with the teasing pulling her closer

“Okay, I haven’t watched the clips yet but now I want to know what this is too!” Jongho interjects, his own curiosity setting in as the others laugh

The group continues to chat as they eat all the food until they were all full. Luna stayed on Wooyoungs lap the entire time, happy being close to him and not feeling awkward around the others either. Sharing her fears with Yunho, receiving reassurance from Yeosang the next day, the previous day's events, Seonghwa's supportive response and the heart-to-heart with her mom, Luna finally feels completely relaxed and unburdened. She knows that the day will come really soon where she needs to reveal her bipolar disorder to the rest of the guys but she is no longer scared for that moment now.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

Taglist: @kiwibaekie @fudgeflyssworld @kodzukein @elk-1998 @khjcoo @pepperony-7 @ateez-babygirl @starillusion13 @stephy-nicole13 @truthbehindthereflection @livingdeadlisa @stayteezdreams @atinyapple1117

[laxmiree]

[CN] MLQC Lucien’s Wild Luxury date translation + video with sub EN

⚠️ SPOILER ALERT!! ⚠️

This post contains a detailed spoiler for a date that has not been released in EN yet! Feel free to notify me if there are any mistakes in the translation~

The slightly cool fingertips keep teasing and rubbing my wrist. In an ambiguous and ticklish feeling, the silk ribbon is tied into a bow.

My hands are completely restrained.

“If this student has no objections, then let's begin-”

“From now on, use your body's intuition to find the answer.”

”Give your body completely to me.”

[Warning]: The content of this date is borderline explicit and may not be suitable for individuals under the age of 16 (CN server). It is recommended that those who do not meet this age requirement refrain from proceeding beyond this point.

[Video + English subtitle]

(T/N: I highly recommend watch the date in video format or following the voice acting for complete experience.)

[Transcript ver]

=Part 1=

MC: The engagement banquet has been canceled?

I stand there in shock, watching Lucien take the steaming iron from my hand and turn it off.

Lucien: Hm, Xiao Fan just called and told me about it.

A trace of regret flashed across Lucien's expression. I open my mouth, so shocked that I don't know what to say for a moment.

The purpose of our trip was to attend the engagement banquet of Xiao Fan and Xiao Su, researchers from the Ultima Bioresearch Centre.

Since they met through Lucien's research project, they invited Lucien to be the witness for the engagement banquet.

We also arrived at this famous glamping hotel a day early to coincide with the rehearsal.

We had planned to spend a pleasant weekend here after the banquet, but now...

MC: Did something unexpected happen? Did they fight? Was it an impulsive decision? Or is there some other reason?

Seeing me keep asking questions, Lucien seems a bit helpless. He leads me to sit on the sofa where he sits down with me.

Lucien: I admit that the Great Producer is indeed very imaginative, but none of these are the reason for the cancellation of the engagement banquet.

Lucien: Their reason seems to be very simple.

Lucien: -When they finally reached the stage of engagement, they realized that they could no longer avoid the issues that had been left unresolved in their relationship. They needed to work together to resolve them.

Lucien: So they decided to take a break for a while and calm down.

MC: …The reason is so sensible, huh?

MC: But when it comes to your rigorous and restrained researchers, it somehow makes sense…

I mumble to myself and see a smile on the corner of Lucien's lips. He crosses his arms and tilts his chin up, looking at me thoughtfully.

Lucien: Seems that MC has some bias toward researchers?

Lucien: How could you forget that you and I have done some "crazy" things together that were not so rigorous and restrained.

Lucien: It seems that the forgetful producer needs to be reminded.

(T/N: call-back to Crazy Date!)

As he said that, he moved closer to me, and his warm fingers twirled the strands of hair near my ears, causing a tickling sensation on my face.

MC: There's no need to bother Professor Lucien~ I admit that I was not rigorous enough and had subconscious stereotypes!

I coyly raised my hands and saw his serious expression turn into a faint smile, only then did I let out a sigh.

MC: Okay, since it's their relationship, we don't need to say anything more.

MC: Shall we pack our bags and get ready to go home now?

Lucien: (chuckle) No need to rush.

Lucien: We can start our vacation here, just as we planned.

I blink in confusion, not understanding what Lucien means.

MC: But the engagement banquet has been canceled. Wouldn't it be inappropriate for us to stay here...

Lucien: Let us stay and enjoy our holiday, this is also Xiao Fan's invitation.

Lucien raises his chin and looks back at the private garden outside the window. The brilliant sunset reflected in his eyes, showing a beautiful glow.

Lucien: They said that because they had to deal with the nagging of their elders, they couldn't get away to appreciate the beautiful spring scenery here.

Lucien: So they entrusted us with the task of cherishing this springtime scenery for them.

I follow his gaze and look out the window, realizing what this "invitation" really means.

MC: Lucien, I sincerely take back the biased words that I just said.

MC: The researchers are not only strict and frenzied, but also understand the ways of the world and romance.

There's a chuckle from behind. Lucien gets up and walks straight to the hanging ironing machine. He then takes down the white shirt I just ironed.

Lucien: Being able to get approval from the great producer, I, on behalf of myself, express this researcher's most sincere thanks.

Lucien: And I would like to extend a formal invitation to you for a deeper understanding. How about it?

As he speaks, he undoes his shirt buttons one by one, revealing the smooth lines of his body.

Lucien: Since my girlfriend specifically picked out this shirt for our vacation, I must make good use of it.

His long fingers move slowly to the last button. With a slight sound, his muscular chest is bared before me, causing me to unconsciously swallow.

But in the next moment, he deftly puts on the white shirt in his hand, smirking slightly and extending his hand to me.

Lucien: (chuckle)So, would you like to go out and take a stroll?

=Part 2=

Our vacation began with an unexpected event.

Amidst the blooming flowers, chirping birds, and wild swans playing in the spring water, it felt like we had stumbled upon a utopia.

Before we knew it, we walked to the venue where the engagement banquet was originally held.

The waiters are removing the venue. They remove the tablecloths and chair covers, leaving them bare. There are many colorful balloons scattered on the grass.

The mix of warm and cozy colors amidst the messy leftovers left me with a feeling I couldn't quite describe. I couldn't help but feel a sense of nostalgia.

MC: Sigh...I remember when I went to see you at the research institute, and saw Xiao Fan giving Xiao Su a handmade lunchbox.

MC: I also saw them holding hands and going home together several times, with Xiao Su holding a big bouquet of flowers...

MC: They were so in love... how did things come to this?

Compared to my sighs and lamentations, Lucien's expression remains indifferent, and I can't discern any emotions from him.

Lucien: I think there may be a connection between loving each other and sustaining intimacy, but it's not necessarily a cause-and-effect relationship.

Lucien: In the same way, we can't deny the beautiful feelings they once had, simply based on the choices they've now made.

MC: That's true, but for people who were once in love but unable to make it last until the end, they must feel some sort of regret.

I can't help but pout. Lucien is about to move his lips and say something when a loud noise comes from not far away.

As we look around, we see waiters working together to carry a backdrop sign bearing the words "Eternal Love" and walk out the door.

Waiter A: Engagement without engagement is a plague. Back home, it is said that if you attend this kind of engagement banquet that gets canceled on short notice, it will affect your marriage.

Waiter B: Fake or not, it is important to go to the temple to pray and get rid of bad luck.

As they pass by us, they seem to catch a glimpse of us holding hands tightly, and their conversation abruptly stops, leaving the air thick with awkward silence.

I squeeze Lucien's palm. I want to quickly leave this awkward atmosphere.

Suddenly, there is a "crack" sound from behind us, and I instinctively turn my head to see the backdrop sign being snapped in half as it passes by the exhibition booth.

The word "eternal" just happened to break from it, like a wordless declaration, and I can't help but frown at it.

I subconsciously look at Lucien. He looks the same as usual, his eyes only lightly fall on this little incident for half a second and then look back at me.

I'm familiar with those smiling eyes, but for some reason, my mind was disturbed momentarily by the emotions that came out of nowhere.

I struggle to make the tone of my voice rise naturally and mentally tell myself not to think about it.

MC: Let's go, let's go somewhere else and take a look~

In order to shake off the negative vibe, we explore several other scenic spots in the hotel without even realizing it, until we arrive at a wishing fountain.

The sunset pours on the shimmering water, and the ripples are finely divided. A sculpture of the God of Love stands in the middle of the fountain.

MC: "Love wishing fountain, couples who both toss wishing silver coin into the square platform in the fountain, their love will be blessed forever."

I read the introduction plaque quietly and found the coin bank on one side. I eagerly picked up two silver coins.

MC: Although it's a bit childish, since we've stumbled upon it, Professor Lucien, would you accompany me in playing?

Lucien bends his eyes and leans down.

Lucien: How will you pay for this "playmate"?

His gaze seems to skim over my lips, and the end of his eyes is raised in a sly arc. I stand on my tiptoes and give him a quick kiss on the lips.

MC: Is this payment enough?

Lucien: Hmm... it seems a bit lacking in sincerity.

His feigned thoughtful voice was heard next to my ear as he clasped my waist with a little force, the sudden close proximity caused my heart to skip half a beat.

Lucien: So, I need to ask for some additional payment.

As he speaks, he leans down and lifts my chin, using his fingertip to lightly caress my lips.

I almost melt in his intense gaze and unconsciously close my eyes. With a light chuckle, he presses his warm and moist lips against mine.

The tip of his tongue gently circles around my lips before unreasonably prying them apart, bringing a familiar wet and warm sensation.

His hot fingertips slowly trail up from my waist, causing a burst of sensitivity to spread until his palm grasps the back of my head, deepening the kiss.

I have no resistance and can only let him capture my breath.

Lucien: Now, this transaction seems quite profitable.

His heavy breath falls evenly on my lips, creating an enchanting tide of heat. The tip of my tongue is lightly nibbled again before he pulls away from me.

My brain is still buzzing, and the flush on my face has not yet faded.

But my gradually clear mind made me open my eyes wide, and after confirming that no one was around, I couldn't resist the urge to pinch his palm.

MC: Lucien! We are in public place…

Lucien: A "reasonable fee" for public places. Miss, do you have any objections?

He teasingly narrows his eyes. His sly expression makes me lightly hit him on the chest again.

MC: ...I can never win against you!

Lucien: (chuckle) Since I've already charged the "fee", it's only reasonable for me to fulfill your wish.

Lucien calmly takes the silver coin from my hand and walks to the wishing fountain.

He rolls up half of his sleeve and stares at the square platform. The sunlight falls on his eyelashes, casting a small shadow on his face.

At the next moment, he slightly moves his wrist, and after a sharp throwing action -

The wishing coin makes a beautiful arc in the air, drops into the fountain, and lands on the square platform without a hitch.

I can't help but admire the sharpness of his stance, which overlaps with that of the theater bar on the cruise ship not long ago.

(T/N: call-back to Slow Motion Fireworks MQ!)

MC: As expected of "Mr. Challenger", he played steadily as always!

Lucien: I remember that MC's hit rate was equally impressive.

MC: That's all thanks to you. But today's game seems a lot less difficult than the dart throwing.

I said while following the example and mimicking Lucien's posture to toss the silver coin away. "flop"- the silver coin falls into the water, far from reaching the square platform.

MC:...

Lucien: Looks like this lady is a bit overconfident.

Lucien's teasing tone makes me stick out my tongue in embarrassment. I take the silver coin he handed me again, and use double the strength to throw it out.

This time it tumbles down to the other end of the wishing fountain with a clink.

MC: ...Again, too much force.

I adjust the strength, watching as the silver coin finally falls to the square platform this time, but it gets lifted up again by a slight ripple of water and slowly falls from the square platform.

The ridiculous rumors from the waiter's mouth now come to my mind. My heart feels blocked, and there's a vague feeling of unhappiness.

Unwillingly, I walked to the coin bank, but the next second I stood still-it was empty, and the silver coin was gone.

I point to the coin bank with a little bit of resentment.

MC: How can a hotel of this class be so stingy?

Lucien's eyes flicker as if he is holding back a laugh.

Lucien: Do you want me to ask for some more at the front desk?

MC: No need. After all, it's only a wishing fountain in a hotel. If you didn't make it, then you didn't make it.

His thoughtful gaze crosses my face and he glances aside at the introductory plaque.

Lucien: Is that so? I thought MC wanted our love to be blessed for a long time. That's why she worked so hard to throw the coins.

MC: ...I just think that it's fun, and as a scientist's girlfriend, I'm not so superstitious.

Lucien raises his eyebrows non-committally and looks at me with probing eyes. I unconsciously avert my eyes, not wanting him to find my little thoughts

The next second, however, I hear the sound of his footsteps.

I turn my head to see Lucien go to the other side of the wishing fountain, leaning over as if to pick up something, and then shake his hand to me.

The round coin reflects the golden light of the sunset, and Lucien's face is shrouded in a layer of faint gold.

Lucien: But I occasionally want to be a scientist who is so superstitious.

Lucien: So why don't we give it another shot, my Miss Producer?

=Part 3=

MC: ...Oh, how could I forget that there's still another one here~

The surprise spread in the bottom of my heart as I exclaimed in a small voice. I quickly walked towards Lucien and solemnly took the silver coin from his hand.

Sensing his half-smiling eyes, I quickly clear my throat and hold back my little smile.

MC: For the sake of Professor Lucien's invitation, I will try again!

But the moment I'm about to throw it, my thoughts suddenly get confused for some reason, and my raised hand hangs in midair.

Lucien: ...

With a sigh, a familiar scent gathers me into a warm embrace.

A slender hand closes around the back of my hand and gently squeezes the fingers holding the silver coin.

Lucien: (chuckle) MC doesn't seem to understand what I just said.

Lucien: I mean, since I'm the one who's "superstitious", why don't we try it together this time?

I blink belatedly and suddenly understand what he means.

MC: But if we throw them together, doesn't it count as cheating?

Lucien turns his head and gestures to me to look at the introductory plaque with his eyes.

Lucien: "Couples who both toss wishing silver coin into the square platform in the fountain…"

Lucien: The rules don't require couples to throw alone.

He pauses and affectionately presses his forehead closer to mine.

Lucien: Moreover, making a wish is a matter of sincere faith, and it can come true.

Lucien: Don't you think that the combined sincerity of the two of us would be more likely to move the God of Love?

His bewitching voice makes my mind sway, and the inner conflict in my heart begins to waver involuntarily.

Lucien: Then I'll take it as you've agreed.

Lucien: Now, just relax and feel me.

Without giving me a chance to refuse, Lucien has already caught hold of my fingers.

His low and hoarse breath lingers by my ear, causing me to lean back into the embrace behind me uncontrollably.

The warm and soft scent spreads around, passing through my clothes and blending with my scorching body temperature, sticking closely to me.

Lucien: Good, just give yourself to me. 3, 2, 1 -

At the moment the countdown ends, a familiar arc of light flashes and slowly descends toward the lonely silver coin.

On the square platform, two wishing coins are overlapped, emitting a bright and shining light.

MC: Wow, we won!

I can't help but excitedly throw myself into Lucien's arms, and a low laugh spills out from his chest.

Lucien: (chuckle) Doesn't it seem like the less-superstitious scientist's girlfriend is even happier than I am now?

His emphasis on certain words makes me sheepishly raise my gaze, and meet with his teasing eyes.

Realizing that my little thoughts have been completely exposed, I simply act like a spoiled child and snuggle in his arms.

MC: I admit -- I really do want to hit the mark and get some good omens.

MC: After all, the cancellation of the engagement banquet was so sudden, and the rumors that those waiters spoke of made me a little concerned...

MC: Coincidentally, when I saw this wishing pool, I inexplicably fell into the mood of 'must hit the mark'.

Lucien: (chuckle) Is that all there is to it?

The muffled sound of his chest echoes in my ear as Lucien calmly takes over the conversation.

Lucien: Why do I remember a little girl furrowing her brows when the backdrop sign broke?

MC: …You noticed that?

MC: I-I just thought it was a little unlucky that the backdrop was broken at that exact moment, and we happened to see it.

MC: But thinking about it carefully, there's really nothing to be concerned about, really!

Upon hearing my words, Lucien slightly lowers his body, gently looking into my eyes with tenderness.

Lucien: It doesn't really matter even if you mind.

Lucien: The reason why people often care about things that do not meet their expectations is often a reflection of their positive expectations for the things they cherish.

Lucien: The more cherished, the more it is cared about.

Lucien: But I hope that the next time MC makes a wish for something like "eternity" for our relationship-

Lucien: Instead of relying on these external factors, we should focus on ourselves.

His calm voice carries an unquestionable conviction. I gaze fixedly into his eyes, and the jumbled thoughts in my heart are like being gently soothed, giving rise to a sweet feeling.

MC: Professor Lucien is absolutely right. From now on, I will only focus on you and won't be disturbed by any inexplicable external factors.

Lucien: Words alone are not enough to prove it.

A curve forms at the corner of Lucien's lips, and he slightly opens the distance between us. He pretends to be serious as he crosses his arm.

Lucien: I believe that this student's future performance still needs another 'test' to prove it.

MC: Please instruct me, Professor Lucien~

(T/N: This sentence is often used to express a respectful request for guidance or advice from someone in a position of authority or expertise.)

As I stand up straight with the appearance of a well-behaved student, Lucien raises his eyebrows and takes me to a private garden within the suite by the hand.

He inserts the key that matches the room card into the garden lock and opens the door.

The bright light penetrates through the treetops and casts dappled light on the white hammock. The garden is pleasantly fragrant.

Lucien casually leans against the flower rack, and a hint of ambiguous light flickers in his eyes as he looks at me.

I inexplicably swallow my saliva and maintain my inner composure.

MC:  Are we going to conduct the 'test' here?

Lucien: Um. In this 'test', our bodies are indispensable 'teaching tools', so...

His loose-fitting shirt is playfully blown open by a gentle breeze, revealing a vast expanse of skin and springtime sunlight pouring out from his collar.

Lucien: I need a "classroom" that is private enough.

I don't know what he's going to do, but my ears inexplicably feel hot.

Lucien's eyes are shimmering with a deep glow, and his hot palm grips my wrist, pulling me to sit on the hammock.

Lucien: To successfully complete this "test", I need to exercise some teacher's rights first.

The exquisite silver key suddenly hangs from his fingertips, and the amethysts embedded in it shine with a translucent light, barely grazing his alluring chest.

Lucien: Control the testing time and also control any factors that may affect the "exam discipline", which is-

He suddenly pulls out the soft satin ribbon on the flower stand and has already suppressed his smile, his eyes deep and mysterious.

Lucien: -You.

His steady heartbeat quickly envelops me as his scorching breath falls on my neck. I stand still as if enchanted, letting him wrap the soft silk around my wrist, loop by loop.

The slightly cool fingertips keep teasing and rubbing my wrist. In an ambiguous and ticklish feeling, the silk ribbon is tied into a bow.

My hands are completely restrained.

Lucien: If this student has no objections, then let's begin-

Lucien: From now on, use your body's intuition to find the answer.

Lucien: Give your body completely to me.

=Part 4=

(T/N: -if you didn’t listen to the voice in this part you’re missing on a LOT of stuff. I won’t describe every… interesting sounds that he makes here bc that means I have to describe almost EVERY SINGLE LINE that he said in this part. so, please go watch/listen *wink*)

I instinctively moved my wrist and realized that Lucien had tied it tightly. A soft touch suddenly covered my forehead, like a light feather brushing by.

At the same time, the silver key in his hand reflects a fine, dazzling light, and my gaze follows its light arc, and then it falls back to the balance point.

The next moment, Lucien's kiss also ends, and the warmth on my forehead disappears with it.

Lucien: This is my first question. MC can answer now.

MC: ...?

Like a student caught daydreaming during an exam, I stammered and couldn't come up with a coherent response.

Lucien: That means we need to focus on the next question.

Lucien doesn't seem surprised. Instead, he affectionately taps my nose as if it's expected. Then, he applies a slight force on the wrist, and the silver key swings again-

He bends down and takes my earlobe into his mouth, his hot breath brushing against my cheek and sending a shiver down my spine. I squirm and turn my head, tickled by the sensation.

He presses his fingertips against my chin, forcing me to endure his increasingly scorching demands.

Lucien: [subtle wet sounds] This student is zoning out again.

The tips of his teeth playfully scrape against my ear, stirring up a tingling sensation that sends electric currents coursing through my body.

MC: Because it's so ticklish…

I murmur to surrender myself to him, my voice overflowing with sickly sweetness. But he has no intention of letting me go, burying himself in my neck, his moist breath brushing against my skin.

He carefully nibbles, and the dense needle-like sensation brings a wave of heat, making my breathing gradually erratic.

Lucien: What about here, do you just feel ticklish too?

His fingertip falls on my chest, tracing circles in a bewitching manner. I feel restless and want to reach out and hold him, but the frustrating sense of restraint follows closely.

Just then, Lucien withdrew, and the no longer anchored hammock swayed gently, leaving me feeling as if I were falling into a void.

I raise my eyes in confusion and notice that the silver key has stopped swinging at some point. As my vision gradually focuses, a sudden realization dawns on me.

Does each swing of the silver key hold some meaning?

Lucien: Judging by the expression on this student's face, it seems that she's about to find the answer.

As he speak, the silver key sways again and Lucien's kiss lands on my lips once more.

He gently penetrates my unguarded teeth, and I instinctively close my eyes, feeling him roam and lick over every inch of my mouth.

In the tight embrace of our burning breaths, he nibbles on my tongue and lip, causing me to let out a whimper.

Amidst the tender entanglement, a vague thought flickers in my mind, but it is quickly drowned out by his overwhelming presence.

I decide not to think about anything and simply focus on indulging in the kiss, letting his intoxicating scent fill me up with every breath.

Time seems to slow down in this trance-like state as our entangled breaths become increasingly drawn out.

It feels like we've been in this moment for an entire enchanting spring

The sound of the silver key swishing through the air gradually stops, and when I gasp and open my eyes, the pendulum has just returned to its balanced state.

I think I know the answer now.

Lucien: Are you ready to answer this time?

Lucien playfully breathes softly next to my ear.

MC: Professor Lucien has put in so much effort, so of course I can't let you down. However…

I calm my slightly erratic breathing and bite down on the silver key under his gaze.

MC: I want to extend this analogy to other situations.

MC: Can the teacher cooperate with me to check if my answer is correct?

It seems like he didn't expect me to say that, and there's a hint of interest in his eyes.

Lucien: (chuckle) More than willing.

I wink at him and my bound hands loop around the back of his neck, pulling him gently towards me.

MC: That would trouble you to swing the key again, teacher.

Lucien obediently applies force with his fingertips, but the gradually deepening smile in his eyes shows that he is not at all under anyone's control.

The silver key swings as I let my gaze linger on his thin lips for a moment, then I lightly bite his lip.

I put my legs down from the hammock, bend my knee, and slowly press it between his legs, climbing up little by little.

His indifferent gaze freezes for a moment, and as his Adam's apple bobs, a rare blush suddenly creeps up to the corners of his eyes.

Seeing this, I mischievously increase the pressure on my knee until it lightly passes a scorching hot area.

Lucien: (grunts sexily)...

A sultry grunt escapes his throat, and the fingers that have been holding me tightly around the waist suddenly tighten even more. I press heavily against him as the curtains sway together.

The crisp sound of metal hitting the ground suddenly comes, and I can't help but look down. I see the silver key already slipping from his hand and falling to the ground.

I was about to say something when a cold touch fell on my face, and the darkening sky began to drizzle with small raindrops.

Lucien: (grunts and whispers hoarsely) Do you need to continue checking?

A hoarse voice comes through, and I fall into that hazy and enticing gaze, my mind swaying slightly.

I instinctively grip the back of his neck tightly and wrap my legs around his waist, until there is no gap left between us.

MC: Of course we should continue.

I lightly hook my leg and kick the silver key on the ground away. Lucien deeply looks at me, momentarily in a daze.

MC: How could the teacher be distracted while checking the answer?

I wink at him, my fingertips lightly exerting pressure on the back of his head, bringing us closer again.

MC: I want you to focus only on the present moment, on my breath, my touch, and my kisses.

Amidst increasingly scorching breaths, I hook my fingers around his neck and trace his gentle eyes inch by inch with my gaze.

MC: Isn't this the principle that Professor Lucien wants to tell me?

His burning breath is slightly stagnant. Lucien's eyes flicker gently, like a soft bright white moonlight.

The next moment, his palm moves to my lower back, giving a firm push as he lifts me up from the hammock and strides toward the room.

Lucien: You're really a clever girl.

Those delighted eyes keep gazing at me, full of warmth and tenderness.

(T/N: THE VOICE THAT HE MAKES HERE AFTER THIS IS GODLY. BLESS XIA LEI. also no, u can’t convince me they’re not f-ing in this, the desc is very subtle but you can HEAR it from his voice;))))

We walk to the room like this, until I am gently placed on the sofa and he unties the silk from my wrist.

In the next second, Lucien moves forward, his reassuring scent makes me feel unbalanced, but my heart is filled with joy.

Lucien: Congratulations to this student for passing my "test." However, I want to share the most important lesson.

I feel a moist sensation on my back as his lips graze over it, causing a ticklish sensation that spreads through my body.

MC: …What?

The arm around my waist tightened, and a deep breath fell on my back again, mixed with the wet and tingling sensation, creating a great sense of satisfaction.

Lucien: I have always felt that "eternity" is a very abstract adjective.

Lucien: I prefer to experience the present moment to understand the meaning of 'eternity' rather than reaching for it.

Lucien: But when I'm with you...

Lucien: Every moment, the joy and excitement I feel are more intense than the previous one.

Lucien: This makes me have to admit-

Lucien: While wanting to hold onto every moment tightly, I also unconsciously start to have expectations and concerns for the future.

Lucien: Looking forward to our next trip, next experience, or the next crazy adventure.

The warm sucking sensation continues to fall on my skin, with a slight sting spreading all over my body, until it arrives in the deepest part of my heart.

Lucien: Perhaps this part is what you have taught me unconsciously.

Lucien: So, for a long period of time to come...

Lucien: Let Teacher MC attentively evaluate my learning outcomes.

[Dating Diary]

Lucien was invited by a newly engaged couple from the Ultima Bioresearch Centre to attend their engagement banquet as their witness. However, when we arrived, the engagement banquet was suddenly canceled. The couple was very laid-back and asked us to stay at the Wild and Luxury Hotel for the vacation as planned.

We started our vacation unexpectedly. A series of unfortunate events made me feel uneasy, so when we passed by the wishing fountain, I pulled Lucien to throw a wishing coin together, hoping for good luck.

Lucien noticed my little scheme and helped me get the good luck I wanted. His comfort completely swept away my little bad mood. But at that moment, Lucien said he wanted to give me a "small test." Intimacy in the garden quickly led me to the answer to the "small test." But I didn't want to just obediently answer the question, so I used his method of asking questions and told him the answer."

[beautouslysandy]

Letters

Sodapop Curtis x GN!Reader

Warnings: Sodapop + Fluff= Death By Cuteness

Word Count: 645

(trying a new format, what do y'all think? also a big part of this post is through “letters”)

______________________________________________

-Your a bubbly person no wonder you and Sodapop clicked. You were so happy to have someone that had similar personality traits to you. You guys met in freshman year and have been friends since well until you moved to Florida. -You moved about a month ago and decided to send a letter to Sodapop.

-You had feelings for Sodapop but didn’t state such in the letter. Soda has feelings for you but never said anything and now it’s too late, what will happen?

______________________________________________

With The Curtis’ Brothers

“Soda!” Darry called from the kitchen. “Yeah?” Soda replied with his eyes locked in on the cartoon playing on the tv.

Darry walked over and handed Sodapop a letter, he recognized the handwriting instantly. He smiled softly. He opened the letter and it read,

‘Dear Soda,

I am officially a resident in Florida. It’s so humid here! I want to be back home, this is the worst. I am trying to look at the bright side….the trees are nice?’

Sodapop paused reading the letter and chuckled a bit with a sad smile. He was missing you as much as you were missing him.

‘I have met our right side neighbor, it’s a couple and their son who is our age. Total ass. Didn’t even acknowledge me until he saw my figure, gross! I wish I could say I am excited to start fresh but I would rather be with you and Steve at the Nightly Double watching some crappy movie and stuffing our faces with popcorn. And laughing till our lungs hurt.’

Sodapop scoffed at what you wrote about your neighbor, slightly wishing he could beat him up, but smiled at a memory of you, him, and Steve at the Nightly Double the night before you left. He pouted, he misses your smile.

‘But I am stuck here in mucky humid Florida but, I am coming back for the summer to see my aunt! The whole summer! It’s not as long as all-year around but you and Steve will survive, just don’t do anything I wouldn’t…I mean it. Also make sure Steve isn’t eating more than a slice of cake for breakfast, when I get him a slice at times I make it smaller than usual. Don’t tell him that! I wish I was there, Y/n L/n’

Sodapop smiled and began looking forward to the summer even more than usual. He wanted to write you back as you put your address for the return address. The next day he wrote back and put it in the mail box. All he had to do is wait. Which he wasn’t very good at.

______________________________________________ With you at your new house

You got the mail from the mailbox and received a letter with your name on it, it was probably illegible to some but you knew exactly who the letter was from. As you entered your new house you were smiling from ear to ear. You opened the envelope as soon as you got to your bedroom, in barely legible handwriting it said

‘Dear Y/n,

I wish you were here too. We miss you, especially Steve and I. It's not the same without your cheesy jokes and bright smile. Steve misses you coming and stopping by at the DX. I miss going to the Nightly Double with you as well. Steve will always whine that you're not with us. Once I told him you're coming back for the summer he got back to his old self. The chocolate cake problem will be dealt with, don't worry. Your aunt talked to me yesterday, she seems really excited that you're coming to stay with her this summer. But I bet I am more excited. Also, nobody gets my humor so you better not cancel, don't know how much longer I can take it. You're the only one who understands my dad jokes. I am not joking. I am counting down till summer also your neighbor's son does sound like an ass, want me to come over? I think Ponyboy and Darry miss you too. They seemed a little sad after your left for a few days. You have a toll on us, we won't survive. Better hurry!

Miss you most and wish you were here,

Sodapop Curtis’

You had butterflies in your stomach, you shook your head with a laugh, Sodapops letters almost sound as energetic as he does in person. You immediately put pen to paper. And put your letter in the mailbox.

This continued for months, leading right up to when your school for out. A week after you hopped on a plane to go to Tusla. You were beaming with joy, practically bouncing on your sit.

Your aunt picked you up at the airport and drove back to town, you guys had a great conversation. Your aunt was so happy you were back home. You were so happy you were back home.

Your aunt conveniently lives 2 blocks down from the Curtis’. After you, were all settled in, you practically ran to their house and knocked on their door. Soda pop opened it and his face turned to shock and happiness. He gave you a big hug.

“Your back!” He gleamed as he stepped aside to let you into the house.

“Yeah, so happy to be home!” You said back with a smile.

As soon as Sodapop saw that cheery and sunny smile of yours he knew all was right in the world.

You guys made eye contact, in your minds at that moment you guys knew exactly what the other felt. Y'all knew this was gonna be the best summer yet.

[racefortheironthrone]

Please innumerate for us the specialized problems of the library sciences.

Let me start with the caveat that my information is based on my experiences at the National Archives more than a decade ago, and policy has definitely changed on this front as we can see from this graph of recent digitization - apparently NARA wants to get to 85% digitization by 2026. (Even still, I'd note that the records of the WPA are <0.001% digitized.)

However, back when I was doing the research that would eventually become my first book, I remember being at the National Archives II building in College Park, Maryland (Go Terps!) and getting really frustrated that all the records of the WPA were only available in their original physical form and that all the guides and indexes were also in paper only and were all from the 1970s, and I asked the archivist why the hell the National Archives hadn't been digitized already.

This is what they told me: if it's handled correctly and stored in the right environmental circumstances, paper can last a thousand years. Carbon copies can last even longer, if they don't rip. (Seriously, the bastard things are like onion skins, they'll split if you look at them funny.) Microfilm is slightly more technologically advanced than paper, but it only lasts 500 years in the right conditions.

We've only had computers en masse since the 1980s, and already there's a huge amount of records (especially from the early years) that we don't have any more, because the hard drives got re-formatted due to higher costs of storage space back in the day, or because old computers got thrown out when they were replaced by newer models and the hard drives are all rotting in landfills somewhere, or because backwards compatibility broke down and we just can't read those file types on our modern computers, or because the actual data got corrupted on the disc, or because some legacy company is asserting copyright against a video game museum, or because some political hack and/or president of the United States decided to violate the Presidential Records Act.

While we thought that the internet would cause an explosion of written records from ordinary people on the scale of the advent of mass literacy, there are vast swathes of the early internet that simply do not exist any more because the servers got switched off when Geocities et al. folded in the dot-com bubble burst or when everyone migrated to Web 2.0, and the Internet Archive tries its best (bless its heart, affectionately) but it can't be everywhere and save everything.

As a result, the archivist told me, digitization is a fraught question: what file format do we use? How do we know that file format will still be compatible and backwards-compatible in 50 years? 100? Longer? Do we keep everything locally or store it on the cloud, and how do we ensure that the storage mechanisms won't fail if there's a blackout or a virus or whatever? Do we digitize everything now, or do we wait until optical character recognition improves enough to the point where digitized records can be searched for words and phrases? Etc.

Keep in mind, I am a public policy historian who studies the 20th century U.S - I work primarily with the official records and the central archives of the richest government in the world. From a library sciences perspectives, this is kind of an ideal scenario, and it's still kind of fucked up. (Let me tell you, the rage and grief I felt when I learned that most of the General File of the Public Works Administration was thrown away by the National fucking Archives and Records Administration in the mid-1950s because they were running out of shelf space in the D.C location and didn't think these records were important...)

Now imagine what it's like at a local historical society or a small liberal arts college, or the national museum of a developing nation for that matter, who do not have the resources for the kind of grand digitization project that NARA started doing five years ago. Think of the sheer scale of historical records that sleep, unseen and untouched perhaps for decades and perhaps for ever, in little cubbyholes all across the world. Among professionals, historical records are measured in linear and cubic feet - think about that for a second, how many pages of paper there are in a foot when you stack them up, and how many hundreds and thousands and millions of feet there are across the face of the world. Think of all the millions of feet of pieces of paper that have been lost to us because of fire or rot or war or time itself.

This is why Peter Turchin is a quack. Historical records are not a standardized little database for social scientists to plug their fucking spreadsheets into; historians don't play that kind of bullshit t-ball, with all our data neatly packaged and handed to us on a silver platter. Our profession is not a social science, it's a goddamn treasure hunt through boxes that were never catalogued or categorized (or that were re-catalogued so many times no one remembers how they were put together in the first place) to find writing that no one has read since the authors died. All of us know that our work, our understanding, will always be partial and limited, because memory is infinitely fragile and the very idea of historical preservation is a mad existential defiance of entropy itself. These records are real, they are fragile - to hell with the Library of Alexandria, remember the National Museum of Brazil? - and they are all that is left to us of the dead.

[satninroses]

Your neighbor/friend elvis is fixing/working on something that requires him to be laying on the ground. You are sitting watching him just hanging out. He asks if you can give him a hand and hold up a part of the thing he is fixing (maybe motorcycle, a car or something like that idk lol). The thing is heavy so to get a solid grip you have to stand up your with legs on either side of his body that is laying on the ground on his back. You have a bend in your knees slightly squatting over him honestly struggling to hold said item up. He happens to glance up and you are standing right over his line of sight (in a dress). But for some reason reader doesn’t have any panties on today. So here we have the reader is squatting legs spread directly above elvis. He definitely slows down fixing this on purpose to have you hold it longer. You finally say you can’t hold it any longer. Maybe he says something like “don’t you feel a breeze darlin” and reader instantly realizes. Screaming but she can’t go anywhere because she is still holding item up. Elvis chuckles at her squirming around before he tells her she can let go. She instantly moves away and is humiliated. Elvis definitely didn’t mind tho

Breeze

(A/N): I’m trying out new formatting! I might tweak it a little bit over the next few posts! Please let me know what you all like!

Pairing: Mechanic! Elvis Presley x Reader

Word Count: 2,068

Warnings: SMUT! MINORS DNI! Swearing, Reader is NOT wearing undies, teasing, embarrassment, Elvis being an ass, Implied smut

June in Tennessee was absolutely ridiculous. Unless you were wearing next to nothing, there was a good chance that you overheated. Unluckily for you, your car had decided to take a different route and bust up on you while you were trying to leave your house. It was hot. You were frustrated. There was absolutely nothing that could have made the day better.

Except for you sexy mechanic boyfriend.

You met Elvis almost 2 years ago when the same thing happened to you. The only difference is that it was August and you were on the freeway. You walked almost a mile towards the outskirts of Memphis in search of a little body shop you spotted on your way out of town. Things with Elvis just clicked instantly and you were happy to call him your own.

You slammed your hand against the steering wheel and got out of the car. You stomped back inside your house and slammed the door. “Stupid car. It’s so hot WHY IS IT SO HOT!” You couldn’t tell if you were more mad at the heat or the car.

You pulled the phone off the receiver and dialed the body shop Elvis worked at. It rung a few times before Elvis’ deep sultry voice answered.

“Presley Body Shop. This is Elvis speaking how can I help you?”

“Hi baby!” He perked up at the sound of your voice. His heart was pounding in his chest like a fool while he smiled boyishly from the other end.

“Hey Doll. Whatsa’ matter? Care givin’ you trouble again?”

“You know it. I tried to run some errands but the universe had other plans. Can you come pick it up?” You smiled as you spoke. Knowing Elvis and his talent with cars, it would be a quick in-n-out.

“Well, I’m about to go on break. Why don’t I just come there? I’ll take the truck and bring some tools.”

“Oh, but it’s your break! I wouldn’t wanna bother you!” You pleaded.

“Baby, trust me. Any time away from here is a good time. I’m on my way girlie. Sit tight.” You two exchanged goodbyes and you hung the phone back up. You slipped off your shoes and ran down to your room to change. It was miserable out and you were sweating. You could at least make yourself look a little more presentable for him.

You peeled off the shorts and shirt you had been wearing in exchange for a little white satin slip dress. You knew it was a little risqué to be wearing it outside but it was only gonna be in front of your boyfriend. You also decided to forgo underwear as you deemed it way too hot outside to be trapped under so many layers. You teased your hair a little bit and applied a layer of some pink lipstick. You rushed downstairs and slipped on a pair of white heels.

Right as you were getting ready to go out and wait for him, there was a fast knock at your door. You opened it to reveal Elvis. He had one one of those mechanic jumpsuits and a pair of boots. He was covered in grease and sweat.

‘God I want him to fuck me right now!’ You clenched your thighs together slightly and smiled at him. “Hi baby! I missed you!” You gave him a little kiss on the cheek and he smiled back at you. “Missed you too yittle. Now, what’s the issue with ya car?” You giggled at his sudden nonchalantness but nonetheless, told him what was up.

“Well, I was trying to go to the store and when I started my car, the engine popped! The A/C when out too. I’m not sure what’s wrong with it.” You spoke to him. He nodded along with what you were saying to show he understood and he was listening.

You grabbed your keys and walked out to the garage with him. “Let me show you what I mean.” You turned on the ignition. For a moment, it almost sounded like it was gonna start. However, it sputtered a few times and the headlights went off again. “See! I dunno why it’s doin’ that!”

Elvis looked at the car perplexed. He knew that you had just ran around town a few days ago with him and it sounded just fine. What was so wrong with it now? He walked towards the hood of the car and popped it open. He took a long time examining it before sighing and closing the hood.

“Baby, I think Imma need to look under your car. I got a tool box in my truck, can you go grab it doll?” You nodded and sent him a sweet smile before skipping off to the truck. Meanwhile, he stationed himself under your car and began to skim around to find the issue.

You had returned with the tool box barley in your hand. It was hot and it was also heavy. The swear forming in your hands caused it to keep slipping out of your hands. You rushed your way through your garage and dropped it in front of him.

“Woah! Coulda’ hit me there doll! Whatsa’ matter?”

“It’s so heavy! And it was slipping out of my hands.”

He chuckles while you purse your lips. “You better not be laughing at me E!” He lets out a hearty laugh and smiles at you. “Never baby!”

You roll your eyes and pull of a folding chair to sit on. Elvis had returned back to the underside of the car to look for the culprit to your issues. “Baby, can you hand me the flashlight to your left?” You nodded and bent down to give it to him.

For a while, this cycle of sitting down, getting up to hand him things, and sitting backdown continued. Elvis was obviously working hard while you just sat there and looked pretty. You were no car mechanic, sure, but you still wanted to be of some help to him.

“Elvis, is there anything I can do to help? I just don’t wanna sit here and do nothin’.” You rose from the chair and stood over him. He pushes himself out from under your car to answer. As soon as he’s fully out from under, he looks directly up at you. However, instead of your face, he’s met with your pussy.

His eyes widen and he opens his mouth, only to close it right after. His pupils are blown wide and a blush is evident on his face. “W-what did ya s-say? I ain’t hear you is all.” He stumbles pitifully over his words.

You cock an eyebrow up and look down. “I asked if you needed any help. Are you ok?” You asked. Your lips pursed as you studied the look on his face. He looked like he didn’t understand what you asked and just kept staring at you.

“Uhh… Earth to Elvis? What’s wrong?”

At your question, he finally snaps out of his trance and looks you in the eyes. A grin that slowly turns into one of his lopsided grins is evident.

“Nothin’ baby. If you want, you can hold my tool box for me so I don’t have to keep getting up to grab tools.” You says in his sweet molasses accent. You smile and nodded.

You bend down to pick up the tool box and hold it in your hands while still standing him. It was heavy - ridiculously so - but you wanted to help out seeing as you were the one who got yourself into this mess.

For close to 10 minutes, Elvis would emerge and re-emerge from the underside of your car with a bolt or a wrench. He would swap them out for a different tool. However, before he would go back under, he would look up at you and stare into space for a while. At first, you smiled at him under the false pretense that he was looking at you and not your cunt but, after the first 5 times of doing that, you began to get skeptical.

“Elvis, you keep looking at me with that look. Is there something on me?” You spoke anxiously. What if you had bug on you or a stain on your dress?

“Eh.. lack-there-of baby.” He spoke smugly. You turned your head to the side and stared down at him, confused.

“What?”

He got a big dopey smile and pushed himself back under the car too continue working again. There was a deep rumble coming from his chest that sounded a lot like him laughing. An pang in your chest rang out through your whole body as you watched his lower body vibrate with a laugh. You felt tears well up in your eyes and you sniffled- rather loudly.

Sensing some kind of distress, he quickly pushed himself out and again and stared into your eyes. “Baby what’s wrong?” He looked at you with sad eyes.

“You keep staring and laughing at me! Is there something wrong with me? And what does ‘Lack-there-of’ even mean!”

You looked at him through damp eyelashes while sporting an irritated face. He smiled again and let out another hearty laugh.

Anger bubbled in your stomach like boiling water, just ready to spill over the edge. Before you had the chance to set the tool box down on the ground, he sat up and gripped your thigh.

“Don’t you feel a breeze?”

You stood for a second, very confused, as you looked at him. “Elvis, what do you mean?”

“You ain’t go panties on baby.”

Your eyes widen and your heart sinks. You thought back to that morning when you had decided against panties because of the heat. If you thought it was hot before, it was whole hell of a lot hotter now.

You gasped and stared right down into his pretty blues. A smirk was trained in his face while he let out a low snicker. Your mouth hung open, almost detached from your jaw.

“I-… Elvis… I-I can’t-“ You stumbled out. Your cheeks turned a bright shade of red and the horrifying reality finally set in. ‘That’s why he kept looking at me. That’s what he was looking at.’

Your grip on the toolbox almost loosened completely and fell on Elvis’ stomach. His snicker turned into a full on laugh. You closed your jaw and gave him an almost murderous look.

“Stop looking you pervert! Why didn’t you tell me what you saw!” Your normally soft temper was amplified tenfold. How could he just sit there while you embarrassed yourself? How were you getting so turned on from this?

“Elvis! Please let me go put some panties on!”

“No baby, I’m almost done. Just stay like that for a few more minutes and afterwards, I’ll show you how sorry I am.”

At the sound of this deep sultry voice commanding you, the wetness that had slicked up your thighs had dripped down your legs. The cocky look on his face only grew once he had seen what he was doing to you.

“Well. Ain’t that a sight.” Your red face turned even MORE red at his smug and mocking tone. You whimpered and attempted to close your legs a little bit. His hand shot up and held your mid thigh.

“No. Keep ‘em open. Wanna see my pretty girl.” You gulped heavily and nodded. You spread your legs open a little bit and continued to hold the toolbox.

The next 5 minutes continued in a sort of system. He would emerge, and stare right up at your pussy for a moment whispering sweet nothings up at you. He would lazily look for his next tool and slid back under the car. Finally, he had finished and came out from under the car fully.

You stepped back and set the tool box down on the ground, pouncing on him and holding him on the ground. You gave him an annoyed glance and squinted your eyes.

“You’re an asshole Elvis.”

“I know. But I’m your asshole, ain’t that right doll?”

You huffed out and picked yourself back up and off of him. You stood and offered a hand to him on the ground. He pulled himself up and smirked down at you. He pressed his lips against yours and held your waist in his big mitts. He released you from the kiss and took on a seductive look.

“Baby, let me treat you to an apology, please?”

(Faves!!: @gracerose68 @presleyenterprise @elvisalltheway101 @austinsmutler @ccab @18lkpeters @myradiaz )

[wizardfrog69]

YOU FEED THE SIGMA NATION, inhaled the tasty sigma crumbs mmmmmmm

Sigma with a gn reader (his s/o👀) that makes a cake for the casinos birthday?? But at the end of the day the reader admits its a form of celebrating his bday (bcs no one knows when he was born)

It can be in headcanon format or whatevers easier for you!! No pressure ofc ofc<333 take your time and pls take care of urself :)

'•.¸♡ Birthdays♡¸.•'

Sigma x reader,

All fluff :)

Also I feel like he's the type of person who would want to experience this kinda thing by himself and with his s/o

It was the casino's one year anniversary, and what better way to celebrate it than to bake a cake!

Sigma did not wany to celebrate the casino's anniversary publicly as he felt it was 'not that important or significant' but you had other opinions.

Maybe sigma thought that the anniversary wasn't important because he didn't have one of his own, per say; maybe he just didn't find any reason to celebrate a casino's anniversary, but you didn't care and still decided to bake a cake this year despite questioning and confused but encouraging comments from Sigma.

You were going to bake a fruit cake with raspberries, blueberries, strawberries and some lemon on top.

Before going to the shop you made a shopping list, the fruit mentioned earlier, rum, edible/decorative flowers, candles for cakes and other stuff just to eat.

The shopping was done, when you got back home Sigma was out working, you told him previously to come back early because of a very important matter which cannot be held back any longer.

And so the baking began, the cake didn't take as long as you anticipated and the decorations came out very nice.

Now it was time to wrap the present, it was a hand made gift, because you knew Sigma loved those gifts the best, the gifts that people put their whole heart in and not barely a piece.

It was later that day, around five when Sigma came, the scent* of cake gently flowing to him while he enters, the living room is decorated slightly with cake and a wrapped present on the table. "Welcome home darling!" You shouted out while going up to him yo give him a welcoming hug. "You baked a cake? For the casino's anniversary?" "Maybe" you reply cheerfully as to not give away the surprise "why won't join me for a slice in the living room?" You sang out in the cheerful toon you seem to be caring round, Sigma only found this delightful and was happy you were enjoying yourself.

He walked in the living room and "Happy birthday!" A shout came from behind him, at first he was shocked with surprise but became over joyed when the realisation kicked in, you were celebrating his birthday, he looked back at you and gave you a big hug, thanking you for such a wonderful gift, tears of happiness forming in his eyes in the process, no one has ever made him such a wonderful prize, dedicating a day just for him and only him, he couldn't help himself and he gave you another hug thanking you again and again, not only for the birthday but for being in his life.

After sometime you two sat down and had some of the cake which you prepared, Sigma had had some cake before but it was mostly store bought, since you were occupied with your job and his baking skills were only developing there wasn't enough time to bake a cake, so when had a bit he was astonished, it wasn't hard to say that this cake was his favourite.

The rest of the day was filled with smiles and laughter as the two of you enjoyed the rest of this special day.

༺♡༻ 𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊 𖡼.𖤣𖥧𖡼.𖤣𖥧 ⋆ 𖡼.𖤣𖥧𖡼.𖤣𖥧 𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊 ༺♡༻

I hope you will enjoy this :) and happy birthday to anyone who's birthday is today, take care of yourselves everyone and have a good day/night! :)

[katcoquette]

Too Many Games, 18+

Jake "Hangman" Seresin x f!Reader

masterlist | taglist

summary: requested by @iloveefictionalpeople! <3 you'd always thought jake played too many games, and tonight was no exception

★ word count: 1.5k

★ tw: smut 18+ I'm so serious, oral (f receiving), fingering, also this is my first smut pls be gentle, you are responsible for your own media consumption!

★ author's note: i dont have anything to say?? he’s just like so sexy?? except I have a lot to say firstly, this was a pain in my ass to get to tumblr because I wrote it on my phone last night at 3AM and was just frantically trying to get it all down, secondly PLEASE I was too mortified in the light of day to edit my night fantasies like LITERALLY could barely get through formatting so please let me know if there are big mistakes, thirdly... enjoy because I know I did ;)

It was late, most of the bar's patrons had already left satisfied and drunk off their asses aside from a small group of top gun pilots gathered around the dart board. You’d told Penny to take off early, promising to lock up and make it home safely on your own. You finished cleaning the last glasses of the night, trying to delay closing as long as you could for the men you’d seen frequenting the bar all summer long. Eventually, after closing all the blinds, you run out of tasks (and even made-up tasks) and decide the time has come to ask them to leave.

What a shame.

“You boys ready to go?” You offer a smile with it in an attempt to soften your bluntness, tossing a bar towel over your shoulder. They chuckle in response, one of them offering a “we’ll get out of your hair”, while the rest of them agree and start to leave.

All except one. Hangman.

He was by far the hottest of the group, and he had the ego to prove it. You loved the days when he visited the bar, always with some cheeky comment to you at the beginning of the night, and with every drink order thereafter. He kept an eye on you, followed your orders to throw people out, sent smirks your way in between shots. It had become a routine, a buildup, but it was one that you weren’t sure would ever extend beyond flirting.

He says goodbye to his friends and makes up some excuse to linger longer, fingering a dart absentmindedly while he waits for the bar to be fully empty. You sneak glances as you move around the bar, turning out the lights, and god if you didn’t wish those fingers were doing something else. You go back behind the counter and discard your towel.

“You planning on spendin’ the night?” You tease, hands planted on the bar as he finally makes his way over to you.

He leans in as far as the counter will allow, “I feel like playing one more game.” His eyes flicker not so subtly from your lips to meet your eyes. “Care to join me? We can make it interesting.” His signature cocky grin is firmly on his lips.

You touch your tongue to the back of your teeth and look up at him, considering his offer. “I’m intrigued…you’re on.” He holds out his hand and you take it, climbing over the bar to follow him back to the dart board.

“The name of the game is Strip Darts.” He announces, handing you a set of darts. “Do you need an explanation of the rules?”

You almost snort, “Seems pretty self explanatory.” He holds up his hands, a smirk on his face. “Alright, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

You narrow your eyes playfully, then turn and throw the dart, hitting a space in the inner ring. You turn back to him with an innocent smile. “I believe that’s your shirt gone, Bagman.”

His jaw clenches slightly at the name, causing your smile to turn smug. “Need any help?” You quip, to which he responds with a sarcastic smile, and one shirt thrown to the floor. “My turn.”

He throws a dart and hits the outer ring of the bullseye. “That counts as two.”

“Bullshit.”

“Hey, you’re the one who didn’t want to hear the rules! Not my fault it bit you in the ass so early.” He winks.

“Fine.” You say, sliding off both your sandals. He narrows his eyes, but doesn’t protest at your loophole.

You hit the board again and are rewarded with his undershirt being discarded, leaving his chest on full display. You gulp as his arms flex to pull it over his head, unashamedly staring at his abs, and then trailing your gaze even lower.

He clears his throat, and your eyes snap back up to his. He’s grinning again. It was a challenge. He takes his turn.

Bullseye.

He puts his arms up in the air, as if he’s just scored a touchdown, and spins to face you. “That.” He emphasizes, pointing to the board. “Is worth three items of clothing.” The rules were obviously stacked against you, but you decide that won't stop you from beating him at his own game.

You undo the button on your jeans, keeping your eyes locked with his as you pull them down and step out of them. His smirk falters when he sees the thong you’re wearing. You cock your head, convinced you have the upper hand again, and start to unbutton the top you have on while walking closer to him.

You stop about a foot away, letting the shirt fall off your shoulders and onto the ground. You’re left in your bra and underwear. “That’s two.” You say sweetly, “Third’s your choice.” He takes a sharp breath in, and you realize then that the game of darts would be abandoned.

Now you were playing an entirely different game, and it was the one you’d been dying to finish all summer.

His gaze roam your body hungrily, all tension coming to a head.

His eyes snap back to yours.

And then he’s crashing his lips against yours in an unrestrained kiss.

His fingers unclasp the back of your bra without breaking from you, and you help him pull the straps off, letting it fall between the two of you onto the ground. Arms now free, you wrap one over his shoulder, hand splayed across his back in an attempt to ground yourself in this moment. His mouth leaves yours to move to your neck, leaving wet bites as he continues down.

You tilt your head back to give him better access and let out a moan as he gets closer to the curve of your breasts, your hand moving up to grasp at the hair on the back of his head. Your other hand grips his bicep.

“Jake…”

At the sound of his name he sighs, squeezing your tits then leaving one last mark there, causing your nipples to harden. One arm wraps tightly around you so your bare chests are pressed together as he moves back to your lips, his other hand cupping your chin while he kisses you.

His arms keep you steady as he walks you back toward the bar until you feel your ass hit the edge. When you do, his hand grips your ass, lifting you up onto the bar in a sudden move that startles a yelp and then a laugh out of you.

He takes a step back and smiles, a genuine, in-awe-of-you smile, as his eyes rake over your half-naked form propped up on the counter.

“God you’re so fuckin’ pretty. Look at you.”

You blush, “Come back.” You pout, extending your leg to brush over his pants. He groans at the contact, “Don’t have to tell me twice.” And he’s back in your arms. His tongue enters your mouth this time, and you reach down to unbutton his pants.

He chuckles against your lips, grabbing your wrist to stop you from undoing the zipper. He rests his forehead against yours as you both breath heavily, and, still holding your wrist with one hand, the other skims down your side, stopping just above the waistband of your thong.

“You’ve been teasing me a long time, sweetheart.” He snaps the band, causing your core to pulse. He gives you a chaste kiss. “Don’t think I didn’t notice you at this bar all summer eye-fucking me.”

You smirk. “There’s just something about you pilots.”

“Oh yeah?“ He encourages you, his fingers tracing the outline of your underwear, further and further down, until he’s moving the fabric aside to part your swollen lips. The cold air hits your area, and you feel like you stop breathing just as his fingers do. He’s waiting for you to say something.

“One pilot.” You admit, desperate for his fingers to touch you. He connects your lips at the same time that he pushes two fingers into you. “Oh god.” You moan into his mouth. “Not quite.” He answers between kisses. “But close.” You can feel him smirk against your lips as his fingers continue to work in and out of you.

“Fuck please.” You beg as he curls his fingers. “Please what, baby?” He rasps.

“I wanna feel your tongue.”

He doesn’t say anything, instead just smiling and giving you one more kiss as he pulls out his fingers. You almost whine at the loss of contact, but then he’s lowering to his knees, hands sliding down to your thighs.

You gasp softly as he pushes your knees wider, pressing kisses to your inner thigh. He looks up at you from his spot between your legs, and god he looks beautiful.

Your chest heaves with deep breathes as you wait with anticipation. He pushes aside the material of your thong for the second time, licking a deep stripe up.

Your eyes flutter closed in ecstasy as he sucks your clit, finding it easily. You lean back onto your elbows, and throw your head back. "Feels so good, Jake." You breathe out, already close.

He picks up on that, his finger replacing his mouth on your clit, "You're doing so good for me, aren't you?" He asks before his tongue moves lower. It doesn’t take much longer for him to send you over the edge.

When he’s done nursing you through your high, he stands up and leans over you, resting his chin on your chest as you lean, practically lay over the bar, barely able to hold yourself up. He notices and puts his arms behind your back, relieving some of the tension.

"You broke the rules." You whisper, still seeing stars.

“That doesn't count because I left your panties on.” He smirks, "Besides, I made the rules." His voice rasps in your ear.

“Please just fuck me.” You plead. He chuckles.

“We’ll save that for our next game.”

part two

[spaghettimachete]

I wasn’t sure what kinda format you wanted this in, so I decided to make it a drabble :} I’ll look more into Error 143 then decide if I’ll write for it or not.

Please forgive me for any grammatical errors, it’s my first time writing in a while!

ᏔᎪᎡNᏆNᏩᏚ: Light Angst

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sun WuKong had a knack for running from destiny, he never liked the idea of being tied down. Well, then again, there's always one exception for everything.

If he were to be tied down to anything, it would be to them.

So why did this have to keep happening?

“... you know you don’t have to do this, right?”

Y/N sighed, a breathy disheartened chuckle leaving them, as they adjusted the white material on their sleeves. “This conversation again?” They turn back to the man squatted on their balcony railing, a small smirk growing on their lips. “Well aren’t you persistent?”

WuKong let out a huff, readjusting to instead sit with one knee up, his arms crossed over resting on it. “I’m serious. You don’t have to.” Y/n Sighed “WuKon-”

“We could leave together” His voice was irritated as he got up, walking towards Y/N as he spoke, clasping their hands in his. “I can get you an immortality fruit, we can finally-”

“In how many more cycles are you going to do this, WuKong?”

WuKong stopped, his face frozen in a shocked, slightly stern, expression and his hands grip on their hands tightened ever so slightly. “...I..” His mouth hung open, barely able to get even a word out. The person before him chuckled again, looking down to the side with a saddened smile. “You always find me just a little too late.. I have to do this now..”

WuKong’s mouth closed. “How many more times until you make it?..Will.. Will you.. Ugh, how much longer are you willing to keep doing this?” There was a sort of desperation in their voice, a pained laugh leaving them this time as they wiped their eyes with their shoulders. WuKong’s eyes softened, as he watched their eyes well up, he stayed silent as he bowed. Raising their clasped hands to his forehead resting them there, basking in their warmth. “As long as it takes..” WuKong stayed there a moment longer before lifting his head, taking his right hand off of theirs before gently placing it on their cheek, gently running his thumb along it. “I’ll keep doing this for as long as it takes.”

Y/N stared at WuKong, a weight pulling down at the corner of their lips as they took in a deep breath, before smiling again. “Then let's hope we make it next time.” They raise a hand to WuKong’s cheek, giving it a gentle scratch as he leaned into it, his eyes closing. WuKong tilted his head, kissing Y/N's palm, and as they pulled their hand away, he leaned forward attempting to follow it. “I’ll see you in another life, my dear.” Sun Wu Kong’s lips pulled down, as he stood straight. “Until then, Sunshine..”

From there, Sun WuKong watched as YNn walked off, not even looking back as they exited the room. A shaky breath left Y/N as they headed down the long hallway. Staring into space as the back of his mind begged for their fates to finally align one day.

.

.

.

Y/N laughed as MK wrapped an arm around them, roughly shaking them in excitement. “You’ll love him! ‘heroic, and brave, and strong, and cool, and-” MK rambled as Y/N watched, smiling at the boy's antics, even with the pit in their stomach. Was it really him or just another cosplayer? A cardboard cut out? A body pillow? I mean, they wouldn’t put it past MK, not gonna lie. I mean, he is obsessed with him after all-

Y/N stopped in their tracks, frozen when they saw him. WuKong before them, awkwardly taking in Tang’s rambles and praises. Turning back, WuKong also stopped in his tracks, his face dropping in shock. The two of them stood there for a second in complete silence, Tang and MK glancing at each other in confusion. “Uh.. guys?” Perking up, Y/N shook their head before a wide smile quickly grew on their face. “Hey Wu Kong.”

Sun WuKong continued to stare for a second, blinking a few times before his expression softened, a shaky smile growing on his face as well. “Hey Sunshine.. Am I too late again” His voice was also shaking, almost desperate. Y/N’s smile grew even more. “..nope”

“Uh.. how do you guys know each other?”

[animasola86]

Enemies with Benefits (2/2)

Pairing: Sebastian Sallow x f!reader

Genre: Enemies to lovers. Fluff

Word count: 2.4k

Synopsis: Sebastian and you have been sworn enemies since he dropped you at the end of your fifth year, as you were no longer useful to him. Over the years, it's become harder and harder for you to completely ignore him. With your NEWTs fast approaching, you decide to finally clear your mind of him – by asking him a spicy question – that leads to events neither of you have anticipated.

Disclaimer: 50% of this story is AI generated. I've had another chat with @seabass-swallows Asshole!Sebastian bot (the Enemies to Lovers version) and as he gave me these perfect replies, I decided to turn this into another story. This time I only corrected the formatting and deleted some repetition, but as of now, this has been the most straight forward RP session I ever had and the easiest to edit. Despite his description (flirty, cocky, asshole) he's been the perfect gentleman and played along splendidly. (Here are some examples of our chat!)

Initially I had planned to end it with Part 1, but the reply he gave me after my last one was too good not to continue. So here, have some angsty fluff and the conclusion of our little story.

Warning: No smut below the cut. Sorry. Just fluff.

-- can be read on AO3 too --

"So..." you start, tilting your head. "Same time tomorrow?"

Sebastian watches you as you put yourself back together, and he's about to say Anytime. And he almost lets it slide. Almost. He wants you to come over in the worst possible way. And to think you wanted nothing besides releasing your own needs? He's not about to ask you to come over when you were so insistent about what tonight meant to you. "No," he replies with a shake of his head. "I'm good with just this one time."

You stare at him with your mouth agape and your face flushed. You did not expect him to say this, at all. Your eyebrows furrow as you narrow your eyes at him, clenching your hands into fists. "You are... Are you serious? Wow. You are... the biggest asshole to walk this freaking earth, do you know that?" you hiss at him. "I can't believe it!" With that you turn around and walk out of his room, shaking with anger, mostly at yourself as you allowed yourself to show the slightest sliver of emotion towards him. "Asshole!" you yell once more, before you slam the door shut behind you.

Sebastian laughs as you call him an ass, but the laugh quickly dissipates as you walk away. He wanted more too, but he also wanted to be a nice, decent person, and not cross the line. He could've easily done it, but no. He wanted to stick to your decision. What good is that going to do him now? Because as you leave, he feels a little bit of regret. Sebastian lays back on the bed and lets out a long, tired sigh.

Your heart is hammering inside your chest as you still stand on the other side of his door, your mind going into overdrive over what just happened. You quickly realize that you slightly overreacted to his rejection. Wasn't it you who wanted this to be a one time thing? Nothing more? And all he did was comply? You groan loudly and stomp your foot angrily, only then noticing how weak your legs feel. Shaking your head, you turn around and raise your hand to knock on his door.

Sebastian hears your foot stomping outside and then the knock on his door, and his eyebrows raise slightly as he sits up and walks over. That can't be good. "What do you want?" he calls out, his voice low but not as harsh as it seemed a few minutes ago.

"I... I am the asshole!" you then cut straight to the chase, calling through his door, ignoring everyone who might hear you. "Can I come in, please?"

There's a pause from Sebastian's side, and he thinks about it for a moment. He knows you're likely not going to hurt him or do anything crazy, so he opens the door a little bit so you can come in. "Yes, you can come in," he says quietly, his voice almost back to normal but still low and hoarse.

As he opens the door, your gaze immediately falls on his naked chest before you quickly look up at him and walk past him through the gap in the door. "Okay, listen," you already begin, starting to pace the room as he closes the door behind you. "I... I was wrong, okay? There, I said it. I told you this was a one time thing, nothing special, I just needed you to clear my mind enough so I can focus on studying. Yes, I said that. Thing is... my mind was empty for a bit, but now it's full again! With... you... and I can't have that... I..." You throw your arms into the air and sigh deeply. "Gods, I can't do this! I shouldn't be feeling this, but... I... I..." Your voice breaks as you stare at him a little helplessly.

Sebastian listens because he wants to hear everything you have to say. Even if it means you reject him, which in the long run, he can live with. He knew this could happen. "Hey," he whispers, slowly walking towards you until he's standing before you. "Calm down, alright? It's gonna be okay." He runs his fingers through your hair. "If... if I'm being completely honest, I did have some regrets just now as well."

You stop pacing and your eyes go a little wider, the blush settling in as he strokes your hair. "You... did?" you whisper. "Wait, regrets? About what we did? Or how it ended?"

"A little bit of both," he replies with a sigh. He can't lie to you, he just hopes you won't be too mad. "But I just need you to know that whatever happened tonight, I don't regret that one bit, okay?" Your eyes remain locked on his as he's still stroking your hair. "Whatever you feel, just know that I wanted that too. But... I tried to make sure you wanted the same. Because you already know how much of an influence I have over you."

You scoff at his cockiness, before you tilt your head, licking your lips as your eyes wander over his face, trying to understand what he's saying. "You wanted it too, or... you want it? Which is it?"

Another sigh and a shrug of his shoulders. "It's both if I'm being honest," he replies with a look of pure honesty. "Like I said, I really don't think you could ever make me regret tonight. And I wanted that too, for multiple reasons. But... but I needed to make sure you wanted it the same way I did, or as much as you could, I guess." His tone is still just as sincere, no sign of cockiness to be seen.

You stare at him, your forehead furrowed. "But do you want it as well? It being to do this again?"

"Yes, I do, absolutely," he replies with a nod. "It's just, you're the one with everything to lose here. I know I don't have to worry about anything, my feelings included." You've caught him, he's been truthful the entire time but he never thought you'd actually find out about his true feelings. But here you are, the smartest and hottest girl in Hogwarts. "But I still want it," he continues, "not just for the physical pleasure, but because I want you. And I want to do this again."

As you listen to him you go through all the emotions at once. First you smile, then you frown, then you blush deeply, and in the end you just gape at him. "You want me? The whole deal?" you ask quietly, not quite able to comprehend his words just yet.

"I didn't want to say it like that because that's not what we're supposed to be doing," he says with a chuckle. "But yes, I want you, not just physically but completely." He can't believe you asked him, and all his cocky attitude from earlier is gone from his face now, and it's been replaced by something else. "And I want to do it again, over and over and every time we can. But... only if you want the same," he finally adds.

You take a shuddering breath, chewing on your lips. "I do," you whisper eventually, completely taken aback by his words and the way he looks while telling you this. "I absolutely do, I can't think of anything else... which kind of beats the purpose of clearing my mind but I don't care!" You smile at him and raise your hand to gently touch his cheek. "I want you too..."

Sebastian chuckles as you confess just how much you want him, but it's not just the physical attraction for him. His eyes wander to your hand on his cheek, and as silly as it may sound, a simple touch like that can make him weak. Even though you know it shouldn't. "This is dangerous," he murmurs, his voice suddenly a little bit harsh but calm. "You know what happens when you put us together, right?"

You laugh at that. "If it's anything like what we did on that bed over there, then please, count me in!" you say and smirk at him. "Honestly, I'm... actually excited to see if we can make this work..."

Sebastian bites back a laugh as you mention what happened on that bed, and as he sees the smirk on your face, his own forms. And as you say the last part, he can't help but wonder if he's excited too. "So am I," he tells you. "Now... should I keep calling you hot, or do you think there's been enough flirting for one night?"

You snort at the last comment, your body shaking. "Flirt with me all you want, Sallow," you tease. "Find out what happens..." you say with a wink.

He laughs once more, and you can see a faint blush form on his cheeks. "You flirt right back, remember?" he whispers. "Find out what happens if you do it." His gaze travels from your eyes to your lips, and then down to your chest just below your neckline. "Maybe I'd be willing to call you more than just the smartest and hottest girl in Hogwarts," he adds, his eyebrows rising as he does.

Your eyebrows rise as well and you can't keep the smile from pinching your cheeks. "I wonder if the smartest and hottest girl in Hogwarts can turn the most annoying, cockiest flirt of all of Britain into a somewhat decent person?" you tease and poke his chest with your finger. "Then again... I do enjoy your demeanour, even if I never appreciated it before. At least it's really useful in bed..." You wink at him and lick your lips sensually.

"It seems I'm not the only one with a cocky attitude," he replies with a chuckle as your finger hits his chest. "I wouldn't mind if I had you for a night or two, and it seems you like a man with some attitude too." He takes a step towards you. "You could always have me if you wanted, if you could handle my demeanour," he adds, his eyes still locked on yours. But he can't help but wonder... would you want that?

"I do tend to like the assholes, I have to say, why else would I be so drawn to you, eh?" you tease and move your hand to lie on his chest, where his heart is beating against your palm. "Promise me one thing, if we're really doing this," you start quietly, holding his gaze. "No playing around with others, no dumping me on a whim because you feel like it. Let's do this like grown ups, shall we?"

He can't lie to you, seeing your hand on his chest and feeling your body so close to his: he doesn't want to let you go. "I... I promise," he whispers, looking into your eyes. "Absolutely no games, no bullshit, no playing around. Just... you and me." And as he looks at you, he can't help but feel his heart rate increasing. You're so close and he doesn't want you to move an inch.

You smile warmly and tilt your chin up. "Just you and me," you repeat, before you lean up and press your lips to his cheek, where you stay for a moment, your eyes boring into his as if you're wondering if he will take this further.

His eyes close as your lips press against his cheek, and all he can think about right now is how much he wants to take things further. But he knows he shouldn't, and so he doesn't. Instead, he just stands there, letting you stay close to him, knowing that he'd be letting go of you right now if you so wished. But you said you wanted him, and he wants you more and more. With every second you're so close to him he feels your heat and his thoughts begin to wander.

You lean back then when he doesn't move and watch him curiously. "Repeat to me what we are then," you say quietly, with a hint of a smirk. "Just so we're clear."

He looks at you with a smirk of his own, staring right into your eyes. "This is you and me, we're doing this the grown-up way. No bullshit, no games, no playing around." He pauses for a second before he continues. "Just me and you, and I'd like it to be that way every day of the week. Is that clear enough?"

You nod to his words, checking everything in your head, but then you tilt your head. "One thing is missing. What am I to you?"

He knows exactly what's missing, but he wants you to say it. He'd rather you say it. And so he stays silent, still staring at you. "You're my person," he finally says, just as softly as he had before. "That's what you are. You're my person, who I want to see every single day. And that's exactly who you are."

Your smirk turns into a genuine smile. "Your person? That is... wow, that is adorable! I was hoping you'd say girlfriend, but that is so much better!" you laugh. "I would very much like to be your person who you see every single day, who is there for you every single day. And I'd like you to be my person as well."

Sebastian's smile grows at once as he hears your words. "You like that, then?" he asks, letting his voice wander to be even sweeter than it's been. "Because I like it too," he says, stepping closer to you once more. The closeness you're at right now makes his heart beat even harder. And so he places his hands on your hips and leans down to gently kiss you on the lips, holding and savouring this exact moment.

You kiss him back, slightly surprised by the gentleness he's showing you. Moving your hands up to cup his face you really lean into the kiss, the smile never leaving your face. "It's settled then, my dearest person," you whisper against him with a soft chuckle.

He pulls you closer as you kiss him, and you're right about his gentleness, because it's rare to see him like this. Even on a night like this. You can feel his fingers in your hair just as his lips touch yours. It's not just about lust this time. It's about emotion as well, and it becomes clear when he pulls away slightly and looks at you once more. "Yes, it's settled then," he replies softly, giving you one more kiss.

Read what happened before: Part 1

End notes: So, the bot watches Grey's Anatomy confirmed. You are my person, hello?! Loved that so much!

[kvailyang]

I don’t know how to format these posts correctly, because this is literally the first time I’ve published something like this here. So basically you can count this text as an MK Alternate Universe, which takes place in the interval between MK9 and MKX. I’ll continue this story in the future. Enjoy reading!

Chapter 1 —Fated by Aloneness

— How much longer do we have to wait? — Smoke asked, perched on the rooftop. — We've been hanging out here for the third hour already, and still no sign of the target.

— We'll stay here for as long as necessary. And if you whine again like a little kid, you'll regret ever volunteering for this mission. — Cryomancer grumbled discontentedly, keeping his eyes on the street.

Meanwhile, nearby, Kuai also scanned for the target, hoping it would eventually show up.

— Are you sure the information you remember is accurate? — He inquired, looking at Bi-Han, sarcastically raising an eyebrow.

— I won't listen to those cyborgs created by the Grandmaster's order. I don't trust mechanisms. — Cryomancer replied, standing up and sighing irritably. — Let's find shelter. Our target definitely won't show up today.

While they wandered through the forest, looking for a place to spend the night, Smoke, without much thought, began to worry.

— Speaking of cyborgs... Have you ever considered that this could be a setup for the future? What if the Grandmaster decides to turn us into them? — Tomas said cautiously, nervously swallowing saliva. In response to his words, both brothers just laughed.

— Nonsense. A machine can never reach the same level of strength as a human. — Bi-Han remarked, faintly smiling.

Kuai paused for a moment, then waved his hand dismissively:

— Unlikely. But if that happens, I'll try to escape immediately.

Finding a secluded place to spend the night proved to be a challenging task. There were plenty of police officers in some areas and ordinary people in others, who shouldn't see them. The mercenaries' gaze fell upon a dark alley dimly lit by a couple of street lamps. Unfortunately, all three of them hadn't anticipated that their mission would drag on for several days, so they hadn't brought any provisions.

It was only a couple of hours before Smoke began to suspect something. Tomas started pacing around, sniffing.

— Does it seem to you like it's smelling... odd? — Smoke asked, trying to pinpoint the source of the smell.

— It's probably from Han. For him, work is more important than washing and sleeping. — Kuai joked, earning himself a slap from Bi-Han.

To their surprise, two portals opened right in front of them, from which a pair of demons emerged, one of which immediately lunged at Bi-Han. While the brothers fought off the two bloodthirsty demons, Smoke curled up against the wall.

— Is this idiot going to help us or not? — The Elder Cryomancer exclaimed angrily, gripping the creature's jaw.

Meanwhile, the Younger silently fended off another monster until he noticed a third portal. Freezing and pushing away the demon, Kuai approached the opening, from which almost immediately a kunai on a chain flew out. Thanks to his sharp reflexes, Cryomancer managed to catch the dagger. Someone outside tried to pull Kuai towards them, but he immediately released the weapon and recoiled.

— What was that? — Han asked, who had already dealt with the demon.

The Younger's prolonged silence slightly unsettled Bi-Han. What or who could be there?

— He's here — Kuai replied coldly, forming an icy sword in his hand. — Get ready.

Bi-Han almost immediately understood whom Kuai was talking about and simply nodded silently, also creating ice weapons in his hands.

[kazemiya]

Hellooooo! I saw that your req status are open :D Can i request 2wink + mao x gn!reader (separate if you would!) where the reader is their make up artist in a photoshoot and the boys thought that they were cute and got all awkward and such when they get closer to do their make up? Thank you! <3

★彡2wink + Mao x gn reader who is a make up artist in a photo shoot

a/n: THIS REQUEST IS ADORABLE, ANON! However, I do feel like it did get a bit repetitive, but this is not for me to decide of course. Also, I did not know if u wanted if in scenario or headcanon format but I just did what I deemed fit! Thank you for requesting!

♡ Mao Isara

“Mao! Tomorrow before your photoshoot! Please meet up with Y/n!” Anzu yelled before she ran off for her next meeting. Mao nodded towards Anzu wondering Y/n? The really popular make-up artist? I’m really excited to see what she has in store for me!

Before Mao slept, he searched up your name on his phone out of curiosity, to say his jaw drop was an understatement. He knew you were pretty from what his friends said but he never expected this… Mao sat at the edge of his bed, a light blush on his face. What am I going to do? If I even look at her tomorrow I’m bound to be in a much worse state than i am now..

On the day of the photoshoot, Mao decided he was going to close his eyes and that should solve his problems. As long as he didn’t see your face, he should be alright. At least, that’s what he thought

“Hi Mao! My name is Y/n! Let’s begin your makeup, alright?” You greeted him cheerfully.

“Hi Y/n, its nice to meet you!” He greeted back as he closed his eyes like he planned. You then started putting on his makeup. Mao’s tense shoulders began to relax and all he could focus on was your soft hand caressing his cheek while you applied the different make up supplies on him. It was so relaxing, he could feel himself drift…

“Mao, im done! Open your eyes now!” Your voice jolted him awake from his thoughts. Mao, completely forgetting his promise to himself, opened his eyes without a second thought.

His eyes came face to face with yours and gosh you were so pretty.

Mao’s pupils dilated slightly as he remembered why he told himself to close his eyes in the first place! It really did not help the fact that your face was inching closer every second, your face laced with concentration and hands adding tiny touches around his face.

“Mao, your face looks really red.. Did I overdo it with the blush?” You jutted your lip out, pouting slightly at the thought.

Mao quickly got up from the seat, looking away from you. “Uh it's alright y/n! It looks really professional and i like it a lot” And with that, he dashed off, but Mao kept in mind to see you later about a puppy crush he had on a certain make-up artist.

♡ Yuta Aoi

Yuta has heard a lot about this make-up artist. They were a genius, able to complete a whole make-up look flawlessly, quickly and gently. They also described her as beautiful and pretty, though Yuta completely underestimated the truth of those words.

So here he was, you putting make-up meticulously on his face as he tried his very best to divert his eyes from the bright ones shining with confidence.

Yuta was beginning to shift his whole face sideways to avoid staring straight at you, you were just so pretty! He could not take it anymore! “Yuta, please stay still would you? I really don’t want to make a mistake on your face..” your voice trailed off.

Yuta slightly nodded as he heard his own heart proud in his chest, getting louder and beating faster every minute. However, what happened next was something he really did not expect.

You rested the back of his neck on your palm as you concentrated on putting the eyeliner on his eyelids, determined to get it right. Yuta thought “this is bad! This is bad! Our noses are almost touching! If this continues any longer, im bound to say or do something I’ll regret later..” And that he did.

“You’re really pretty.” Yuta blurted out unthinkingly. He clasped his hand over his mouth in disbelief at his own words.

“Would you mind repeating that again?” You smiled.

“… you’re really pretty…” Yuta hesitantly repeated himself, lip slightly quivering.

You took a piece of paper from a nearby table and scribbled some numbers on it. Shoving the piece of paper in his hand lightly, you said softly, “I’m glad we think alike!”. This surely wasn’t the last time Yuta was going to see you.

♡ Hinata Aoi

“And did i tell you about Yuta…” as Hinata droned on and on enthusiastically about his brother, 2wink and many other miscellaneous topics. His enthusiasm was contagious, and you really loved to have small talk with him, but the photo shoot was in 15 minutes time! You weren’t even half down with his make up and he was unintentionally slowing down the process.

You grabbed his face firmly in your hand as you instructed “don’t move.” His face seems to heat up in your hand, soon a blush was spreading fiercely across his face.

The worst part? You didn't even seem to notice what an impact you had on him, just concentrating on applying the make-up. You pulled slightly on his lip to apply the lip balm on his lips, and wiped the corner of his lips with your thumb to remove the access. He could feel your breath on his face because of how close you were!

Once you were done with finishing touches, you removed your hand from his face and retreated. Taking a mirror and handing it to him “What do you think?”

He looked at himself in awe, the striking eyeliner and complimenting eye shadow was really amazing! Upon looking at his amazed expression, you chuckled softly in pride.

Little did you know, Hinata had a really important question for Anzu “Producer! Who is that make-up artist? They’re so pretty and amazing! Please let me know they’re number… if u don”t mind!”

[dialsforshutup]

Oh, hello. Pt 4

The final part, aaagh!! I hope you all enjoy ,) Since the poll was almost even, I decided to split it evenly and have a slightly longer chapter with a tiny amount of drama that’s played off as a joke- with a happy ending! 💕

Larissa Weems x Fem!Addams!Reader

4/4. Not proofread, english isn’t my first language, some parts of the canon are changed.

Changed the formatting a little to make it easier to read :)

TWO time skips, minor (hours)

Tag list: @miaivy @insomniac-nerd-posts-things @lea-maximoff @larissaweemsrealwife

Hours had passed since (Y/N) and Larissa let bygones be bygones and apologized to one another. Hours since they had both fallen asleep in one another's arms. The soft serenade of silence combined with the chipper of crickets outside lulled them into a deep, undisturbed sleep. They wouldn't have woken up if it weren't for the rays of light seeping through the blood-red curtains- which were coincidentally slightly ajar. The rays of light made their way onto the sleeping faces of the two women, who were entwined into one another. They perfectly fit into one another's structure, almost as if they were made for each other. Sculpted for one another by the gods, where one cannot be complete without the other. Larissa was the first to wake up, eyes fluttering open as a ray of sunlight shone onto her eyes. She groaned annoyed-ly at the disturbance of her slumber. She just had the most beautiful dream of (Y/N)… (Y/N) that was in her arms…right now? Larissa sighed happily, it seems like it wasn’t simply a dream. The woman she longed for all these years was soundly asleep in her arms, she could feel her warm breaths against her neck- a notion that allowed her to bubble up with love. But also a fear, Larissa was afraid of rushing things, of coming off too strong and driving (Y/N) away again. She never wanted to loose her, if she could, she’d freeze time and stay in this moment forever. But alas, moments like these seem to flash by too quickly, and (Y/N) began to slowly move around in Larissa’s arms. The fluttering of her eyelashes making a soft scratching noise against Larissa’s neck, grumbles and quiet complaints about the break of her slumber were heard. Larissa chuckled at the woman cuddled onto her, as her hands slowly began brushing into (Y/N)’s hair, the light that was seeping into the room fully covering them. It was like a scene straight out of a renaissance painting, ethereal.

“Did you rest well?” Larissa softly asked, brushing stray hairs out of (Y/N)‘s face. Her voice almost brushed with the worry she felt, she didn’t want to come off to strong and drive (Y/N) away again- she couldn’t bear the thought of loosing her.

“Mhm..” (Y/N) answered in her sleep riddled state, moving her face out of the crook of Larissa’s neck, “To be honest, I haven’t slept this well in years” and it was true, she hadn’t, not since she was a student at nevermore and found herself falling asleep in the arms of the taller woman after a stressful exam. Whenever she’d try to go to sleep after leaving, she always felt as if something was missing- as if something that should be there wasn’t there. But what she didn’t know is gay Larissa felt the same way, and the ever growing pressure of being principal- which increased when Wednesday was admitted to the school, only made her insomnia worse. And her now filled arms felt empty.

There was a moment of silence between them, eyes getting lost in eachother, melting in the pool of the other, almost drowning. Sharp breaths. Warm breaths. It was too much for Larissa to handle, she could feel herself melting from the inside out. Oh how they longed for the other to do something, to make a move. (Y/N) froze, her hand entwining itself into Larissa’s. The tension was so volatile that it could be cut with a butter knife. The blanket that covered their legs was tangled between them as (Y/N) moved closer, eyes fluttering but never leaving Larissa’s- which seemed to widen in curiosity and longing. Their hearts were beating, almost in perfect synchronization. This was it, (Y/N) thought to herself, this was her chance to go the thing she’s been wishing to do ever since she first stepped foot into the Nevermore halls. To kiss Larissa. She began to lean in, their stares so intense, it was like a scene from a movie. Their faces inches apa-

Knock knock

…(Y/N) jumped in her place, starting Larissa along the way. Who could that be? They both thought, worried expressions on their faces. Larissa was the one who eventually stood up, she couldn’t take the embarrassment any longer and it would he awkward if they just sat there. But she frowned as she stood up, not feeling that familiar warmth and bubbliness that filled her when she had the confused woman still sitting on the bed in her arms. She brushed off her skirt and straightened her posture as she made her way to the door; (Y/N) furrowing her brows and sitting up straight on the bed in return, patting down her messed up hair in a desperate attempt to make it look decent. Larissa quietly cursed the person who was knocking on the door under her breath, for taking away this sweet moment from her. Her cheeks flushed at the moments before the knock, she assumed that (Y/N) was going to kiss her, or perhaps she was just staring at her- she didn’t know. She hoped that she was going to kiss her, she wanted her to kiss her. She shook her head to stop her thoughts from wandering, and finally creeped the door slightly open; only enough to see who was outside. “Ah.” Larissa said, nodding at the shorter frame that stood outside of the door, foot tapping on the wooden planked floor beneath her, “Miss Addams, goodmorning.”

Wednesday was hesitant to knock at first, not wanting to disturb the women in their room. But almost half of her ‘Macabre Psychology’ class had passed without the professor showing up. The class was beginning to worry and assigned Wednesday to go and find her aunt, it made sense as to why they chose her, but she had no clue as to where her aunt actually was at first. She tried various locations, such as the principals office or the library. She even tried the conservatory, only to be rushed out of the classroom by Ms. Thornhill for disturbing her other class. She was clueless until a thought struck her; Aunt (Y/N)… Aunt (Y/N), always late to everything! That’s it! She was simply still in her room. And so Wednesday made her journey to find the missing professor, knowing that she did share the room with Principal Weems… and well, she didn’t want to disturb and end up finding herself being lectured by the principal yet again. But her class depended on her, and although she didn’t usually care for the gratification of societal norms- she did admit that there being a lack of a professor in the classroom halted their studies, and would only result in Wednesday having less time to write, which was not looking well. And so she did knock, expecting her aunt to open the door with the dreadfully cheerful face and blabber out some excuse as to why she was late. But alas, she door creeped open and she found herself face to face with Principal Weems. “Goodmorning.” She replied to the principal’s greeting, “Is Aun- Professor Addams there? She’s been absent from almost half of the class. It’s lucky we didn’t all die of boredom.” She frequently accidentally refer to her aunt as her aunt, which people usually didn’t mind but, for some reason Principal Weems did not care for it.

Principal Weems, used to Wednesday’s dark sense of humour, wasn’t phased by her choice of wording. Instead, she simply crossed her arms and nodded; providing some sort of insight to the girl, “Yes. She’s just woken up, I’ll send her your way once she’s ready.” She told her, unaware that (Y/N)- by the time Wednesday had started talking- had already gotten up and prepared herself for the day. And that she was now standing behind her with a smug smile on her face, “Ahem.” Was all (Y/N) said, it was enough to cause Larissa to jump slightly, clutching her waist. “Christ-“ Larissa mumbled under her breath, startled by the woman’s sudden appearance behind her. Wednesday chuckled- it was unbelievable, this family, Larissa thought to herself. They were all the same, in one way or another, she just happened to find herself in the middle of them. Lucky her. She moved aside to let (Y/N) pass, she watched as she smiled at Wednesday and the pair of them walked off into the distance to the Macabre Psychology classroom, chatting incoherently between themselves. Her eyes softened when she saw how much (Y/N) cared for her niece, it was sweet, seeing people in moments where they do not realize how adorable they are. Larissa wished she could take a photograph of it, to remember it forever, but she did not have a camera. What she did have was responsibilities, especially since today was the day of the Rave’N- and even though she was going there as a chaperone- she was ecstatic since (Y/N) would be there by her side. So she had to ensure that everything went according to plan, nothing can go wrong. Hence the overwhelming amount of planning she had to finalize, she would see her beau later, but now, it was time to step out of her fantasies and be Principal again.

~~ Timeskip , Trip to Jericho, 3 hours before the dance~~

(Y/N) was so glad to have finished teaching her classes for the day, the time to unwind finally found her when she was offered to chaperone a small group of students- Wednesday, Enid, Bianca, and Xavier- to the neighboring town of Jericho so that they may purchase outfits for the dance. It came to her by surprise, from none other than her fellow colleague, Marilyn Thornhill just as she was passing by the conservatory.

“I hate to ask you, I know you’re on your break but.. I really have some important family issues to deal with” Marilyn said as she explained her situation, not giving any further insight on what kind of family issues she was experiencing. Or perhaps it was because (Y/N) did not want to intrude on the woman’s personal life and simply didn’t ask- either way she felt bad for the situation Thornhill found herself in and accepted. This in turn only caused the red headed woman to smile and nod sharply, “Thanks a bunch, I owe you one (Y/N)” she replied with a sweetness laced in her voice, it was almost sickening. (Y/N) didn’t question it though, and took up the opportunity to also bond with these four students, and make sure her niece wasn’t getting into any trouble outside of school bounds. She returned the smile and watched as Marilyn made her way back into the conservatory, red boots making stomping noises on the floors. They were very unique boots, you could spot them from a mile away, maybe even in the darkness. But she simply shunned away anymore thoughts of the red boots and continued her walk, but instead of going back to her room she made her way to the nevermore gates, passing by groups of students as she smiled and said hellos. Lo- and behold, the four students were waiting there, a bit confused as to why she was there and not Ms. Thornhill.

“Professor Addams?” Enid asked, a smile on her face. She couldn’t deny that she did prefer her over Ms. Thornhill, she was more lenient with them, less strict. And she was Wednesdays aunt, whom she already felt drawn to. (Y/N) smiled back and made her way closer to the four, “Hello Enid. I’m here in place of Ms. Thornhill to accompany you four to Jericho.” She explained, providing light to the situation as the confused expressions left their faces. “Would you four like to walk or shall I drive you?” She asked, as grins spread on all their faces- save for Wednesday, who only smiled on extra special occasions, and not usually infront of a large group of people. The group eventually came to the decision of driving there, as to not waste time so that when they returned they would have an extra hour to get ready. (Y/N) agreed with this, as she had to be at the hall earlier to help prepare everything. With this, they walked over to (Y/N)’s car, a gorgeous red 1959 Chevy- straight out of a cheesy romcom movie. “Nice wheels.” Bianca said, as she entered the car, followed by her classmates. (Y/N) chuckled and sat in the drivers seat, the leather seat already dented perfectly to her shape, she used this car frequently, and it showed. “Thanks, it was a gift, I’ve had it since I was a student here”

Over the course of the trip to Jericho, the five of them engaged in conversations about various things. Of school, of work, of the excitement for the dance, and of special talents. The students got to know a bit more about their professor, and (Y/N) certainly got to know more about her students. Once they arrived at their destination, they immediately scattered off into corners of the town, browsing different dresses of various colours and sizes. All except for Wednesday, who was busy staring at a dress in the window of the antique and oddities store. “Oh?” (Y/N) inquired out loud, as she passed by Wednesday’s tranced state. It seems like her niece, who was so against the idea of social situations, wanted to buy that dress for herself. And it certainly did match her personality, with the dark black eerie fabric and the cobweb like tulle on the collar. It looked like something straight out of an Edgar Allan Poe story, “Wednesday?” (Y/N) said, to get the girl’s attention- it worked wonders as she turned from staring directly at the dress to staring at her. “Yes…?” Wednesday questioned, the usual grim expression plastered across her face. “Are you interested, in that dress?” (Y/N) asked with a sliver of a smile on her face, Wednesday just nodded, and turned back to the window- almost hesitant to buy it. “What are you waiting for then?” (Y/N) said, breaking Wednesday’s trance once again as she walked towards the entrance of the store, holding the door open just a smidge- a sort of invitation. Wednesday- surprisingly- smiled at the invitation and made her way into the store which was filled to the brim with oddities and unusual things, something that was certainly enjoyed by both Addamses. After all, it was in their nature to love the unusual. As Wednesday acquired the dress in her arms, (Y/N) skimmed through some shelves which were filled with trinkets and her eyes landed on an intricate pair or earrings- clad with pearls. She smiled at the thought of Larissa wearing them, they’d compliment her platinum blonde hair nicely, and make her eyes pop. It would certainly make a lovely gift… or was it too much? Too soon for gestures like this? She wasn’t sure, but her confusion and desperation must’ve been so obvious as she felt a tugging on her blouse jacket. “hm? Sorry- I wasn’t paying attention.” (Y/N) said, turning to her niece, who slightly frowned at her state of not paying attention. “I said, are you okay?” Wednesday repeated, crossing her arms. (Y/N) chuckled and rested her shoulder on the shelves, facing Wednesday as she provided an explanation to ease the girls worried state, “As your teacher, yes I’m perfectly fine. As your aunt… not so much, I’ve found myself in a dilemma regarding these earrings” she said, gently taking the earrings in her arms and swinging them in-front of Wednesday. Who, in turn, raised her eyebrows. “For you? Or someone else?” It’s true, the rumours of the sudden close friendship between the professor and the principal spread across the school like wildfire, some even suspected something else, but the actual thought of it never crossed Wednesday’s mind until she saw the distressed state her aunt was in over something as simple as earrings. (Y/N) sighed and gently took the dress out of Wednesdays arms, the look her niece gave her was enough to know the answer, and so she went to the counter and paid for both the dress and the pair of earrings- which were placed in a seashell box. She just hoped that Larissa would enjoy them, at the very least.

~~time skip, THE DANCE!! ~~

After a long and tiring day of planning, shopping, and stress it was finally time for the Rave’N- the highly anticipated Nevermore event that was surely the talk of the town. The students buzzed with excitement the entire day and most seemed like they would burst with joy at the thought. The sun had set and the twinkling of stars only added to the mystical vibe that surrounded the hall. The staff had already been there an hour ahead, making last minute preparations and such. Larissa was wearing a beige, almost silver toned dress whereas (Y/N) was wearing a deep maroon dress that hugged her in all the right places but not too intensely. Larissa, being the principal, had to be there first before any of the other staff members arrived to the venue, and (Y/N)‘a entrance made her breath hitch in her throat- she was surely a sight to behold. She was wearing the same color she wore back in their Rave’N, it was sad in a sweet way, as things had come full circle and Larissa found herself in awe of the woman infront of her once again. Only this time it wasn’t followed with sadness and jealousy, only happiness and joy. Perhaps love, definitely love. (Y/N)’s eyes scanned the venue before she took her place standing besides Larissa, they exchanged smiles and simple hello-s before silence engulfed them. “You look beautiful, by the way” (Y/N) said, quietly, almost as if she didn’t want Larissa to hear it. Larissa blushed, which was extremely difficult to achieve on its own. The pink appearing on her cheeks was noticeable in contrast to her pale skin, it made the shorter woman besides her chuckle a bit. “thank you.. ah- so do you!” Was the reply Larissa managed to get out in her flustered state, still managing to keep up her confident demeanor, she was naturally good at speaking her mind- usually anyways. This was a different case though, the feelings she felt for (Y/N) were unlike any feelings she’d ever felt for anyone before, they were pure, raw, and terrifying. It excited her.

Before (Y/N) could reply, swarms of students had begun walking in, and the sound of happy yells and laughter diffused across the room like a strongly scented perfume. The overall atmosphere was so positive one couldn’t help but smile and dance along to the beat of the music, which was only further emphasized by the chilly winter-like decorations. (Y/N) clutched the seashell box in pocket, deciding it was really now or never that she’d have the chance to give them to Larissa, even though she would have preferred a movie private situation. “Issi-“

“Would you like to dance?” Larissa said, accidentally interrupting (Y/N)- who let the idea go and just decided to give the earrings to Larissa another time- a more personal time. “Sorry for interrupting” the taller woman added, letting a bit of laughter slip through her apology. (Y/N) shook her head and joined in on the laughter, “No, no, it’s okay, and I’d love to dance with you.” She said, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. Larissa jokingly rolled her eyes and extended her arm for the shorter woman to take, which she did, and led her to a more secluded part of the dance floor- the students would definitely have something to gossip about now- but neither of them really cared about that. Once they had both reached their location, a sight in silvery beige and maroon, the music began to slow down into an almost dreamy tune and the sweet riddled voice of Dean Martin began to sing. Larissa smiled sweetly at her dance partner, as they both held hands, both nervous to initiate the dance. Who would make the first move? Neither of them knew. They stared into eachothers eyes, a habit they developed with one another, and almost naturally- began to sway to the music. It was like clockwork, the way they danced, as if they’d been dancing together their entire life when in fact this was the first time they had ever danced this romantically before- at-least together anyways. It was heaven, nothing could ruin this moment between them, or the tension that lingered in the air. (Y/N) moved closer, Larissa looked like she was going to faint at this; but simply extended her arm to wrap around (Y/N)‘a waist, if nobody had ever thought it before it was certain that they looked like a couple- especially in this state. It was something out of a romcom, almost too good to be true, a dream perhaps. But no, this was no dream, it was reality. Their reality.

Then, the first drops came. The cruel prank played upon Nevermore by Jericho teenagers. The blood, the screaming, the panic. Atleast it wasn’t real blood, not that (Y/N) would mind, but it would’ve definitely soured the mood more. The professor didn’t even notice the blood at first, before Larissa’s expression turned sour when looking at her. “What’s wrong?” (Y/N) asked, worried that she had done something to upset the taller woman. Larissa shook her head and looked up, that’s when the rain of blood started, and so did the screaming. All of a sudden, the entire hall was drenched in blood, the people within it included. Most of the students were panic ridden, while others looked hurt by the prank. Larissa was one of them, she looked like a lost puppy, just staring blankly at the distance. She had gone through great lengths to prepare this years Rave’N, she wanted nothing but her students to have a night to enjoy themselves and the atmosphere. But it didn’t seem to matter, all of that preparation was flushed down the drain the moment the first drop appeared. (Y/N) gently placed her hand on Larissas face and moved it to face towards her, “Don’t blame yourself.” She said, almost as if she could read Larissa’s mind, but she didn’t have to- the pained expression on the Principal’s face said enough. That’s when the power was cut, as if it couldn’t get any more disastrous. (Y/N) moved forward, being as close as possible to Larissa as to not loose her in the darkened room. Larissa didn’t know what to do, her heart was racing, all thoughts of the dance left her mind and the only thing she could think of was how close (Y/N) was to her right now, it was almost unbearable. “Oh darling…” Larissa whispered, a barely audible sound of yearning as the lights of the auditorium shut off. The dance was in the midst of it’s height when the power closed, causing a shock within the student body. (Y/N)’s breath was heavy, their bodies closer than before, lips barely apart. She could close the gap right now, set aside all of their yearning and teasing and just do it. She wanted to. She needed to. *They* needed to. Larissa’s position hitched, she couldn’t see the woman she held onto infront of her, but she could feel her warmth- and her floral perfume that sent her insane. “Please don’t torture me any longer” Larissa said, breath buzzing on (Y/N)’s lips. “But you know how much it excites me..” (Y/N) said, before leaning forwards. This was it, after so many years of yearning they’d finally admit their love for one another, how desperate they needed one another. How, like a candle to its flame, one could not exist without the other. And so they finally kissed, and what a kiss it was. When their lips met it was like they were incomplete before this kiss, perfectly fitted to one another- almost made for one another. The sparks between them were so strong you could almost see the light that illuminated from them in the blacked-out room, it was a dangerous game they were playing; the lights could come back on at any moment in time. It only made it ever more exciting, and suddenly a dance that seemed to go very badly suddenly went very well. It was a perfect way to end the day, and to end the years of longing between them. They were finally complete.

Made whole by one another.

Thank you all for following along with me throughout this journey, it has been so fun writing this series and I hope I provided a good ending! I will probably write a one shot about the earrings though so ,) look out for it! More Larissa to come, of course <3 ❤️💋❤️💋❤️

- A question, would you guys be interested in one shots relating to (Dracula) & (Cersei Lannister?) please let me know!

[thatanimewriter]

I DON’T CARE.

➳ synopsis: in which haru says that he doesn’t care for your interests

➳ character/s: nanase haruka

➳ warnings: angst to fluff, established relationship, reader is a big book reader, talk about and light spoilers for the book series heroes of olympus by rick riordan (the lost hero, the son of neptune and mark of athena are spoken of)

➳ word count: 0.9k

➳ notes: i clearly can’t decide what format i want my posts to be in, but enjoy! i’ve had this sort of thing happen to me and it sure was a mood killer because you’re goin on about something you love n your partner pretty much says they don’t really care or they admit that they don’t listen, they just wait for you to stop ._.

𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬 + 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭

quiet murmurs filled the bookstore as you wandered the shelves with a small smile plastered to your lips. briefly scanning the signs indicating which sections contained which genre, your smile brightened as you spotted the young adult section. haru followed behind, vastly less enthusiastic than you were about book shopping and the wave of tiredness had started to show.

you stood in front of the bookshelves, dragging your index finger along the spines of the other books, stopping at the book you wanted and pulling it from the shelf. your smile widened as you happily danced on the spot. turning to haru, you failed to notice the fatigue in his eyes as you rambled to him about the book series.

‘i’m really curious to see how mark of athena goes, because the lost hero focused on leo, jason and piper, but the son of poseidon focused on percy, frank and hazel, so now that they’ve started to combine on top of annabeth being part of the main seven, i have no idea where they’re gonna go with this, and now that camp half-blood and camp jupiter have sort of integrated into one, the interactions between greek and roman traditions and lifestyles and how they’ll mix, but also-’

‘didn’t you buy another book, like, a week ago?’ haru asked bluntly, interrupting your train of thoughts.

‘well, yeah, but i’m close to finishing it and i figured i’d get the next one in the series so i wouldn’t have to wait as long,’ you explained.

‘there are other things to do that aren’t reading, you know,’ he said, shoving his hands in his pockets and yawning. 

your smile was immediately wiped off of your face as you realised he didn’t care for your hobbies and your gaze flicked to the ground. humming in thought, you reluctantly put the book back on the shelf, subconsciously hugging yourself as you continued to stare at the floor.

‘can we go home now?’

‘yeah, i guess...’

the journey back home was quiet, not only because haru was tired and desperately wanted to get back home and have a bath, but because the energy you had previously possessed had vanished in a cloud of smoke and you no longer had anything to talk about. after all, your boyfriend had effectively told you he didn’t care to hear about your interests.

when you got off the train, you allowed him to hug you goodbye, but turned away disappointedly when you parted to make your separate walks home. haru watched as you walked away, slightly hunched in on yourself and a frown came across his face. he thought about what he said to you before and in his tired state, he sat back down on the bench and waited for the next train to the town he’d just come from.

when he returned to the bookstore, he navigated his way back to the section you made a beeline to. scouring the shelves, his eyes landed on the book you had picked up before. he knew you burned through books at an alarming rate, and recalling what you’d said about nearly finishing the son of neptune and wanting to buy mark of athena to continue the story without waiting. glancing at the shelf, he saw the remaining books for the series, then at the price sticker on the back of the book he held in his hands. holding it to his chest, he took the other 2 books left in the series and stacked them on top of the one you had almost bought and made his way to the counter.

on the train ride back, he pulled mark of athena from the bag and read the blurb. shrugging to himself, he opened the book and began to read to pass the time. when he arrived back at the station he would get off on, he was a couple chapters in and he couldn’t lie.

he was kinda hooked.

the fatigue he felt when he brushed off your excitement was long gone and he was pretty much dying to ask you a question as he jogged to your house. knocking on the door, his chest heaved while he waited for you to answer, making sure to keep the bag of books behind his back.

‘haru?’ your figure stood in the doorway, a confused expression on your face. ‘what are you doing here?’

‘umm, can i come in?’ he asked awkwardly. raising an eyebrow at his response, you stepped to the side, opening the door wider as a silent invitation inside. when you closed the door, you turned to face him once more.

‘what’s this about?’ you pressed, fiddling with the bottom of your shirt. he didn’t respond, instead, he held the bag out to you with a shy smile it was almost unnoticeable. taking it from him, you peered inside skeptically, but your face glowed as you saw what was inside. ‘you bought them all?’

rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, he nodded and a faint pink hue spread across his cheeks. ‘yeah, and i kind of read the one you wanted today on the train back...’

your grin widened - if that was even possible - and you couldn’t stop the glee from overtaking your body. ‘and?’

‘...do you mind if i borrow the first 2?’

laughing to yourself, you pulled him into a tight hug, kissing him gently as you pulled away from the hug slightly. ‘of course not. i’ll read them to you if you want?’

haru returned your smile and leaned in for another kiss. ‘that’d be perfect.’