#and I'll keep shouting until I've finally dragged some of you down with me

[memorydragon]

Spoilers ahead. Confusing spoilers if you haven't started the novel, but if you're half-way through please scroll past.

So when I say this scene is what drove me mental years ago back when I first started reading Po Yun and Tun Hai, that reading it again even after so many years still made me feral. This was the Ride or Die moment that never left while translations were dropped and disappearing. Please understand when I say that reading again after reading the whole novel makes me 10x more feral than before. That is not an exaggeration. I am 100% not okay and these are crying in the club hours. F̴̻̹̊͑̉̿e̵̘̠͈͗ͅr̶̞̠͍̮̓̊͠ā̶͈̹̅̓͠ḻ̵͓̏͑͘.

Because Wu Yu's long, long panic attack, because when he's finally able to come up for air when the waves recede just the slightest, he's pushed back down again and again, because his 'safe' person has been taken away.

Because this 'elite' who had an easy life, just admitted he'd been dragged from the fire when he was nine years old after his parents were murdered in front of him. This person who wants to take him out of this hell and pull him back, who should be safe, is covering Wu Yu with his whole body, cradling his head and covering his eyes as a ruthless mob decends on them. Because this shouldn't be happening again - but death follows behind him mercilessly cutting everyone down but leaving him. Because dying is easy living is more difficult. Bu Chonghua's blood is on his face and this person should be safe but keeping their promise requires sacrifice. Please don't promise any more.

(Bu Chonghua was supposed to run. He was supposed to leave Wu Yu to deal with the mob. But if he'd done that, people would have died, and it probably wouldn't be Wu Yu, and he'd promised to pull Wu Yu back from this abyss. He wouldn't let the rage of the mob swallow Wu Yu like a wave, dragging him back under. As they beat him, he cradle's Wu Yu's head and covers his eyes, because he won't give Wu Yu up, not to the ocean or to fire, and I'm so fucking Normal about this.)

Liao Gang sees Wu Yu at the hospital and knows something is wrong. Something is off, this is not the meek and submissive Wu Yu they've met for these past few months. He correctly pulls Wu Yu aside and instead of admonishing him to go get checked over, he says 'hey, why don't you get checked out by the hospital because someone needs to look after Captain Bu tonight. If you let them patch you up, you'll be put with the captain.' And Wu Yu finally - finally relents and allows the hospital staff to look him over.

When the lights are off and he can't sleep because there's no light he tries to trace over the current Bu Chonghua with the memory of the child he'd saved in the past, and he can't sleep but he can finally breathe. Now he can agree that Bu Chonghua and Zhang Boming are different, that Bu Chonghua isn't just an elite who sends his subordinates to death for greater glory, but someone who wants to pull him back. (And I'm putting it more politely. I honestly love that Wu Yu is still sort of cursing Bu Chonghua out when he says this, because of course he is, and Bu Chonghua is immediately gonna chew him out for smoking. I love Them.)

But when he wakes up, Bu Chonghua is gone. The hospital bed is empty and cold, and there's a committee of directors who have come to question him. He asks where his safe person Bu Chonghua is, but they put him off, saying they just want to ask a few questions. Bu Chonghua has been isolated because there's been a death - death always follows him - and they're pushing the blame on him and Bu Chonghua. Why did Zhang Boming jump to his death? What did you say to him? Why did you survive? What right do you have to survive? He'll take all the blame on himself. He was the one who killed the suspect, Bu Chonghua didn't hurt any of the mob. It was him, it was all him, and what right do you have to speak about loyalty and sacrifice, when the hospital report on their injuries is right in front of you. They assume Wu Yu will see this is just a formality, but he doesn't have the frame of reference they knew he should It wasn't him with that frame of reference, he never had one and he lashes out. They're caging him, blaming him again, and what right do you have to talk about loyalty to someone who is on the front lines?

What right do you have to come back? What right do you have to survive?

After they sedate him and bring him back, leaving him in confinement (there's a bed, his wounds have been dressed, and there's even a tv and above average food left out for him. It's a plush confinement, only for one night. They think they're going easy on him and he should be grateful, because no one told them he's panicking and has been in danger undercover his whole life for twelve years and he hasn't been able to handle eating meat since he was a child. The lights are off when he wakes up, and he's alone. The lights are off and no one is responding when he asks them to turn on the lights. No one is there when he's progressively slipping back under the waves of panic. And when he lifts the lid on the food, all he can smell is meat.

He bites his own finger, trying to wash it out with the smell of the disinfectant from his wounds and blood, but he can still smell the meat that he spilt in his own revulsion and the lights are still off. (Wu Yu, little fish, I'm not blaming you, but please, please learn to talk about your triggers and let people know so they can accommodate you, because they would actually like to accommodate you and you're not weak because you have ptsd, you're breaking our hearts. Also, as an aside, Song Ping is actually quite hilarious in this fight. He's not to blame either, but he's making things so much worse and I love that Bu Chonghua has to yell at both of them to calm down because they're both set off on his sake)

And when someone finally comes, finally turns on the lights, they're blaming him. Look how you're acting! You're acting like a spoiled child when we've sacrifed been so nice to you! We've brought you back here, to this place you've worked for several months, your new home!

Except he never came back.

He was never brought back.

He was sacrificed for to catch the criminal. He died because his life was less important than catching someone on the wrong side of the law.

He was never asked if he wanted this sacrifice. He never wanted to be a cop. Who is Wu Yu? He's never had a name. Let him go, let him go - let him go!

He was never brought back. He never came back - Zhang Boming made the correct choice, but he never came back. The sacrifice was chosen, the promise was paid. Why did he survive? What right did Wu Yu have to survive when we he never came back.

"Wu Yu!"

He never came back.

"It's me. Okay, calm down." Someone restraining him, and he struggles automatically, but slowly stops. "It's me, Wu Yu. It's me. Just calm down."

Bu Chonghua came back. Held him above the water untll he could catch his breath. And finally, finally...

The boy left his own blood on Bu Chonghua's cheek, disappearing for twenty years, leaving only one command - Survive.

"I arrived late."

"I was just a little worried. It wasn't very late." It wasn't his whole life twelve years. It was only one nightmare. You pulled me back.

The boy who rushed off to save a child he didn't know finally appeared before Bu Chonghua again. He came back.

He came back.

[twiceasfrustrating]

Hii!! The only angst scenario i could think of is this: mc breaking up with levi because he brings their bad side and they don't need this kind of energy in their life. Sorry if this is not the type of request that you asked, english is not my first language. Love your writing!!!

Thank you for the inspiration! I'm a little rusty because of my current mood and mindset, but you did make me think of a little something to write. I hope it's okay.

Content: angst, breakups, gn!mc (they/them), third person limited pov, minor manipulation (mc at least attributes some actions to manipulation), colored dialogue

Word Count: 653

"Please," Leviathan's trembling voice begs as his cold, clamy purple painted nails dig so hard into their wrist that it leave cresent marks in their skin. "I'll be better. I can change."

They stare down at him with pity dancing just behind the exhaustion in their eyes. "You really can't. If you could, you would have long ago."

"That's not fair!" Tears -- inhumanly fat globs of salty water -- begin to roll down his cheeks as the edges of his lips pull downward. "You haven't given me a chance."

"Do I have to?"

The words are like a slap to the face for him. The same voice that had once promised him understanding was now rejecting him for who he was.

"I just need time to-"

"You've had thousands of years to change who you are, Levi." They interrupt. "You've had so much time to work on the parts of yourself you claim not to like, but you never do. Instead of fixing what you dislike, you blame everyone but yourself and wallow in your own misery for how they reject you."

"I can't keep playing that game with you." They pull their hand from his grasp, wincing as the jagged edges of his chewed-up nails make shallow cuts into their skin. "I can't keep trying to comfort you and tell you it's the world that's wrong when it isn't. It's you, Levi. You've been wrong in rejecting everyone and everything rather than trying to find a way to coexist with the world, and I've let you drag me down into that terriblemindset with you."

"I'll stop," he shouts before he curls onto his knees before them, trying to mimick some kind of deep bow he'd seen in one of his anime. "I just need a little time, so don't leave me."

They sigh in disgust at his shameful display to manipulate them. In the past, it would have worked; they would have done whatever he asked of them when he lowered himself and appeared so desperate and needy. They had thought they were being good to someone they loved. That was, until they realized how manipulative his act really was.

"How much time? Months? Years? Decades? Whatever may be left of my life?" Their voice was laced with fury. "How much more of my life are you planning to take with that excuse? How much have you already stolen trying to drag me down with you rather than working on yourself? I can't do it anymore! I want to be free!"

Leviathan was a prison. He called it love when he begged them to spend time with just him. He called it romance when he pouted that they hung out with other people, especially his brothers. He called it affection when he curled around them and told them to stay locked inside with him, away from the cruel world.

But they know better now. They've finally seen that what he offers them isn't love or romance or affection. What he offers is nothing at all. Instead, he takes. He takes who they are and tears them apart until the only pieces of them left are the pieces like him; the pieces that he can look at to prove that he doesn't need to change to be part of the world, but that the world can change to fit his desires instead.

"I'm leaving."

The soles of their shoes echo as they walk across the tile of his bedroom floor. In the background, they can hear the water of his fishtank churning and bubbling along with the hum of the computer he was using before he prostrated himself before them.

As they begin to crack open the door, they hear him ask one last faint question.

"You're not going to any of the others, are you?"

They can only think of one response to give him.

"That's not your business."

Then, they are gone.

[kyofsonder]

Find the Word 2

I’ve been tagged by several people recently to find select sets of words in my WIPs, and this time I’m not combining them since those posts tend to get a little too long. For this post, I’ll find some words that @aohendo chose for me. Thank you for the tag, for your patience waiting for me to respond, and for the chance to keep playing my favorite game!

My Words: reflect, reach, raise, rely, rampant

I’ll Tag: @on-noon, @perasperaadastrawriting, @maybenow22, @inkovert, @inkspellangel, and as always anyone who wants to join in can use the following words and say I tagged them!

Your Words: stable, shift, reflex, start, influence

As always, I’ll put the excerpts themselves below the cut for readability. 

I found reflect(ed) in my Danny Phantom fanfic “Lingering Scars”:

"It's not just Vlad, either! Every time we fight together, someone else finishes the fight! Strong core? Stability? None of that even comes up! I only have fewer injuries than you because I've already been pulled out of the fight by the time things get serious! I'm always being protected, so of course I'm not getting hurt! Ever! You always keep me safe in dangerous situations!" Dani's eyes flash green, her palms glowing with an energy she immediately snuffs out as soon as she catches it in her peripheral vision. The growl he's been feeling in his own chest and throat echoes under her voice now, like the anxious rumblings of some kind of juvenile big cat -- something large and angry, but not yet grown into its size or its rage.

"Okay! Alright! You're mad! But you're in a house of ghost hunters who would shoot on sight if they caught you in my room, so keep it down!" Danny whisper-shouts back at her, that same growl reflected back at his little sister to drive his point home. It doesn't work. 

I found reach in several of my WIPs, including my short story “Kiyo”:

My sleep comes with dreams. I'm not the type to dream often, but I usually know when it's happening. I get the feeling that something is off. Shifted. Tilted diagonally, just a little. I can feel that now, in an apartment without Kiyo. I go over to her usual spot, wondering what kind of subconscious-fueled nonsense I'll see in her place. A black hole that eats everything that gets close, maybe. A well, full of water I won't be giving to my roommate at dinner time anymore. I drag my feet all the way there, somehow knowing that the dream won't let me do anything else until I've seen whatever it is for myself. When I finally get there, I don't see a black hole or a symbolic well or even an empty plant pot. I see a note, too small to have possibly been printed through a regular printer but too neat and uniform to possibly be handwritten. I don't need the dream to prompt me here. I just reach for the note on my own.

I found variations of raise (raised, raises, etc.) in almost all of my WIPs, including my novel “Apricots”:

"Alright. Okay. I'll say the thing. I... give me a second, it feels weird to say something like that so suddenly," he laughs under his breath, the sound a mask to hide his doubts about this whole situation, then straightens his spine and mimics the expression that Noah had made when he'd said the line initially, "'I walk in the direction of truth.'"

"Thank you," his friend sounds so relieved, it takes Ian a second to notice that there's something on his wrist that wasn't there before. Noah's own hands are raised on either side of his head, almost like he's apologizing. He takes a step back from Ian, who takes a step toward him to close the distance and instantly regrets acting on reflex. His leg jerks when it doesn't connect with the ground, his whole body lurching forward as his stomach tries to drop out of his abdomen. The sensation makes him dizzy, everything spinning so violently that he has to shut his eyes. All he knows is the sensation of falling, without ever landing.

I found rely in my novel WIP “To Be Honest”:

In fact, he'd prefer to avoid today's meeting altogether if he could. Keep studying on his own. Repeating the steps exactly as he reads them in his textbooks. Figuring things out without any outside input. Getting it wrong. Getting stuck. Having to retrace his steps and start the same spell over again. And again. And again. If he keeps going at this pace, he won't even pass the basic refresher course on bloodline spellcasting until he's cleared every other class Dawnriver has to offer. He'll never graduate. Never become Centerpoint. Never be in a position to actually negotiate on equal footing and get his answers. He can't afford to rely on himself alone this time. As much as he hates doing it, and as bad of an idea as it is to go when he hasn't had time to prepare, Micah needs a tutor. He needs help.

I didn’t find rampant, so here’s a fun fact related to the previous excerpt:

I’ve mentioned it before, but Micah is a Bloodline Witch. This means his magic is inherited as a natural-born ability. Having this type of magic also means he can be called a Circle Witch. The title of Circle Witch refers to the circles of influence in which these magical bloodlines operate. Every family that mutates the ability to use magic will also have branch families, allied neighbors, and magic users they're on friendly terms with or have authority over in some capacity. It's similar to an ecosystem, where every animal living in a tree has its own role to play and offers something to the tree but would be vulnerable without the tree's protection. The Renner family is the tree for branch families like the Ritters, and allies like the Path family of werewolves. Within every core bloodline like the Renners, every sheltering tree, there’s one individual who holds the most power and influence over everyone else in the bloodline and its extended Circle. This individual is called the Centerpoint, the core of the core of a family’s Circle. In the canon of "To Be Honest," the Centerpoint of the Renner family is going to step down in a few years. Anticipating this, Micah and his two cousins are all in training to take a test that might just earn them that coveted position within their family and its larger Circle. By the end of the story, one of them will become the new Renner Centerpoint. 

I’m not entirely sure that fun fact made sense when shared on its own, but it’s something I’ve been meaning to clarify since the on-page revelation of Centerpoints and Circles in TBH unfolds somewhat slowly. Thank you again for the tag, it was fun to find these words!

[saviorfoxowlis]

N:Era: Where We Lie Part 6: Breaking the Day

Cyras and Owlis squared off, circling each other like blood-lusting animals looking for an angry fix.

"You made Ahmond's paddling earlier," Cyras shouted at Owlis.

Quicker than before, Cyras leaped at Owlis, but the purple fox scooped her up, and slammed on the tail bone. Drop, buck at the older's jaw, but both feet got slapped away.

Cyras attempted a punch but Owlis knocked back with a headbutt. As the red fox stood up, Owlis hooked her armpit, before swinging her over and slamming her with an arm drag.

With a grunt, back hit flat on the floor.

"Cyras, you really need some other strategy. We've been attempting that same maneuver about fifty times now."

"I told you I was quicker than you and I will keep trying until you believe that."

"I doubt even you believe that," Owlis said, rolling her eyes. "I saw lights were still on in this room. After I had been awestruck you finally figured out the operation of the sophisticated light switch, I knew you were probably plotting."

"Oh, I learned in prison actually, when you threw me in a cell. That makes me the FIRST N:Era member who was thrown in a dungeon, the FIRST."

"Ahmond will be in there like a good little ice cream scoop, and then she'll get whipped like cream, and speaking of being good little girls, I want you in bed."

"I am in bed!" Cyras said.

Cyras was on a chair, which Owlis realized must be where she slept instead of on the actual bed.

"And I was ordering a pizza."

"You'll be fed at the party," Owlis told her. "Also, I see a small sign on your actual bed."

Cyras reached over and held up a picket sign, with red lettering, saying "paddling = no." With the sign up high, she encircled an increasingly annoyed Owlis.

"Paddling doesn't sit well with me.

You only spank for your own glee.

I wanna save Ahmond in the end.

So a paw I will lend.

But I need Owlis under my thumb

Before she goes medieval on her bum!"

Owlis rolled her eyes. "If you try to assault me or coup me again, I will be very annoyed."

Owlis willed off the lights, without flicking the switch, and walked out. Cyras muttered, "If I have to wear that stupid ugly dress tomorrow, I will be vaey annnooooid."

With a snort at her own impression, Cyras got out of bed. She waited five minutes, then jumped through an open window, onto a balcony, and down towards the bridge.

Which is how she found Owlis was still halfway across the bridge linking the towers. Several Twayt sentries flew around, focused on a Crimson with a pizza.

Oh right, she ordered a pizza.

With this many onlookers, she couldn't flame jet for speed. She backed away, and through the window. A couple of knocks and she received her visitor.

The Crimson had a pizza bag.

"I'm not used to guards holding me up so sorry for the delay, but we got here in under thirty minutes."

"Yes, good," Cyras said as she gave him the credit card.

"I'll need cash."

"Okay fine." She rummaged for about a minute and showed him a few gold coins. His eyes widened from the glow and he said, "Why thank you very much, you very generous fox."

Cyras whispered at him, before slipping into his bag. He began walking away, going along with this bribe.

Through the palace, they went, with Owlis not suspecting anything, nor any guards. As the zipper opened, she popped through. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. I can now afford an 'I quit' cake for my boss!"

Within a few minutes, Cyras was down in the dungeons.

Ahmond huddled in a corner with Mosor, only to see Cyras. "Cyras, you're here? Are you breaking me out now?"

"Not quite, but look at this." Cyras held up a note. "I got this from the shop where we bought the lie detectors, and the writer Orch is saying he knows about the truth. Daybreak was his brother."

Ahmond bristled her fur. "Is his brother."

Mosor said, "Don't annoy the fox."

"Yeah. But the only problem is, Daybreak is leaving for Canth in a few days, and from what I've heard, Canth isn't part of Civic Lands."

"Canth isn't part of Wysdom," Ahmond corrected her. "So Owlis doesn't rule over Canth, but they have their own queen."

"I'm pretty sure Owlis over ranks Jazmyn."

"Yes, but Jazmyn is still part of the empire," Ahmond said.

Cyras tilted her head.

Ahmond said, "I don't know if I can help."

Cyras grabbed the bars and said, "I've got a plan. As soon as I break you out."

"You know how you'll do that?"

"Not exactly."

Ahmond's ears flattened.

"I'll figure this out."

"Are you sure?"

Cyras said, "As I always told Kryyk, if anyone would hurt you, I'd stab them and bite their face."

She gave her a quick poke on the chest. As Ahmond looked down, she was sniped by a tongue on her nose. The Coywolf almost jumped back in surprise, as Cyras bolted away.

***

Cyras entered the shop where she ordered the lie detectors. The Violet perked up as he saw her.

"Cousin of Empress Owlis, Cyras," Orch said, folding his arms. "I'm guessing you got my note."

"Yes. So, tell me your plan."

Orch said, "After I tell you the truth of Daybreak. My brother created lie detectors and I convinced the shop owner he should sell them here. Never were these more than playtoys. That therein lies the problem. He never advertised these as being insanely accurate, until now, therefore he wasn't really in any legal trouble.

"Daybreak was young, and my parents have always been hard on him after he dropped out of tech school. Well, more like he flunked out of tech school. Anyway, he still makes plenty of inventions and he also passed an advertising class at one point, so despite his appearance, he knows something about charisma."

Cyras' eyes narrowed. "So there's more than just lie detectors."

"My brother fancies himself an inventor of sorts. In reality, I think he's more a toymaker." Orch rested his chin on his claws. "I feel at fault. My dad never treated him well, neither did my mom. By the time I get fired, I'll probably be thrown out on the streets."

Cyras said, "I see, so he's simply struggling. He's like a cornered animal, but now he has power and would rather oppress others and continue the cycle of pain."

"Uh, I can't follow that level of poetry. However, the good news for you is that he's leaving soon for Canth and he'll be moving there."

"The damage here has still been done, and any other inventions he creates will spread around the globe," Cyras told him. "Then he'll probably move somewhere else than Canth, and move from there."

She grabbed the invitation from her bag and showed Orch. "I want him at my birthday party. Can you get him there?"

"Why?"

"I'm exposing him at my party."

"We had a falling out, however..." Orch dialed on his phone, a very small and compact one.

"That looks like a cool phone," Cyras said.

"I call this a cellular, but they won't really catch on, I'm sure," Orch told her dismissively. "Shhh." He put a finger against his lips.

A voice came over. "Orch?"

"I've thought about your offer, and you know what, I'm in."

"...You are?"

Cyras nodded as Orch said, "Yes, I've been thinking, and to be honest, everyone looks down at my shop. You're right. Revenge is a dish best served in cold, metal, truth-detecting fashion, and I heard you're getting invited to Cyras' party."

"I am? But I heard she doesn't even like the lie detectors."

"No no," Orch said, "she uh-"

Cyras mouthed the words: No trust.

"She didn't trust you is what she told me when she was here earlier, but I guess she came around. If you present them at the party, all lingering doubts will be washed away."

"You think she'll go for that?"

"I already asked and she thought that would be a great idea, and you should bring all of your papers and blueprints on lie detectors. She's a Wilder. She's afraid of stuff she can't understand but I'm sure you can explain this in a way she'll know."

Daybreak said, "Orch, I knew I could trust you. You just needed some time. I'm sorry if I was rude at your shop."

"That's okay," Orch said, "I'm sorry as well. Brothers should stick together, though." He hung up.

Orch said, "By the way, here's the secret I was planning on showing you." He told her everything he knew, and Cyras smirked at Orch.

"He won't know what hit him," Cyras said.

[dotster001]

The shadow

Summary:Ace x gn!reader. Ace finally makes his move when the student shadowing him tries to get too close to you.

Crowley had summoned Ace to his office.when he arrived, he found a brown haired boy, about his age, sitting in one of the chairs across from Crowley's desk.

      "Ah, Trappola, please have a seat." 

      Ace sat, and tossed a questioning look at the other boy, who only responded with a grin.

      "This is Flynt Roads, crown prince of Luna. He was previously at Royal Sword, but is no longer welcome there because," he gave a cough," of reasons. Out of the goodness of my heart, I have offered him a place in our academy, and I would like you to let him shadow you for the day, to help him make an informed decision."

        "I don't know, head mage, I've got a lot to do today, and I'm supposed to help Y/N with renovating Ramshackle after school," Ace nonchalantly said, knowing full well he could get something out of this.

          "In exchange for taking excellent care of our potential new student, I'm sure I can overlook the damages done to the alchemy lab."

         Ace stood up in a huff, " Hey that was mostly Grim and you know it!" The head mage and Flynt simply smirked at Ace. "Fine, I'll let him shadow me. Let's go."

                                   …

         Ace arrived at his first class, Flynt in tow, and spotted his favorite person already in their regular seat.

         "Hey prefect, " he shouted with a grin, and happily complied when you waved him to his seat.

           "Who's the new guy?" You asked, peaking at Flynt, who was making eyes at you.

          "Oh, some kid who got kicked out of RSA." 

      Flynt held out his hand to you, successfully pushing Ace in the process. "Hey there, I'm Flynt Roads, resident RSA drop out," he said tossing a wink your way.

      "I thought you got kicked out?" You asked.

       "You're quick, I like you," he grinned. "I got kicked out for thievery, so watch out, love, or I might just steal your heart."

        Despite the fact that you already had a crush on a certain red head, you found your face feeling warm from the attention. What neither of you noticed was Ace staring down at the hand that Flynt still had a hold of, and was beginning to grow more and more annoyed.

        He abruptly stood up, effectively causing Flynt to drop his hold of your hand.

     " You know what I just remembered? This isn't actually my first class of the day? C'mon Flynt, let's go." He dragged Flynt out of the classroom ignoring your confused protests, and continued on a wild goose chase for a class he didn't actually take.

                             ….

     Ace spent the rest of the day keeping you and Flynt away from each other, but it seemed to be getting harder and harder. Every moment Flynt was at NRC he seemed to get better and better at evading Ace and finding you. 

     But soon enough the day came to an end, and it was time for Flynt to leave. 

      "I think I'm gonna go to school here," Flynt smirked. " The students here are pretty cute."

        Earlier in the day, Ace would have answered that with a glare, but he knew that right now he held the advantage.

         "Thanks for the reminder, I have something to ask the prefect." Ace wandered away from Flynt until he found you near the school gates, where he asked you to be.

         "Hey Ace, what'd you want to ask me about?" 

        "I'll just cut to the chase, I know I was supposed to help you work on your dorm tonight, but how about you and I go out to the Monstro lounge tonight, just the two of us."

          You couldn't helped the grin on your face as you replied, "I'd like that a lot actually" 

         "Excellent, I'll pick you up at seven." He gave you a hug and used the opportunity to shoot a grin at Flynt over your shoulder. "I win" he mouthed

[softboydrew]

nausea and never enough ice cream

The fire crinkled and sparked as the group sat around, marshmallows and coffee's as the cool air blew around them. The woods grew darker and the stars littered the sky causing y/n to close her eyes, feeling Drews soft caresses against her thigh.

Drew's parents decided to invite everyone for a week long cabin getaway, with sweets and boardgames included. Drew and y/n happily accepted the invention by being the first ones to arrive, their excitement bounced around every new comer making Drew's parents marvel over the fact that their loved ones were having a good time.

Today was a long day. Today consisted of fishing, hiking, cooking, and card games... lots and lots of card games. Drew, pleasantly surprised at how competitive y/n was made the games they played even better with light bickering and playful teasing.

But y/n grew tired by six o'clock and she was surprised at how tired she's been getting recently, even before their cabin getaway she'd been feeling off. Restlessness and cravings for Ben and Jerry's increased as days passed, y/n didn't really think anything about it so she never brought it up or gave it a second thought. Ben and Jerry never let her down so she welcomed the newfound cookie dough cravings.

Until two nights ago, violent nausea kicked her hard causing her to stay bedridden. She felt horrible, trying to sweep it under the rug by telling everyone it must have been something she ate. Everyone seemed to agree but not Drew's sister, she let it slide the first night but as she watched y/n worsen she knew that 'bad food' was not making y/n sick.

So, here y/n was, finally up to sitting outside with everyone, sipping on some green tea that Drew's mother had made for her, making sure to add ginger and honey to calm her nausea. She leaned into Drew and shuffled uncomfortably against him, her stomach twisting and turning at the sight of burnt, gooey marshmallows. The smell making her grow pale and groan causing Drew and his sister to snap their focus on y/n.

"What's wrong baby?" he asked in slight panic.

Y/n sat up slowly and held out her hand, motioning for him to stop talking as she set down her mug and took a deep breath to try and settle her stomach. "I- I need to go inside." she nearly whispered.

Drew quickly stood and held out his hands for y/n to hold onto as he helped her up. She screwed her eyes shut as she felt the fire in front of her spin. "It's okay y/n were gonna take you to bed." Drew said as she whimpered at the feeling.

Drew's sister stood and patted y/n's shoulder before calling over for Drew to lead y/n back inside as she held the door for them to enter the warm cabin. "I'm sorry, I don't know what I ate but I feel like it was that chicken." she gagged making him nod in response.

"Probably." Drew's sister said, pressing her lips together to hide what she was really thinking.

"Don't be sorry, you just need some water and some sleep. You'll be all good in the morning." Drew urged making y/n nod as they made their way up the stairs. Their bedroom was one of the bigger rooms, the oak floors and dark green walls called y/n to bed, plopping down onto the pillows and groaning as her stomach churned at the sudden jolt of her body hitting the bed. "I'll go get some water and pepto bismol, need anything else?" Drew asked, leaning down towards y/n and pushing her hair back from her face.

"Get a bin or something so she can have it by the bed." His sister suggested making y/n nod at him. "I've got her." she smiled.

"I'll be right back."

Y/n sighed, snuggling into her pillow as she watched Drew's sister snap her fingers, pointing towards the bathroom and motioning for her to get up.

"What?" y/n questioned as she watched her lock the bedroom door.

"Okay, listen, I have a feeling that chicken isn't making you feel like shit." she said, pulling her from the bed and dragging her to the ensuite.

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about this!" Drew's sister whisper yelled, pulling out a box of pregnancy tests that she bought at the supermarket earlier in the day from under the sink.

"What the fuck!" y/n nearly yelled making Drew's sister slap her hand over y/n's mouth.

"Just try! You might be pregnant and it's not like it's likely that you aren't!" She said throwing her hands up in the air.

Y/n scoffed as she shook her head and looked around the bathroom in shock at what was being said. "This is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard!"

Drew's sister shoved the pink box into y/n's hands with wide eyes as she peered over at the bedroom door. "I suggest doing it now before he comes back. Y/n lets just see." she said. "What's the worst that could happen?"

Y/n gripped onto the box and sighed, her heart fluttered at the thought of carrying a child... her and Drew's child. Her hands began to shake as she began to connect the dots of the days that lead her to this moment. "Fine!"

"Hurry, I'll distract him if he gets back."

Y/n watched as Drew's sister closed the bathroom door leaving her to stand alone in the bathroom that felt like it would cave in on her at any moment. Y/n began taking out the test as she read the instructions and gulped as she unhooked the cap to the test. She froze once she heard Drew knock on the bedroom door, groaning at it being locked.

"Go get, uh, go.. get the dog!" Drew's sister shouted.

"Why?" he yelled.

"Because we- we want him. and y/n wants to cuddle." Y/n sighed in relief as she heard him curse from behind the door and stomp off into the distance. She rolled her eyes at his childish behavior, giggling at how his sister covered for her. Y/n cleared her throat as she set the test on the toilet cover and slowly shuffled out of the bathroom with flushed cheeks and worried eyes. "Don't stress, whatever happens I know it will be alright."

Y/n nodded as she sat on the door of the bed, twiddling her thumbs to pass the time as they waited for time to pass. "I think it's ready." she said quietly.

"Okay."

The girls stood and slowly made their way to the bathroom, clutching each others hands tightly as y/n reached for the test. With a pounding heart she flipped the test in her hand, revealing two small red lines on the little circled screen. They bother gasped, the test falling out of y/n's hand and onto the tiled floor, her throat hitching as they both look at each other with disbelief in their eyes.

"Holy shit! You're pregnant!" Y/n nodded, her eyes not being able to focus as she felt Drew's sister throw her arms around her in excitement. "You're gonna be a mom!" She whisper yelled.

"I-" Y/n started the they suddenly heard knocks coming from the bedroom door.

"I got the dog..."

The pair both inhaled as y/n stared at Drew's sister with panicked eyes, her hands shaking as she watched her take the test and hide it in mirrored cabinet. "You don't have to tell him right now. And you know you don't have to keep it if you don't want to." she said quickly, placing her hands on y/n's shoulders.

"thank y-you?" Y/n gulped as she watched the door being unlocked and Drew strolling in with the dog behind him.

"Goodnight guys!" his sister sang, winking at y/n before skipping down the hall.

Y/n watched as Drew placed the bin onto the floor and chucking her newly filled water bottle onto the bed. She watched as he close the door and bend down to pet the dog, cooing and laughing with him.

Drew glanced up at y/n with worried eyes as he watched her dig at her back pocket of her jeans before she quickly shuffled towards the bed. She smiled at him slightly as she watched him lean onto his side, stretching his body over the bed to look over at her. "You feeling any better?" he questioned.

"Mhm."

Drew nodded and reached for her hand, leaning back in surprise as she flinched her hand away and clutch her chest. Drew's eyebrows furrowed knowing that she did that whenever she was stressed or upset. "What?"

"Nothing!" y/n squeaked out as she sat back against the headboard, biting her bottom lip. Her chest tightened at the thought of him being upset with the news, what if he was mad? or what if he walked out? where would she go, because she's at his family's house, she'd be alone and scared if he was mad at her.

Drew chuckled, reaching for her again as he crawled closer to her, "I know you. What's on your mind, pretty girl?" Y/n jumped from the bed making Drew gasp at her sudden movements. She ran her hands through her hair and took a deep breath, placing her hands out for him to stay where he was. "Y/n.."

"Okay just-" Y/n sighed as she paced around the bedroom, "Just listen to what I'm going to tell you because I don't know how to tell you and I don't know how you're gonna react because we never really talked about this."

Drew started at her with pure confusion, he sat up straight as he watched her pace around the room in pure panic. he nodded and arched his hands out for her to take and in couple surprise, she took his hands into hers. He watched her take a deep breath as he smiled at her lovingly, his thumbs caressing her, encouraging her to tell him whatever she had to say.

"Okay."

"I- I love you so much." Y/n started making Drew nod, "And I know that you love me so when people love each other... they... they do things-"

"Are you giving me the sex talk?" Drew laughed loudly. "Because if you are then I'm sorry to inform you but I-"

"I'm pregnant." Y/n blurted.

Drew's eyes shot up and a gasp fell from y/n's lips as he jumped off the bed, his frame towering over her small one causing her heart to drop as she watched him walk away from her. "You're pregnant." He said with his back facing y/n.

"I just took the test. Yes.."

Drew jumped up, his fist pumping the air as he turned around, jumping side to side like a jumping bean causing y/n to cover her hands over her mouth as she laughed. Drew quickly made his way over to her and threw his arms around her, y/n squealed as he picked her up effortlessly and spun her around once, twice, three times as her laughter vibrated between them. "I'm going to be a father?"

"Yes." y/n hummed as he set her down, his hands cupping her cheeks into his hands as he watched tears pool at the corner of er eyes.

"We're going to be be parents. We made a tiny human!" Drew nearly screamed as he poked y/n's stomach lovingly.

She giggled at his touch and nodded, pulling out the test from her back jean pocket, "See!" she said holding the test in between them both.

"About time I put a baby in you." Drew smirked.

"Oh, so this was your plan all along?" y/n teased making drew chuckle as he pulled her towards the bed with a plop- causing them to both giggle in bliss.

"Definitely." he teased before tracing spongy kisses against her soft skin, y/n's giggles filling the room as she ran her fingers into his hair as he hovered over her. "Having a little you or me running around it everything." "I love you so much. And I'll love our baby... so, so much." Drew whispered.

"We know." Y/n hummed, gripping Drew's hand and placing it over her soon to be ballon like stomach. "We love you too, so much."

"We know." Y/n hummed, gripping Drew's hand and placing it over her soon to be ballon like stomach. "We love you too, so much."

-

taglist: @pogueslandia @carolineworld

[yutanology]

Promise Me | Yandere! Nakamoto Yuta X Fem!Reader

Warning : 18+, possessive, foul behaviours, sexual content(nothing biggie), mental illness, death, etc. No proofread. Please, don't be too harsh on me. I'm still new and this is my first ever one shot/fanfiction here :)

Word count : 2.4k+

"Could you just stop?" Y/n whisper shouted at her seatmate who had been bothering her since this morning.

It's not like this is new to her or to anyone in their class but today, he seemed to be more clingy and touchy than he usually was and she found it quite unusual.

By the time she stepped into the school campus this morning, he abandoned his game with his friends on the soccer field just to greet her with his dashing smile and a nice warm hug.

She didn't mind it at first as she was already used to it but when she thought he's going to leave her alone after that, he followed her around instead like a lost puppy. She could almost see a furry tail happily wagging behind him.

Everywhere she goes, he's there right beside her. Either his hands were holding hers or his arms were wrapped around her lower waist. Some people were jealous or happy when they thought they're finally officially together and when someone questioned their relationship, Y/n would immediately respond saying they're just friends while Yuta would say otherwise, leaving them confused.

He was still attached to her during her classes and even ditched his just to be with her. The teachers could only sigh in defeat and shake their head. They knew that whatever they say, there's nothing they can do to make the stubborn guy follow their orders.

At the end, he'd always get what he wants.

The Japanese boy glanced at her side profile. His head was laying on top of his other hand. Seeing her brows furrowed irritatedly, he stopped for a moment before continuing to twirl a few strands of her silky hair between his long fingers.

It doesn't look like he has any plans of keeping his hands to himself at all. She'd been trying to get rid of him for countless times and she failed with all of those useless attempts. She's so close of getting angry at him but she doesn't want to lash out on him and seem like a bad person.

With her another sigh passing through her soft reddish lips, she looked at the clock on the wall. ‘Just five minutes more, Y/n. Just a little more patience, you can do it.’ she tried to convince herself. By those five minutes, she let Yuta play with her hair.

When the school bells rang and echoed around the campus, she immediately fixed her things and rushed out of the classroom before the teacher could even dismiss them. The corridors are already crowded and she could only hope that Yuta wouldn't be able to follow after her this time.

She decided to go to the restroom and stayed there until she was certain that Yuta's nowhere around her. He's really acting weird and she couldn't understand why. Whenever she asked what's wrong with him, he'd always say the same thing like 'I'm fine. It's all in your mind.’

His gaze, the way he looks at her also felt different this time. She felt something uneasy somewhere in the pit of her stomach or maybe there's something wrong with 𝘩𝘦𝘳. Maybe she's just overthinking way too much since that's what she always do mostly when she doesn't get enough sleep and she stayed up late last night.

That's right... these shit are all just in her head.

She released an exhausted sigh and turned the faucet on to wash her face, hoping that it would also wash her frustrations away. She reached for a handkerchief from her bag and wiped her face dry as she made her way out of the comfort room.

Her heart almost jumped out of her ribs when she found Yuta standing just a single step from the exit. She gasped and her hand immediately flew to her chest in surprise. "Yah! Stop scaring me like that!" she yelled and he only chuckled in amusement.

"I've been waiting for you. What took you so long?" he asked her, locking his hand on hers as he lead her to the canteen. Eyes of the people they passed by were immediately on them like they're more interesting than the lessons that their teachers taught them.

"Wait, why were you waiting for me?" confusion was evident on her face.

"So we can eat together for lunch, of course. Come on, we don't have all the time. Classes are going to start after forty minutes." he casually said, pulling her closer to him when they walked passed a group of boys and he didn't fail to notice the way they looked at Y/n.

He didn't like it, not even a bit.

Y/n seriously couldn't count how many times she sighed at how she always end up letting Yuta do whatever he wanted to do with her. From the simple hand holds to sudden random kisses that he pepper on her face. No matter how hard she tried to push him off, he'd always stick himself even more closer to her.

It was like that for the passed weeks and it was honestly so tiring as hell. Yuta just won't leave her alone even when she goes to the restroom, he would insist to wait outside the cubicle that she had to push him away and lock the main door of the room.

She could barely talk to other people peacefully as he would shoo them away immediately and ask them to leave her alone. It was so frustrating and she's getting fed up of his unexplained foolish practices.

She's well aware that the guy likes her more than just a friend and she also can't deny that she's attracted to him but these behaviours of his are just too much for her.

The said dirty blonde haired Japanese guy was sitting closely beside her, his chin rested on her right shoulder as he watched her turn pages of the book that she's reading. He wasn't paying attention to the words written on the dead leaves. His eyes stared at her small hands, wondering how they would feel like around his cock—

"Yuta." the guy's ears perked up when she said his name. Snaking his arms around her waist, he pulled her to his chest and planted a kiss on her neck. Her cheeks heated at the unexpected skin contact but she tried her best to ignore the butterflies that he's giving her.

She's planning to finally confront him and she had to make him stop whatever he's doing cuz it's no fun at all. It's not entertaining and she's not amused at all. "Yuta." he hummed, his kisses getting wet and he started to graze his teeth on her skin, lightly nibbling on them until he finally bit hard enough to leave a mark.

A whimper tried to escape her mouth but she's fast enough to bite her lower lip, trapping the sound until it disappeared on it's own. He was disappointed when she didn't make any sound for him, thinking that he didn't do well enough to make her feel good so he ran the tip of his tongue on her neck.

His hot minty breath heated her skin and tingles spread around her body when he blew her sensitive ear, nibbling her earlobe and placing a kiss on one of her flushed cheeks. His hands wandered under her blouse, caressing the side of her hips with his thumb.

He slowly dragged his large hands up under her breasts and just when he was about to touch them, Y/n pulled away from him. A low whine and groan simultaneously erupted from him, complaining at the lose of skin contact from her.

Y/n looked around the library if someone saw them and she was thankful that no one was there but only them. She straightened her blouse, closing the book and stood up. "Where are you going?" he also stood up from his seat, ready to follow her wherever she's going.

She didn't answer him. She slung one of her bag's strap on her shoulder, walking away with the book and placed it back to where she took it. Yuta was quick to keep up with her steps, confused of why she was suddenly in a hurry.

When they finally got out of the library, she stopped at the nearby bleachers where students barely pass by and turned to him with an exasperated sigh, "Yuta, seriously, what's wrong with you?" the way she questioned him came out more stressed out than how she wanted it to be.

Yuta blinked his eyes a few times as if he's trying to figure out what she meant. "What do you mean, what's wrong with me? I'm totally fine. Are you okay?" it was his turn to ask her, walked close to her and placed a hand on her forehead.

"Are you sick? You don't seem fine to me. Let me take you to the clinic—"

"Yuta, stop." she stepped away from him before he could even hold her hand. He halted, his brows met as his eyes stared at her worryingly.

"Stop whatever you're doing to me and please, leave me alone. I also need some time for myself and other people around me, alright? You can't keep me from interacting with anyone. This is honestly suffocating, Yuta. We can't keep doing this."

He felt like his heart shattered into tiny pieces. His chest tightened and his airways narrowed, making him unable to breath properly. Without him knowing, tears were already streaming down his cheeks.

Y/n was taken aback at this, immediately feeling guilty for making him cry. She didn't expect him to be this emotional for his appearance.

"Look, I'm sorry but—"

"D-don't you love me anymore, Y/n?" He didn't let her finish her words, leaving her speechless at the question.

Her mouth left agape, struggling to find the right words to tell him. "Did you find someone else better than me that's why you're planning to leave me, is that it?" more salty water poured out of his eyes.

"Yuta, w-what are you talking about? We're not in a relationship to begin with."

"Then let's be together officially! Just you and me, Y/n. I'll do anything just to be with you. I promise, I'll be the best boyfriend you'll ever have. I'll give you everything you want—" he held her arms, "—just promise me I'll be the only one you'll ever love and want to be with. Promise me, Y/n. Promise me!"

Yuta secured his arms around her, holding onto her desperately. Scared that if he lets go, he might lose her. He can't let that happen. Like what he said, he'll do whatever it takes just to have her.

All for himself.

"Y-you have to promise me, Y/n."

Her head was clouded with a lot of thoughts. She was barely thinking straight and her emotions also messed up with her. She really likes Yuta. The increasing speed of her heartbeat and the butterflies flying around her stomach with euphoria whenever she's with him didn't lie at all but it felt wrong.

These feelings didn't feel right.

She pulled herself away from him and shook her head. "I'm sorry, Yuta..." that was all she said before she left him without even looking back at him.

She had no idea how it broke him and how it made him do things that a normal person wouldn't do. He saw nothing but red after she disappeared from his sight. Everyone who tried to touch or talk to her the next day suddenly disappeared, a minute after they left somewhere else.

At first, she didn't think much about it until the number of people disappearing quickly increased and made everyone alarmed. All schools around the place were forced to close for a moment and people were told to stay at home with tight security to keep them safe.

Everyone was scared including Y/n, of course.

It made her so anxious that she could barely sleep at night. One morning, a knock on her door echoed around her silent apartment and she panicked, quickly hiding on her bedroom.

She almost peed her pants in fear when the knocking and ringing of doorbells continued for minutes. Her phone went off on her nightstand and she ran to it. Yuta's calling.

Without a second thought, she answered it with trembling voice. "Y-yuta..."

"Y/n, are you okay? Please open your door for me, I have to make sure you're safe. I'm the one outside your house."

And that was all it took for him to be with her. Make her scared to be outside, convince her that everyone is dangerous and he's the only one who can protect her.

Whenever he goes outside to buy food and other necessities for the both of them, he'd always return with a small cut or bruises and it made Y/n scared that she might lose him too.

He's all she had left.

He made her thought of that. He's all and everything she could ever need. She'd be nothing without him.

"Do you love me?" he asked and she nodded silently.

"If you really do, promise me that you'll love me and only me, Y/n. I wanna hear it from you." Yuta looked at her straight in the eyes when he said those words.

"I promise." his heart raced inside his chest.

A smile stretched out on his plump lips. "I love you, Y/n. So much than you could ever imagine." He meant it. He always had and always will. He leaned his body closer to her, locking his lips with hers and they moved in sync.

This is paradise to him.

He couldn't explain how much happy he's right now. With her here in his arms, it's the only place where she's safe. He watched her drift off to sleep, he kissed her forehead when her eyes finally closed.

He could look at her like this forever. The love bites that he painted on her skin looks so beautiful. She's like the most beautiful painting he'd ever seen and she deserve to be placed on his art gallery but she's only for him to be looked at.

He sighed dreamily as he continued to press more kisses on her neck. He successfully made her love him. There's nothing he could ask for, now that her naked body is already tangled with him under their soft blanket.

He could only hope that she'd keep her words and stay true to him.

Feedbacks are pretty much appreciated and requests are open! Feel free to share your thoughts!

I will not always be active but I will try my best to attend each of your requests and to also interact with y'all.

I apologize for not being word-perfect in English. English sadly ain't for me—

[thera-daydreams]

PLUS ONE

》 A TRESE TWOSHOT 《

[Maliksi x Reader]

📝 Summary: In which your beloved best friend snatches you from your apartment at dawn asking you to be his plus one for his cousin's wedding. Unbeknownst to the clueless you, everything is just going according to Maliksi's ultimate masterplan. With the help of friends and family, the Prince of the Tikbalang finally gets the girl he's been longing for. And oh, Señor Armanaz gets his dream daughter-in-law and the promise of grandchildren within the year.

📌 Warning: May contain some slight NSFW for spicy suggestiveness and cussing. No smut or anything super SPG—this girl can't write that for her life—but just be prepared. It's Maliksi we're talking about. We've got friends-to-lovers, obliviousness, pining, fluff, and a tikbalang simp. Figure it out. 😃

(word count: 7,454) ♥︎ Part Two: ?

》 AUTHOR'S NOTE 《

Not an Inday spinoff, but a lengthy oneshot in celebration of this blog getting 90 followers. Just ten more to 100, yay! Thank you so much for the love and support, everyone. I also promised that I'll be making this brainrot that @binibiningbabaylan and I have fangirled over a few days ago (find the original post here) when I finished the latest chapter of Inday. Here it is! 🥰

Before I forget, I was also inspired by the cute fic made by @crispybasil titled "Sunshowers" and the "Trese Boys As Things My Guy Friends Do" made by the amazing @smolla-than-a-bug (I bow down to your wonderful works in the Trese fandom). I definitely see Maliksi to be the type to go on spontaneous roadtrips and be the boyfriend to drive you around eveeeerywhere (while also driving you crazy). 🚘

There are also some songs mentioned throughout this work. You should probably listen to them while reading for the full experience. Ending was somewhat rushed but eh, I'm too exhausted and I've rewritten it too many times. Also, if someone makes some actual tikbalang smut, tag me please. Anyways, enjoy! 💕

The way it all started was hilarious. Absolutely fucking hilarious. It happened like a blur. Literally. One second, you were snoozing in your bed. The next? You had a seatbelt on in the shotgun seat of a sophisticated-looking car. Your brain didn't even get to process it yet.

"... So let me get this straight," you grumbled, still half-asleep from your sleep marathon. You just finished a hugely successful project at work yesterday, got promoted, and wanted to make up for the restless nights you spent overtime in the office. Of course you were irritated from being disturbed. You were on vacation leave for two entire weeks, originally planning to go into temporary isolation by deactivating your social media accounts and reserving a beach cabana for yourself in Batangas.

Well, turns out, you weren't going to Batangas anytime soon. All because your unreasonably spontaneous bestfriend of ten hectic years stole you from your apartment at 2AM. Was this considered kidnapping? Was this him just being more in touch with his tikbalang side, taking unsuspecting women in their sleep and leading them to their inevitable death? (He was going over the speed limit, so it was a valid thought.) Will wearing your shirt inside-out save you today? Lord, masyado ka pang pagod para mag-isip ngayon.

"Go on."

"You abducted picked me up in the middle of the night because you want me to be your plus one at your cousin's wedding in Tagaytay?"

"Yup. And technically, the venue is right on the outskirts of Cavite going to Tagaytay," he corrected you as a matter-of-factly.

"Same thing, whatever," you huffed tiredly. "Your cousin's wedding is at 6AM today. In a few hours. In four hours."

"Uh-huh."

You groaned exasperatedly, "Mal naman, eh! You didn't even let me bring anything. Could've at least given me a heads-up a few hours ago. I'm practically emptyhanded right now save for my phone! Sinungaling ka, you said this was just a normal midnight drive—not a freaking wedding!"

The Prinsipe ng Mga Tikbalang, son of the Great Stallion, heir to the Armanaz herd, and the Top Drag Racer of C-5 Expressway—if that was even one of his Game of Thrones-like titles—grinned as he continued driving beside you. He let you continue ranting in the passenger seat while he mulled over his ultimate masterplan that would change his entire life later on. He was a spur-of-the-moment kind of guy, so all this wasn't his thing. But for you? He'll make plans, alright.

"Wala man lang akong dinalang masusuot o kahit konting makeup para maging presentable sa harapan ng buong pamilya mo," you exclaimed, in absolute despair. "Do you know how out of my league you are? Your rich-ass family might judge me—hell, your dad might see me as a hampaslupa if I show up there in my pambahay and tsinelas!"

"Psh, I'm not out of your league," Maliksi waved it off, smoothly turning a corner. "And calm down. We've known each other for a decade! My dad practically loves you as his own daughter. Heck, the entire family knows you and keeps telling me they want you adopted in already. Lolo Andres and Lola Perlita said they'd have the paperwork settled. You just need to sign them."

It would be even better (and easier) if you married into the family. To him, specifically (as if he'd let anyone else have you). God, he was already being so obvious in his advances, but you were just so damn oblivious whenever it came to romance. None of this needed to happen if you just got it through your thick skull that he was madly in love with you.

"That's not the point, idiot!" you slumped back into your seat, hopeless. "Do you think the bride and the groom will get offended? Shit, baka masumpaan ako kung magagalit sila, Mal. Mukha akong patay galing sa South Cemetery."

The long-haired tikbalang rolled his eyes, "Huwag kang mag-alala. Nothing's going to go wrong. Chill ka lang diyan. I've got everything under control, babe."

Babe. Yes, he even called you babe but you thought it was him being a himbo and a massive flirt. Now, it was his common term of endearment for you, but you still assumed it was him just being irksome to you and that you couldn't stop the man from saying it anymore. Thus, you let it be (the most obvious hint of his attraction to you, bestie).

"... Ugh, why didn't you ask Hannah or Amie to go with you?"

He just smiled knowingly, shrugging and making up an excuse, "Nagmamadali ako, eh. Hannah and Amie are also coming, but they already have the other tikbalang as dates."

"'Luh, ako pala ang backup choice mo?"

"Heh. Whatever you want to think."

Little did you know that you were always his first choice. Always. Even when he pursued Alexandra Trese many years ago, trying to convince himself you were just his best friend, it was always you. How did he come to that realization? Well, an international band he was a fan of released a song a couple years ago and he heard it being played in a club in BGC. The song title?

It Was Always You by Maroon 5.

Needless to say, after hearing the song and being unable to get it—get you—out of his mind at night, he stopped courting Alexandra. Unfortunately for him, that time, you'd started dating other men. Therefore, he was left on the sidelines... until your latest and most painful breakup, at least. That was five years ago. You still hadn't dated anyone since then, kind of traumatized from getting into another failed relationship like that.

In the present day, as if the fates were playing on you two, one of your favorite artists played on the radio. A very ironic song given the situation you two were in.

Best Friend by Rex Orange County.

Maliksi knew it was a favorite of yours. He knew it by the way your eyes lit up like a star brightening the twinkling night sky. Like the sun first rising in the morning at Apolaki's command. Like the moon extending its gentle rays from the magic of Mayari herself. If there was anything he wanted to ask of the old gods, it was you—everything else be damned.

"I wanna be the one that makes your day, the one you think about as you lie awake," you half-sang and half-screamed happily, somewhat out-of-tune. "I can't wait to be your number oooooone! I'll be your biggest fan and you'll be mine—"

Maliksi glanced at you, not minding that his eardrums were probably getting microscopic ruptures from your aggressive singing. As much as he wanted to stare at you all day, he had to keep his eyes on the road. But the lyrics you were singing were wrong; the Prince of the Tikbalang was already yours from day one.

"Babe, McDo drive-through tayo for breakfast. Let me make it up to you. Gusto mo ng caramel sundae for your promotion gift? Sige. Ako bahala. Chicken nuggets din? Mabubusog ka ba niyan? I don't think they serve those this early..."

》》》

"Sandali lang!" you shouted out from inside an empty room. You'd just arrived at the venue—the Alta Veranda de Tibig in Silang, Cavite (practically the gateway to Tagaytay)—an hour or so ago. The hired makeup artist just left so that you could privately change into the outfit that had been bought specifically for you. Curse Mal and his ability to buy anything (perhaps anyone) he wanted. "Bwiset, Mal, you didn't tell me we'd be part of the damn entourage. We have to be walking the aisle in thirty minutes, simbako! You just love rushing me, don't you!?"

If only you were the one walking down the aisle today towards him.

When you exited the room, Maliksi couldn't help but let his jaw drop as he skimmed your figure, clad in the luxurious, silky satin blush midi dress he bought in one of those fancy stores in Makati yesterday. He imagined that it would look great on you, but now, seeing it on you in person... you looked divine (and frankly, he wanted to see it off your body to see what was underneath—but don't get too ahead of yourself, Mal). It was a whole 'nother level from his imagination. The deep cowl neckline and thin spaghetti straps showed your lovely collarbones... as well as a peek of your cleavage. His favorite and the best part of it all? It was backless, allowing him to gaze at the tempting curve of your spine.

He hadn't realized he had grown silent until you smiled and closed his mouth, tapping his chin.

"Lalangawin ang bibig mo, Mal," you laughed softly. Never had you seen him so speechless. You then flicked your hair back, ridiculously posing for him like you were on the cover of Vogue magazine (haba ng hair mo, gurl!). "Do I look that good? Char lang."

"... You look absolutely ravishing—I mean, uh, stunning. Hot. Yeah." That was all he could say. He mentally punched himself for not showering you with more suave compliments.

Still, your face brightened up, not knowing that the man in front of you just fell for you a thousand times harder, "Wow! Really? Damn. Ang galing talaga ng MUA na kinuha mo, ginawa akong artista. Give me their contact number later! May work event pa naman ako in two months. I'm shocked, it's like they made me rise from the dead! Even my eyebags are gone, Mal! How'd they do that?" Heck yeah, your confidence was boosted. He offered his arm to you like a gentleman, making you half-heartedly roll your eyes (you took it anyway). From holding it alone, you could tell that your best friend was a sinewy man (well, you knew that already after seeing his tikbalang form before—the little shit didn't even wear a loincloth like all his clanmates; your poor eyes were eternally scarred).

You looked him up and down. You wouldn't lie—Maliksi is and always has been an attractive man. Now? With his hair in a ponytail (pun not intended), definitely one of the hunkiest men you've ever known. "You're not looking too bad yourself, horsey."

"Ako pa!" He puffed his chest out in pride. You chuckled at his reaction.

"By the way, how do you even know my dress size and my shoe size?"

"Babe, I've known you too long. You know almost everything about me, I know everything about you."

You snorted at his confident tone, "'Di nga? You don't know every single thing about me, Mal. Assuming ka masyado."

"Alam ko nga anong cup size mo. Wala lang 'yang shoe and dress size."

You slapped his shoulder, cheeks quickly flushing red, "Huy, umayos ka! Walang hiyang tikbalang na 'to." With this guy as your best friend? You heard dirty jokes at least once a day. "Don't be inappropriate here!"

"What? It's only fair I know!" He looked down on you suggestively, wiggling his eyebrows. "You already know I always go commando, so of course I know that your bra is a size—"

"Shhh! Baka marinig ka, 'nyeta."

"So? Let them hear. My best friend has a nice set of melons!" he shouted. You were grateful there was no one around. Hopefully.

"Oh my God..."

Your best friend chortled at how flustered you'd become. He led you to where some of his family was waiting, with a couple of his relatives already greeting you. You instantly and quite easily mingled with them, your worries of them not accepting you far from even true (they all knew how much their prince loved the innocent you).

"Kayo na talaga, pare?" one of his older tikbalang clanmates asked while you went away to be fawned over by his aunts.

Maliksi chuckled, crossing his arms as he watched you from afar, "Heh. Hindi pa."

Another one of his clanmates—a younger one—laughed, wrapping an arm around his shoulder, "Talaga? That's cap, bro. You two are like a married couple already and you guys still aren't a thing?"

"Ilang taon na ba kayong magkakaibigan?" the older one asked him.

"Almost ten years," Maliksi responded, a smile unconsciously pulling his lips up as he remembered your moments together. He watched you converse with his female relatives (who adored you the moment Maliksi brought you to a family event many moons ago).

The two tikbalang snickered as they saw the look on the Great Stallion's heir.

"You're down bad," the younger one said, snapping a photo of his lovestruck kuya. "You've got it so bad for her, dudeparechong!"

"Balak mong ligawan anytime soon?" the older tikbalang inquired.

"Heh. Balak ko na ngang pakasalan. Kung pwede, ngayon."

They looked at Maliksi as if he was crazy. He was very much serious, though, even if there was a huge, lopsided smile on his face. The Prince of the Tikbalang raised a brow at them.

"What? Don't give me that look. Our ten years of being best friends is practically the courting and the dating stage already."

"Eh... you're right. Don't waste anymore time. Go and marry her today, dude. Suporta kami sa'yo, basta groomsmen kami sa kasal niyo, ha!"

"Ge. Without question."

Meanwhile, on your end with the ladies of the family, they started pestering you on your love life (like all typical Filipino aunties). Chismis everywhere.

"O, iha, single ka pa ba?"

"Kailan ka magpapakasal? Malapit ka nang pumasok sa thirties mo."

"Do you want kids? How many?"

"Are you and Maliksi a couple? You look good together! Kayo na, 'di ba?"

"Will you be getting married next? Are you engaged? When's the wedding? Invite niyo kami!"

Before you could get overwhelmed by their questions, Maliksi swept you off your feet to lead you to the entourage that was lining up outside the chapel area. Again, it happened like a blur. He laughed at the partially nauseated look on your face.

"You okay there?" he asked, grinning.

"Your family thinks we're together," you muttered quietly, not meeting his eyes. You weren't sure why you felt... tingly about their statements.

He tilted his head at you curiously, gently setting you down on your feet and helping you stand.

"Do you hate the idea?" It hurt him to ask you the question, but he wanted your thoughts on it. Perhaps doing this was a bad idea. Maliksi was competitive in many things, including wanting you to be his, but if you were so opposed to it, he would never force you into something you didn't want. He let go of your hand; you didn't even notice he'd been holding it until he let go. "Am I making you uncomfortable?"

Your wide-eyed gaze snapped back to look up at him, "No! No, it's not that! And... it's not bad." Your hand felt strangely empty now that his was gone. Biting your lip, you disclosed, "You're not making me uncomfortable, Mal. Don't ever think that."

With that, you shyly interlocked your arm with his, tearing your eyes from his to mask the growing warmth you felt spreading in your veins. You two didn't say anything else when the ushers let you walk down the beautiful, petal-covered aisle together.

The man beside you was starstruck. Hopeful. Maybe both of you did have a chance. Maybe somewhere in the depths of your soul, his feelings for you were being reciprocated. For the rest of the sacred ceremony in the gorgeous main pavilion, both of you relished in short, comfortable, and low conversations. He even cracked jokes every once in a while—really funny ones that made it challenging for you to you stifle your laughter.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife! You may kiss the bride."

Maliksi fervently prayed to Bathala that he'd experience the same opportunity he was seeing with you someday. One day.

Even while the sun was brightly out, the sky began showering down light rain onto the land. You were in awe as you looked out the window.

"Hala, totoo nga pala! Tignan mo!" you laughed, tugging Maliksi's suit sleeve, pointing at the window.

"Na ano?" he curiously inquired, not understanding what you were referring to.

"Na kapag may tikbalang na kinakasal, umuulan habang may araw pa," you replied, eyes filled with childlike mirth and wonder. A rainbow had even begun to form by the clouds. "Look, it's magical! Ang ganda pala ng view dito kasama ang old Spanish architecture. Timeless na timeless. It's so pretty, 'no? Picture tayo 'maya, Mal."

Unlike you, it wasn't the sky outside that the prince was looking at. Amidst the loud cheers for the newlywed couple and the bubbles the guests were blowing, his vision could only focus on how magnificent you looked while being amazed. You were his best view. (Ed from 90-Day Fiancé, kabahan ka na, may katapat ka sa pickup line mo.)

》》》

"Smile for the picture!"

You giggled as Maliksi was dragged into a photo-op with the bridesmaids and the important older wedding sponsors a few feet away (funnily, he looked a little constipated around them). All of a sudden, when he was heading back to your direction, you were roughly pushed into the said man's arms. When you turned around, there was nothing (except maybe a gust of wind that came out of nowhere).

"Ooh, gotcha. Careful," the tikbalang steadied you, strong hands holding your biceps. "Natapilok ka?"

"... Huh, hindi naman," you wondered suspiciously, looking around. "I think someone pushed me? Parang tinulak ako... but wala namang tao."

"Weird. Maybe it was just the wind."

It actually was. Really. Maliksi knew for a fact that it was those two taong hangin who were spying on you from the corner, trying to pair you up. He gave them a thumbs-up while your back was turned in the opposite direction. Hannah and Amie returned the thumbs-up before vanishing. Suddenly, the two wedding photographers had moved on from the bridesmaids and were right beside you.

"What a lovely couple you two are!" she praised. Before you could correct her, she held up the black contraption she held towards you two. "Pose for the camera, lovelies!"

And so you did, the photographer guiding you two on what to do. Maliksi wrapped his arm around your waist and you leaned on his side, looking sidewards to the camera with one leg cocked in front of the other. Her assistant, who was holding a polaroid camera, printed out two photos for you.

"Thank you," you told him, taking the photos from his hands then flicking them rapidly to make the images develop. You and Mal were about to walk to the reception area when the photographer stopped you, handing the male beside you a business card.

"If you two need a photographer or a videographer for your wedding, call me," she signaled to both of you before running to another guest, bringing her assistant with her.

You gawked, "Mal, did you just hear what she said?"

"Loud and clear." A grin was on his face. He seemed very pleased at what he heard.

"... How can she even tell if someone is married or not?"

Maliksi's free hand took your left hand, tapping the ring finger, "Nothing here."

"Ooooooh. I get it now." Your brows creased. "Huh. This is like the fifth time today the people here have mistaken us for a couple."

Maliksi shrugged, teasing you, "Who knows? Baka may potential tayo, babe."

Before you could ask him what he meant, he was hurriedly towing you to the reception venue. While he was doing that, you stared at the now-developed polaroid photos you were holding. Huh. Maybe you two did look like a couple.

"Come on, they're serving some snacks at the welcome reception area. Peach pie and mango float-flavored. Paborito mo, babe."

》》》

The rest of the night went by without a hitch. You were actually enjoying the event—the host was great, the food was great, the music was great. Everything was great... that was, until the games.

"Alright! Now that the bride's garter has been removed, let's have the bouquet and garter toss... starting with the females!" the host announced. "Dear bride, please stay here in front. And all single ladies—and by single I mean ready to mingle and are not married—please rise and stand here on the dance floor. Let's play matchmaker tonight, everyone!"

"Uy, single ladies daw," Maliksi nudged your side. "Sign mo na 'yan." You snorted like a pig.

"Nope, ayokong madamay sa bouquet toss," you whisper-yelled at your best friend. "Do you know how embarrassing that is?! Besides, they won't notice if I don't join! Special tactic ko 'yan sa weddings: pretending I'm not single. Katabi naman kita."

More women came to the front, making you feel assured that you didn't need to participate. The host was about to say something, when the bride interrupted to whisper something into his ear.

"Hala, halaaa! Sabi ko all single ladies, pero may isang single lady na nagtatago pa!" he announced, making you freeze. Please don't let it be you. "What's her name, beloved bride?"

"Y/N L/N." You nearly spat out your champagne. You? Did they just call out your name? How did they know?

"Oh fuck," you cursed quietly.

"'Di ka makakatakas dito, babe," Maliksi jabbed, making you stand up. "Tinatawag ka na."

"Baka may ibang Y/N L/N dito," you resisted, attempting to sit back down. "I can't do this, Mal."

"'Sus, ikaw pa. And it's just a symbolic ceremony!" he encouraged, as if he didn't have any underlying intentions. "I doubt the bouquet will go to you anyway."

Sheesh, what a big fat liar you are, tikbalang prince.

You expressed your dissatisfaction with the situation, "Bwiset, fine. I'll just... dodge it. Or evade it. God, I swear..." You calmed down, confident. "I'm not going to worry. I've never caught the bouquet at my own friends' weddings anyway."

When you were at the dance floor, Maliksi snickered, seeing the bride—his cousin—wink at him. After all, he had thoroughly bribed her earlier.

《《《

"It's about time you settled down with someone, Mal," the bride commented while he slipped her the newest Hermés designer bag filled with a bunch of jewelry (plus some bills) two hours ago, right before the reception began and while you were in the restroom freshening up. "Hehehe, this is why you're my favorite cousin."

"Do we have a deal?"

"Of course. I'll make sure she participates. I'll also try to throw it in her direction."

"Good. Thanks."

"You better invite me to your beach wedding. I can tell how much you love her."

"Not a problem. I'll even make you a sponsor."

The bride stared at her bouquet, already practicing how she was going to throw it, "Tito's going to thank me so much for ensuring that he's going to get grandkids soon, hihi."

》》》

Back to the present, on the other end of the room, Maliksi saw a familiar duo give him a sign that they were ready. Bingo. Time to execute the most important part of his plan.

《《《

"I don't care how you do it," he told the two wind elementals after he bribed the bride. "I've already instructed the bride on what she should do, pero siguraduhin niyo lang talagang lumipad sa kanya ang bouquet."

"Mmhmm," Amie flipped her hair, a hand on her cocked hip. "And what do we get in return, oh great Señorito Armanaz?"

"Sagot ko bar-hopping niyo for one month."

The two girls pretended to think about it, making Maliksi roll his eyes. He had to pull out the big guns, huh?

"Fine. Magbibigay ako ng cash deposit plus pwede niyong gamitin ang black card ko for a one-week shopping spree in Ortigas." There. Bullseye. That's what they liked.

"Deal!" they exclaimed excitedly.

Hannah let a cool gust of wind enter one of the nearby windows, testing out how they're going to do this. "Ano pa bang pinaplano mo for Y/N mamaya?"

Maliksi hummed, "Basta."

》》》

You tried your best to hide within the densest part of the group of women. The bride seemed to have her eyes on you, weirdly enough, and she looked almost feral wanting to throw her flowers into someone's face.

That someone being you. Most likely.

"Target locked on," you saw her mouth move. She positioned herself like she was about to throw a football at someone (ahem, you). Holy shit, was she talking to you? Miss ma'am, it was a bouquet toss not a bouquet throw. The bride seemed to notice this, and once more regained her elegant composure.

"3, 2, 1," the host counted down. "Go!"

Surprisingly, the bouquet flew very high into the air (it was a wonder it didn't get tangled in the ceiling decor), but quite a distance away from you. You grinned, knowing it was too far to even touch you. Squeezing through the crowd of women eagerly awaiting the bouquet, you went to return to your assigned table.

Ah, what a wonderful evening.

Sike!

Something painfully landed right into your face, leaves and flowers getting into your hair and mouth.

... Wait, leaves and flowers?

Before you could comprehend it, the bouquet dropped right into your arms. What kind of ungodly, inhuman force allowed this to even happen?

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have our lucky girl for the night!" Everyone clapped, with some—those guests you knew—even cheering your name unbelievably loud. The host approached you, a glint in his eye which you couldn't understand. "Miss Y/N, kindly sit here while we await the lucky guy who catches the garter from the groom."

What just happened?

"All single gentlemen, please proceed to the dance floor. Remember, the man who gets the garter gets to slip it onto the lucky lady's leg later!"

Oh, God. You pinched the bridge of your nose. What you'd give to be back at home or to be in that resort in Batangas you'd planned on going to for a solo vacation.

"To make this even more exciting," the host stated, handing you a black blindfold. "Our lucky lady has to keep her eyes closed until her lucky man for the night captures the bride's garter! When the music plays, only then can she uncover her eyes."

See? Humiliating, just as you expected. Still, you wrapped the blindfold around your head (albeit hesitantly). You attempted to guess who it might be, thinking of all the tikbalang friends Maliksi had introduced to you back then whenever he invited you to his clan reunions.

"Groom, are you ready?" the host asked, microphone loud and clear.

"Ready na ready!"

"Single gentlemen, are you ready?!"

"Ready na ready! Awoo, awoo!" they loudly chorused, exactly mimicking Spartans about to engage in battle. You sweatdropped in the seat you were in. This was actually kind of scary. Maybe you felt a bit objectified.

"3, 2, 1, go!"

There was a brief moment of silence, which made you concerned. Ba't ang tahimik? Then, everyone erupted into roars and bravoes much louder than when you caught the bouquet—perhaps even louder by tenfold. What the heck was happening?!

The music played. Very raunchy, spicy, babymaking music. You expected it to be the typical Careless Whisper by George Michael or Pony by Ginuwine (corny songs which you could probably laugh at, at least), but no. Nuh-uh, this was probably worse. The DJ must be pretty young, the song of their choosing being a slowed, bass-boosted, sexier remix of Earned It by the Weeknd.

Ano 'to, bold? Fifty Shades of Grey? The hell was this?

Alright. This was embarrassing. Thank the heavens there were no children at this party. From the music alone and its implications, this was strictly for adults.

You removed your blindfold (that was okay now, right?) as the guests whistled playfully. You peeked one eye open reluctantly, then inwardly groaned. Oh, no. You should've expected it to be him of all people from how loud the reactions were. And all those yells from the crowd were from his family.

Son of a—

"Well, this has proven to be a very interesting arrangement!" the host proclaimed. "Our lucky man for tonight is none other than our great clan leader's heir, Maliksi Armanaz! Congratulations, sir! You get to slip the lacey little garter on Miss Y/N!"

The said very smug tikbalang stood a few feet away from the chair you were sitting on, smirking at you. His hair was no longer in that mesmerizing ponytail—instead, he'd tied it into a more sinfully attractive man-bun, loose strands framing his face and accentuating that sharp, angled jaw of his (say yes and thank you to Manny Jacinto's jawline, besties).

"Let's cheer him on in his new mission, everybody!" the host pushed. Was this that glint in his eye earlier? And was that a one thousand peso bill sticking out of his pocket?

The groomsmen, Mal's cousins and uncles whom you've met before, hollered words of encouragement to the tall man (who was, oddly enough, not one bit fazed). In fact, Maliksi seemed like he was famished as he stared you down.

You swallowed, feeling like you were going to get eaten (heh, say that again). Maliksi had shrugged off his dark suit blazer to the beat of the song (holy fuck, he also unclasped the suspenders attached to his pants right before your eyes—asdfghjkl). Were you prepared for this? No. Will you ever be prepared? No!

"Mr. Armanaz, before you begin," the host interrupted. "We have an additional challenge for you in this mission. Kaya mo ba? It was a request of the newlywed couple."

"What is it?"

"Use your teeth!" the bride and the groom cheerfully shouted, clapping with the other guests. Whatdidtheysaaaaay???

The cocky bastard didn't even hesitate, his smirk at you growing wider; those pearly whites of his on full display. Was it just you or were his canines a little sharper than usual?

"Anything for the newlyweds. Challenge accepted," he dashingly replied, winking at you. You sputtered indignantly. Pisteng yawa. Putangina. Putek. Pakshet. You swore you thought of every swear word in the book at that moment. What did that YouTube parody song about Filipino mythological creatures say again? About the tikbalang? Ah, yes. Half-macho dancer and half-stallion. Maybe the joke was true, especially when you saw what Maliksi did next.

He bit the shred of lace, loosening his necktie (bestie, you good there?), unbuttoning some top buttons, and rolling up the sleeves of his collared white undershirt up to his elbows (consequently showing off his toned, veiny forearms—those lucky bridesmaids behind him nearly fainted). Honestly, you felt like you were about to lose your mind from embarrassment. With how tantalizing your guy best friend was being? Let our response be: San Pedro, kunin mo na ako. Was he doing all this to tease you? To rile you up?

Because damn it all, it was working. In your ten years of knowing Maliksi Armanaz, withstanding all his daily dirty jokes and flirtatious attempts, never had you seen him like this. So... wolfish. Ravenous. Like he was a man that hadn't been fed in years.

He stalked closer towards you, falling to his knees in front of your legs. Your gown had a long slit that extended up to an inch or two below where your left leg began—your best friend was eyeing his target already, knowing where to place the garter. Normally, you would never even wear something as revealing as this gown. It just wasn't your type, but Maliksi was the one who bought this for you for this specific occasion, so you had no choice. It was this or your pantulog he stole you in just hours ago. At first, you were confident in the gown. Now? You felt too... naked.

Somehow, in the heat of it all, you'd muted out the noise of the venue. Maliksi teasingly lifted your foot up, fingertips slyly grazing the thin shoe straps around your left foot—his calculated touch leaving fire in its trail. Once the garter had been successfuly inserted past your high-heeled stilettos, the man kneeling in front of you kept his hands to himself. Despite the fact that now there was absolutely zero skin-to-skin contact between you and this man, your body felt hotter than it ever was before as he expertly slid the lacy bit of cloth up your ankle at an agonizingly slow pace.

Maliksi's warm eyes had turned dark, his pupils blown, a tinge of red in them—of his true beast—while he maintained striking eye contact with you, pulling the garter up your calf with his teeth. Smoothly tugging... tugging... tugging. Tangina, it was like he was undressing you with his eyes alone; like he was telepathically telling you to keep your eyes open.

To keep your eyes on him, where he was knelt inbetween your legs, his hands intentionally locked on his back. Did you ever imagine this? Him between your legs? Maybe. Once or twice. But you never thought about it seriously; Maliksi dated girls left and right in the past.

His lips... his lips were so close... so close to your leg that you could feel the heat of his breath along with the lace. Were you about to die? Perhaps you already did. Maybe you were in heaven. Up... up... up... snap!

Suddenly, he stopped, grinning up at you mischievously and letting the elastic bounce back to the skin of your left knee.

"I'm not going any further, don't worry, babe," he whispered, noting that your eyes had become misty and glazed over. Internally, he grew worried. "That's enough." Did he think it was from discomfort? From you being uncomfortable? Bitch, no. It was the exact opposite. You had never been this turned on in your entire life.

You felt like your soul had left your body at that moment. Did you just have a heart attack? Was your blood pressure okay? Before you or Maliksi could stand, however, someone bellowed from the wedding sponsor tables.

"Higher! That's an order!"

Fucking hell, it was Maliksi's father who shouted. He wasn't in the huge tikbalang form you'd normally meet him in, but he was still very intimidating in his humanoid form, commanding attention and subservience wherever he went. You could tell where Maliksi got it from.

Instantly, the other guests—already half-drunk and wanting the spirit of partying to continue on—joined in.

"Higher! Higher!"

The host cheered, "You heard Señor Armanaz! Higher!"

Maliksi gave you a questioning look. Even if it was his father who spoke up, he still wouldn't do anything you didn't want. Well, you two made it this far; there was no point in getting embarrassed now. You bit the inside of your cheek, nodding. You probably couldn't erase the redness on your skin with how much you'd blushed from this night. It was as if the heat was tattooed onto your skin.

"Go on, Mal," you whispered to him, bending your torso down closer to his face, eyes half-lidded from want. "Finish what you started, babe."

With those sultry bedroom eyes he'd never once seen you show him before—plus you turning the tables with that familiar term of endearment, how could he refuse? Like a switch had been flipped inside him, he immediately complied, taking the frilly scrap of stretchy lace between his teeth once more, moving it further up to your thighs until where your high slit ended—centimeters below the warming juncture between your legs.

Your legs felt wobbly... boneless, as you stood up from the chair, the fabric of your gown cascading over where the lace sat securely on your upper left thigh. The party was still going strong even after you two finished the garter wearing tradition.

"'Atta boy! That's my son!" Señor Armanaz blazoned, standing up and raising his glass for a toast. "Cheers to the newlywed couple! May they last forever!"

You guys weren't the newlyweds, but it did sure feel like it. If the clan leader was hyped up, everyone was hyped up. Heck, the groom and the bride didn't mind one bit what had just transpired on their dance floor. In all the chaos, Maliksi took you out of the reception area and somewhere quieter. More private.

You would need to have a serious, urgent talk with your boy best friend.

》》》

You two silently sat on a stone bench in a gazebo somewhere in the reserved venue for the wedding, trying to cool down and get yourselves back together (at this point, you needed ice from that steamy, half-scandalous event you just went through). Here, there was no one else except for the chirping of crickets, the lush trees surrounding the area, and the golden fairy lights strewn all over the roof. Awkwardness was something you'd expected after what just happened, but somehow, you still felt comfort in this man's presence. For the past thirty minutes, both of you just stayed still, lost in your thoughts and reflecting.

"Mal?" you finally spoke up.

"... Hmm?"

"Ano tayo?"

"Whatever you want us to be."

Your fingers instinctively reached out for his, just like they always did when you were anxious. Sensing this, he grasped your hand and squeezed it reassuringly. Soothingly. He massaged the skin of your fingers, distracting you from your nervousness. It seemed like both nothing and everything changed between both of you. The gesture was the same, but so different at the same time.

"Mahal mo ako." It was not a question. It was a statement. A truth—one that you'd been too blind to see before. One that you only discovered while you stared into each other's eyes in that party not as best friends. You realized with a jolt in your heart what he really felt for you, and now, what you really felt for him. In those thirty minutes of silence, you knew. You just knew.

"Yes. I do."

"... Just as a best friend?" you probed.

"..."

Finally, you gazed into his eyes, previously so dark and full of hunger. Now? Just reluctant. Vulnerable. Open. Unsure of what to do next.

Seems like you had to be the one to take initiative tonight. Taking out your phone, you opened your music app and pressed play on a certain song. Ikaw at Ako by Johnoy Danao. You removed your heels (which were starting to blister your ankles and toes), then pulled him up to stand.

"Dance with me," you murmured, grabbing his arms to wrap them around your waist. He was stiff. Tense. What was he to do when the woman he's been pining after for so long let him hold her? All his gallantry and ability to romance disappeared out the window the moment you let him touch you so intimately.

You two weren't even waltzing. Just swaying. Slowly, you leaned your head on his broad chest, listening to the steady thump of his heart.

"... I love you," Maliksi admitted in the middle of it all, feeling like he was dreaming. Your head on his chest kept him grounded to reality, however. "More than anything in the universe. I fell for you ever since you patched me up when you were nineteen and I was a reckless drag racer who didn't have a purpose in life. 'Nung dinala mo ako pabalik sa Armanaz Tower on the verge of death. Simula noon, ikaw lang."

"I realized that," you smiled, reminiscing the old memory. You were just a broke college student that time, coming back to your dorm from making your group thesis at a classmate's house. Imagine your panic when you found a half-man, half-horse bleeding out by some bushes on the way home at night. Despite your fear and your little money (only enough to feed you for the week), you went out of your way to buy a first-aid kit at the nearest 7/11. It was scary, but you managed to mend the creature's wounds by the side of the road. When he was finally able to speak, turning fully human (which you admit, freaked you out initially), you arduously carried him back to his address—to his father and his clan, even if you had classes the very next morning. Because of your heroic deed of saving their precious heir, the tikbalang clan had become indebted to you: a teenage girl on the verge of a mental academic breakdown, just making her way through the cruel adult world. How old of a memory that was, you thought, yet you still recalled it in perfect detail. "Just a while ago."

"Ah." He swayed you gently.

"Lahat ng ito, plano mo?"

"... Yes," Maliksi fessed up. "Except for this part where we're here dancing in this belvedere. Wala sa plano ko. Gusto ko sanang magconfess doon sa may fountain para sweet, pero..."

You lifted your head off his chest, smiling at him with one brow raised, "You know, between both of us, you're supposed to be the spontaneous one. Planning isn't usually your thing."

"I know. It's a failure, huh?" Maliksi sighed.

"Nah." You shook your head, then suddenly locked lips with him. It was so fast and surprising he didn't even get the chance to return your first kiss. For once, you caught him off guard. You pecked him on the lips again. "It's not a failure."

"Wha—"

"I'm sorry for making you wait, Maliksi. Ten years. We're twenty-nine now, and only tonight do I realize how blind I've been. We've been going around in circles, wasting so much time. Ayoko nang mag-aksaya ng oras," you whispered guiltily against his lips. How could you have been so blind? Andaming nasayang na taon. Making up your mind, you told him, "Yes. Sige, I accept. I'll be your plus one."

The tikbalang was flustered and baffled from the kiss, as well as your revelation, "... But, you already are?"

"No, silly. I meant that I'll be your plus one for life. For as long as you'll have me," you laughed, now processing that you were currently dancing barefoot with your boy best friend and had just kissed him in a wedding you didn't even plan on going to. The universe had a mysterious way of doing things. "Guess I'm the spontaneous one now, huh?"

Maliksi was tongue-tied. "Seryoso ka ba? Is... Is this a marriage proposal?"

"Whatever you want it to be," you echoed his words back to him. "Best friend, plus one, girlfriend, wife—mmpf!"

He kissed you so hard your lips bruised. After an impromptu makeout session which was definitely more in character for Maliksi, you both pulled away, panting heavily in search for air, still desperate for passion. He cupped your cheeks, giving you a sweet, featherlight Eskimo kiss.

"You're missing one more title."

"Hm? What do you mean, Mal?"

"Love of my life." He kissed you again, this time lifting you off your feet and spinning you around (his sneaky right hand was resting on your bum, too, giving it a tight squeeze). You know in the Princess Diaries where the main character's foot just... pops whenever the prince charming kissed her? Yeah, that happened to you on that humid summer night. This was right. You two were meant to be together. Everything was falling into place.

The bungalow you reserved for your Batangas vacation leave ended up being the site of your very eventful honeymoon with the Prince of the Tikbalang (with his libido, it wasn't that difficult to continue where you'd left off in the garter toss; that scrap of lace came off your leg the same way it went on). Actually, nauna pa ang honeymoon sa actual wedding (it was definitely spontaneous). Right after your confession in that alcove, you two went to Maliksi's father to ask for his blessing (which he gladly gave, cackling and saying that it took you long enough) before you guys went driving off to Batangas that night. You and Mal indeed had lots and lots of fun in that resort (I'll let you imagine the rest). More beautiful memories were made from that point on—this time, not just as best friends.

All that and your small, intimate wedding occurred in early April. Just when you thought that it'd be impossible to fulfill Maliksi's life goal of having a baby within the year (nine months of pregnancy meant that the earliest you'd give birth would be January next year), the impossible happened.

Exactly thirty-two weeks later, on New Year's Eve, the Armanaz herd welcomed one prince and two new princesses into the world. Triplets who were instantly adored by everyone in the clan.

Señor Armanaz had never been happier, and so were you and your husband. Your best friend. The love of your life. Your forever plus one.

Maybe being spontaneous wasn't so bad after all.

Taglist: @belladaises @binibiningbabaylan @4kodzuk3n @sparklingmallow @severuslovebot @holyshxtangel @marinac15 @space-flamingo @pippethealien @kashasenpai @disappointmentpastry @hornehlittleweeblet2 @seijohoe @monimiin @ibelievein2dmensupremacy @tinybonksharkcop @methehipster @banisuoh @genshin-idiot @lemonnie-kimmie

[miraculous-trinity-leo]

Whacky Gotham, Goofy New York, and Chaotic Paris.

(Part 1) (Part 2) (Part 3) (Part 4) (Part 5) (Part 6) (Part 7) (Part 8)

Chapter 6: Evade The Bats, and Beat The Crows

•—–—–·†·–—–—•

The girls are in the old living room setting up clues (that are absolutely... useless) around Gotham. One being a picture Harley and Multimouse took earlier that day.

"They might think to look here after they realize the clues are fake." - Steph

"Then where else would they not think to look?" - Maria

"W.E, I can get you and Harley in without them knowing easily." - Barbara said with a confident smile.

"But they'll have to go incognito... especially you Harley, no offense, but your outfit stands out just a tad." - Steph

"Ehhh, none taken, I'm sure I can tink of somthin' else tuh wear." - Harley

"I can help with that, but I'll need some clothes and some sewing supplies." - Maria said already thinking of what she could make.

Cass gave a nod and headed out of the room, after a few minutes she came back with t-shirts, jackets, sweaters, shorts, jeans, etc. and droped the pile of clothes infront of the group. She then handed Maria a sewing set she got from Alfred.

"Thanks Cass. I'll get to work on making our costumes." - Maria

"Let me help yuh wit' dat hun." - Harley said as she picked up most of the clothes for Maria

"Thanks." Maria

•—–·Let's see the Chaos shall we·–—•

"You never told us she could use magic!" - Red Hood looking under the table

"I wonder if she can infuse magic with coffee..." - Red Robin said looking in the cabinets for the third time.

"Stop looking for coffee!" - Red Hood

"She could've hidden in here." - Red Robin said while crabbing a mug

"I haven't had enough sleep to deal with this." - Selina then walked over and flopped herself on the couch and proceeded to fall asleep on impact.

"Maria get your tiny self back here right now or else!" - Tony

"Or else what? She Knows MAGIC! What else does she know that you haven't told us?!" - Red Hood

"... I never told you becuase it's meant to be a secret!" - Tony

"Oh, so now you agree with keeping things a secret?" - Red Robin grabbing the coffee

"What else can she do Tony." - Batman

"Well... she's great with tech, can kick butt in a LOT of different ways, has magic, and if she wants to, she can find and know where everyone or anyone is, but I think she gets massive headaches from a wide search like that." - Tony

"Anything else?" - Batman

(Tony thinkng of all the tiny gods she has in jewelery, and that she keeps Paris/friends and family safe on a daily basis, and that she is the well known designer MDC...)"No..." - Tony

As ivy was listening to them talk, she continued to search her garden, until one of her plants had a message fo her.

"Hello Ms. Ivy, please don't help Batman and Iron Man find us, we promise we'll be careful." - Maria

"Where are you?" - Ivy asked whispering into the plant.

After a few minutes Ivy got a detailed plan that Maria, Harley and the girls came up with to evade The IronBat group (Maria thought that would be better than ManMan group 'But it's Bat MAN and Iron MAN, so it has tuh be The ManMan group.' was Harleys defence, but Maria won that one.) and Ivy agreed to help as best she could.

•—–· Over to the Miraculous gang ·–—•

Plagg is cackling like there's no tomorrow.

"Guys something must be wrong, Plagg won't stop cackling, he won't even touch the cheese I gave him!!!" - Adrien

"There's no time for that, we need to find out where the hell Maria is!!" - Chloé

"Hahahaha, Ti- heheh Tikk- pffhaaaaaaahaha!!!" - Plagg

"He's trying to form words!" Adrien cradling Plagg in his hands "What is it my friend? Don't do this, you're to young...*sniff * you're to beautiful!"

"Hehehehe Shhhh- hahaha, she- she- haha...heheh- I'm so p-hehe-Proud wahahaha " - Plagg

"Proud?! She?! Where?! Who, is it Maria?!" - Chloé

"Hhhhhhhhahhaaaaaaaaaa" - Plagg

"Oh God he's wheezing!" - Adrien

"Hey guys, Peter and I got the snacks, found out where Maria might- oh kwami." - Alix walking into the room to a zombie looking Chloé, a panicked Adrien and the Kwami of death/bad luck/chaos laughing himself to death.

"Has he finally lost it?" - Peter

"She has become a true cat! hahahahahaaaaa heheheheeeeeee." - Plagg

Everyone in the room but Plagg "Oh fu-"

•—–· Over to the Batfam ·–—•

So everyone is panicking because for the past hour none of them could find Multimouse. Robin is sitting on the couch next to a now fully awake Selina, Red Hood and Nightwing are once again feeding each other the worst possible situation she could be in, Tony may or may not be hyperventilating, Red Robin is drinking coffee, and Batman is as stoic as ever... well on the outside anyway, on the inside, it's a warzone. Ivy is drinking her tea, slightly worried, but also hiding a small smile.

"What if we ask Oracle to try and help us find her?" - Red Robin

"... Right... Yes, ok let's do that... Bats you do it, I need to sit down." - Tony

•—–· Back to the girls ·–—•

The girls moved everything to the Bat-cave so they could set the route they would take, then the Bat-Computer started ringing.

"Hide!" - Steph

"Where, dere's nuttin' tuh hide behind!" - Harley

"Quick under the Bat-Computer." - Barbara

As soon as Harley and Maria hid under the Bat-Computer, Batman and the rest of the Batfam was on video call.

"Hey guys, what do you need?" - Barbara acting like nothing happened

"We need you to search for Maria, she's in a dark gray suit with pink accents, and she's with Harley." - Batman

"Ok, no prob, I'll contact you when I've found something." - and with that Barbara exited the call.

"Should we start heading out?" - Maria

"Yup, and here are your ID badges, don't lose them. I'll give our Batfam fake sightings, and lead them far away, then once you reach W.E I'll slowly start leading them closer to you." - Barbara

"Thanks, keep in touch if they decide to split up." - Maria

"Roger that." - Steph said giving a solute

•—–·–—•

Soon Multimouse and Harley are running over roof tops again, doing tricks, and stopping petty crimes, Barbara is leading the Batfam all over Gotham, and then they got to W.E, after Maria transformed back, they entered the building. Thanks to Babs, they entered without any problems and had free roam for the entire building, with some exceptions like new weapons designs, or the roof. They were hiding in the building for about an hour on the 7th floor when Barbara called in.

"Hey girls, you might want to be careful, I spotted some of Scarecrows goons a few blocks away, they seem to be heading in your direction, I'd say about 6mins tops until they reach W.E. Best to find a good room to stay in, or get out of there." - Barbara

"Thanks fawh de heads up Babs." - Harley

"Ok, we'll try to get out, let us know if we should turn back or not." - Maria

"Got it, and be careful." - Barbara

Maria and Harley then made their way back down, they were taking the stairs, because they figured it would be quicker, once they were on the second floor, they started to calmly make their way through the doors of the stairwell. That's when Scarecrows goons busted in, shouting for everyone to get down, Harley made sure to stay as close to Maria as possible as the goons gathered everyone to a wall. They were told to not move, talk, or do anything to anger them, once everyone was up against the wall, that's when Scarecrow came in. As he entered the room some of the employees started to look very scared, when Maria looked over to Harley, she saw her mouth 'it's ok', afterwards the goons had them all tied up and on the floor sitting down. Scarecrow scanned them before speaking.

"One of you will be testing my newest and most potent fear toxin as of yet. We can do this one out of two ways." He said lifting up two of his needle syringed fingers. "1. You can be a hero, and let yourself be my newest test subject, aka the boring way or 2. I pick whoever I want, aka the slightly less boring way. Now, who wants to go first?"

•—–· Over to Batman ·–—•

The Batfam was running around the other side of Gotham, now without Tony, because someone ( ehem Thor, ehem) was making a giant mess at Avengers Tower, and was fighting Loki... again. It was when they decided to call Oracle that things took another turn.

"Oracle have you foun- " - Batman

"They're at W.E. and Scarecrows there, I can't get in contact with them, and I can't get into the cameras at the moment, I need you to get your butts over there now!" - Oracle

"Wait you were in contact with them?!" - Red Hood

"Not the time! Just get over there before someone gets hurt!" - Oracle

"We're on our way." - Batman

They all then kicked it into high gear and were running to W.E, and out of everyone, Damian seemed to be the most visibly panicked, if him running twice as fast as everyone was any indication. At the speed they were going, they would be there in 20mins or less... hopefully.

•—–· Back to Maria and Harley ·–—•

So while Scarecrow was giving his little speech, Maria whispered into a plant to let Ivy know their situation, she wasn't able to get an answer before she and Harley were pulled away from the crowd.

"And what do we have here? Harley Quinn and a child. How interesting, well then, which one of you would like to test my new fear toxin?" - Scarecrow

"Eh, do me, I bet I got a lot o' trauma and fears from my time wit' Mistuh J. dat yuh would just love tuh see." - Harley

"... As tempting as that sounds I think I'll test it on your little friend here, after all, I know better than to mess with one of the Sirens." - As Scarecrow said that, one of the goons dragged Maria over to him. She didn't panic, she was actually really calm, which worried Harley even more because, remember all that emotional trauma she saw Maria had? Yeah, not the best match for the fear toxin.

As Scarecrow grabbed Maria, she locked eyes with Harley, and gave a brief smile before she felt a sharp jabbing pain in the side of her neck. Her vision went hazy, and from Harleys' point of view, she went a little limp from it.

As Maria started to see again she could hear screams, car alarms going off, and explosion in the distance, when she looked up, she saw them, her friends, her team... her family, they were all there lying infront of her... none of them moving, all of them were lifeless, looking as though turned into a gray husk of what they once were, and beside them were all the Kwamis, and their respective Jewelery, broken and shattered. She felt the tears fall as she looked around. Paris, the once beautiful city of lights, was now a wasteland, everything had a gray tone to it, people, animals, everything that had life... was dead.

And then she heard laughing, a sick disturbing laugh that was all to familiar... Lila. When she turned and saw Vulpina, she felt sick just looking at her.

"You have failed Maria, everyone you knew and loved is gone, all because you weren't here." - Lila

All she felt in that moment... was pure anger, she began to struggle, but somthing was holding her. She kept hearing that stupid laugh, and kept struggling harder and harder.

"You were never good enough, you were meant to always be our everyday Ladybug, but you never were, you never cared for us, and that's why, they're all gone, because you weren't good enough." - Lila

The last four words kept playing over and over in her head, until something clicked, she wasn't in Paris, so how did she get there? The last place she was at... was with Harley, she was in the W.E. building, and had fear toxin injected into her. As she came to that realization, she could hear the laughing fade just a bit, she closed her eyes and focused on finding everyone's souls, when she did, she saw that Scarecrow was right infront of her, a goon next to Harley, and a goon behind her, the other goons had left and were on the first floor. She snapped back when she heard Lilas' voice again.

"You always were stubborn and never accepted the real truth, as class president aren't you supposed to just roll over and do as you're told." - Lila

Maria was done listening to her, and decided to kick Lila in the face (since someone didn't think to tie up her ankles.)

"Just go rott in hell already you lieing fox!" - Maria

Maria didn't get any answer, all she knew was that she hit whatever was really infront of her hard. Maria then heard Lilas' voice morph into a heavier, more distorted voice.

"That's a first, guess I'll have to increase the dosage." - Scarecrow

She then felt another jabbing pain in her neck, all she could do was scream from the pain, her head was spinning, and all she could hear was laughing, sickening laughter that came from both Lila, and now Hawkmoth. One thing Scarecrow didn't account for, was the deep hatred Maria held for both individuals he made her see. Because soon after he gave her more fear toxin she got her footing, pushing back into the goon behind her before using the goons' grib on her to do a half backflip into kicking the guys face in, quickly knocking the goon out, when she stood back up she only saw Hawkmoth, surrounded by her lifeless team and family, she only saw red, and charge right at him. She kept punching and roundhouse kicking him, giving one final charge, ramming into Hawkmoth before she felt weightless. She never heard the panicked scream Harley let out, she never heard the shouts that came from the Batfam just reaching the second floor, before she hit something... something rapped around her holding her from falling any further, causing her to start thrashing around thinking it was Hawkmoth, before seeing he was also grabbed by something. She struggled ignoring the slight pain that went through her harms and legs. She slowly calmed down as she felt her feet touch the ground again, she then saw another Hawkmoth that was now mixed with Lila hug her, she tried to break free, but realized that it wasn't Lila or Hawkmoth... It was calming, and her voice was gentle, it was Ivy. She only heard a few words, that's when she felt something blow on her face, and after a few seconds, she lost conscientiousness.

Harley came sprinting down and was by Ivys' side in less than a minute. Ivy could tell Harley was worried and joined her in hugging a now sleeping Maria.

"I'm sawhry Ives, It all just happened so fast, and she was so awesome at kickin' Cranes @ss, I din't get her out of dere quick enough." - Harley said as she looked Ivy in the eyes, with tears threatening to escape.

"It's alright Harley, none of this is your fault." - Ivy replied comfortingly to Harley

As the two hugged Maria Batman came over.

"We'll take it from here." - Batman

"Hell no. We ain't leavin' her side." - Harley

Batman just let out a sigh, after he dealt with Scarecrow and his goons, Batman, along with his sons, Ivy and Harley, all headed back to the Bat-cave where the other girls and Alfred were waiting.

If anyone noticed Robin looking over to Maria with a concerned look, they just ignored it, and continued their way back home.

•—–·†·–—•

Chapter 6 complete! Hope you'll liked it, and are havin' a fantabulous day, stay safe and rock all those positive vibes. !BUG-OUT! 🐞💮🐞

〜(꒪꒳꒪)〜 Tag List 〜(꒪꒳꒪)〜

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[one-boring-person]

Requested by: @phantomshadow13

Someplace.

John Rambo (First Blood) x reader

Warnings: anxiety, mention of death

Masterlist

My leg jitters slightly as I watch John interact with the woman at the washing line, my lip between my teeth again as I bite more and more marks into the chapped skin. A dull ache has spread through my body from the long walk, but I've managed to keep it at bay and ignore it, having gotten used to doing this years ago, when it was more than necessary to do so. Despite this, I find myself hoping that our journey is finally at an end, and that we'll have found John's old comrade here, and that he'll let us stay with him, until we figure something better out. Looking at the way the conversation is going, however, I'm not too confident in this.

Quietly, I follow the discourse with my eyes, glancing around every now and then, distrusting of my surroundings, even though I have no reason to be, trying to ignore the gentle tremor that's started to set into my hands. A metallic taste lingers on my tongue from my near-constant lip chewing, a little dried blood encrusting some of the worst areas, but it's not noticeable, at least not to a stranger. John, of course, has noticed, and asked about it, too. I'd made up some excuse, but I know he sees right through it, like he does with all falsities. 

Across from me, I catch sight of John's shoulders slumping, his lean form losing some of the energy he had before we got to the tiny village. Swallowing, I know instinctively that something is wrong, my leg jittering  much more noticeably as I shift where I stand, watching as he comes over. The dark-haired man briefly makes eye contact with me, before he jerks his head, gesturing for me to follow, leading me away from the settlement. His expression is solemn, lidded eyes bright with a new sadness that wasn't there before. 

Worried, I follow after him, staying silent as I hurry to keep up with his faster stride until we've reached the road again, leaving the picturesque village behind. Immediately, John starts off in the direction we were previously going, feet dragging a little as he goes, hands shoved in his pockets again.

"John?" I call out to him, my voice shaky, "John? What happened? Where's Delmar?"

John glances at me, noticing my uneasy state as he always does, his eyes softening a little at this.

"Delmar's gone." Is all he says, waiting for me to fall into step beside him.

I frown a little, tilting my head as I try to ignore the small jump in my pulse.

"Gone? Gone where? When will he be back?" I query, pushing my own hands into my pockets to conceal the tremor from my observant companion.

A flash of a wry smile goes across his face, some unknown thing briefly amusing him before he replies.

"He ain't coming back. He's dead." The veteran murmurs to me, knowing I'll hear his slightly slurred speech and be able to understand him perfectly.

I'm left speechless, my head struggling to grasp at something to say, unable to understand. 

"D-dead? How?" I can't help the stammer in my voice, very much aware of the tension flooding my body, further accentuating the tremor in both my leg and hands.

"Cancer, apparently." John informs me, looking down at his boots as he continues on along the path.

"Cancer…" I mumble to myself, stopping momentarily as I feel a cold sweat break out across my forehead, a sense of hopelessness flooding me now. What are we supposed to do? There's nowhere we can go, nowhere we can stay. Neither of us have that much money, and we have barely any food on our person at this moment.

Already, I can feel my breathing picking up, the air coming out in short, sharp bursts, my pulse thumping heavily now as I try to keep it all at bay, failing in this as I feel the tremor get worse. Unable to focus, I don't quite hear John calling out to me, my eyes fixed on the road ahead, unseeing as I stand there, shaking like a leaf in the wind. Vaguely, I notice him come over to me, the lean man carrying an expression of worry and concern, his head tilted to get a proper look at me.

"(Y/n)?" His voice breaks through the haze in my head, somewhat pulling me out of the state of panic I'm in, jerking me from the fog in my head.

I don't respond, my muscles continuing to tremble as I fight to control myself, each breath harsh and nearly painful as it rushes into my lungs, the sweat now coating the back of my neck. Tense, I stand, almost rigid apart from the shaking, where I am, staring blindly at a point on the horizon.

"(Y/n), look at me." John tries again, dropping his stuff as he reaches out to me, not quite touching, his dark eyes fixed on me.

Somehow, his rough voice manages to somewhat snap me out of my trance, my eyes flicking up to meet his, swiftly dropping to the floor again. Seeing this, John places his hand on my arm, glad to see I don't flinch away from him anymore, like I had the first time this happened, the muscular man dipping his head down a little to reach my level. Unable to avoid him, I make eye contact again, easily losing myself in those near-black depths, finding safety there.

"Look, (Y/n), I'm here. You're ok, we're gonna be ok. Nothing bad is gonna happen to you, or us. We'll be totally fine." He murmurs to me, his tone soft as he gently pulls me to the side of the road, his other hand coming up to rest on my other arm, his thumbs rubbing gentle circles into my tense muscles.

I don't say anything, my breathing still ragged as I stare at him, reassurance from his touch seeping into me.

"Come on, (Y/n), breathe for me." John softly orders me, "In and out, nice and slow. Take your time, stay focused on my voice. In...and out. Good."

Breathing in time with his words, I start to regulate my exhalations better, tension starting to lessen slightly, the tremor sulking a little as I feel myself fall into a better pattern.

"There, you're doing great. Keep going, in and out…" He keeps this up, encouraging me until my breathing is back to normal, meaning I'm able to speak.

"Th-thanks." I stutter, embarrassed at myself, still trying to calm my racing mind, pushing back the plaguing thoughts from before.

"Anytime." He gives me one of his rarer, gentle smiles, the crooked expression sending butterflies through me, as it always has.

"I- I'm sorry, I shouldn't...that was stupid…" I try to apologise, groping for words again, only for him to cut me off.

"Don't apologise, (Y/n). It isn't your fault." He assures me, tilting his head momentarily, noting the tension still lingering in my body, "C'mere."

My eyes widen as he pulls me into him, wrapping his arms around me to crush me into his chest, his hands splayed on my body. Instinctively, I reciprocate it, a feeling of warmth flowing through me as he rubs my back, his face burying into my hair as he tightens his grip, trying to get me to relax into him. Knowing this is rare, I allow myself to melt into his embrace, relishing in the comforting scent that surrounds me: sweat, fresh air and crushed evergreen needles from the trees we passed a couple of hours ago. Pressing my face into his chest, I sigh, the last of the tension dissipating along with the tremor, his soothing movements drawing out any painful knots. His dark hair brushes against my face as he holds me closer, making sure I'm totally relaxed before he pulls back a little, keeping one arm around my waist as he lifts one to my face.

With a slight frown, John lightly draws his thumb across my lip, pulling it away to inspect. A thin layer of blood coats the pad of the sight, my lip stinging now to let me know I bit it much harder than I thought I had. He doesn't say anything, only making eye contact with me again as he leans in, pressing a gentle kiss to my forehead. Heat rises along my skin where his lips touch me, my eyes briefly closing as he lingers there, clearly as unwilling to let go as I am.

The sound of a honking truck snaps us apart, the taller man pushing me behind him out of instinct, ready for action. He soon relaxes as he remembers there is no danger letting go of me as we watch the large vehicle roar past, the driver shouting something at us as he goes. Frowning, I swallow and glance back at John, wishing we hadn't been interrupted.

"Where do we go now?" I ask quietly, stepping up beside him as he picks up his stuff again.

John looks back at me, starting to walk off in the right direction with me following on.

"Someplace." He replies, smiling at me again as I fall into step beside him.

After a moment, his hand slips into mine and his fingers loop through mine, squeezing me gently as we walk. Reassured by his touch, I manage to keep my slight anxiety at bay, knowing we'll be fine as long as we're together.

[starlightxsvt]

Sweeter Than Sweets

Pairing ➳ CEO!seungcheol x baker female!reader

Genre ➳ kinda enemies to lovers, arranged marriage au, romance, angst?? clicheeee :)

Warnings ➳ hella cursing, reader's going through a lot lol

Word count ➳ 2.5k

part 1 l part 2

Part 1: THE BEGINNING

The plot owner is going to visit you today. I'm sincerely sorry for my mistake, I misunderstood. Please resolve the issue with him gently.

You scoff at the message. What the actual fuck? Fury floods through your blood and you clench your fists.

This cannot be happening.

After such a long time you had finally scraped enough money to lease a place for your bakery shop. It's been your dream since so long and after years of hard work it was finally coming true- until today. Apparently the real estate agent is nothing but a fathead and for whatever goddamn reason, she leased you the place when it was clearly not up to be leased. The building owner is on his way now- to possibly kick you out.

No, you cannot let that happen. It is their fault and because of their miscommunication or whatever you are not going to give this place up which you worked so hard for.

If he thinks you'll give in so easily, he has another thing coming.

A Mercedes Benz pulls up in front of your shop just as you finish screwing one of the decoration lights.

He's here.

You take in a deep breath and march out of the shop as a tall male comes of the car. You almost stop in your tracks to gape at him- broad shoulders, gorgeous rich black hair that matches a sculptured face- he's simply breathtaking. No one should be that gorgeous. And he's young- why the fuck is he so young? Does he seriously own this building?

No no no. Stay focused.

He takes long steps towards you and even before he can reach you, you snap, "I'm not giving up this place so don't waste your time."

He stops right in front of you, his hands in his pockets and raises a brow at you. He chuckles- how dare he, before saying, "You do know that this is my building, right?"

"So?"

"So, it means I can kick out a nuisance like you anytime I want." His eyes go dark as he stares you down.

Nuisance? What the fuck? You take in a deep breath, trying to stop yourself from reaching out and choking him. He's so fucking gorgeous and infuriating, damn it.

"Mr. Choi, I've leased this place for two years and if you want it so much, come back two years later and we can talk about it."

"Leave while I'm being polite," his tone is gravelly and his eyes bore into yours. You shiver slightly.

"But I paid for this place! This is mine now!" You yell, unable to hold yourself together. "If you were so concerned about your building then you should have been careful that your agent was leasing it!"

"I admit that it was her fault, a huge one at that matter but I need this building. I'll give you 3 days to take everything and leave. My workers will start their renovation work from next week." He says and turns around his heel, ready to head back.

"No! I will not be moving out! I've worked so hard to lease this place! I even brought all the furniture for my shop! You have no right to do this!" You shout at him. Fuck that son of a bitch.

He stares at you with a bored look, "You've 3 days."

"No!" You whine, stopping him in his tracks again. "If you really want this place then give me some more time. At least a few months."

He marches back to you, his jaw ticking, "Do you think I'm here to play games? You move out in 3 days or my men will drag you out from here." He warns, eyes glinting.

Motherf-

You can't hold in your temper. So you walk past him and towards his fancy car and draw a long nice scratch on the body using your screwdriver. After being satisfied with your handiwork, you turn back to him.

He stares at you, dumbfounded. His driver looks the same except he looks a bit scared. You smirk at Choi, crossing your arms.

He still looks surprised and he scoffs as if he can't believe what happened. He rakes a hand through his hair, his jaw clenched.

"Expect a call from my insurance company. You'll have to pay for what you just did." That's all he says before walking past you to car as his driver quickly fires on the engine.

You mutely watch him leave.

Fuck. Oh fuck.

What have you done?

-

You stare at Choi's personal number that you managed to get from the real estate agent. Shit. You've to call him. You've to apologize. You're in no condition to pay for his damn fancy car.

Shit. Shit. Why did you do that?

You bite your lip, staring at your phone screen, mustering up the courage to call him. You've to apologize and somehow get him to forgive you.

Oh heavens, here goes nothing.

With shaky hands you ring him up and hold your breath. After several rings he picks up, his voice gruff, "Choi here."

You clear your throat and inhale deeply, "Mr.Choi, it's me, ___. We...uhm, met earlier today." You try to stable your voice.

The line is silent for a moment and you're afraid he has hung up but he speaks, his voice laced with a chuckle, "Well, well, to what do I owe this pleasure?"

You swallow, "Mr.Choi I called you to um... apologize for what I did to your car. Please understand that I was really angry then and I sincerely apologize for what I did. I'm so sorry."

"Okay," is all he says. You ask nervously, "So, will be please be kind enough to cancel the charges against me?"

"Do you think that a sorry from you will repair my car?"

"I- please, sir, you've to understand that I'm in no condition to afford for the damages... I-I know I'm responsible but please understand-"

"You want to keep the place to yourself, you want me to drop the charges against you- what you think I am? Some sort of genie who'll grant all your wishes?"

"No- sir-"

"Besides you don't even sound so sorry," His voice sounds teasing and you exhale loudly.

This son of a-

"I don't have time for this bullshit so-"

"No sir please! I'll do anything, please cancel the charges. Then we can talk about your building, I'm sure we can come to a conclusion."

"Are you trying to make a deal with me?"

"Sir- I just-, please, please understand my situation," you almost beg.

The line is quiet for a long time and you're about to break into tears but then you hear his voice, "Fine, I'll text you a place. Meet me there at 8 tomorrow evening. Don't be late." Then the line is dead.

-

You're not dumb enough to go where a stranger tells you to go without telling anybody. So, on the morning of the appointment, you tell your friend the location of the restaurant and in case you were found with a slitted throat, at least the police will have a lead. After that you decide to google Choi, wanting to have a little bit more info on him. Sure enough, he's the son of a filthy rich businessman well known in the country and Choi, himself is the creator of two business companies.

Sure, it'd be nothing for him to dump your body in the water or poison your food.

-

Evening comes quicker than you expected and you rush to get ready. You pick a maroon knee length dress that is what you believe- hope- to be appropriate for the fancy restaurant. It's not like you have a lot of dresses to choose from. You take a cab and just as the clock hits five minutes past eight, you're rushing into the restaurant.

The receptionist asks you if have booked a seat to which you reply that you're here to meet Mr.Choi. Then you're led through a fancy lobby and into the private dining area, where the said male sits. He's dressed in a grey vest and a pressed linen white shirt underneath, with the sleeves rolled up, showing his muscular arms- damn.

His eyes meet yours and you feel an electricity jolt up your spine.

Lord please help me tonight.

"Good evening, Mr.Choi," you murmur, gently sitting down.

The bastard has the balls to smirk as he crosses his arms over his chest, "Good evening, Ms___. I was wondering if you bailed out on me."

You chuckle nervously, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear. He grins, motioning towards the menu in front of you,"Shall we order?"

Your eyes glide over the fancy food and the fancier prices. 85$ for a fucking piece of meat?

After chewing on your lip and thinking too much about what to order, you go with a plate of salad and pasta.

"Do you have any wine preferences?" He asks, eyeing the wine menu. Why's he acting so nice? What's his deal?

"Er...I'll let you choose," you say.

After ordering a fancy bottle of wine, Choi folds his hands over the table and looks at you, a small smile playing on his lips.

"So..shall we talk business now?" You offer, unsure.

He nods but stays quiet which you take as a sign to start first, "I only have two things to ask for. Please cancel the charges and please give me a little more time to look for a place. It's impossible to find another place in 3 days. I've paid for the lease here and I've also ordered the furniture. And then there is a monetary issue. Please understand my situation."

He pretends to think, pursuing his lips, "Hmm, I'm afraid that's too much you're asking from me."

"Mr. Choi, I'm sure a man like you can help me with that much." You try to butter his ego.

"Again, I'm afraid you don't know me. If you had any idea about a man like me, you wouldn't say that." His eyes darken.

Fuck. He won't bulge. Why is he so stubborn?

"Sir- please, I sincerely apologize for my actions yesterday, I wasn't in my right mind."

"If only sorry could cover it," he says, nonchalant, leaning back into his chair. He eyes you quietly, his eyes scanning you carefully as your palms grow sweaty.

You are interrupted as the waiter serves you your dinner and pours you the wine. As soon as he's gone, you gulp down the wine, trying to calm yourself.

Damn, it tastes nice.

Choi laughs at your actions before an evil smile crawls up his face. You swallow, meeting his gaze. What's he thinking?

"You see, nothing comes for free. I'll take off the charges against you and I'll give you time to look for another place- actually no, I'll pay for a nicer place for you to open your shop. But in return you've to give me something."

Fuck. You eye him warily.

"What?" You squeak.

"Marry me."

You choke on your food very unceremoniously followed by a lot of coughs. You sputter, trying to get yourself under control. Meanwhile he simply watches you, a playful smile on his lips.

When you can somewhat speak, you breath, "I...I think I misheard you."

"You didn't. I asked you to marry me."

You gape at him, utterly confused, almost certain this is a dream or nightmare. He simply offers you silence as you try to process what he said.

You're left even more confused.

What? Marry him? What the actual fuck?

"Would you please... enlighten me?" You murmur.

He grins, leaning over the table, "You're thinking too much. It'll be a pretend marriage. I need someone who'll pretend to be my wife for a year or so, so that my father hands over his company to me- which he won't unless I get married and settle. It's as simple as that."

Your mouth only grows wider. That's nowhere near simple.

After processing his words in your head for a long time you mumble, "So...you need me to be your pretend wife for like a year and in return you cancel the charges and give me more time to look for a place?"

"It's actually more than that sweetheart. I'll pay every penny for your shop. I'll make sure you have a successful business. Be my pretend wife and I'll give you the biggest and best bakery shop this country has ever seen."

You're dumbfounded and you can only squeak out, "Is this some sort of a hoax?"

He chuckles, "Say yes and I'll have a contract prepared with all our terms and conditions."

"I- I need to think about it," you rush out. Think? Damn it, were you seriously considering it?

Yes, yes you were.

This is a lifetime opportunity.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

Choi nods, "I'm sure you need to. But I expect an answer quickly. You've until tomorrow evening."

"H-huh?" You're lost.

He stands up putting on his jacket, "You've my number, call me when you make your decision." He gives you a look and just like that he's out of the room.

You're left with your half eaten plate of food.

-

"So you are telling me that a filthy rich, smoking hot motherfucker asked you to marry him?" Jane's voice echos through the phone.

You rub your temples, staring at your lap, "Yes."

"Bitch if you don't want to do this then give me his number. I'm more than willing to help him out."

"Jane, I'm serious."

"Me too, babe."

You groan, flopping into the bed. "Can you believe it? I still can't wrap my head around it." You whisper.

"You're thinking too much. It's not like you're going to be married to him forever."

"I know but still it's so scary...If I say yes I'll be living with a stranger for the next year."

"A sexy as sin stranger for that matter."

"Gosh- will you stop!"

"Okay okay," you hear her sigh. "Listen I know it's scary and all but this is a win win situation for you, think about it. You're going to be living as a millionaire's wife and when you're divorced you're gonna have your own shop. This is a lifetime opportunity, I mean how many of us gets this? This is like one of those romance movies where-"

"Okay I get it. Thank you for your precious help." You roll your eyes.

" You're welcome!" She laughs. "I'll be waiting for updates!"

"Piss off." You laugh, hanging up.

You stare at the ceiling, your mind numb. This is overwhelming- unreal. Why can't he just marry someone prettier, richer? He can have any woman he wants. Dozens of questions gather in your mind but despite the answers, you've made your decision.

You're going to get married.

A/N ➳ heyyy~ it's ya girl's birthday today lol! I've been wanting to write a fic like this for quite a while but yk, couldn't muster up the courage. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it! Please please leave your feedbacks, my ask box is always open- I'll really appreciate it! 💖

Masterlist

Tag list: @chimikima @all-i-needislovee @peekabooseoksoon @masterpiecejoonie @sorrywonwoo @sweetiescoops @diamondsvts @insidesvt @bononswife @ayla-hathway @kpopssuregi @justasoftstan @top-crop @wainrain

[imagines-by-a-typical-fangirl]

Unexpected Places (Pt. 02 of 11)

Pairing: Ivar the Boneless X Reader/Bjorn X Reader

Word count: 3 K

Summary: As a princess, you've lived in a golden cage all your life, always a piece on someone else's game. But everything changed when the Norsemen came crushing down on Wessex, like waves in a violent storm. Their king spared your life and decided to take you with him to his kingdom, in what felt more like a rescue than a kidnapping. There, you were not only confronted with a completely different culture and lifestyle, but also with two of his sons. The oldest one has his eyes set on you, but it's the youngest one, Ivar, who gets who claimed your attention since the first sight. And he seems to have an unnamed interest in you. Of course you hoped whatever that was would pass, but when unexpected feelings start to flow a different way, things begin to change.

<- Previous part 01

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{Vikings Masterlist}

×

A Christian Among Vikings

It takes two days to share your entire life with the Queen of Kattegat, but she did seem interested after you started. Mostly on the parts where you give voice to everything you couldn't stand. The lies and hypocrisy. That, Aslaug loves, and you have no trouble telling her that. It feels good to say all these things without the fear of being caught.

So, since today you'll finally go to the feast they're still having for the third night on a roll to celebrate this year's raid, you relax in the tub, the warm water slowly getting colder, a sign that you'll have to leave soon.

You're stretching your legs, watching the water drops rolling from your ankle to your knee, before falling back into the water. “Aslaug, where's the–” The voice makes you turn your head at the door, pulling your legs down to the safety of the water. Ragnar stands there, wide eyes and mouth half-open. “I thought this was my wife.”

“Well, it isn't so go away.” Thanks to the distance, you know he can't see anything, but even so, it makes you uncomfortable.

“I live here, do you know that?” He snaps back and you roll your eyes.

“I don't care. I'm not your wife so get out.”

“This is my–”

“Get out!” You raise your voice, throwing water at him. “Or I'll scream for help.” You're not scared of Ragnar, and you don't think he'll try anything. But you know him enough to know he's a teaser, and he loves putting people in uncomfortable positions.

He raises an eyebrow, shrugging his shoulders. “Then do it.”

Squinting your eyes, you move closer to the edge, making sure he won't be able to see anything. “Help!” You shout, trying not to laugh. The situation is quite funny, and, if he wanted to try anything, he'd already moved. So you decide to play along. “Somebody help me!” When you hear footsteps, you smirk victoriously. But, when another man comes in, the smile fades, and out of instinct, you cross your arms over your chest.

“What's going on here?” The guy asks, confused as hell, furrowing his eyebrows at you and then at Ragnar.

“Princess, this is Hvitserk, my son, who so bravely came to your rescue.” Ragnar starts, pacing around to the other edge of the room. “Hvitserk, this is (Y/N). Aslaug has been keeping her in here I have no idea why.” He sounds a little pissed, but you don't mind him in the back, your eyes focused on his son.

“Hi.”

“Would the two of you just leave?” Now you're annoyed, running a hand through your soaked hair. Relieve washes over you when Aslaug comes through the door, her eyes quickly finding her husband.

“What's going on here?” She mutters, and through the corner of your eye, you see Ragnar already moving.

“Just came to take this.” He answers, showing her something you can't see, right before leaving, grabbing his son's arm and pulling him along.

“Your husband is a complete idiot.” You say, relaxing once again.

“I noticed.” She gestures at the dress she brought you, laying on a chair. “Get dressed. I'll do your hair like a Viking woman and you'll join the feast tonight.”

Doing as she says, you put on the dress, which is different from everything you ever wore. The fabric is strong, yet beautiful, in a wonderful shade of blue with golden details that look like flowers. Aslaug braids your hair, way too patiently, and when she's done, you do look like a Viking. She even teaches you how to paint your eyes, and you wonder why she changed so much in these two days. As you wait for her to get ready, with the aid of her slaves, you decide to ask.

“Why are you being so nice to me now?” Playing with the tip of one of the many braids, you rest your back against the chair you're seated on. “When I got here I thought I'd end up living with that Lagertha.”

“Because it's more than rare to find a Christian I don't find stupid.” Dismissing the girls, she stands up. You're not entirely sure that was a compliment, but you decide to take it. “And I have the feeling, mostly after everything you told me, that this was most of a rescue than a kidnapping.”

She has a point. “It certainly does.”

“Now, come. Today I want to introduce you to the town.”

“Introduce me?” Following her, you wonder what that's about.

Aslaug doesn't answer, and it doesn't take much until you start hearing the feast. How long do these things last? Is the third day and it doesn't seem like anyone is tired. The moment the Queen enters, some heads turns, and, as she stands right before her chair, a silence starts to fall. You stat in the back, waiting to see what's going on when she gestures for you to come. Taking a deep breath, you move to stand next to her.

Many eyes lie on you. Probably all of them. You can identify hate, curiosity, disgust, indifference... And other things you can't quite place. At least you look like one of them... It must be of some help.

“People of Kattegat, this is Princess (Y/N), daughter of King Ecbert of Wessex,” Aslaug speaks, loud and clear. “She was brought here by my husband, and now will live among us.” That gets some people talking. They're not particularly excited about a Christian among them... You can't blame them. Your people kill them, and they kill your people back. They're like natural enemies. “I'm aware of the fact that you have no affection for her kind, and neither do I. So that's why she will tell you what she told me.”

A breath gets caught on your throat, and for a moment you feel like you're back home, forced to admit your sins, even though you haven't committed any. You've been in situations like this, but now, it's different. You can speak. You can let out the very thoughts that once had you imprisoned, confined to your chambers for days no end. Maybe they'll understand, unlike people in Wessex. Aslaug did. “Tell what?” You ask because you did speak great too many things with her. You have no idea where to begin.

“Tell them about your relationship with your faith.” She seems so secure, unbothered by how some men and women look so angry at this whole thing.

Taking a deep breath, you look ahead, eyes scanning through the room for any kind face... But it takes a long time until you find that Ragnar son who went to your rescue, Hvitserk. He doesn't look like he hates you, so you focus on him. “I have no love for the Catholic faith.” You start, stepping forward. “Since I was little, they've been telling me you worship false gods, made of stone, wood, iron, and silver. But they do the same.” Hvitserk furrows his eyebrows as if asking something. “My father himself spent hours repeating prayers for a cross made of gold. They accuse you of doing the same things they do.” If your older brother heard this, you'd be whipped, probably. “They're all hypocrites, punishing and condemning people for the same sins they commit, over and over again, and that I could never accept.” Chuckling, you move your eyes from Hvitserk, noticing how some angry faces are now... Inquisitive. “I was told you're all murderers, but so are they. So what if you come home covered by the blood of your enemies? Isn't that what a battle is? If it was me on the battlefield, I'd rather kill a hundred men than die by their hands.” The hall erupts on yells and shouts, hands being raised. It takes you by surprise, and for a moment, you're scared they heard enough, and decided to end your life right here and now. But the yells are from... Praising, approval. “And, as Ragnar Lothbrok as my witness, I'd rather face death than go back into the life I had there. If I can even call that a life.”

“That's true.” Bjorn raises his voice, coming from behind some men. “The moment she learned her father was dead, he stood before my father, ready to face her fate. I've never seen a Christian girl do that.”

“Don't forget about how she stood in the pouring rain with that idiot over there,” Ragnar says, pointing out his hand at Floki, who's standing on a chair or something, at the very back, watching the commotion.

Floki giggles, tilting his head at Ragnar. “Even though she can't swim. And don't get me wrong, I'd still rather she fell off to the mighty waves than have her here with us.”

“Don't say that Floki,” Aslaug warns, moving to sit on her chair. “I plan to make a Viking out of (Y/N) since she's more than eager to leave behind everything she once knew.”

“No doubt.” You mutter, wondering if this is it, if you can go sit down somewhere.

“What about that man, Edward?” Bjorn asks, coming to stand before you. He's so damn tall. You don't think you ever met a man this tall before. “You said something about a marriage.”

“Oh, that.” Rolling your eyes, you shrug your shoulders. “My father would have me dragged down the aisle in chains if it was necessary since the political implications of the union were... Delicate. But you guys decided to show up and ruin his plans. Thankfully.”

“Was he that bad?”

“The most disgusting man I've ever met in my life, so, as the Queen said herself a few moments earlier...” Turning at the people once again, you sigh. You don't expect to be accepted by everyone here, you just hope they won't hate you. Not so much, at least. “This was more like a rescue than a kidnapping.”

“Well, now that you know our new resident, I must make something very clear,” Aslaug speaks up, her voice rising above everyone else's. “(Y/N) is a free woman.” She takes a cup from the small table set next to her chair, spinning it in her hand, not bothering to look up from it. “Whoever touches her loses the balls, the hands, and the tongue... As a start.”

You giggle, thinking she's joking, but by the way, the silence persists for quite a long time, you understand that was no joke. And that's very good. That will surely keep them away from you.

“Well, let's celebrate!” Ragnar shouts, and everyone sets in motion again.

You're not sure where to go, so you find a table that's half-empty to sit down, taking a cup and filling it. Being isolated for two days with Aslaug didn't really help you being sociable, and it does feel like you're from two different worlds now. Because that's the truth, even though you're dressed like them. There's an invisible barrier keeping everyone distant, and not only for what Aslaug just said.

“Hey there.” Someone says as they settle down by your side. Hvitserk glances at you, kindly smiling. “Sorry about earlier. Heard a girl screaming, thought something bad was happening.”

“Well, something bad was happening. Your father was annoying me to death.” Taking a few sips from your drink, your eyes find that man again, Ivar. He's seated on Ragnar's chair, chatting with his mother. As if being called, he stares straight at you, suddenly angry.

“I see you already met my little brother,” Hvitserk mutters, and only then do you notice he had followed your gaze.

Clearing your throat, you look away. “Not really. But by the looks of it, he hates me.”

“I wouldn't say he hates you. Ivar is just... Not really fond of the idea of–”

“Of a Christian girl among us.” The voice comes from the head of the table, and when you raise your eyes, you see the man himself. But this time, you don't let his eyes pull you. Somehow, you manage to distract yourself. “You know you're only here because my mother wants to turn you into a Viking.”

“I'm not interested in being anything else than myself.” Drinking what is left on your cup, you sigh. “Haven't had the chance since I was born.”

“Do you really expect anyone here to believe you didn't like being a princess?” His tone is mocking you, a fake pity expression on his face.

“Being a princess in England might be fun if you just do as everyone says, no questions asked.” For some reason, you're pissed. Ivar pushed some button that got you suddenly annoyed, so you stand up, bending over the table to get the jar and refill your cup. But before you can reach it, Ivar takes the thing, drinking straight from it, some of the liquid dripping on his chin. Sighing, you squint your eyes at him, a humorless laugh escaping your lips.

“Here.” The voice gets your attention, and when you turn at him, you see Bjorn filling your cup again. “This one's better anyway.”

“Thanks.” Sitting back down, you give Ivar one last glance before taking long sips.

“Are you going to live here?” Bjorn asks. “Or are you going to live with my mother after all?”

“I'm staying.” Nodding, you look at him. His mother is the most famous shieldmaiden in the world, a skillful fighter. Also Ragnar's ex-wife, reason why Aslaug can't stand her. “The Queen already helped me settle on my chambers.”

“That's good.” He smiles, and a man pushes his shoulder quite violently. Bjorn turns to face him, cursing, but soon enough bursting into laughter.

Ignoring the two men, you look down at your cup, now almost empty again. Music starts playing suddenly, and it doesn't take much for people to start dancing. It gets louder as the minutes go by, and Ragnar and Floki stand on your table, moving around and laughing, kicking everything out. Your eyes follow the whole commotion, standing up and stepping away from the table when they get a little too close. But you don't mind. You've never seen people acting so... Crazy. So happy. And you can't stop smiling, seeing as other people join them.

“I bet you never saw anything like that,” Hvitserk says, raising his voice a little to make himself heard. “I know how boring the feats are in England.”

“This is so much better.” Ragnar jumps to the ground, but one of his legs get caught in between the bench and the table, making him fall. But on the next second, he's up again, a smile on his lips. “My brother would have a heart attack if he ever saw this.”

“Aethelwulf?”

“Yeah.” Someone bumps on your back, making you almost fall. But Hvitserk holds you up, and he seems quite confused to find you laughing. “What? It's alright, I like it. At least this chaos is real, people aren't faking it.” As your eyes move through the hall, you find Ragnar, behind this weird curtain made of leather. You didn't even know he left. “What's that weirdo doing over there?”

“He's observing.” Hvitserk answers, leaning closer and lowering his voice. “From back there, he can see who's sleeping with who. Who's not sleeping with who anymore, who may be plotting something to put him in a dangerous position.”

“Smart guy.” Nodding to yourself, your attention is stolen by the crowd, that starts moving outside, shouting something you can't really understand. “What's going on?”

“Someone's gonna fight. Come watch.” Hvitserk helps you walk among the people, all the way to the beach. Torches came out of nowhere, illuminating the night. Everyone seems oddly happy for this to be about a fight, but Hvitserck wasn't wrong. On the sand, the two men pace around each other, shouting, cursing.

“What's this about?” It happened out of nowhere, and you're not sure how serious this is. The warriors are clearly pissed at each other, but the public is cheerful. This is when you feel how new and different this culture is. Something like this would never happen back at Wessex, and it will take a while for you to get used and understand how things work here. It's a shock, a sudden impact.

“They're both in love with the same woman. She claims she loves both, but they won't share.” Hvitserk explains, as someone passes him a torch, which he holds up high. “The one who survives gets to be with her.”

“Damn.” You mutter as the two men start attacking each other. You've never seen an actual fight. Girls aren't allowed on the battlefield, mostly not a princess. The only glimpses you had were from soldiers training, and it was nothing compared to this. This is violent, powerful, and you can't help but be impressed by their skills. Of course they're good. They're Vikings, a freaking force of nature, they had told you back in England. It's impressive how they keep getting back up, even after so many wounds. Cuts, punches, everything.

A particular loud shout coming from the crowd gets your attention. It's Ivar, seated on the sand, eyes shining and a bright smile on his lips. He's enjoying this. Everyone is, actually. And once again, as if you called his name out loud, he turns to look at you. And somehow you know exactly what he's looking for. Fear, desperation. He wants to see if you're scared.

But... You're not.

Every single person here is joyfully yelling, and those two men choose their fates. They're not being forced to it, it was their decision, as it was yours to stand up, neck exposed, ready for the ax Ragnar was holding. They're choosing to face death, fearlessly.

Then, your eyes aren't on Ivar anymore, but following the men's every move. It doesn't take much for you to gasp and yelp when one or the other successes to throw a blow. You feel like a savage, laughing at the thought of what your father and brother would say if they saw you now.

When the tallest man, with long dark hair, falls dead, the crowd goes insane. The victorious raises both his hands, still holding an ax. A woman comes from the crowd, hugging and kissing him. “That's insane.” You chuckle, running a hand through your braided hair. “Teach me.” The request comes out suddenly, and you don't even give it much thought.

“Are you sure about it?” He asks, looking down at you. Hvitserk is being nice to you, and that's a surprise.

“I mean, I could never be a shieldmaiden but... I'd like to know how to defend myself.”

“Well, I've got nothing to do tomorrow, so I guess we could start.”

Furrowing your eyebrows, you smile. “Thanks. You're the quickest and... Probably the most real friend I've ever made.”

“Yeah, you'll need someone to help you out around here until you get the hang of things. Ragnar gave me this task.”

“Oh...” Looking down, you start walking back to the hall, following Hvitserk's pace. Maybe it was a little stupid to expect him to be so nice to you. “You don't have to. I will get used to things on my own.”

“I didn't mean it like that.” He quickly responds, leaving the torch on some post along the way. “You're pretty cool, actually. For a Christian. You've been a good friend so far.” He gives you a glance and a smirk. “And I don't have to obey my father, you know.”

Blushing a little, you giggle. “Thanks again, then.”

“Now, get a good night sleep and get ready for tomorrow, I mean...” Hvitserk takes a look over his shoulder, a little too dramatic for your taste. “If my older brother doesn't mind it.”

“What do you mean?” Following his gaze, you find Bjorn staring. He doesn't seem angry, but he's not happy either.

“I think Bjorn likes you.”

“And? If it wasn't for you I wouldn't have watched the fight.” Shrugging your shoulders, you stop at the entrance of the hall, waiting as the crowd moves inside. “You've done more for me than he did tonight.”

“So you enjoyed the fight?”

“I have no idea why, or how, but I did.” Nodding, you smile again. “Now, friend, let's drink some more, and maybe I'll consider dancing.” Gesturing at the hall, you both walk in.

The warmth is welcome, and you soon find your way back to the table. But, as you sit down, you see Ivar again, crawling. He moves fast, talking to a man. As he moves past your table, he gives you a stare. It's different from before, but you can't read it. His eyes, like magnets, attract you in a way you didn't even know was possible. You think about waving, or smiling, but then he looks away and disappears inside the house.

“Don't mind Ivar,” Hvitserk says, and you look down at your cup. “He'll get used to your presence.”

“Let's hope he will.”

×

@multific @revolution-starter @crackhead1-800 @youbloodymadgenius @clown-boyyy @kitten0394 @castielsangelx-blog @goldlion07 @midnightmystic @readsalot73 @xvxcarolinexvx @momowhoo @fangfoxy @msrawog @walkingonshunshine @alytavzla

[ming-yu-hao]

Distance Makes the Heart Grow Fonder | Chapter 1

Pairing: fratboy!mingyu x female reader

Word Count: 3.1k

Synopsis: When you transferred to a different university, you and Wonwoo promised that you would make long distance work. But distance proves to be more difficult than you both originally thought.

This Chapter’s Tags: some angst ig, light cheating? (not really lol), mingyu is just flirty, female masturbation, mentions of alcohol and weed

Warning: THIS SERIES IS ABOUT CHEATING. DO NOT READ IF IT MAKES YOU UNCOMFORTABLE!

A/N: it’s gonna get spicy soon just trust me ;)

Chapters: Next | Masterlist

30 minutes. That's how long you had spent anxiously perched in front of your computer, waiting for the familiar ring of the video call to echo through the speakers. You cycled between scrolling through social media, checking your reflection in the camera, and debating on whether or not to text Wonwoo. You understood that he was busy; it wasn't unusual for either of you to call a few minutes later than you had originally planned. But Wonwoo had never left you hanging for this long without an explanation. Normally, your mind would begin to fixate on the worst case scenario, but Wonwoo had already cancelled on you the past two weeks because he was busy working.

The loud vibration of your phone against your desk drew you out of your thoughts, and you hurriedly picked it up and saw Wonwoo's name glowing across the screen. "Hello?" You answered quickly.

"Hey," Wonwoo's deep voice sounded through the phone. "You're gonna hate me," He chuckled.

"I could never," You replied. You already knew the next words that were going to come out of his mouth.

"I can't FaceTime tonight." He explained. Even though you saw it coming, you couldn't help the feeling of disappointment that weighed heavy on your chest.

Your eyes met with the reflection displayed on the laptop screen. It taunted you, reminding you that Wonwoo's face wouldn't be there to replace it once again. "Well, I would be a lot happier right now if you told me that half an hour ago," You laughed bitterly. Running a hand through your hair, you quietly sighed.

"I know. I'm sorry." Wonwoo apologized. His voice was laced with genuine sorrow; you could clearly picture the frown that lined his lips right now. He added after a moment of silence, "I don't wanna keep doing this to you, so I think we should change our date day. I've been working more Fridays lately."

You nodded despite him not being able to see you and hummed in agreement. "What day then?" You asked.

"I'm not sure yet. I still have to figure out my schedule. Just text me what works for you and I'll let you know soon, okay?" He sighed.

"Oh, okay... yeah." Your lips drew into a tighter line with each word he spoke.

"Okay, I have to get to get back to work right now. I'm sorry again." He continued quickly. "I love you."

"I love you too."

The three tones signaled the end of the call, and slowly you pulled the phone away from your ear. Your tired reflection stared back at you. Finally, you shut the computer for the third Friday in a row.

The remainder of the weekend passed and you had barely heard anything from Wonwoo except for the usual good morning and goodnight texts. By the time Wednesday came around, the both of you finally agreed that Saturday could be your new set day for FaceTime dates. You powered through the rest of the week, and on Saturday you excitedly set aside all the work from your classes and waited patiently for Wonwoo to call.

You really missed him. It'd been just over two months now since you last saw him in person, when you moved into your dorm at a university three hours away from the one where you and Wonwoo met. He stayed behind while you transferred to a college with a renowned journalism program. At first, you were hesitant to leave him, but Wonwoo refused to let you give up such a great opportunity just to stay close to him. That was what you loved about him: he wanted to see you be happy and successful.

Situating yourself comfortably on the bed, you pulled up some random Netflix series to entertain yourself while waiting for Wonwoo. You only half paid attention, glancing between the computer screen and your Instagram feed on your phone. Time crawled, and slowly you sunk deeper into the softness of the mattress below.

Cold, small hands shook you awake. You rubbed your eyes and sat up, disoriented. The series you were watching was still playing quietly. Your roommate, Jisoo, stood next to your bed with her arms crossed over her chest. She stared at you with a raised eyebrow. "You're passed out by 7 on a Saturday night?" A teasing smile was displayed across her face as she shut your laptop.

You suddenly realized that it was an hour past the time that Wonwoo had promised to FaceTime you. Your heart sunk in your chest as you thought about how you probably missed his call without an explanation. You picked up your phone, but quickly noticed the notification for a missed phone call from him, followed by a text that said: I'm so sorry, something came up I promise I'll call you tomorrow.

Jisoo surveyed you for a moment; a more serious expression began to cross her features. She sat down at the bottom of your bed. "Did something happen?"

You rolled your eyes and looked down at your hands. "Wonwoo cancelled on me again," You sighed, "But I shouldn't be mad at him for it. It's not his fault he's busy."

Jisoo tsked and patted your leg through the sheets. "Of course you can be upset! How many times has it been now?"

"This entire month. And he always cancels super late."

She scoffed, "See! That's shitty. If this was the first time it wouldn't have been a big deal. But four times?" She stood up quickly and opened up her wardrobe. "If he wants long distance to work, he needs to have better communication."

"Yeah, I guess." You replied. Jisoo held a black top up to her figure, observing herself in the mirror. "Where are you going?" You inquired.

"A party at the SVT frat. You know any of them?" She explained while changing her outfit.

You had heard of the frat before, but you racked your brain for any of their names and couldn't remember one. "I don't think so."

Jisoo faced you again and smiled. "Well, let's go."

You chuckled, "No way."

She pouted. "Come on. You haven't gone out with me I'm so long. You're in college!" Jisoo begged. "Just this once. You'll have fun."

Jisoo had a point. You really had nothing else better to do besides sit around and mope over Wonwoo ditching you. You let out an exhasperated sigh of defeat, "Fine, I'll go."

"Yes! Go get all cute and dressed up." She cheered.

You emerged from your bed and strolled over to your own closet. "Alright, I'll be quick."

You and Jisoo walked into the party hand in hand. Immediately, the stench of weed and sweat overwhelmed you. Loud music vibrated through the walls of the house and clashed with the sounds of people cheering and yelling. An intense game of beer pong captured the attention of most people in the main room, but you could see a separate crowd gathered in the kitchen too.

"Who do you know here again?" You shouted over the music at Jisoo, not seeing a single person you recognized so far.

She leaned closer to you so you could hear. "Choi Seungcheol. I have a chemistry class with him." She scanned the room and suddenly perked up. "Oh, there he is!" She called his name and pulled you along with her towards him.

He stood against the wall with a red cup in his hand, talking with another tall boy. At the call of his name, he looked over at the two of you and smiled brightly. "Jisoo! I'm so happy you made it." He exclaimed while wrapping his arm around her lower back. Seungcheol watched you with kind eyes as you approached him. "And who is this?" He asked Jisoo.

"This is my roommate, Y/N. Y/N, this is Seungcheol." She introduced you both and you smiled and gave a small wave to the two boys.

The other boy flashed you a sweet smile that caused his eyes to form into crescents. "I'm Seokmin. I live here with Cheol." He explained.

All four of you continued to converse casually until Seungcheol pointed to you and Seokmin and said, "Hey, why don't you two go get some drinks? We'll wait here." You swore you saw a gleam of mischief in his eyes, and you quickly glanced at Jisoo to see if she noticed it too, but her expression remained neutral. This was exactly why you strayed away from parties. You wanted to avoid any encounters with flirty, drunk frat boys. But Jisoo, who was basically a mind reader, didn't react, so maybe you were just being overly paranoid.

You nodded and walked over to the kitchen, Seokmin following close behind, and watched as he began to mix some drinks together for the four of you. He let out a frustrated sigh as one of the bottles of liquor reached its end. Seokmin peeked over his shoulder and shouted, "Mingyu! Can you get me the other bottle of vodka?" You perked up at the familiar-sounding name, but couldn't remember where you had heard it before.

A moment later a presence approached you and Seokmin from behind and set the bottle down on the counter. "Now you have to make me one too," The deep voice joked. You turned around and immediately recognized the tall figure.

"Mingyu?" You called out in surprise.

His eyes dragged over and met yours. His face lit up instantly as he recognized you. "Y/N! What are you doing here?" Mingyu laughed.

Seokmin turned around and handed a cup to Mingyu with a raised eyebrow. "You guys know each other?" He questioned.

You grabbed your own cup and took a sip of the bittersweet mixture. "Yeah, we have a digital media class together." You said before smirking at Mingyu. "I didn't think you were the frat boy type."

Mingyu rested his right hand on the counter beside you, almost trapping you in between the wood and his body. "I guess I'm just full of surprises," He replied.

You felt your heart flutter in your chest at his flirty response. This was a whole new side of him that you had never seen before in class. Granted, he was most likely tipsy and maybe even a bit high, but in class he was usually polite and reserved. He cracked jokes with you sometimes, but you never expected him to be so bold. On top of that, he always had his hair styled back neatly. Now, his dark hair fell over his forehead in messy curls. His skin was sheathed in a light layer of sweat, and the muscles in his arms and chest were suddenly more prominent under his white tee in the dim light of the house. You had to admit, he was ridiculously attractive.

"I'm gonna go give this to Cheol and Jisoo," Seokmin interrupted before leaving the kitchen with both cups in his hands.

Silently, you started behind him and Mingyu walked with you. "So what are you doing here?" He asked again as the two of you rounded the corner and entered the living room.

"My roommate was invited and made me go with her," You told him. You continued to sip your drink, basking in the warm feeling that the alcohol left in your chest.

"Makes sense. I didn't expect you to be a party girl." He teased. His arm slowly snaked around your waist and squeezed your hip lightly. Your skin tingled beneath his touch but you didn't give him any physical reaction, opting to just ignore the grip he had on you.

Your jaw dropped in a fake gasp. "You think I'm boring or something?" You narrowed your eyes at him and he chuckled.

"I never said that," He responded with a smirk on his lips.

Seungcheol and Jisoo had migrated from the spot where they previously stood, so you scanned the crowded room for the long haired girl. Finally you noticed her sitting close to Seungcheol on the couch. You could see they were laughing about something and considering Seokmin wasn't hovering near them anymore either, you decided to leave them be.

Mingyu noticed where you were looking and raised his eyebrows at you when you turned back to look at him. "Well, I guess my roommate is busy," You rolled your eyes.

You had forgotten about Mingyu's hand on your waist until he squeezed it again. "Good thing you have me then," He bantered. Your skin flushed; you slightly leaned into his touch. It had been so long since you felt someone else's hands roam across your body. You missed the feeling.

Mingyu slowly pulled your body closer to his until your chest was centimeters away. You gulped and dragged your eyes up to meet his. He stared at you intensely, his other hand coming up to caress your cheek. Your breathing hitched as he ran his thumb over your bottom lip. "You're so pretty," He muttered. It felt like fire had lit up your entire body. Your nerves tingled and your brain felt fuzzy and you hated to admit it but you could feel arousal growing between your legs. Somehow Mingyu pulled you even closer than before and you felt his hard cock brush against your thigh through his jeans. His tongue darted out against his lips and he inched his face towards yours. "Can I kiss you?" He whispered just inches away from you lips.

Guilt imprisoned you as soon as he said those words. They reminded you of where you were, and what you were planning on doing. You closed your eyes and pulled yourself out of his grasp. "I have a boyfriend," You admitted briskly.

Mingyu stared at you in confusion. "What?"

Shame overtook you. Wonwoo had trusted you to remain loyal, and here you were at a frat party, leading on some poor boy from your class.

Mingyu lightly grabbed your wrist. "Hey, I'm sorry. I should've asked-" He started, but you quickly cut him off.

"No, I'm sorry. This is my fault." You apologized and pulled your wrist out of his grasp. You looked at him; he stared at you with a sorrowful gaze. The regret on your face was evident and he knew that he had helped in bringing this guilt upon you.

"I- I have to go do something," You added before turning around and darting towards the door. You didn't bother to turn around or look for Jisoo, you just needed to get out of there as fast as possible. Once you were outside, you inhaled a sharp breath and pulled out your phone to call for an Uber. You waited near the street, sending a text to Jisoo to let her know that you felt sick and went home while you waited.

Eventually the Uber pulled up and you hurriedly sat down and told the driver where to go. You breathed a sigh of relief as they finally pulled away from the frat.

The drive was short, but you spent every one of those few minutes replaying the night's events in your mind. Your flesh still tingled in the places where Mingyu had touched you. Guilt haunted you, but you attempted to lessen that burden by reasoning with yourself. You missed Wonwoo. A lot. You missed hearing his voice and seeing his face and of course feeling his touch against your skin. You hadn't been fucked in over two months now, so it was no wonder that any bit of physical affection would have such a strong effect on you. What mattered is that you stopped it before anything happened. You could live with that, you decided. All you had to do now was just clear up things with Mingyu next week, deal with any awkwardness between you two, and focus on Wonwoo.

When you arrived at your dorm, you quickly changed your clothes, cleansing yourself of the faint smell of weed and the remnants of Mingyu's touch. Not long after, exhaustion began to take over your body. You laid down on the bed, not even bothering to check your phone before closing your eyes and letting sleep overcome you.

You weren't sure what time you fell asleep, but you awoke some time later and glanced at the clock. 11:54 PM. You stretched your arms behind your head and yawned as you scanned the room. Jisoo was still gone. You closed your eyes again and tried to fall back asleep, but your mind began to race.

You could clearly picture Mingyu's lust-filled eyes staring down at you, his hands running over your waist and pulling you towards the heat of his body. The glow of his skin, the messy curls hanging over his forehead, the fullness of his lips as he asked in his husky voice if he could kiss you—the images and sensations swirled around in your thoughts.

In a half asleep daze, you rubbed your thighs together. Friction built between your legs. You groaned quietly as your mind revisited how you felt when Mingyu's hands were on your body. More arousal began to pool in your heat, your underwear clinging to your wetness.

Languidly, you ran your hand down your stomach and toyed with the hem of your underwear before slowly pulling the fabric down your legs. You imagined Mingyu's sharp eyes staring at you from between your thighs as you ran your fingers through your slick folds. Arousal coated your fingers and you began to rub your clit in slow circles. You pretended that Mingyu's thick fingers were the ones teasing your clit, making your legs jolt each time you pressed the right spot.

You moaned quietly and began to grope your own breast. You squeezed and flicked your nipple, causing a quiet gasp to fall from your lips. You pulled your hand away from your clit and slowly pushed two fingers into your dripping heat. "Mmh, Mingyu," You groaned under your breath. You imagined his deep voice saying the dirtiest things to you as he pumped and curled his fingers into your pussy.

You gasped as you hit a particular spot that made you arch your lower back. You continued pumping your fingers at a fast pace until the knot building in your lower stomach snapped. Your eyes rolled back and you let out a sharp whine as an intense feeling of euphoria washed over your body.

Your body relaxed against the sheets as your heart rate began to slow and exhaustion overtook you once again. You sighed contently and wrapped yourself in your blankets, allowing yourself to drift off to sleep.

You promised yourself that you would never do that again.

[libraryofloveletters]

Haunted

Luke doesn’t believe that the house is haunted but you know for a fact, that it is. 

Luke Alvez x Reader 

Warnings: mentions of ghosts, talking to ghosts, mentions of death, kissing, Luke thinking that you’re slightly crazy, cursing

Category: fluff with a little angst :) 

Word Count: 3.2k

Author’s Note: idea came to me while watching crimson peak so here we are :) and did I use Thomas Sharpe as the ghost ? yes I did, and what ? Anyways, this is purely to indulge myself so idk it’s probably shitty :) 

----- 

Luke had been with you for the last two years and he’s heard many stories of the “amazing family home” that you have so many beloved memories in. You figured it was finally time to take him on a trip. As soon as he could get a break from work, the two of you packed up and started your drive to the house. 

“So why do you call it the Red Estate ?” he asked you as you made a turn down what looked like a road that led to nothing. 

“Well, It belonged to my great great great grandparents who bought it from the family who had originally built the house” you told him as you drove. 

“Okay, but what does that have to do with the name ?” he laughed, you smiled 

“I'm getting to that. The family that had originally built the house, the Sharpes. His wife loves roses, red roses. The whole estate was covered in them, the rooms had rose wallpapers, the furniture had roses on them” you explained. 

“That's interesting” he looked out the window. “There’s more baby.” you chuckled, he turned to you, waiting for you to explain. 

“Well, Lady Sharpe had gotten sick and she passed away. When she passed, her husband remarried and he brought his new bride to the house” you looked over at you, his brows furrowed. “What? did she haunt them?” he chuckled, making you smile. 

“The roses that were in full bloom seem to die overnight, things changed around the house. It was thought that she did haunt them, whispered to them, tormented them until she eventually killed them” you smiled at Luke. 

He rolled his eyes playfully, “you don't actually believe that nonsense, do you ?” he asked you. “My family bought the house after they died, I'm just telling you what I've heard darling” you laughed as you pulled into a long driveway. The drive down was good 2 minutes, you drove through the large iron gate with the rose insignia on it. 

Luke’s mouth hung open as you drive towards the house. “This is the ‘little house’ that you spent your summers in ?” he asked. 

The house was much bigger than you had led him to believe, it was more of a manor than a house. There were large stained glass windows in the front, with of course, roses on them. The manor has vines running up the side that had dried up. 

The two of you stepped out of the car, you tumbled through your pockets for the key while Luke grabbed your bags from the car. “Is it just me or did it get cold all of a sudden ?” a cold breeze blew through the yard as Luke finished his sentence, you chuckled. 

“It’s always cold up here love” you smiled at him as you walked towards the door. “It’s only 6 o'clock and it's September.” he stated, following you to the doors. 

“Lady Sharpe baby, she’s the reason it’s cold” you told him as if that was a known fact, he rolled his eyes again. 

You unlocked the door and pushed it open, Luke and yourself walked into the empty foyer. There was a large round table in the middle, the sun from the hole in the roof shining through. You looked up and smiled, Luke looked up too, “why is there a hole in the roof ? Lady Sharpe caused that too ?” he joked, earning him a playful hit to the arm. “No, rainstorm” setting your keys on the table, you sat on the chair beside it and slipped off your shoes. 

“Tom!” you shouted, Luke looked at you. “I’m back and I've brought a guest!” you walked into the kitchen and Luke followed behind you, 

“Baby?”

“Hm?” 

“Who’s Tom ?”

“Oh, Tom. As in Thomas Sharpe, the guy who built the house.” 

Luke began laughing, hysterically. You filled the kettle with water as Luke was laughing and set it on the stove. When he finally settled down, he turned to you. “You talk to the dead guy ?” “his name is Tom and yes I do. This is his house, be respectful Luke” you rolled your eyes and turned your attention back to the stove. Luke wrapped his arms around your waist, hugging you from behind. “I’m sorry baby, I'll be nice to Tom” he chuckled, “thank you. Now get the cups from the cupboard” 

The two of you turned so you could show him which cupboard but the cupboard door was already open. “That one” you patted Luke’s hand that rested on your stomach. 

“That was closed when we walked in right ?” he asked 

“That’s correct” 

“How did it open?” 

“Tom” you smiled 

“Uh huh, just the wind then” 

Luke headed to the cupboard to get the mugs and returned the table as you took the kettle off the stove. The two of you sat at the table just talking for a few hours, before you knew it, it was dark out. 

Luke followed you up the stairs and into a room. He sat on the bed watching as you pulled some clothes out of your bag when he realized that he didn’t take the bags upstairs.

“Did you bring the bags up here?” 

You shook your head as you changed into your pyjamas. “So how did they get up here?” 

“To-” he cut you off “I don’t want to know” he got off the bed and changed too. The two of you settled in bed, his arm around you and your head rested on his shoulder. “Good night baby” he whispered, “good night love” you leaned up and gave him a kiss. 

“Good night Tom” you mumbled, you could tell Luke’s eyes on you. “Don’t even say anything” he chuckled before kissing your head. 

Sometime throughout the night, Luke was shaking you to wake up. “Huh stop lemme sleep” you mumbled. “Y/n, wake up. c’mon it’s not funny, get up please” he begged you while shaking your shoulders. You groaned and sat up, “what Luke ?” he looked at you, “okay something keeps knocking downstairs and it won’t stop” 

“Okay, what am I supposed to do about that?” 

“Can you come with me to check ?” 

“Mhm okay, let’s go” you rolled out of bed and headed into the hallway. Luke followed you, you looked around “nothing’s happening” you mumbled, still half asleep. 

“It was coming from downstairs” you sighed. The stairs creaked as you walked down. “You check the kitchen and I'll check the hallway, okay?” you told him, he nodded. You could tell he was just putting on a brave face for you, something had genuinely scared him. You walked down the hallway, nothing seemed out of place. 

“I swear if it’s you scaring him, I'll burn this house down” you whispered quietly to yourself, mostly as a warning to Tom. Turning on your heels, you headed into the kitchen quietly, Luke stood by the window looking outside. He hadn’t heard you come in. 

You creeped up behind him and grabbed his shoulders, “boo!” he jumped. “Y/n! what the hell babe!” you laughed. “Sorry sugar, but I didn’t see anything. Did you see anythi-” a loud thump came from the hallway causing the two of you to turn around. 

“Yeah, that” Luke said. You stuck your head out, a vase had fallen over and shattered all over the floor. You knew that vase, it was the one that in your room but you didn't tell Luke that. 

“Let’s just go back to bed Luke” you stretched your hand out for his, he reluctantly grabbed yours. “What about the vase?” he looked at the broken pieces of glass as you dragged him up the stairs with you. “I’ll clean it up in the morning baby” you pushed him in the bedroom, you stepped in after him and turned around to shut the door.

You had a feeling that someone was there even though you couldn’t physically see anyone other than Luke. You glared into the nothingness before shutting the door. 

---- 

Luke came in and shook you awake once again, only this time he came with coffee. “Morning love” he handed you the cup of coffee as you sat up in bed. “Sleep well ?” you asked him, he smiled and nodded “I did actually. Thank you for getting up with me last night” you squeezed his hand and took a sip of the coffee. 

“Did you get up after I fell asleep and cleaned up the vase?” he shifted on the bed to between your legs, his head on your thigh. He pulled your legs over his shoulders as you ran your hand through his hair. “No, I didn't. Why ? It’s not there?” he shook his head, his hair rubbed against your thighs making you giggle. 

“It’s gone” 

“Hm, he probably felt bad for scaring you and cleaned it up” 

“You really think that’s what happened or are you fucking with me?” 

“I’m fucking with you Luke. How would a ghost pick up glass?” 

Luke let out a laugh, you smiled at him. “Wanna go for a walk ? I can show you around the property?” he rolled onto his stomach, his cheek against your thigh. 

“Sounds good, can we have breakfast first ? I'm hungry” he asked you sweetly, and who were you to deny such an adorable man.

“Of course, let me change and I'll be down” he pressed a kiss to your thigh before hopping off the bed and heading out the room. Stretching as you got off the bed, you headed to the bathroom to brush your teeth and get dressed. When you came back to the bedroom after changing, you felt a presence in the room. 

“Now, I don’t appreciate the shit you pulled last night” you mumbled as you fixed your hair, the lights flickered in response to your sentence. You looked in the mirror, “He’s a good guy, I promise” you set the hairbrush on the dresser before going to open the door. 

The door wouldn’t open. 

“Are you serious ?” you pulled on the door, still no luck. 

“Stop acting like a child, let go of the door” you said a little louder. “Babe? You alright?” Luke called for you from downstairs,  “yeah, give me a sec, I'm coming!” 

“What do you want me from me dude?” you asked, hoping that you’d get some response or the frickin door would unlock. The window flung open and a cold breeze blew into the room, some leaves from the yard blew in as well. A single red rose petal landed by your foot. 

“Okay, I know what you want. Can I go now?” you tugged on the door and this time, it unlocked. You headed down the stairs, Luke stood at the end of the staircase. 

“Were you talking to someone up there?” 

“Just a phone call” you smiled and grabbed his hand. 

“Did you eat ?” you asked as you put on your shoes

“I did, don't you want to eat ?” he asked

You shook your head and pulled him outside with you. You walked with Luke to the back of the property, you showed him the stables, even though they had been empty for years. The two of you sat by the lake for a bit before heading to the end of the property line where the roses grew. 

“I thought the roses died?” Luke looked at you as you walked closer to them. “They only grow back here for some reason” you told him as you picked a few from the bush. “Does anyone even come this far ? you know, to take care of them” he leant down and smelt them. You smiled as you watched him. 

“No one’s been back this far for years. Everyone kinda stopped coming here since my grandfather died. My grandmother came once and us kids come every so often but that’s it. We just come to tidy up and make sure everything is still locked up” 

The two of you hung around outside until the sun began to set, you made your way back with the bunch of roses. You set them in a vase when you got back into the house. It was your last night in the house since Luke was needed back on Monday, you figured you'd make him dinner before you guys head out tomorrow. 

Luke sat in the kitchen as you cooked. “You’re sure you don’t want help?” “for the 100th time, I'm okay love” The kitchen was quiet other than the sounds of you cutting and stirring the contents of the pot ever so often. A sudden drop in temperature and the candle flame going out caused Luke to call for you. 

“Is that your friend Tom again ?” he joked, you smiled at him and brushed off the eerie feeling you had. 

“Probably” you went back to cooking.

Luke knew you believed that there was a ghost named Tom living in the house but he thought you just bought into the story because you had been told that your entire life. The window flung open and rose petals blew into the kitchen as the wind made its way through the kitchen. 

“What the hell ?” Luke stood up, brushing the petals of himself and the table before shutting the window. You turned off the stove and looked at him. 

“Believe me now?” 

“Freak accident darling, there’s no one here” He made his way over to your pressing a small sweet kiss on your lips before helping you set the table for dinner. “He’s just gonna keep bothering us until you believe” you looked at Luke who was too busy eating to even pay attention to you. 

Now you knew how Tom could get and you knew it seemed crazy, like way crazier then you talking to a ghost so you didn’t bother telling Luke. You remembered the summer then your cousin refused to believe Tom was actually real. Your cousin came down one morning gushing about how he had slept with this girl and she was so amazing, and how he even had the hickeys to prove it. When he lifted his shirt to show you, there was a “T” across his chests made by hickeys. You giggled as you took a sip of your water, Luke looked up at you from across the table. 

“What ?” his head tilted to the side

“Nothing” you smiled at him

The two of you finished dinner and headed up to the bed. Luke made sure to check all the doors and windows before going up with you. “You know, I had a good time, despite all the strangeness” Luke chuckled as he got into bed. 

“I’m glad you did” you were standing by the mirror taking off your necklace. Something cold touches your shoulder which made you turn around. “You okay?” Luke looked at you, his brows furrowed into a face of confusion. You ran your hand down your shoulder for your arm, “yeah, just a piece of hair on my arm. Made me feel weird” you chuckled and looked into the mirror. 

You could feel him in the room, it was much colder than it was then you stepped in. Seems like Luke had noticed too, he shifted in the bed. “Come cuddle with me, it’s cold” he shivered, pulling the blanket up to his chest. You smiled and made your way over to him, getting into bed and curling up beside him. 

“I love you, you know that ?” Luke looked down at you, your head resting on his chest 

“I love you too” you smiled up at him.

--- 

The next morning, you had both woken up much later than expected. The house felt warm. You had never felt the house this warm before, you went to roll out of bed but Luke’s arms pulled you back towards him. “Mhm, hi baby” he  covered your cheek in kisses, you giggled. “Good morning to you too. We gotta get going love, you need to get home for work tomorrow.” he groans at your mention of work. “Can we stay here forever?” he mumbled into your neck. “Me and you and Tom ? Sure we can” you joked, he sat up. 

“On that thought, let’s go” he got out of bed, you laughed and got up too. 

The two of you got ready to head out. You made one last check through the house while Luke took the bags to the car. He waited for you by the car as you stepped out. 

You took one last look inside, whispering to yourself. “Bye Tom, take care” you smiled at the empty house and locked the door. You walked to Luke and gave him a hug. 

“What's this for ?” His arms pulled you closer to him 

“For putting up with my ghost stuff all weekend” you smiled up at him 

“Ready to go?” he asked as he opened the door for you, “thank you” you got into the passenger seat. 

A single rose laid on the seat, you picked it up and smelt it. “Where’d you get that?” Luke asked you, looking at the rose in your hand. “It was on the seat. You didn’t put this here?” you looked back at him, he shook his head. You rested the rose on your lap, Luke backed up before pulling out of the driveway. You took one last look at the house before he left the driveway, a figure of a man stood in the window. He smiled at you and waved at you and you smiled back at him.

“What are you smiling at ?” Luke looked over at you with his own smile on his face, “oh just the house” you smiled at him. 

The drive back into the city was quiet, the two of you got back earlier than expected. You dragged your bags into the room as Luke went to pick up Roxy from the neighbours. You unzipped your bag to find a note on top of your clothes, Luke probably left something for you. 

You unfolded the paper, it wasn’t Luke’s handwriting. It’s one that seemed oddly familiar but you still weren’t sure why. 

“Thank you for bringing love back into this house. 

T.S” 

T.S, Who was T.S? 

It hit you, T.S was Thomas Sharpe. 

Turns out ghosts were real. 

---------

Taglist: @luke-alvez​ @iconicc​ @aaronhotchnerr​ @mac99martin​ @aaron-hotchner187​ @tclaerh​ @lieberhers​ @pumpkin-reads​ @ssa-holmes​ @katexrichardson​ 

[ssatoritendou]

Costumes

Pairing: sero/reader

hanata sero 

Word count: 890

+ summary: it’s Halloween and you and Sero are harboring feelings for each other and go costume shopping.

Genre: fluff

Warning: none

"Mina, don't you think Mr. Aizawa will find out about our Halloween party?"

"Everything will be fine Sero. Besides this might be your only chance to kiss ____!"

"Keep your voice down. She might hear you." Sero taped Mina's mouth closed.

"Hey, Mina what flavor punch should I make? Sero what the hell are you doing?" You looked really confused about what Sero was doing to Mina. "I didn't know you were kinky."

"I-I- What?" Mina was letting out muffled laughs before ripping off the tape.

"He was trying to get me to shut up. Because he doesn't want Bakugou to beat him up because he doesn't have a costume yet."

"Sero the party is tonight!"

"____ you don't have a costume either," Kaminari said from behind you. "At least, Sero knows what costume he has to get."

"What are you dressing up as?"

"We are dressing up as the Avengers. I'm Thor, Kirishima is the Hulk, Bakugou is Ironman, Mina is a Black widow and Sero Spider-Man." Kaminari stated.

"Oh Sero you would be a perfect Spider-Man. But why haven't you picked up the costume?"

"I've been busy. School is killing me."

"Well, we can go now. We still have time. You can even help me with mine."

You smiled at Sero.

Sero was staring at you and thinking ‘her eyes are gleaming and beautiful’

"Sero are you ok?" You asked confused as to why he was staring at you.

"Uh Yeah. I'm fine I just zoned out." He laughed nervously.

The two of you left the dorms and went to the nearest costume store.

"I found a Spider-Man costume Sero!" You shouted across the store.

"Thanks, ____."

"I was think something like this for me." You were holding up a sexy cheerleader costume.

"No. If you wear that Mineta won't leave you alone."

"Then what do you think?" You huffed unsure what you wanted.

"How about the Wonder Woman?" He pulled the costume. You, of course, inspected it.

"Yes. This is the one. Thank you, Sero." You threw your arms around your neck and kissed his cheek. Sero felt his cheeks turn pink.

"Mina, can you zip up the back of my costume?"

"Yes, I will. I can see the costume shopping went well."

"It did Sero is so nice."

"Yes, he is. What do you think of him like really think?"

"I think he is super nice, under-appreciated, no offense but he is one of the smartest out of the bakusquad. He has the most amazing smile." You felt your cheeks go-to red when Mina was staring at you.

"Do you like him?"

"Is it that obvious?"

"No Sero is completely oblivious. He thinks you only think of him as a friend. You do know he's like over the top in love with you?"

"No, he isn't."

"You are both idiots for each other." She laughed. The pair of you left your room and went downstairs to everyone relaxing with some low music on.

"Wow ____ you make the perfect Wonder Woman!" Izuku cheered.

"Thank you Izuku! Nice All Might onesie!" He gave you a big smile in return.

"What is Todoroki?"

"I don't know what he is? Todoroki please come over here." Izuku waved his hand at Todoroki and he walked over.

"Midoriya,______."

"What are you supposed to be?"

"I'm Shoto."

"You dressed as yourself for a Halloween party?"

"I dressed as my hero identity."

"My God. Go get yourself some candy."

"That bastard always said candy rots teeth," Todoroki said under his breath.

"He's just talking about Endeavor. I'll watch him." Izuku followed Todoroki.

You walked over to Bakugou and Kirishima. "Have you guys seen Sero? I wanted to see how his costume turned out."

"He's outside. That idiot Kaminari is helping-"

"He's planning a surprise for something special for you." Kirishima smiled at you. You went to walk outside and saw Kaminari rushing away.

"Denki I love your costume. You make a great Thor. Have you seen Sero?"

"Yeah, he sent me to come and get you." He smiled.

You looked at him confused but shrugged it off and went outside.

"Sero? Sero where are you?" You looked around but didn't see him. Until you turn around and screamed.

"____ it's me I'm sorry I wanted to surprise you." He said innocently. He was hanging by his tape upside-down from a tree.

"Hanta Sero you are so lucky I like you!" You hit his shoulders.

"How lucky am I?" He said but you couldn't really hear him. You pulled down the mask a little.

"Can you repeat that?"

"I said how lucky am I?" But you weren’t paying attention to what he was saying you were more focused on his lips. Sero must have noticed and leaned forward as you did. You were kissing finally.

When you pulled away Sero responded with, "You have no clue how long I wanted to do that."

What you didn't know was Mr. Aizawa was behind you using his quirk to cancel out Sero using his tape to hold him up. Sero fell to the ground.

"Mr. Aizawa, what are you doing here?" You asked politely.

"No partying after lights out." That's when he wrapped you two in his scarf and dragged up inside.

"At least we are tied up together," Sero said with a smile.

[hoshiwhxre]

I’ll Look After You. (kjk)

Kim Junkyu : I’ll Look After You

description : junkyu becomes worried for you when he witnesses one of your dad’s angry outbursts and offers you a place to stay for a while at his - soon you both recognise and give in to your fast developing feelings for each other and things quickly become...hot.

typ : smut / bit of fluff

pairing : softdom!junkyu x female!reader

rated : NSFW

warnings : praise!kink , slight size!kink , unprotected sex , smut smut smut smut

word count : 3.5k

    "Y/N, would you get the door? I'm busy," your father's abrupt yell brought your fingers straight to your headphones, tearing them off with a sigh. You rose to your feet and with a rushed stumble padded down the stairs towards your front door. Upon a second knock, you twisted the key to tug the heavy plastic open - revealing a tall young man stood patiently before you.

    "Junkyu?" you blinked, slight surprise in your tone.

He laughed, rubbing his neck with a shy grin.

    "Sorry to be annoying, but I left my phone here earlier."

    "Oh? Come on in, I'll see if I can find it," you offered him a polite smile as you stepped to the side, allowing him through, "wait here, do you remember where you left it?"

    "The living room," Junkyu pushed his hands into his pockets, his eyes flickering down to hover momentarily over your material shorts. Mouth dry, he swallowed, watching you move away with a nod, leaving him to stand alone in the small hallway. For a few minutes he gazed around at the picture cladded walls, dragging his gaze over your smiling face from a baby up until now. His lips twitched, one particular picture of your friends huddled together catching his attention. He could practically hear the screaming laughter, remembering how you'd pushed each other into the pool, how you'd warmed up around a fire pit, how you'd all cuddled together long into the night. It was the first and only time you two had been so intimate, just the two of you, sharing a blanket and dozing beside each other while your friends spoke softly between themselves. Out of the group, you'd never been that close - there were so many of you, after all.

    His thoughts were interrupted by the angry yell of an older man's voice, forcing Junkyu's body to jump in shock. Head shooting up, he stared at the slightly ajar living room door, flinching with every frustrated grunt of what could only be your father. You emerged a few moments later looking drained and weary, but holding out Junkyu's phone in your hand.

    "Sorry about that," you said quietly.

Brow furrowing, Junkyu shook his head.

    "It's fine---"

    "I'm so fucking sick of this," again, your father's shout made Junkyu's limbs tense, and his teeth sank anxiously into his lower lip.

    "What's happened? Is it because I'm here?" Junkyu asked, carefully.

    "No, no," you sighed, "he's just like that. Nothing new."

You spoke quietly, as if desperately trying not to be heard, and it left Junkyu with a worried, messy feeling.

    "It doesn't bother you?" he murmured.

Glancing up, you met his eyes, hovering over his soft gaze for a few seconds before forcing a small smile.

    "You get used to it," you paused, "I'll see you tomorrow? At Mia's?"

Junkyu's head inclined slightly, his response dithering as his mind twisted with nerves. He didn't like the idea of you being on your own like this.

    "Will you be okay?" his voice was low, "he doesn't...hurt you...does me?"

    "Junkyu, please, it's nothing," you insisted, weakly.

    "It doesn't seem like nothing," he spoke sharply, "tell me, y/n, he doesn't does he?"

Taking a deep breath, you allowed yourself to internalise his concerned features, his taller figure standing protectively close. You didn't realise he cared so much.

    "Not any more," you said softly.

Junkyu's muscles twitched, his fingers tapping impatiently against his thighs.

    "Where's your mum?"

    "Away with my brother."

    "I'm not letting you stay here alone, y/n."

    "You're making a big deal out of nothing---"

    "If he hurts you, and I didn't do anything to stop it, I couldn't live with myself. Look, I'll call Mia---"

You suddenly snatched up his wrist, holding it close to prevent him from reaching towards his back pocket.

    "No," you said quickly, "she'll tell her parents and make it into something it's not - this just happens every now and then, he gets frustrated, he's coming down from a high..." breaking off, you avoided his eyes.

    "Drugs?" he choked, "you can't seriously think I'm letting you stay here."

    "Letting me?" your eyebrow cocked, "you're not letting me do anything, I don't belong to you."

You attempted to release his wrist, but instead his fingers curled through yours, holding onto them tightly.

    "If you won't tell Mia, or the others, then stay at mine. Even if it's just for a few nights until he calms down, it's better than you having to deal with this atmosphere."

Your cheeks went warm, heart stammering in shocked response to his kindness. The way he gazed at you so intently made your stomach twist with butterflies, completely overwhelmed by his insistence to keep you safe.

    "Junkyu..."

    "Please," tone softening, he squeezed your hand, "if not for yourself, then for me - to put my mind at ease."

Chewing your lip, you could feel yourself drawing closer to him, suddenly wanting nothing else but his arms around you. You didn't think before you were slowly nodding your head, fingertips sinking into the back of his hand. He was right - it would be better than living in that atmosphere. Used to it or not, it was getting to you more and more every day.

    "Let me just go get some things," you whispered.

----

    Junkyu threw his set of keys into a pot positioned to the right of his front door, nodding towards the living room and then gesturing to the house.

    "It's just me and you for a while," he said, "my parents are in America."

Looking around, you took in the attractive decor, getting used to the new surroundings. After 2 years of knowing each other, you'd never once been to his home.

    "It's nice," you breathed, "it's got this feel about it, kind of..."

    "Calming?" Junkyu finished for you.

Your eyes met, his grin sending shivers down your spine.

    "Calming," you repeated with a murmur, "like you."

He laughed, approaching the living room and falling down into the heavily pillowed sofa. Following suit, you lowered down beside him, bowing your head in sudden silence.

    "Thank you," you said quietly, "it's nice to be out of there."

Junkyu gazed at you, before scooching close to lightly nudge your arm. Even sat down, his figure was taller than yours, and it allowed for you to feel comforted in his presence.

    "Why didn't you tell any of us?" he asked, gently, "we care about you."

With a quiet, sad laugh, your head turned towards him.

    "What am I supposed to say? The stress I struggle with every day is worsened by my dad's rollercoaster emotions? He smokes weed so often his paranoia sends him into fits of anger, screaming accusations fueled by absolutely insane thought patterns? I'm constantly on edge, unsure how he'll behave today - the outbursts make me feel anxious, and they make me depressed but there's nothing I can do to..." you broke off, your voice gradually increasing in pitch until it finally cracked with a breathless gasp.

    As soon as the tears filled your eyes, your throat closing far enough to make your words strained and quiet, Junkyu wrapped an arm around your shaking shoulders. He tugged you close, guiding your head against your chest before meeting his hands behind your back. Murmuring gentle soothings down your ear, he rose one hand to begin running his fingers comfortingly through your hair. For a few moments they remained in that embrace, your tears soaking his t-shirt, your grasp tight around the white material, before Junkyu began to slowly lower both of you down against the sofa. He tugged his legs up, resting your body between them so he could wind his arms further around your waist. While your cheek pressed into the crook of his neck, he ran his fingers in delicate circles along the small of your back, and within moments your breath was steadying and limbs were relaxing into him.

    "Stay here for a bit," Junkyu breathed, "it's okay."

    "I'm sorry," you whispered, "for this. It's so embarrassing I---"

    "Don't be stupid," he nuzzled his cheek into your soft hair, "we're friends, aren't we?"

Slowly, you head tilted up, gazing up into his dark eyes.

    "We've never been that close," you murmured, aware of his firm hands resting against your lower back, confused by the butterflies it was sending through your body.

With a gentle smile, Junkyu reached up to brush the remininsce of tears from your cheeks. He bowed his head slightly, your lips hovering close - and he swallowed.

    "We can be close now," he purred, the sensation of your warm breath tickling his skin and keeping his body tensed. For a few moments you held each other's gaze, only centimetres away from deepening the intimate moment. A flustered rush overcame his body, and Junkyu swallowed, "do you want to do something? To take your mind off it?"

Your palms against his chest, you nodded, allowing both yourself and him to rise. As he slipped from the sofa, you felt a wave of emptiness rush through your veins.

    "You like dancing, right? I know you and Doyoung spend a lot of time together," Junkyu spoke, turning on the TV screen, "want to play Just Dance? I bet I'll beat you."

You laughed, drawing a rose brow from the other boy.

    "What?" he faked indignance, "you don't believe me?"

    "Whatever you say," you smiled, eyes suddenly sparkling, "but I have a little brother who's obsessed with this game, I'm telling you right now I've had more practice than you."

Throwing a remote to you, Junkyu motioned for you to step out onto the floor.

    "It's cute how confident you are," he drawled, "but I'm better than you."

His cockiness was sending waves of weakness through your body, and you could feel your heart stammering each time your eyes met.

    "Game on."

For the next 20 minutes your laughter echoed loud throughout the house, squeals and shouts merging with teasing remarks. Your breath was heavy and sweat dripped from your foreheads, snatching at each other's arms to tug them to match the positions of the on-screen dancers.

    "I need a drink," you panted, pushing hair from your face. With a grin, Junkyu nodded, breathlessly leading you into his kitchen. He filled up two glasses of water, passing one into your smaller hand and gulping down his own drink.

    "I'm winning," you teased, laughing, "I told you."

    "We've still got round 2 yet," Junkyu winked, "don't get too cocky."

You reached out, plucking at his shirt lightly.

    "Let's get back to it, then."

As if entranced by you, Junkyu's head lowered, allowing you to guide him slowly back to the living room. The song that flooded the room next was a warm up, slow-paced and sensual, allowing Junkyu's eyes to study your careful body. Copying the moves, your hands clasped, pulling close to press your chests together. For a few seconds you remained still, heart pumping, your gaze on his lips, his eyes on your neck - before coming to the embarrassed realisation that the song had finished. The next dances were a lot faster, drawing more laughter and playful giggles from your throats. It wasn't long before you both collapsed weakly down onto the sofa, again panting breathlessly. You'd fallen close to each other, pressed together as you caught your breath before turning your heads with a smile. Breath heavy on the other's face, your noses were so close to touching.

    "Okay, I admit," Junkyu murmured, "you're better than me."

You gazed up at him through long lashes, releasing a tired giggle at your success.

    "I told you."

Within seconds, Junkyu's expression had grown serious, stopping your fast beating heart in an instant. You could feel his fingers twitch against yours, his eyes flickering to your lips.

    "I know one thing I can do better than you," he whispered.

And suddenly his hand was shooting up, taking your jawline in his palm with a thumb pressed to your cheek and fingers curling around the back of your neck. In one smooth movement he pressed his lips to yours, lids fluttering shut to taste the delicate cherry dawning your tongue. Without hesitation you pushed into the kiss with just as much passion, your tongue slipping between his lips as your fingers curled around his arm. As the seconds passed, both yours and his hands began to wander, Junkyu pushing you back to the leather so his firm palms could guide your thighs against his waist. Your body was growing hot, his tall, broad figure dominating you so easily you gave in to him without resistance. Slowly, his lips dropped to press open-mouthed kisses against the sensitive skin of your neck, every now and then sinking his teeth in deep to leave dark marks in his place. A soft whimper fluttered from your mouth, fingers entwining through his hair as you felt a hot pool begin to grow at you core.

    "You're so beautiful," he mumbled, his mouth reaching the low hem of your t-shirt. As his hands strayed to the thin material, he glanced up, asking silent permission to take it off. Upon your nod, your desperate "y-yes", he slowly tugged the t-shirt over your head, throwing it to the floor. With surprising ease he unclipped your bra next, allowing it to join your top before attaching his lips once again to your skin. His tongue swirled in a light circle against your breast, teeth leaving another dark purple mark. Head rolling back, you watched through hooded eyes as one hand squeezed your left breast, while his mouth remained concentrated on the right. Once he finally sat up, his tongue sliding across his lip as he gazed down at you lay helpless beneath him, he smiled - a small, slight smile that erupted your chest in excited butterflies. Chest heaving, you watched him pull of his shirt, dropping it to the floor before lowering himself to mould his lips once more against yours. While you kissed, his large hands strayed to your shorts, fingers curling beneath the hem to guide them slowly down your legs. You kicked them off, carefully, before your back arched with a high moan in response to his middle finger dragging lightly against your soaked panties.

    "You're already so wet," he murmured in your ear, "for me?"

Your nod made his eyes roll up in pleasure, beginning to tease your clit through the lace in a desperate attempt to drawn more moans from your lips. Becoming slightly impatient, he dragged your panties past your hips to your ankles - again urging you to kick them to the floor. You obliged immediately, desperate for him to go further. Reaching up to cup his cheeks in your palms, you willed him to go on - just as you felt him unzip his jeans, fumbling with the denim. Lips pressing together, he reached down to guide his tip to your entrance. Slowly, steadily, he pushed a few inches in, stilling for a moment to allow you to adjust to his size. You hummed against his mouth, a soft gasp creating smooth vibrations, not expecting him to be that hard or that thick. Pushing all the way in, causing you to catch your breath as you felt his cock seem to press against your guts, Junkyu stilled once again. As you pressed your lips harder against his, your palms against the back of his neck, he drove his hips into you with one slow, hard movement. He continued with that pace, enjoying the taste of your tongue against his, his hips offering you deep, steady thrusts. Your bodies pushed and pulled against the leather, already so sensitive your lips were growing weaker and messier against each other.

    "You're doing so well," Junkyu praised, softly.

His words made your body shiver with pleasure, nodding with a light whimper to your praise. Recognising your enjoyment to his words, he continued with low, gentle phrases of praise, "you're such a good girl", "you're taking it so well", "you're doing great, princess", "so pretty, seeing you so weak for me", "I'm so proud of you, angel".

    Soon, his words, mixed with his deep thrusts, were making your core knot up completely. You were becoming desperate, your breath catching, and your nails sinking into his hair until he could feel you tighten around his cock.

    "Are you going to cum for me?" he mumbled against your lips, "let me hear you say it, baby."

    "I-I'm going to cum," you whimpered.

    "Say my name," his dark eyes met yours, "say my name while I make you cum."

His soft demands were making you come undone, finding yourself putty in his hands. Your moans were loud, unable to stop your eyes from closing in ecstasy.

    "Look at me," he breathed.

You obliged, and almost immediately your limbs tensed against him, your body shaking as you came undone - a rush of pleasure shooting through your veins. Collapsing back, breathless, you gazed into his satisfied smirk, before reaching up to begin weakly peppering light kisses against his jaw, trailing to his neck, to his ear. Your soft touch against his skin erupted him in goosebumps, swallowing as you began to push at his chest. He rose, back pressing against the sofa, and you rose one leg over his - straddling him delicately. His calm eyes watched as you reached down, sliding your fingers along his hard shaft before beginning to lower yourself - slowly - onto it. Lips twitching, he rested his hands firmly against your waist, guiding you as your teeth sank into your lip with a light gasp.

    "Good girl," he murmured.

Allowing his head to roll back, Junkyu's throat released low grunts as you began to slide up and down his cock carefully. You were still so wet, the warmth almost seemed to make him bigger inside of you.

    "Slowly," he urged, "take it easy, I don't want you to be sore...not just yet."

His words made you whimper, your arms winding around his neck to feather kisses against his ear. Teeth sinking into his lobe, you bounced a little faster, drawing deep moans from his mouth just as he had done to you.

    It wasn't long against before you could feel his cock twitch slightly inside of you, his grip on your waist tightening with every ride. His head turned, pushing his lips to yours to muffle his groans, before his limbs began to abruptly tense. Thighs flexing beneath you, fingers sinking into your skin, his teeth suddenly sank into your lip - drawing enough blood for it to drip once onto his tongue.

    He grunted, one last time, before stilling your body against his chest as he felt himself collapsing undone. Breathless, you fell forward, resting your head in the crook of his neck, while his warm hands began to slide along your back. His pants were heavy against you, quietening himself by lightly kissing shoulder.

    "Are you hungry?" Junkyu mumbled.

Upon your nod, he guided you from his lap and tugged his underpants up to his hips before rising from the sofa. He glanced down at you, smiling slightly at the sight of you lying contently on his sofa - lids closed, cheeks pink.

    Sensing he'd left for the kitchen, you forced yourself up, plucking his t-shirt from the floor and tugging it's large frame over your body. You slipped your panties on and rose to your feet, entire body tingling from the minutes before. Quietly, you began to pad in Junkyu's direction, sneaking up on his taller figure to wind your arms around his waist while he cooked.

    "Eggs?" he breathed, tapping at the pan of boiling noodles. He felt you nod against his back, laughing at your clingy embrace, "come here, sit here..."

Turning, he bent down to haul your body up onto the side next to him, pressing his lips to your cheek before addressing his concentration back on the food.

   "Was it okay?" Junkyu asked, softly.

Tilting your head, you surpressed a smile.

    "More than," you murmured.

    "Really?" Junkyu grinned, eyes sparkling with a renewed cockiness, "how so?"

    "I felt taken care of,” you admitted, blushing at the mere memory.

Glancing up, Junkyu carefully studied your features.

    "I've always thought you were beautiful," he breathed, resting his palms either side of you, slightly leaning in, "especially that night after the pool."

    "I think about that every now and then," you reached up to brush your fingers through his hair, "cuddled up with such a handsome guy, I was surprised you couldn't hear my heart."

    "I can hear it now," Junkyu teased, pulling off to stir the pan, "you think I'm handsome?"

His voice was careful, as if he didn't quite believe you.

    "Of course I do," you murmured.