#and SWORE she would make me stop being afraid to present in front of the class

[henry-fox-biggest-stan]

Most English teachers try to be mr keating, and it never works, they just end up looking like they’re trying too hard

But why is that

The reason why mr keating worked was because of Welton

If he went to a public normal school it wouldn’t have worked. Sure his classes would have been fun, but it wouldn’t have had half of the effect than his classes on Welton had.

Because Welton is super strict, the lives of the students are super strict, controlled by parents who want them to be what they couldn’t have been. Mr keating tells them than there’s more than one way to be, to make their own decisions, than not being a doctor or an engineer is fine, than wanting to be an actor or a writer is fine, than at the end of the day, their lives are theirs, to make them theirs because before they notice they will end.

Kids in normal public schools already know that. Sure, some might have more strict parents than others, but they know, they don’t need a teacher to explain it to them, they wouldn’t be realizing anything new.

In Welton, where everything is super strict and their lives don’t really even feel theirs (no matter how strict their parents are, they don’t need to be mr perry, but the fact alone than they are in Welton, a private boarding school, than they put them there specifically to succeed, even Charlie and Knox’s parents want them to be a banker and a lawyer), hearing that come from a teacher’s mouth, while teachers for so long just wanted them to do the opposite, to be quiet to obey to just do all the work without complaining, hearing a teacher, an adult in a position of power over them, tell them than they should, and can choose, that has an effect on them.

[rumblelibrary]

Can you do a zemo x reader where the reader is scared to marry or be in a relationship with zemo because they feel like they are replacing zemo's dead wife?

An Honest Proposal [Baron Helmut Zemo x Fem!Reader]

Word count: 2k

Warnings: mention of losing a loved one

Author’s note: This is a theme that I loved to analyse while writing, thank you so much for offering it to me to write!

You looked at him, you gulped down as he was proposing there, in that moment.

It wasn't like you weren't already on cloud nine when he brought you to Paris for a long weekend out, or when he told you that he booked the Palace of Versailles for the two of you to dine in the mirrored halls in your evening clothes.

Oh no.

He had to take your hand and give you a tour showing off his cultured self, how much he knew, all the trivia and the famous quotes and rules of the french court.

His charm was over pouring and you were feeling like a princess, like the world was made to unravel around you and develop from you.

Then he did it, he dropped onto his knee presenting you the finest piece of jewellery and craftsmanship that had ever been done on a ring.

“Would you give me the honour to become my wife?"

Those the words, and here you are now, staring at him, the lights of Versailles shining upon you, suddenly you couldn't hear any sound but the rhythmical beating of your heart.

"Yes, yes I do"

You said it or maybe you shouted it but then he took your hand and slipped that ring on your finger and you kissed him.

The world was perfect and you were the luckiest one in the world.

But then you couldn't sleep that night.

You kept rolling around in the sheets as your mind was a mess.

He promised you love forever, he swore to you time and time again you were his love, that he wanted to have a future with you, sometimes he even dropped a little hint of your future life together.

You usually smiled it off, you nodded and giggled or shut him up with a kiss.

But now the ring made it real, his honest smile making you feel guilty to the bone for the distrust you were giving in for him.

He did it all, he did it all perfectly, he was romantic, attentive, gentle, observant. He tried all his best to show you only the best side of himself and even when arguing he would be cold and try to detain the fiery nature of his character.

You sighed as you realised sleep was not coming to you, not even after the also amazing good night sex you had.

You slipped out of bed trying to be less noisy as possible, you had a luxurious suite to stay in Paris so you could let him rest. You wore your night gown and wrapped it safely around your body as you closed the door behind you going to the living room area turning on the tv to low volume as you sat on the comfortable couch.

Your eyes went down to your left hand, that ring so proportionate for your hand that it looked like made for it.

You inhaled deeply as you let out a soft sigh, tears started to surge from your eyes, a sense of loss taking over you.

A series of 'What if...?'s creeping into your mind like a snake into the little mouses's house.

You can't do it.

How could you?

It was not like he was divorced, he was a widower. He lost her, he lost his son.

Nothing you could ever do could replace her, nothing you could ever say. She was still alive for you, she was unbeatable like the art you saw tonight, she was perfect and idealised and you were human and flawed.

You almost didn't realise when tears were running down your cheeks freely, the sense of helplessness washing over you.

You didn't want to lose him, you loved him, but how could you ever leave a mark in his life when she was there?

"My love"

You jolted up as you felt Helmut's warm hands on your shoulders as he leaned above you standing from behind the couch.

"What happened?"

He asked as he moved around the couch to sit with you.

"No, it is nothing"

He stared at you titling his head on side "darling" he warned you, he hated lies.

"Helmut I.." you looked away to the screen like the people in there could tell you what to say "I don't know if I can marry you"

He opened his mouth, he looked like he didn't expect it, like he could face anything but that. He looked down at his own lap, for once speechless.

"Did I do anything that upset you?"

"No, of course not, the night was perfect"

"Is it because I want to get married in church? We can do the civil rite, we have time"

"No, no Helmut, it is not because of it"

"It is because of my past?"

"No"

You said but the sad twist into the corner of his mind meant that he captured the lie in that. You looked at him a bit upset, did he just pulled his military tricks on you?

"Look.."

"No" You interrupted him "It is not because of the terrorist attacks or the whole Avengers thing..."

He was really confused by now, his body wrapped into the night gown looked almost weak as you presented those doubts to him.

"It is you wife, Helmut"

You admitted it and as soon as you did you felt a new wave of tears rushing over you like a storm, you hiccupped as you tried to hide it and he frowned, lips pressing against each other tight.

“What about her?" You glared at him, you rarely did it but this time you had to.

You were mad he couldn’t understand your doubts and fears, he leaned his hand to touch yours and you slapped it away.

“Y/N” he begun taking a deep breath in “Heike is dead, she is not a threat toward you in any way. She lost her life cruelly and unrightfully, but that doesn’t make you different to my eyes”

You stared at him shaking your head

“She is perfect to your eyes Helmut” you said collecting the courage to speak up “She was the perfect mother to your perfect son, she was all kindness and being the exceptional baroness full of this and that…”

“Y/N”

“You destroyed the Avengers for her!”

You didn’t realised you shouted it in his face until you just did.

He looked at you, he could see what was going on now, he wondered what of all he did brought you to that point, and also, how could he not see it?

“It is true” he said “I destroyed them for her, they took away my family and I took away theirs. It was fair to me in some very cruel sense”

You opened your mouth and now he was the one blocking your words 

“But” he looked at you taking a pause “she was not you and you are not her. She wasn’t perfect, she had her flaws like any human and my life was flawed in its own way. You’re not a second take, you’re not taking her place. I want you to be my wife. That’s it. Full stop. I want to be flawed with you, I want to make a life with you, maybe a family, if you’d like. But the truth is that I wouldn’t do it with anyone else but with you and in my eyes there’s nobody, and I repeat it, nobody that could compare with you”

His palm opened in front of you offering you to take his hand

“I just want the chance to make you happy, to call you mine officially in front of the world. I want you to have my name and my title, I want us to be a now but also a tomorrow, together”

He smiled at you, he looked so bare to your eyes, his heart almost visible to you through his words.

“I love you Y/N, I will love you no matter if you’d wear that ring”

You pushed his hand away and he looked at you afraid for a moment, his heart sinking down into his stomach, before you hugged him wrapping your arms around his neck.

“I love you too” you whispered.

He smiled wrapping his arms around you and he stayed like this, holding you, giving you a gentle squeeze as he buried his face against your neck.

Only the thought of losing you breaking his heart, if something ever happened to you the Avengers wouldn’t be able to detain him.

“My husband”you called his attention now “I am hungry”

He looked up at you as you said those words, the most genuine smile taking over his lips as he caressed your cheek pulling you closer into a kiss, sealing the end of your doubts with it.

Tagged @cazzyimagines​ @lieutenantn​ @handmaiden-of-mischief​ @thesunflowersutra​ @zemomybeloved​​ @fictionlandslanddreams​ @charistory​ @greeneyedblondie44​ @apparrio​ @hb8301​ @whatawildone​ @rhymerhymerhyme@thehuiabird @lilith-blackrose @unbeatablecurlgirl @obsidianlaszlo

Let me know if you want to get tagged to my publications too <3

[leascorner]

j.b.b. | Marley

Summary: Eventually, Bucky gave his deepest secrets away and you let him know yours. Her name was Marley.

Pairing:  Bucky Barnes x single mom!reader

Warnings: Mention of past and present relationships, parenting, mention of food

Word Count: 3.7k

a/n: This is my first story posted on here. I’ve been writting for +12 years now but for the last couple of years, I couldn't finish a single story. Turns out Bucky Barnes was all I needed to get over my massive writer’s block. Feedback is greatly appreciated. (Also, english is not my native language so if you spot any grammar mistake, please let me know!)

Masterlist

It all began with his friend, Sam.

On a night they were out for drinks, he had made it his mission to find someone for Bucky. Someone or anyone for the matter. He talked to everyone in the bar that night, while Bucky drank his beer, sitting at the counter. When it was clear enough that nobody there that night would keep grumpy Bucky company, Sam turned his attention on the dating app his friend had downloaded on his phone some weeks ago. He probably went through a dozen of profiles, sometimes showing the phone screen to Bucky, to what he would just respond by rolling his eyes and drinking some more beer.

That was until Sam showed him your profile. Bucky stared a second longer to the picture displayed on his phone screen than for the others. He couldn't tell what that was: the smile on your lips, the wrinkles at the side of your eyes or simply your eyes; but he couldn't get his eyes off it. Sam immediately started typing a message for you to what Bucky obviously protested. He did not need company because he was just fine on his own.

Despite his super-soldier abilities, he wasn't quick enough to take the phone from his friend's hands. The smile that appeared on Sam’s face annoyed Bucky even more. "What are you afraid of, though guy?" Sam had asked and Bucky eventually backed off, letting him do whatever he was planning on doing. There was no point in stopping Sam. He knew you wouldn't be interested anyway... To be honest, who would be? Bucky got his phone back along with a smirk from his friend. There was no answer after that, and Sam eventually found another topic to annoy the heck out of Bucky.

When he woke up the next morning, your reply notification was patiently waiting for him. For a second, he thought of deleting it, without having a look first. What did he have to lose? Gathering his courage, he opened it. Your words were as genuine as your smile and it made him grin like an idiot, though he made a mental note to later murder Sam for his poor choice of pick-up line. It took him the whole morning to be able to type an answer and another afternoon to press the ‘send’ button. It was the first text of many. Eventually, a lot of texts turned into calls; that turned into meeting up in your favorite French bakery; that turned into movies and restaurant dates.

    This was nearly one year and a half ago.

Your relationship with Bucky was cautious and steady. He liked how you would give him his space, but still being right there for him. He liked that you let him stare at you in total awe or that you always had small kind thoughts for him like when you made his eggs the way he preferred in the morning and that everything was so simple - obvious even - by your side. Eventually, Bucky gave his deepest secrets away and you let him know yours.

Her name was Marley.

If Bucky was being honest, finding out you had a two and a half years-old daughter was quite the shock. Not that he couldn't have seen that coming; you would always make plans, your handbag was always full of snacks and hand wipes and for some reason, you would never be available between five and eight p.m. That was also what he liked about you. The stability.

The idea of being involved in a relationship with somebody that already had a child did scare him off. If he decided to continue the relationship, it would not only be a matter of breaking your heart in the process – and well, maybe his too - but breaking a child's heart too. And that more than anything, he was refusing to assume the responsibility, but he owed you that much. You knew his deepest secrets and still, you didn't run away from him. Worse, you trusted him to be around your child.

You both had a lot of discussions about him meeting Marley - Bucky even seek advice to Sam. And as for the rest of your relationship, you took it slow. It started with Bucky showing up to your Sunday walk in Central Park, feeding up the ducks and sharing snacks. You also spent some time at the carnival where he would watch you two on the carousel – sometimes joining the ride too - and he would help Marley win at pick a duck or buy her popcorn. Eventually, he would spend more time with the two of you. It started with spending at least one evening per week at your place, making dinner while watching you playing with Marley in the living room. One evening turned into two, three, five evenings per week. He still could step out if he needed. You still could spend time with your daughter where he wasn't there. You still spent time just the two of you, when Marley was asleep at night or he would take you on date nights. The routine you three put in place was nice, but Bucky wasn't planning on taking Marley’s dad place. God, he would never see himself as a dad and Marley already had one - though in Bucky's opinion, he would not be awarded father-of-the-year.

    Today, Bucky was picking Marley up from daycare.

He had done it a million times already, but this time was a little bit different. He was doing it on his own. The babysitter stood you up and you were stuck in an endless one-day meeting. You had called in utter panic, asking him to pick Marley up from daycare and taking care of her until you would be home. He had assured you he would do it and it would be fine. Now that he was standing in front of the building, he was doubting himself. He didn't know if he could do it on his own.

Another shaky sigh and Bucky entered the building. The childcare workers greeted him when he showed up at Marley's room. She was sat at one of these tiny tables making some kind of collage crafts. He planned on waiting for her to finish, just staring like he always did, before announcing himself, but Marley spotted him the second his figure appeared at the door.

"Bucky!" Marley cried out, leaving everything behind and running towards him.

"Hey Mar-Mar," he smiled. She always seemed happy to see him and Bucky wondered if she would eventually grow tired of him being always around.

After they hugged each other, Marley was called to put away her crafts and Bucky encouraged her to go do it. In the meantime, he collected her stuff - her panda backpack, shoes, and coat - so he could get her ready to leave. And he did just that when she got back to him.

"We are taking the train home. I'mna carrying you, is that okay?"

She wrapped her little arms around his neck in response and he lifted her up from the floor. After sharing goodbye to the childcare workers, they were heading home.

    On their way to the station, Marley explained in every detail what she had done at daycare that day; Bucky was listening carefully, sometimes asking questions - Carol, she is the one with the curly hair, right? Was Mark mean to you again? - but mostly he was just nodding along. They made it to the station just in time to take the 5:17 p.m. train. It was rush hour and Bucky mindfully chose to hop on one of the cars at the end of the train - the ones he knew would be the less busy at this time of the day. He had only seven stops, so he didn't sit and stood against one of the train windows. By that time, Marley had finished reporting on her day, and she was just watching around, smiling at anyone she would make eye contact with.

After the second stop, her eyes caught the sight of the dog tag around Bucky's neck. She fiddled it through his T-shirt, probably wondering what that was, before taken it out to have a closer look. In her tiny hands, the metal tag seemed to be huge. She looked up at Bucky, with bright eyes and he swore, he would do anything for these eyes.

"What is that?"

"Uh- " Bucky wasn't sure how to explain it in a way a three-years old would understand. "-Every soldier has one. It uh- has my name on it and some other information."

"Is it if you get lost?" she asked, her little eyebrows raised high on her forehead. She did understand a lot of the world around her for her age. "Mommy put a card with her name and her phone number in my bag."

"Yeah, it's something like that."

Marley smiled at him and returned her attention on the letters’ reliefs on the metal. By the fourth stop, she was resting her head on his shoulder while he was still firmly (but not too much) holding her with his left arm. She kept holding his dog tag in her tiny fist and was patiently waiting.

"She is very sweet," the old lady sat on the seat in front of them said to him before leaving the train.

He nodded shyly and looked back at the little girl in his arms. Marley looked so much like you. Her face had still some baby features, she just turned three after all, but she had the same nose and her eyes had the same color as yours. They were the same piercing eyes that when they’d look at him, he felt like they could read his soul. And she did not just look like you. She had also some of your habits and personality traits. She would always be smiling to people she didn’t know. She was always saying ‘thank you’ or ‘sorry’. She was obsessed with any kind of animal; the Sundays walks would last forever if she could pet all the dogs she encountered.

The rest of the ride was quiet, and Bucky got off the train on the seventh stop as planned. At the station, people turned on them as they passed. Maybe this was an odd sight: a man in combat boots, dark jeans, and a black leather jacket, carrying a small child in his arms. Especially knowing the kid in question was wearing white leggings, a red fluffy coat, and a stuffed panda backpack. Bucky didn't mind and continued his way to your place.

    Marley stayed quiet for the five minutes’ walk to your place, but once Bucky had turned on your street, she wriggled to be freed of his hold. Once her feet touched the ground, she directly ran towards a car parked not far away. She squatted down and started clicking her tongue. A ginger cat immediately came out from underneath the car.

"Careful," Bucky called out. He knew it was not recommended interacting with stray cat as they could be sick with all sorts of disease. And to be fair, it got him a little worried the cat was getting this close to Marley. He could already see her getting bitten by the cat, getting rabies, and losing her arm, or worse: dying.

"That's Gus, he lives at number 7," she said pointing at the building they stopped in front. It had the number written on it.

Gus started rubbing itself against Marley's shins and she gently petted his back. The cat then went to rub on Bucky's combat boots, also greeting him even though they never encountered before. And it continued his way to the building's porch, where it lazily lay down.

"Mommy said we could have a cat when we get a house."

"I've got a cat," Bucky stated and Marley cried out in excitement. She asked him about a hundred questions. What was its name? What was it looking like? Was it friendly? Was it sleeping in his bed with him at night? Bucky never failed to answer one of her questions and they talked about that until they made it in front of your apartment door.

    Marley was already on her way to her room when Bucky turned around after locking the door. She had removed her shoes and coat on her own and left them behind without putting them away like you would always request it.

"Uh-uh, we go wash your hands first, okay?"

After that was done, she ran to her room for good this time. Bucky went back to the living room and focused on what he could do to help you. He knew you would get home exhausted from your day at work and he did not want to have you do all the chores you usually did. It was the least he could do.

Somehow, your place was always tidier than his, and he lived on his own. In the kitchen, he found breakfast dishes in the sink and the dishwasher full of the dishes that had been cleaned the night before. That was where he would get started. He put away the dishes easily; he had been around your kitchen a lot those last months and he knew exactly where everything was. He even knew where you were hiding away the chocolate and candies; somewhere Marley didn't have access to.

"Hey Bucky, can I have snacks?"

A look at the watch sitting on his right wrist, she had still a good hour and a half before dinner and he replied positively. He wiped his hands on the dish towel resting on his shoulder and took one of these bamboo sectioned plates he just washed. He was reaching out to the first cupboards in front of him when it suddenly appeared to him, he had no idea what he could give her.

"What does your mom usually give you?" He asked Marley, turning back to her.

Marley shrugged. "Carrots and hummus." And Bucky swore this kid was eating healthier that he ever had.

He started by the fridge, looking for anything he could give to Marley. Thankfully, she wasn't a picky eater so it would be easy for him. Tonight's dinner was in it, along with some vegetables and fruits. He chose grapes because it was the only food, he could see himself eating at that time of the day.

"Grapes and uh-" he looked at the cupboards right next to the fridge "- crackers?"

Marley nodded. Bucky prepared it all on her plate, making sure there was just enough for her to be full but not too much so she would still eat dinner, and handed it to her. She carried it carefully to the living room, Bucky following behind. She had laid out all her crayons on the coffee table next to her Paw Patrol coloring book. He knew about this cartoon because it was the only one Marley ever wanted to watch, she was literally obsessed with it, and she did make him watch some episodes with her. He knew that, when she was playing alone in her room, she would usually pretend she was saving the world with them.

Bucky sat on the carpet, next to Marley, stealing one grape from her plate. She threw him a death glance but offered him some more if he would help with the coloring. He happily complied.

    Before dinner was normally bath time. Thankfully, you had said over the phone you would deal with that in the morning. For some reason, Marley did not like baths. A little bit of water in her eyes or ears was too much for her to handle and he wasn't sure he could deal with her being so upset on his own.

He still got her changed in her pajamas - she obviously chose the one with the dalmatian puppy from Paw Patrol you had agreed on buying a few weeks ago; washed her face with a cotton pad and some cleansing lotion, brushed her hair and tried the best he could to tie them in a low ponytail. You would normally braid them for the night, but this was not something Bucky mastered at all - he made a mental note to watch some tutorials on YouTube to learn though.

"Will you and mommy get married?" Marley asked out of nowhere while Bucky was carrying her back to the kitchen to have dinner.

"I don't know," he said, confused. "Why do you ask?"

"I prefer you over my real daddy," Marley admitted. And it broke his heart. Bucky knew how her dad forgot about her third birthday and missed most of his custody days lately. He didn't really understand how somebody could have a child and knowingly decide not take care of them anymore.

The child in his arm was so precious. It amazed him every day how much she could comprehend of the world around her. She was smart, creative, kind. She knew what she wanted, would be very stubborn about it and would do anything to get it – you always said you didn’t understand where she got her fierce mind and Bucky laughed every time because he knew exactly from whom she had gotten it: you. You did such a good job raising her on your own. He also knew you would always choose her over him, and he had to admit, it made him fall in love even more with you.

"Even if I'd marry your mom, I still wouldn't be your daddy officially."

"To me, you would," Marley concluded as if it was as simple as that.

Living with you two permanently. Marrying you. Bucky never thought of it. He liked how this relationship was working: the kindness, the trust, the love. He loved the movie dates with you, the Sundays walks, and the evening just the three of you. He loved how simple it all was and how it made him just happy. Happiest he had been in a long time. And he wondered if he wanted more. The way his heart was fluttering in his chest made him realized, he did. He didn't know if he was ready though.

    Back to the kitchen, he put her down on her seat before getting the casserole of potato gratin out of the oven. He put a small portion in her plate, next to some chopped carrots and apple sauce he already prepared. He put it down in front of her and sat next to her.

"Will you eat with mommy?"

"Yeah, is that alright?"

She nodded, rubbing her eyes. They had stayed coloring her books a little too long and it was nearly her bedtime. Smiling softly, he encouraged her to eat. She did while asking some more questions on his cat in between each mouthful. How old is it? Why did you name it Alpine? Has mummy already met it? Do you think she'll like me? Turned out this little one never run out of question.

After dinner, Bucky gave her a small portion of chocolate from the special cupboard and they agreed it would be their little secret. Then, he carried her to the bathroom to brush her tiny teeth. It was started to be late for her and she was clearly fighting against sleep, the lack of it upsetting her.

"I want to see mommy," she cried, lips trembling and eyes full of tears.

"I know Mar-Mar, she'll get there soon," Bucky tried to comfort her. You hadn't text yet, meaning you weren't on your way still. He knew Marley would be asleep before you got home. "We can read a book in your bed while we wait for her, yeah?"

Marley nodded and let Bucky carry her to her bed. She had her head rested on his right shoulder the whole time. She crawled under the covers the moment her body was dropped off on the bed. She let Bucky choose the bedtime story and he chose the one he knew she liked so much.

He laid beside her gently and she immediately reached out closer to him. He wrapped his right arm around her, and her hands somehow found his dog tag again. A small kiss on her forehead and Bucky started reading the book in his left hand. Marley was listening carefully, helping him by turning the page.

At the end of the story, she was fast asleep against him, his dog tag still in her tiny fist. Bucky did not dare moving, afraid he would wake her up if he did. He observed the small child against him and listened to her soft breathes. She looked so peaceful and it made him thought of the way she had welcomed him into her life. Just like you, she had taken him as a whole; with his trauma, his insecurities, his quietness, and his staring habits. And now, she had him wrapped around his little finger. He knew deep in his guts he wouldn't let anything happen to you or your daughter. He realized that now. That made him think some more: maybe he was ready after all. And this time, he would not let happiness slip away from him.

  Bucky stayed like that until twenty minutes later, when you showed up on your daughter’s room doorstep. You looked exhausted yet still radiant. A smile had formed on your lips at the sight in front of you. It made you melt right on the spot.

"Hey," Bucky greeted you softly.

You came closer, walking on your tiptoes, careful of not waking up your daughter. You laid besides them, kissing your daughter little fist, and tucked yet another strand of hair behind her ear. You looked back at Bucky, who was intensely staring at you. His left arm was already wrapped around your shoulders, bringing you close. You kissed his jaw, making him smile gently. "Thank you for taking care of her. Did it go okay?"

"More than okay." He kissed your forehead while you snuggled closer to him. His heart could burst of the feeling of having you two near him forever.

He wouldn't want to be anywhere else.

[huntergatherercreator]

Hello :) I was wondering if I could make a not so interesting request and I hope you don't mind 😅 So, like reader has kids with mob Tom Holland and you can decide the genders and number of kids they have and stuff and how would the whole family react to one of reader's friends constantly pursuing reader's love and when reader tells them that she's married and has kids, the lil shit is like "It's all right, just divorce them'' I have a feeling no one will be taking this lightly.....

Hey! I LOVED this idea!! I did switch it up to a co-worker because that's the first thing I thought of when I read this but I can definitely see him grudgingly having to put up with a childhood friend who just won't quit trying to make the reader see how in love with them they are. I feel like I need to write that too now....

Hope you're having a great day, take care and stay safe lovey 💜💜

----

Warnings: Some swearing, and super sleaze ball energy

1,389 words

“It’s just drinks,” you laughed as Tom buried his face into your neck with a sigh. You focused on the mirror, touching up your hair and smoothing over your outfit. It was just drinks but it was with your new work team. You’d all only met last week and you’d suggested a night out as a team building exercise. Nothing broke the new job nerves better than alcohol and bad karaoke.

Tweaking his curls you smiled as Tom reluctantly met your gaze in the mirror.

“You say that, but you’re not the one being left with the terrible two,” he grumbled.

You turned to cup his face, laughing at his small pout and chocolate puppy dog eyes.

“Is my big bad mob boss afraid of a couple teenagers?” you teased.

“I’m not afraid of them,” he growled. “I just don’t understand them. All I get are grunts and sighs from Thomas and with Katelyn its like she speaks a different language all together.” Hands wrapping around your waist he pulled you tight against him.

“Plus, you look too stunning to be let out without a chaperone. I think I need to come with you.” His hands wandered to your backside, fingers creeping down to lift the hem of your dress. “Or, you could stay home,” he purred seductively as he gripped the bare skin of your thighs.

As much as you didn’t want to you wriggled out of his grip. “We’ll have plenty of time for that when I get home.”

“I’m going to hold you to that,” he winked.

A horn blared from outside and you cursed, you didn’t want to be late. Tom deftly swept you into your jacket and handed you your purse.

“Have a good time, darling,” he said as you kissed him on the cheek quickly. With an appalled huff, he reeled you in for a proper kiss, holding you captive until the taxi beeped their horn again.

“I won’t be late. Have fun,” you called over your shoulder as you hurried out the front door.

----

The bar was packed already and you were struggling to find your table when a heavy hand landed on the small of your back.

“It’s Y/N right?” Relieved you found yourself staring up at one of your new co-workers. Your brain faltered for a second before finding his name.

“Max?” He smiled in a cocky overconfident way before leaning in closer.

“You can call me whatever you like, sweetheart.” You grimaced a smile, subtly inching back from him as the stench of his cologne clouded around you.

“Where’s the team table?” you asked, pointedly turning away and scanning the room again.

“It’s in the back corner.” When you moved in the direction he’d indicated he caught your arm. “The table service is pretty slow, if you want a drink we can get one from the bar.”

“I’m happy to wait. I’m going to go re-introduce myself to everyone.” Breaking out of his hold you strode to the table, the prickling feeling of being watched crawling over you until you were swept into the embrace of your favourite work friend.

“I’m so glad you’re here! I was talking about our last project and this one here,” she hooked a thumb at one of the young interns, “doesn’t believe we wrote the whole presentation ourselves after tequila shots.”

You laughed at the memory. When it came to work you took it seriously, if you didn’t you wouldn’t have been promoted to executive and leading this new team. However, that didn’t mean you didn’t know how to have some fun.

You fell into an easy conversation with them both and others of the party drifted over sporadically to shake your hand and introduce themselves a bit more.

“We’ve already met but I’ll take five minutes with you over everyone else.” A voice said at your ear. You already knew from the overpowering smell of cologne it was Max. Now it was mixed with a strong dose of rum and turned your stomach. He lounged against the table in front of you.

“Tell me, who did you have to sleep with to get this job? And is there a sign up sheet?” he winked. Your skin crawled. Tight lipped you judged whether you could justify wasting a perfectly good drink by dumping it over his head. You cast a critical eye over him. As much as he was dressed like a man of business his suit was clearly off the rack. It was too small in the shoulders and had a slight polyester sheen to it. He could pretend all he liked but he hadn’t worked on a team this high up before. If he had he’d be better dressed.

“That’s funny, I was just about to ask how much your daddy had to spent to get you on the team.” His eyes flashed dangerously then he slowly grinned.

“You’re feisty. I like that.” His gaze shamelessly travelled over you. You refused to cross your arms over your chest under his lecherous stare. You’d dealt with worse, you reminded yourself.

“I need another drink.” You told him bluntly and walked off towards the bar. You reluctantly tamped down the urge to fire him. This was outside of business hours, you’d deal with it on Monday morning you told yourself. You just had to get through the rest of the night first.

You’d just reached the bar when his hand gripped at your waist and his fetid breath washed over your neck.

“Keep running away, I like a challenge. It’ll only make it sweeter when I have you writhing under-”

Spinning you shoved him away.

“I’m happily married,” you snapped in disgust.

He only leered at you. “That’s what divorce is for, sweetheart.” Your fingers tightened on your glass as you readied to throw the contents of it at him.

“Get your sleazy hands away from my mum!” You blinked in surprise as Katelyn elbowed her way through the crowd to jab a finger in Max’s face. “Yeah, I’m talking to you, you piece of shit.”

“Katelyn.” you tried to scold her but the weight of it was lost as you laughed.

“You heard her.” Tom’s voice was dangerously low as he stalked to stand beside you. “If you so much as breath in the direction of my wife again it’ll be the last time you do anything.” A cocky smile covered Max’s face until Thomas stopped behind him and dug his hands into his shoulders.

“You heard my dad. If you have any common sense you won’t mess with us.”

Max snorted, “You think I’m scared of you? I could steal your wife any day-”

“Mr Holland, I wasn’t expecting you tonight.” The flustered manager of the bar accompanied by two security guards faltered as he took in the scene. “Is there an issue here?”

“There is, this idiot is threatening me,” Max sneered.

The manager didn’t divert his attention away from Tom for a second.

“This man’s been harassing my wife, could you escort him out Eddie?” Tom asked the closest guard.

“Sure thing, boss.”

“Boss?” Max scoffed. “What did you do? Pay them off? How pathetic.”

“I called him boss because he owns the place.” Eddie scowled, grabbing a fistful of Max’s suit jacket. Mouth gaping his beady eyes flickered between you and Tom.

“Fuck,” he swore as the pin finally dropped. You were surprised it had taken him this long to work it out. There weren’t many Holland’s in town after all.

“In case it isn’t perfectly clear, you’re fired.” you snapped. You watched him get dragged away, the crowd parting like the sea to avoid him.

“What are you all doing here?” you asked as Katelyn wrapped you in a hug from behind.

“Eddie called dad,” Thomas said, as if it was obvious.

“You had him watching me?”

“I always have someone watching you. I need to know you’re safe when I’m not with you.” Pulling you into his arms he captured your mouth, hand possessively winding around the nape of your neck as he kissed you deeply.

“Ew!” Katelyn complained just as Thomas said, “I think I’ve lost my appetite.”

Laughing you pulled back to swat playfully at them both.

“You just made sure I’m forever stuck with your dad, get used to it,” you smiled.

[sereisstuff]

𝐋𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐝 // Suguru Niragi

Warnings - Swearing, mentions of blood. Implied violence, mentions of bullying. The reader kinda has a savior complex.

word count - 3k

Italics + bold in the beginning is a flashback. Anything beyond the keep reading sign is present tense.

Also this was a first attempt, it’s somewhat what I could come up with at the moment, I was having mixed feelings towards Niragi because of the controversy surrounding his character and fan fictions but he is a fictional character, I’ll leave it at that.

“Leave him alone” 

You screamed bloody murder, watching as tears cascaded down his dewy cheeks running down towards his blood coated collar, baring the harsh texture of a softball plumbing against his broken nose. You witnessed his pleas and the pitiful cries he broke into for someone to help him, it was heart-wrenching.

Your voice broke their trance of hatred towards the poor boy, making you their focus of humour. The boy who seemed a year or two older than yourself coughed taking advantage of the situation to relish his tears onto the floor whilst grasping his stomach in pain. A moment so awful could only bring entertainment for the crowd. 

“Or what princess, are you gonna beat me up for it?” he scoffed, pointing towards Niragi grimly. His lips slithering into a deceitful grin and you swore, a glint of evil was shining behind his cowardly eyes.

You clenched your fist tightly feeling the silver rings bare against your cold hands, this seemed to amuse the group of them as a harmonious wave of laughter flooded beneath the bridge “How cute, a feeble thing like you challenging me? just like a little red riding hood” he muttered, his large feet padded across the cement, advancing towards your figure.

You felt your heart race in anticipation swiping a quick look towards the harmless boy shaking on the floor, angering you to your core. Like the swindling wind, your mind was running in chaos, calculating his every step with a cold glare strung to his eyes. You could almost feel your own body shaking but not in fear, no. In rage. 

“Look at her, she��s afraid of you” one interrupted with a grin, simply ignored his assumption with a raised brow. You were somewhat tall but he still stalked over you like a tree. Rooting your feet into the ground, you spoke “I’m not afraid of you, or any of you for that matter. I’m afraid of what will happen if you touch him one more time and trust me, I won’t be the one shaking in fear, that’s a promise. So go ahead, keep calling me princess, I dare you” your threat was taken lightly although the fear was evident in a few of their eyes once they witnessed the honesty in your eyes. 

A promising advance.

“You're funny, isn’t she funny? How about we make a joke out of you?” He threatened baring his teeth at you.

Your neck craned to meet his eyes, daring him to do as he pleased. One of his members gripped his hand in an attempt to pull him away “just let it go, we can get him next time” 

But he didn’t budge, ripping his friend's hand out of his own and raising it mighty in the air with a subtle hope of destruction lingering between his finger tips. He snarled out his reply “No, I’ll show her what you get when you don’t mind your own business”

You laughed, mocking his accusation, pushing him towards his wits end “That’s it you bitch” 

His hand came crashing down only stopping once you caught his wrist, twisting it around behind his back so he could squirm in pain. The others with slight moral decency, cowered in surprise, backing away from their beloved.

“You like that, huh?” You laughed, now it was your turn to become the heartless monster they awfully played “Does it feel nice being thrown around” you mocked him once more, kicking him into the floor with a nice swing of your boot covered foot, harshly connecting with his stomach so he pummeled in absolute pain.

“Your pathetic, the whole lot of you”

You rested your leg against his soon to be bruised stomach, glaring at everyone of them “Get out of here, before the same happens to you” your tone was stern and clear, sending them a threatening message they received. Although some hesitated but followed like little sheep in a herd, you bent down to their leaders face gripping strands of his hair and pulling his face to meet yours.

“Run along little lamb, watch your herd follow you” 

You made sure they were out of sight before you came back to the realization of the poor boy lying in his own puddle of tears and blood, advancing towards him in a state of worry, you bent down in front of him, arms to your sides in hopes he would understand you were no threat to him. He lifted his head slightly, his left eye of his frames was cracked and his other eye was forming a purplish bruise, you would have done a lot more than that if only you had the time.

“Hey, it’s okay. I’m not gonna hurt you” you whispered softly grasping his attention, beneath his dampened strands he peaked up, a murmur of pain could be heard and beneath his hisses he gradually spoke “Th-thank you” 

“It’s fine, what they did was terrible. I hope you realise that you don’t deserve that” he had no strength to smile and only nod in understanding and suddenly it dawned on you. You had bandages and wipes in your bag, hanging out with a group such as yours you always had to be aware of any bruise and injury, what came with the mix of people you had was prone to wounds and you always came prepared for tragic things.

“I’ll be back” you spoke, standing up with a slight buckle in your knees and the pulsating pain in your fists, you so effortlessly ignored the more wounded. You gripped the straps, throwing it around your forearm and running back to him. You pulled out the bandages and the alcoholic wipes as you tapped his shoulder so he could look up from his dissociation.

“Do you mind?” you asked carefully, tipping your head towards his open wound on his cheek.

He looked at you, knitting his brows in thought. Processing what you said as he weighed out the idea that you were in fact being kind, he nodded looking into your eyes as you almost crumbled at the sight. The pain and hurt hidden behind those doe eyes was painful, you could almost hear the pleas again and you couldn’t bear the thought of that ever happening to you again, so you touched up his cuts with a hiss here and there until he spoke.

“Niragi…...my name is Suguru Niragi” 

Your eyes were blindfolded, fear seeping through your clothes, you didn’t know how you got here only to the point where you suddenly couldn’t breathe, you clawed against the callous fingers wrapped tightly around your neck until you couldn’t anymore.

“How long has she been here?” You heard piquing your interest, your head tipped in surprise hearing multiple voices jump to their question.

You had accepted your fate of death multiple times before this one but something told you to continue, to persevere past your inability to continue. So you did, in an attempt to relish your curiosity and fear, you spoke “Where am I??” silence was your given reply, amongst the void of people you weren’t aware surrounded you, a stern voice spoke with demand “We don’t treat future members like this, take her blindfold off” 

The void you’d been getting used to was finally ripped from your sight and you could suddenly feel the warmth of sun melting into your frozen complex, just as much as you could feel, you also saw. It was unlikely to enjoy such small things like this but in a world of torture, not even people could bring you peace, not anymore at least.

“She seems tattered, this wasn’t our doing wa-” before he could finish his sentence, someone interrupted 

“it’s you?”

 A voice you could recognise anywhere spoke with excitement, his laugh echoing through the room as it bounced off the walls, that didn’t sound like him. That sounded like someone who loved to live in an immoral world chasing sheep after sheep, until you fall into a pit never to come out again.

“How wonderful! I see you two seem well acquainted. I don’t suppose it was from the games?” Niragi shook his head with a grin, he seemed relieved to see you but you couldn’t say the same. You could tell by his appearance he seemed less empathetic, he had just as much reason too but it seemed edging. 

His piercings added to his already threatening look, somewhat seductive to the eye and appealing, far beyond his student years.

“Not at all hatter, me and y/n go way back, don’t we? My little red riding hood” he asked, finally staring into your stern orbs. You felt threatened, the gun leaning against his broad shoulders slid down his arms as he gripped into, pointing it towards your bitter face, his aim was reckless but it didn’t mean it still didn’t shake something in you, you flinched at the sight.

“Oho that seems to catch your attention, should I do it again?” He threatened lightly as he connected his intense gaze with your own, your lips lifted feeling a wave of bravery and keeping your face stern and fearless“I’ve known him since high-school” you spoke plainly masking the fear you hid behind your voice, he definitely wasn’t the warm boy you met that night, his fear nowhere to be seen as he reveled in his own power.

“Fascinating, how a game can bring even the furthest of acquaintances together” Hatter’s crazed dazed rested on you, his jaw clenched as if he suppressed the words he spoke although he spoke as if all the freedom in the world rested on his shoulders, unlike many. Hatter had a free spirit, you could tell by the clothing he wore and how he portrayed himself, although the creator had all the power he seemed unafraid of what was to come, like his own creator.

“What is this place?” You asked.

The hatter walked leisurely around your seat, taking his place behind you with a threatening glare venomously biting at him from Niragi, his soft hands placed against your bare shoulders, massaging them as if to make you seem well enough to become comfortable but once he felt your tensed shoulders, thrash in his palms, he took a moment to pause. 

“Welcome, new comer. To the beach, the utopia, your own personal home of freedom” Once again, the hatters voice was lost in daze.

“The what?” you asked again, that seemed ridiculous.

“The beach, A home I created, a home for those of us to feel our freedom, to bask in it’s warmth. No rules, no governed led law, just three absolute rules that every member of the beach must follow” The hatter rested a palm on your shoulder using it as a stool for his posture.

Amongst his rant, you mellowed out his words. Losing your train of thought in Niragi’s eyes, so much discomfort rested in your own he could almost feel the anger seeping from your bones, angered due to the unruly sense of it all. You either lived or died, a way out was always on your mind but the only thing that kept you running was living, making sure that when the moment came, you would still be here to leave.

Niragi, along with his powerful facade basked in its potential and he made it known to the world with his appearance, the way his voice pitched higher as he stared at your pitiful state, the enjoyment flooding his mouth with a taunting expression, you didn’t notice who that was, who he became but you knew better, deep down. He was still Niragi, the one you saved and comforted, the one who brought you food when you were so deep in school work you couldn’t bear the thought of switching positions, not even for your well-being. 

You were brought back to the world when the touch of a cold barrel met your temples, a loud click followed soon after.

“You're really starting to piss me off, little red riding hood. Do you think we’re dumb, you look at the hatter like he’s an idiot, why would you do that to your saviour” Niragi spoke tauntingly, daring you to cross those barriers you put in place for your own protection, he’s seen you angered once, he’ll see it again.

“Do it” you proclaimed with a straight face, your voice calm as a tideless sea. Niragi scoffed, the corners of his mouth stretching widely and increasingly slow, too slow for your liking. He searched your eyes for fear, wanting the succulent delight of seeing your despair. 

“Or are you scared? I know fear isn’t unknown to you” You hissed back at him, your venomous fangs digging deep into his caged memory, withstood by his own barriers. He locked those memories and threw that key into a bottomless pit but despite that, it was almost like you stood, knocking against the safe he locked his pitiful self in and he was holding the knob with shaking hands, you were resurfacing the past and he vowed to only ever live in the present.

His fingers lingered against the trigger, feeling the power of his hands against the weapon. He was a god in his own eyes but before him rested something more valuable, something he cherished in a past life. He couldn't do it and the hatter noticed this, speculation threw him in and he watched as Niragi pulled the gun away from your head, pointing it towards the roof and letting his pale fingers press the trigger with an anomaly of amusement. 

The power shot from his weapon, creating cracks in the roof as the crumbs of his doing fell in front of your eyes and you released a small breath in relief. 

"untie her, she's going to be with me from now on-wards" Niragi demanded, he was bearing a threat towards the hatters authority. 

Hatter smiled in delight, worry never once tipped his harsh features but you couldn't speak for the others, who not once faltered at your treatment, now seemed worried for your entire being. 

“Do as he says, he clearly knows our fellow members. Therefore, he should do the honors” Hatter demanded, he had a clear distinction for his choice of clothing, making it apparent that his name bore a meaning. Colorful expression distorting his position with his other executive members, freedom per se or maybe it was merely just a coincidence.

Your thrashing was unnoticed in his lock, he ripped you from your place roughly as if you had no meaning to him and it was probably true. Niragi hoisted his machine to the nape of his neck, tugging you in the other hand with what he demanded.

He couldn’t believe his eyes the moment he laid his on yours, it wasn’t often that he met people he once knew without shooting them right where they thought. Ruthless, the capacity for violence he had was uncanny but not unseen for his peers, they knew not of his past and he kept it that way, his psychotic doings sparked a mutual fear within those weaker than him and that was plenty.

“You stick with me or by me from now on, you leave my side for any apparent reason and you're dead, anything you’ve done. I’ve done worse, so I don’t think you want to play with me” in contrast to his previous behavior, he now was in a craze of success. You clenched his hand in an attempt to make him whine in pain just enough for you to run but he surprised you, locking your hand in a harsh grasp that made you bite your lip in pain.

“You should have just killed me when you got the chance, it’s not like you're the same anymore. You’ve changed” You mumbled, ceasing a breath. You relaxed your body and let him lead your way, it’s not like you feared him. As someone you once knew, you often reminded yourself in the moment that he didn’t harm a fly, that was no excuse for him now but in order to keep your sanity at bay, you did just that.

“Why would I do that when I could have fun with you instead?” He laughed.

“As if I would give you the chance too” you retorted.

His steps halted, as he stared forward with a grin. He liked the challenge in your tone, if it was anything. Niragi never once let a challenge get the best of him, he meant what he said and he would make sure more than once that he would get his way.

“Is that a challenge?” he asked, delightfully. Once a friend turned stranger, you stared at the back of his tied hair, the strands falling against his shoulder blades until you caught the sway of his head leisurely turning to face you with a snake like glint in his eyes, the horror of the unknown was creeping up your spine but you weren’t going to back down like a coward, you never did and that wont start today.

“I could warp you into my little pet, do you like being called a pet my little red riding hood. Whatever version of myself was projected onto you, you can forget because the one you're witnessing shares no mercy, not even for you. So thrash and whine as much as you like” Niragi began taking small steps towards you, you backed away in fear still grimly leaving the distaste for his actions lingering on your lips as you threw a look of utter disgust his way.

You managed to walk safely, feeling the brief tender touch of an untouched wall hit your frame, watching him tower over you “Because no one will help you, in fact, I have full control over you, I own you” You scoffed, looking away for a short lived moment before you felt his slender fingers grasp your chin harshly, forcing the contact between you two.

“You must feel so big right now. So utterly powerful, your need to pick on the weaker isn’t a new concept to you, right? In fact it should be so deeply engraved in your brain that not even a rock to the head could erase that, I see. Warp me all you want but I’ll always know you for who you were, my best friend” The words that left your tongue were hot, burning your throat as you held back tears from the countless memories. 

“That’s bullshit, your best friend? That was my need for repayment, that person is long gone now” He screamed, but his face didn’t gleam in despair, no. It shone in glee. The fight was racking up all his pent up anger and he was more than happy to dump it on anyone near, that so happened to be you. 

“Why? Why do you do this. You wouldn’t even harm a fly, the Niragi I knew was soft and caring, he hated violence” you almost screamed, baring your teeth at Niragi, the shine of the dagger he held didn’t even surprise you, his grasp of it against your neck was so close that even the tiniest gulp would have blood seeping from your throat.

“He died, a long time ago” his voice was now emotionless, you could see the shine leaving his face as he reminisced. His stoic features returned but his hold tightened, he grasped both of your hands, casually but sharply holding both above your head with his knife in the other, his body inched close to yours and you felt the texture of his clothing against your body.

“I don’t want to hear you bitching about how you miss what we had, that’s nothing now. You're nothing now, you're not special to me. Just someone I refuse to let go, you know that old saying? Snitches get stitches? Well if you tell anyone about how we met, what I went through, they won’t have any part of their body to stitch back together”

[groovyzombiellama]

Shy Baby Girl

Title: Shy Baby Girl

Requested? Yes.

Plot: Cato noticing you during practice sessions and he starts flirting with you and teasing you, but slowly falls for your timid and kind nature, and then the night before the games he confesses and you spend the night together.

Warnings: I am attempting to write smut after so long of not writing anything, so i will be attempting to write a detailed smut scene :) (so please be nice to me, I’m so worried about posting this for some reason)

Word count: 3013 (I might have went a little overboard, but I haven’t written in a while, so enjoy a longer story :) )

---***---

You didn’t expect to get drafted for the Games any time soon, and when you were, your whole family was shocked, and your older sister, who actually thought she was going to be the one going in was ready to volunteer, but your dad stopped her, as he believed that you could get through it. You were actually fine with going into the Games, as you had accepted this as your life, and you knew your time was coming, and in the end you guessed it’s better rather sooner than later. But one thing worried you the most, and that was the fact that you hated confrontations, and would much rather be making friends in life, even though you knew that was kinda impossible considering the way the world was now. You were prepared to fight for your life and to win in the Games, but a big part of you dreamed of a day when you didn’t need to fight to survive. You didn’t expect anything going into the whole process, but you were planning on keeping to yourself and not responding to any provocations.

 At first, everything was fine, you were almost always training, to make sure you were as ready as possible, but whenever someone needed help, you were there to show them a move or hold their punching bag steady so they could practice accuracy. And that was how you actually caught the attention of Cato, a blonde, blue eyed guy, who ended up being intrigued by the quiet, timid girl, who greeted everyone with a smile. He watched you for a while, trying to pinpoint what it was about you that has him so drawn in, and he decided one day that he was gonna approach you, and teach you the best stance for a fight, considering this his moment to throw in some flirting in the mix. The faint blush that spread across your cheeks every time you saw him, well, it has him hooked. Watching you from afar was nothing compared to being up close and personal, and your shy smile that would grace your lips at his compliments was becoming the highlight of his day. “I see you at the gym every day, and you still struggle with the basics. If I didn’t know better I’d say you were scared.“ He said one day when he noticed that you were not using the stance that he had taught you and as he spoke, he let his hand “accidentally“ brush against yours, his eyes searching for that rosy tint that he felt was the shade only present on your cheeks and couldn’t be found anywhere else in the world.

You brushed him off, already used to his teasing, saying how you were not scared and if he needed you to prove it, he is free to challenge you to a sparing match. Cato smiled softly, a feature you had grown to like, and you lowered your gaze to hide your own smile that was curving your lips. But of course, Cato caught that and while he swore his heart was beating faster seeing it, he had to default to teasing you about how you were still not comfortable with him, despite knowing each other for a while now. The reason why he would always tease you and playfully flirt with you (although you were oblivious to that one) was because he was not really yet ready to confess his feelings to you. Pretty odd huh? A guy like him, who was training to fight for his life in the Hunger Games, basically a show for the rich to watch children get killed off one by one, until there is only one winner, afraid of what a girl thought about him.

Although he didn’t know how, he knew that he had to tell you abut how he felt, hoping that in case you felt the same, he could count on your alliance, and at the end he would let you come out on top, or would hopefully be able to convince the government to let you both win and stay together. And he had his mind set on telling you the night before the games. The fact that you were so timid and at the same time so fierce and powerful made Cato’s head spin. There was just someting about you, someting in your eyes that showed that despite the world crumbling around you, your innocence was someting intact that could not be destroyed and he wanted to protect that so much, he wanted to make sure you are not exposed to anything that could damage that, no matter the fact that you would have to fight for your life, he hoped you would let him stick by your side and protect you.

 Just like you were unaware of his flirting and the fact that he felt the same way for you as you did for him, you wanted to tell him how you felt, but you just couldn’t. There were a few times that you were certain that you were going to tell him about your feelings, but the moment you would see him, the way his sky blue eyes bore into yours and how they would light up when he smiles or develop their signature mischievous glint when he was teasing you, and all that courage that you built flied out of the window. Until tonight that is. You were currently sitting in a quiet fort that Cato had built a bit further away from the others and invited you, because he needed to tell you something, your eyes wide, lips slightly parted, and eyebrows raised, trying to process what he had just told you. Cato had just informed you about his feelings and it made you feel giddy and excited, but also gave you this newfound confidence, right after he waved his hand in front of your face, as you had been silent for far too long for his liking after he just spilled his heart out to you.

 Suddenly this new rush of confidence took over your body and before you knew what you were doing, you surged forward and pressed your lips against his, and this time it was Cato’s turn to be taken off guard and surprised. For a moment or two you just stayed like that, neither of you moving your lips, but just feeling them pressed one against the other, getting familiarised with their shape and soft feeling. Soon however, Cato started moving his lips, to which you followed suit, and the salty taste of todays lunch mixed together in your mouths, as Cato decided to lick your bottom lip, and then slightly nibble it after you didn’t get the hint, causing you to slightly gasp, and Cato took the opportunity to slide his tongue in your mouth. You were filled with complete bliss as your tongues fought for dominance, that you just let yourself fall back, with Cato hovering over you, his hand on the middle of your back guiding you into the pillows he had placed for you guys to lay on. Neither one of you expected this turn of events, and you figured you would just talk and fall asleep there, but both of you were slightly worried about tomorrow, so you decided in that moment that you were gonna fall victimes to your feelings and enjoy your time together.

 As the two of you continued kissing, you felt like your hands had a mind of their own as they glided up and down Cato’s toned back muscles and his arms, one of your hands finding their way to the short hairs on the back of his neck, as you let your fingers tangle with them and even lightly tug on them, earing a low groan from Cato, which you happily swallowed. But soon it was your turn to express your pleasure, as you felt his warm hand get in contact with your cold skin, as he slipped his hand under your shirt, soothing your waist, before reaching up and cupping one of your breasts. You moaned just as your lips parted, damn lungs and their need for air. “Even though we are far enough away from the others, we’re gonna need to manage our volume baby, you never know who might be lurking, okay?“ Cato said as he looked deep into your eyes, his hand still on your breast, squeezing it after getting confirmation from you through a nod, causing you to gasp, and Cato to go right back to attacking your lips with his own.

 You felt his manhood harden against your leg as you went on, kissing and removing the top halves of your clothes. As soon as he reached around to your back to unhook your bra, you felt your nipples instantly harden as the cold air hit them, but what got you more worked up was Cato blowing on them slightly, before taking one of them in his mouth, while his fingers pinched the other. Your back arched off the pillows, and you felt your wetness pool in your core, with each flick of his tongue on your nipple. Cato sucked in a sharp beath as your hand found its way to his clothed dick, and you began to palm him, causing him to groan lowly as he attached his lips to your neck, and sucked on that sweet spot that had you seeing stars, making sure to leave a big, purple mark. After he was satisfied with his work, he kissed the spot he had been sucking on and looked at your hooded eyes, with his own getting darker and filled with even more lust.

 He wanted to see your face as his hand reached into your pants, and started rubbing circles around your clit, causing a moan slightly louder than you had intended to escape your lips. Cato quickly muffled it with his own lips, whispering into your ear that you needed to be a bit more quiet, but still continuing his assault on your core with his fingers. You bit your lip, and you could tell he could feel how wet you were and how aroused he was making you, just as you were making him (in his own words, you were driving him crazy). Without warning, his hand slipped into your panties and you threw your head back at the pleasure his fingers were giving you. “C-Cato, ple-ease...“ You wanted to say more, but your words got stuck in your throat when two of his fingers entered your pussy. You grabbed his wrist with both hands, and bucked your hips to meet his thrusting fingers, as Cato watched your face contorting in pleasure, your moans being music to his ears, and thinking in a moment how did he get so lucky to have you feeling the same way about him as he did about you.

 But hearing your cracked voice begging him for something (he knew exactly what) his fingers stopped and he removed his hand from your pants, causing you to whine from the lack of contact. Cato smirked as he licked his fingers, tasing your juices, that melted over his tongue like honey, before placing his fingers into your mouth, allowing you to taste the mix of yourself and his spit. His smirk grew into a grin as you began to fumble with the opening on his pants, desperate to feel him inside you. He allowed you to push him on his back and climb on top of him, and after removing his pants and boxers, letting his erection spring free, you got rid of your own bottoms, throwing them both to the side, and began tracing a line from Cato’s lips, down his chest and stomach, all the way to his manhood, finally getting to have your ears blessed with his breathless moans and groans as you took his manhood in your hands and licked a long stripe from his balls to the leaking tip, keeping eye contact with him, seeing his eyes flitter closed at the sensation.

 You waste no time taking him into your mouth, earning you a gutteral moan from Cato, to which you hummed, satisfied that he was now the one to have to manage his volume, and the vibrations your hum caused around his dick make him place one of his hands on his mouth at to try to supress, even a little bit, announcing to the rest of the people getting ready for the Games tomorrow the pure bliss that you were making him feel, while his other hand found it’s way to get tangled into your hair, not really forcing your head to move, just resting there, only slightly tugging on your hair when a wave of pleasure was higher than the previous ones, which he would only learn to both enjoy and regret, because that earned him you taking him into your mouth completely, so much that he could feel the back of your throat, along with the vibrations of your moan, and he could have sworn he was about to cum in seconds. When he felt truly close, he tugged on your hair a bit harder, and you got the hint, taking him out of your mouth, and the sight of your flushed cheeks, and a string of spit still connecting your plump lips to his dick was a beautiful sight to him.

 He beckoned you to come towards him, and he could taste himself as you kissed him, just like how he had made you taste your juices of his fingers. “How about you ride daddy now, hmm baby, what do you say?“ His low voice had shivers running down your spine, and you actually couldn’t wait to feel him inside you, so you positioned yourself and without any warning, you slammed hard on his dick, and it had both of you practically choking out moans from the back of your throats, getting used to now being connected into one before you started moving your hips up and down, Cato raising his pelvis to match whatever rythm you were leading him in, and despite starting off slow, soon you were placing your hands on his chest, your pace getting quicker and each time you would sink deeper onto him as your thrusts would meet in the middle. You were both no longer that concerned with managing the volume of your voice, as you didn’t really care if someone heard you, pure extasy flowing through you with each thrust.

 Wanting to tease him, you clenched your inner walls around his dick a few times, even past him telling you that if you continue doing that, he would cum sooner than he wants to. After you did it again, Cato had had enough, quickly rolling both of you over, as you squealed, and ordering you to get on your knees. You did so, even though you prefered watching his muscled torso and arms, shining with sweat, but the mix of pleasure, letting Cato take the lead, and the chance of you getting caught by someone in your heated session, it made it all so much more fun for you. Your eyes almost rolled to the back of your head as Cato accompanied his dick entering your pussy with his hand slapping your ass, and the tingling sensation that followed was only adding to the pleasure, which he knew, and so he added a few more slaps as he fucked you fast and hard, going balls deep inside you with every thrust, and ever plea you made for him to slow down a bit were falling on deaf ears. “I can’t hear you baby. Are you saying to go faster? Sure I can do that.“

He almost had you screaming with the pleasure he was giving you and as you felt the tingles in your lower stomach, you knew it was only a matter of time before you came undone. As soon as Cato received verbal confirmation that you were close to your orgasm, his hand reached around and found your clit, rubbing it fast, and this time your were truly seeing stars as your body began to shake, and convulse, and you came on Cato’s dick, harder than you had ever cum before. It was gonna take you several minutes to recover from that, you were sure of it. And the sound of your moan as you came, accompanied by your pussy walls clenching around him, Cato knew he was close too. He pulled out of your pussy, you already missing the contact, and came on your ass, and then collapsed next to you, after using a napkin to clean both of you. He gathered you in his arms and used a blanked he had brought to cover your naked bodies, and you both waited until your breating settled down.

 You both felt amazing and you knew this was not gonna be the last time you would have sex with Cato, something in your gut convincing you of it, especially after he offered you a round two as you both came down. At first it had you giggling, thinking there was no way to top what you had just experienced, but seeing the tent his dick made in the blanket, you knew he wasn’t joking and that you were not yet done with each other. That blissful night before the Games had you both cumming multiple times, each one stronger than the previous one, and before letting exaustion take over you and your eyes flutter closed, taking you off to the realm of sleep, both of you agreed to stick together no matter what and find a way to survive together, despite all odds, and prove that you were stronger together. You had found each other in this world of madness and you were not gonna take that for granted, Cato was yours, you were his and no matter what, you were sure that he will have your back just as much as you’ll have his.

---***---

I hope the two anons that requested this think I did their request justice and I hope you all enjoy reading it. I’ll try my best to write more often, but since it’s exam season and I’m trying to graduate this year, most of my time is focused on studying :) I’m literally half asleep as I finish this fic, so I hope you guys don’t find any issue with it, and if you do, please let me know through messaging me something like “This part of your fic was a bit much” or something like that, for some reason I’m worried you guys are not gonna like it, but here it is, tomorow I’m going back into my inbox to find some new requests, but for now, I need sleep badly :)

[yuujilogy]

need me (okkotsu yūta x reader)

REQUEST @linamirasaki : wonder if you could do an okkotsu yuuta x reader where the reader is a literal sunshine aka a social butterfly, and when she got into a relationship with yuuta, he started to notice the smallest thing how she was too close to panda or toge (sorry im a total sucker for jealous tropes)

| PAIRINGS:  okkotsu yuuta x fem!reader

| WARNINGS: lil suggestive at the end but nothing intense, insecurities, jealousy, grammar errors

| WORD COUNT: 1,010~

A/N: hello!! ʕ•́ᴥ•̀ʔっ i actually really like yuuta and i can’t wait to see more of him soon in the actual story !! if u read volume 0 then u know how his personality changes in that one part?? 😳 yea i got inspo from that lol anyway i hope it is what you expected ! enjoy 💕

This was wrong.

Yuuta couldn’t help but feel a heavy weight on his chest as he watched the scene happening in the track court of the school from afar. God, he couldn’t even gather the guts to get closer anymore, he didn’t want to be a bother. 

You just looked so happy.

Panda was lifting you over his shoulder as he spun around, laughing at your funny complaints and threats to put you down. Inumaki, however, just limited himself to look at them with a hint of a smile in his eyes, hands inside his pockets completely ignoring your cries for help.

Yuuta tried his best to stop the images of you holding Panda or Inumaki the way you do with him, or the images of you kissing their lips instead of his. After all, he knew how one of them felt about you. 

Crap. Why was he feeling so dizzy now? 

His legs seemed to start wobbling, not being able to hold himself up anymore as he clutched down, hands holding his head. 

What if you left him? 

After a few months of starting his new love life with you, Yuuta started noticing really small details about your relationship: the way you easily made friends, how everyone wanted to get to know you, and you always welcomed them with a smile; he didn’t have to be blind to see how different you two were from each other.

Hell, he even had the fact you could literally be with someone better than him present in every day of his life now. Everyone reached out to you, you were so approachable.

Unlike him. 

Yuuta looked up again at his classmates and girlfriend but, this time, Panda had finally put you down and you were talking with Inumaki, laughing at one of the words he said (probably Tuna Mayo). The sting in his chest became more noticeable when you placed your hand on his shoulder and looked at him, smiling, as you talked about something. 

What did he have to offer? You would always make Yuuta feel so fuzzy inside, his heart beating so hard and fast he was afraid it could get out of his chest at any moment. You would always reassure your love for him, kissing his lips in the gentlest way possible as his eyes fluttered shut, enjoying the moment and feeling light as a feather.

But what did he give you? Yuuta only offered you his insecurities and problems, wasting your time whenever he would feel nervous due to the fact of going to lunch with your new friends, or even sometimes with Maki, Toge and Panda. He even felt he couldn’t make up for any of that in other aspects.

Why wouldn’t you leave him? 

Yuuta felt his face heat up furiously when your eyes met his from the court, your smile getting wider as you lifted your arm, waving at him adorably, and Inumaki and Panda joined with the same amount of excitement. Oh, no. He felt bad for being jealous of them. They were his friends. He waved back shyly, a hint of a small smile appearing on his features as his heart started beating faster when you started making your way to him, making him stand up. She’s really perfect, he thought. 

His mind was finally clearing up, but something was still wrong. Yuuta couldn’t stop the same phrase to repeat inside of his head as you got closer, chanting it like a prayer mentally as if that would make you stay with him forever.

I need you. 

“Yuuta!” you threw yourself at him, catching you with his arms around your waist as you offered his lips the softest of kisses. He swore his heart was going to explode right there and then as he closed his eyes, reciprocating the sweet kiss.

I need you. I need you. I need you.

When you pulled away, you smiled at him, your eyes shining with what he thought was love and appreciation, and he did the same because he just loved you so much. He could feel his hands getting warm from the heat coming from your body. You were so hot right now. Probably because of you playing with– Oh. 

His smile twitched, no longer reaching his eyes as his mind started spiraling again and falling into the same thoughts. Over and over again. You with Panda. You with Inumaki. You leaving him. You don’t need him. 

Apparently, you noticed that because you chuckled nervously. 

“Oh, sorry. I guess I’m kinda sweaty and smell bad.” Your cheeks blushed as you stopped holding him as close as you were, smiling at his chest, embarrassed he probably noticed the sticky wetness of your face.

But Yuuta was long gone inside his thoughts.

You don’t need him.

You don’t need him as much as he needs you.

He needs you. 

He loves you.  

Please, love him. 

“Yuuta?” Your worried tone put him out of his trance, hesitant hands reaching his face as he blinked, focusing on you again confused and nervous. “Are you ok? Panda and Inum–“

Don’t.

His lips crashed against you in an unusual hard kiss, interrupting your words as the grip on your waist got tighter. You moaned softly against his lips, surprised at first but quickly placing your hands at the back of his head, running your fingers through his hair.

Yuuta’s mind started running wild again, concentrating in both the sensation of your lips and your frame pressed against him, and his deepest desires wanting to be fulfilled. 

Please, don’t leave me.

I need you. 

Please, need me. Need me. 

You both pulled away, already heavy breathing from the intensity of the short but passionate kiss. Not even caring you were still in front of your classmates. Your body couldn’t help but react to the roughness and intensity of his demeanour.

“Y-Yuuta.” You whimpered softly, your hands pulling at his hair lightly as you looked at him with dark eyes. “I need you. Please...”

That’s right. 

Need me.

Only me.

And nobody else.

[kiribaku-queen]

The Blood King and his Queen [3]

Pairing: Bakugou x reader

Romance, Angst, Drama

Word count: 2.3K

Summary:  From being a mere servant girl to marrying the scariest prince in existence, your world changed right before your eyes. Exchanging places with the princess, you knew, wasn’t going to be easy. But could you have found love on the way? Or was it never meant to be?

A/N: I hope you get just as much second-hand embarrassment from this episode as I did. Thank you for waiting and being patient! I hope this chapter was worth waiting for! Look forward to the very end for a special ending scene. Honestly, I was imagining it like an anime and its like an extra that they put in... idk please bare with me. I thought it was funny! Let me know if you’d like to be added to the tag list! :) happy reading, loves!

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Dinner was eaten in silence. After your smart remark, you didn’t have anything more to say to each other. At least, you didn’t know what to say to him. Was it the best choice to be sassy with him? Probably not. But did he deserve it after being rude to your first? Absolutely.

You looked up from your meal to see Bakugou stuffing his face in an angry matter. Only, Bakugou wasn’t angry. He was just like that, little did you know.

The next morning was no different. Breakfast was eaten in silence. If it wasn’t for that small interaction you had with him the night prior, you would have sworn the mighty Blood Prince was mute. But Kirishima swore to you that the prince doesn’t usually act this way. You’d believe it when you see it.

You had joined Bakugou for breakfast and to your surprise, the table was full with dishes; dishes you recognized and dishes you’ve never seen before. Everything was neatly organized and pretty to look at. It was a sight that you’ve seen before. You don’t know why you’re shocked every time.

“Princess,” Bakugou’s deep voice greeted you out of nowhere. You were startled and confused to hear the prince greet you. Up until this point, he has never even greeted you let alone acknowledge you when you step into the room. Was he finally out of his ‘bad mood’, from what Kirishima told you?

“Your Highness,” you greeted him back with a small bow. Kirishima led you to your spot at the table. When you got situated in your seat, he moved like how he did the previous night and stood guard while you and your ‘fiancé’ enjoyed your meal.

The food presented to you, although foreign looking, looked mouthwatering. And when you looked closer, there were many dishes that you actually knew but only plated differently. So of course, you dug in. Like a princess, no doubt. Or, what you thought like what a princess would do. You took itty bitty bites with your best posture: back straight, chin high, careful not to spill any food on you. Since you don’t have many chances to talk to his highness, meal times are the only times that you could make an impression. Last nights endeavors didn’t seem like it made a lasting impression of hate. Looks like its time to bring it up a notch.

“Excuse me for the corniness, your highness,” you started. Bakugou glanced up. Once again those piercing red eyes made you hold your breath for a second. You raised a spoonful of the yellow corn that was on your plate and gave a cheeky smile. “But this is really a-maize-ing!”

Only the sound of your laughter echoed throughout the dining room. Kirishima’s jaw physical drops in shock. Meanwhile, Bakugou stopped chewing, stopped eating and stared at you.

“Lettuce celebrate to our engagement,” you continued to joke, stabbing your fork in the green leaf and held it high as if you were giving a toast. Bakugou’s face didn’t change one bit. But Kirishima looked mortified. He looked back between you and his angry-looking friend, afraid of how he would react to your not-so comical puns.

The longer he stared at you with his blank eyes, the more cold sweat you began to accumulate. The more cold sweat, the more nervous you became and thus, the more panicky you became. He wasn’t laughing at anything you were saying. You panicked. This was not the reaction you were hoping for. You had to say something. You gave him a nervous laugh again and frantically searched for the next best thing.

“Kiwi at least be friends?” you lifted up the delicate fruit with a glimmer of hope in your eyes. Again, no reaction. Kirishima wanted to cover his face so bad. He couldn’t take this torture anymore! But he had to remain professional. “No? Okay,” you gave up, your voice disappearing into a whisper. Pouting and looking down, you ate your meal quietly. You’ve never felt more embarrassed for yourself than in this moment. Heat rose to your cheeks and you wanted to hide away, never to be seen again.

The moment you looked down in embarrassment, Bakugou tried to stifle a laugh. The sides of his lips couldn’t help but curl up in a small smirk. He tried to eat something to calm him down, but as soon as his lips met the metal fork, his lips curled into a side smile that couldn’t be hid. But you were unable to see this side of Bakugou due to your mortification. Kirishima, on the other hand, raised a brow in amusement. This wasn’t a sight you could see every day.

“Kirishima,” Bakugou addressed the red-head. Straightening his posture, Kirishima put his hands beside his back and raised his chin high.

“Your highness,” Kirishima answered.

“Make sure the princess is ready by the time the horses are packed. We have a long trip ahead of us,” the prince announced and was about to leave, but not before you stood up to stop him.

“Trip? Where are we going?” you asked in a frantic matter. There was a moment’s pause.

“As my queen-to-be, you should know the kingdom, no?” he glanced back. This time, his eyes were not so aggressive. There was amusement and a hint of a challenge, as if he was trying to challenge you. The prince made his way out of the dining hall and back to this residence.

 After taking you back to your room to get ready for your trip around the kingdom, Kirishima made a pitstop at the prince’s quarters to pay visit.

“I saw that,” Kirishima commented, relaxing the moment the door closed behind him.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Bakugou tried to brush it off, but he knows that he’s been caught.

“I’ve never seen you like that around a princess, before. You like her?” Kirishima teased. Bakugou let out a breathy smirk.

“She’s interesting, that’s for sure,” he admit.

“I mean, what was she saying out there? Out of character for a princess, right?” Kirishima finally let out a laugh.

“So out of character that it was funny,” Bakugou, too, let out a small laugh. A moment of laughter passed and Kirishima got serious.

“You think she’s the one you’re looking for?” he asked. But Bakugou couldn’t say for sure.

“We’ll find out after this trip, won’t we?” Bakugou grabbed his iconic cape, draped it over his shoulders and powerfully made his way to the front entrance.

By the time that you were finished getting ready, you made your way to where Bakugou and a group of soldiers was getting geared up. You were dressed in a lighter, more fit for travel, dress. If you moved, the dress wouldn’t be in your way. Although white, your servants packed you many more dresses just like the one you were wearing. Your hair was flowing naturally down your face, leaving an ethereal, fairy-like appearance.  

Bakugou has brought several soldiers along for the trip, all either carrying a box, securing it on the cart, or making sure that all the materials are present. Insides the boxes ranged from a variety of things: food to wood to medicine supplies. You weren’t sure why you need so many things, but you thought it was for safe precautions? Bring more so you don’t worry about it.

“Your highness, everything has been prepared,” Kirishima announced, saluting to his highness. Bakugou stood tall with his signature glare that didn’t seem to faze Kirishima at all.

“Double check?”

“Yes, your highness.”

“We have extra food and clothing?”

“Yes, your highness.”

“The tent is packed?”

“Yes, your highness.”

“Weapons are secured?”

“Yes, your highness.” Bakugou flared his nostrils and nodded his head.

“Good man. Let’s head out!” he bellowed. On cue, all of the soldiers that were coming were hopping on their horses. You looked around nervously. You had never ridden a horse before, let alone seen one in person. Did they expect you to know to ride one? But there was no extra horse for you. You were about to ask Kirishima but then, a hand is reached out to you. Turning around, you see the Blood Prince, himself, giving you his hand.

“My lady,” he gently grabbed the tips of your fingers, bringing them to his lips. His gaze never leaving yours for a second. You were expecting him to kiss your hand, but instead, he gently laid his lips on top of his thumb where it rested between his lips and your fingers. Heat rushed to your cheeks and you couldn’t stop the shocked expression that was blatant on your face.

The prince helped you on the horse but what you weren’t expecting was him to hop on the same horse right behind you. His presence closer than what you have wanted in such a short amount of time. His arms reached around your waist to grab the ropes, unexpectedly pulling you closer to his chest.

Sitting in front of him, you were as stiff as a board. You couldn’t relax your shoulders because if you did, you would be resting against his body. The beginning of the ride was met in silence. No talking was happening, not even among his solders. Talk about an awkward trip. You hoped it wasn’t going to be like this the entire trip. You would be so miserable.

It took a while to escape the palace grounds, but once you did, you were surprised by how beautifully green and luscious the scenery ahead of you was. The sight bestowed upon you was nothing like your imagination. From the rumors, if the prince was that bad of a person, then surely his kingdom would portray that same image: full of poverty, death, killing, blood. But no. His kingdom was thriving.

In order to continue on with the trip, you and your crew had to pass by the local town. The people looked content and happy. They were flourishing! There were many stands selling essentials such as clothing and food. Others were selling odd objects foreign to you. The smell of meat grilling and sweets filled your noise. Kids were running around without a care in the world. There was so much going on that you didn’t know what to focus your eyes on.

Bakugou happened to look down at you, only to see your eyes wide with excitement and wonder. Your head twisted left and ride to grasp the whole world around you. Bakugou looked at you and back at what your eyes were focused on. Behind you, he had signaled his soldiers to halt and move to the side. But you had noticed immediately.

“Why are we stopping?” you asked, curiously.

“One of these idiots forgot something.” Bakugou made up on the fly.

“But we didn’t forget anything,” the soldier with electric blonde hair commented, so quietly that you couldn’t overhear him. Kirishima just nudged him in the gut to shut him up. “Would you like to explore with me while they get it taken care of?” Bakugou asked. You were surprised but intrigued by his question. This was probably the only time in your whole life that you could explore in such a manner. You had to take advantage while you could.

“Please,” you say.

And just like that you looked like a child exploring the world for the first time. And really, that’s what it was. All your life, you served the princess. Your earliest memories were of the palace. You never knew what it was like outside the palace. Everything fascinated you: the food, the smells, the sights, the clothes, the jewelry, the accessories, the people. How could you not know about any of this?

Bakugou watched you closely as you explored on your own and smiled to himself. He was not expecting the princess to act like such a kid.

“You must never get out much in your kingdom,” he comments. You look at him with a shy smile.

“Was it that obvious?”

“Maybe just a little,” he jokes. Your shy smile turns in a more comfortable, laid back laugh.

“I’ve never been outside the palace walls. It’s a first for me,” you say. You weren’t wrong. You were speaking for yourself, but you’re sure the real princess was able to explore her kingdom.

“Now that won’t do. Get whatever you want, my treat,” Bakugou offers to you. Your eyes up once again like a kid. Bakugou gives you his head of approval and now your options were opened like you never imagined. Anything you wanted? What did you even want? You felt like just looking was a treat for you. You were about to decline until the sight of the street food caught your attention. You got a closer look and the smell just enticed you immediately.

From there, it was nonstop to discovering new foods. You tried all these sweet that you didn’t know existed. It moved from food to trying on luxurious clothing and feeling fabrics that was foreign on your skin.

You were following Bakugou around blatantly. He was commenting on some things to help educate you better. But your eyes were so easily distracted. Due to the overflow of people, if you didn’t pay attention, you could easily get lost within the crowd. Unlucky for you, the moment you looked away, the prince had already disappeared from your vision. Panic ensued in you. No matter where you turned your head, you couldn’t see that tall, blonde anywhere.

“Bakugou!” you reached out, terrified. Thank god Bakugou has good ears. The instant you called his name, he was already looking back for you. You reached out and grabbed his forearm, tightly, determined not to let go. Your actions caused Bakugou to become flustered.

“Don’t get lost,” he scolded. Idiot¸ he thought while covering his mouth and looked away. He wanted to hide the very clear blush that was on his cheeks.

A/N: As always, I would love to know your thoughts! The adventure officially begins now! If you would still like to be tagged for future chapters, please let me know! They are always open!

Spoiler! Next chapter will make your heart go doki-doki <3

Tagged: @superblyspeedydragon​ @melasnchz-things​ @animexholic​ @bkgwrites​ @sam-i-am-1025​ @apexqueenie​ @katsukibabe​ @germfart3​ @tspice283​ @angie-1306​ @bakugous-trauma​ @bakugousmrs​

After scene credits:

“Oi, you seeing what I’m seeing?” Kaminari, one of the soldiers chosen to tag along, observed. Kaminari and Kirishima were resting on top of the roofs, getting a clear view of you and the prince.

“Shut. The. Fuck. Up. Kaminari,” Kirishima rubbed the temples of his head. Kaminari pouted and continued to drink out of his canteen.

“I’m just saying,” he mumbled, sadly.

[blownbybakugou]

Office Hours

Pairing: Shouto Todoroki x Reader

warnings: CEO!Shouto AU, FEM! Anatomy, breeding kink, hair pulling, oral (m! receiving), unprotected sex, praise kink, slight voyeurism. 

Word Count: 2.6k

A/n: Took me all day to write, I even pulled an all nighter because the ideas were swarming inside of my head. So I was just chilling at two am with Rick and Morty on, typing away. Probably disturbing my neighbors and my roommate, but whatever.

This day had been mildly annoying. Your new coworker had claimed to have been sleeping with your boss, saying she would have you fired by giving him a blowjob, and then continued to shred the paperwork you had worked on all week. You were in near tears from the stressful events of this week, and everyone, including the bitch could see that if anything else went wrong, you would snap. You could clearly hear the annoying pitter-patter of the horrid woman's shoes against the black marble heading towards your cubicle, making you groan in exasperation. "What do you want, Neca?" You sigh, your bloodshot eyes glaring at her smug face. "I have to leave early, so you'll have my work" Your eye twitched. The audacity this lady had was getting on your last nerve. "I'm not doing your work after you shredded mine, especially if you'll get the credit. Now leave. I'm trying to finish my work so I can go home." You look back down to your work, but your head is suddenly yanked back up by your hair. "Go home to what, exactly? You're single, you have no kids and no pets. You can put in the extra hours, and you don't need the extra money. So stop being a bitch, and get over it. I have a date with the boss, so I'll be leaving now" Neca slams down a fresh stack of papers for you to revise and categorize and walks over to the elevator, leaving you here to deal with her work. You looked at the clock on your desk, seeing that in only two hours it would be midnight. Era, too late for you to be at work. You yawn and take your pencil back in your hand to begin your reviewing, already dreading the outcome of this night.

At around 11:30, you got up to go to the breakroom for a new cup of coffee, and you swore you could feel your eyebags darkening by the second. Everyone had left at about 11:00, which left you here completely by yourself. Even the janitor had checked out for the night, handing you the building keys and telling you to lock up when you go home. You take a big swig of the luke-warm beverage, praying to the gods that you would finish your work faster so you could get some sleep. You look out the break-room window at the 12-inch stack of documents you had to look over, realizing you'd be lucky if you got to leave at 3:00. You gulp down half of the coffee, toss the empty disposable cup into the trash bin, and tread back to your personal hellhole. You were concentrating as hard as you could, but even when you were zoned out, you could clearly hear the sound of the elevator going up, and stopping at your floor. Your eyes widen, looking over to the clock that read 1:00 am and then trying to think of who would be here this late but only came up with fear and panic. You shake wildly as you watch the polished silver doors slide open slowly, and then you see the expensive leather shoes step out. Your breath hitched. You were somehow more afraid than before, seeing your boss look over to you, and begin to walk over. He stopped in front of your chair, looking down on you with suspicion and confusion in his eyes. "What are you doing here so late, L/n?" Your throat quickly becomes dry, making it harder to speak. "I, um, p-paperwork." You attempt to explain, pointing to the now 10-inch tall pile with a quivering finger. "I didn't give you that much, who's work is that?" His deep voice asked. "Neca's, Mr. Todoroki. She said you guys had a date and asked me to finish up her paperwork. I'm sorry if I'm disturbing you." You explain, regaining your once lost composure. "We did not have a date. What happened here, is that she played you." Your brows furrow in frustration. So the hours you put in were for absolutely nothing? The fear of getting fired, the times she left because of the 'bosses demands', were all fake? "I...I'll finish it anyway, Mr. Todoroki. I promise I won't take too long." You mumble, turning back to the documents with clenched teeth. "No, I will call her right now. If she is going to rearrange your sleep schedule, I will rearrange hers." our heart warms at his kindness, as you thank him for his generosity. Todoroki pulls out an expensive-looking phone, scrolling for a while before holding it out, and putting it on speaker. On the second ring, Neca picks up. "Yes, Mr.Todoroki? Do you need me to come over or...?" She seemed insistent on wanting to come over to his home, but your boss shuts her down rapidly. "No. After many, many complaints and reports from the other employees, it has come to my attention that you have been passing your work onto Y/n L/n, as well as destroying the companies sacred files. I have called to confirm these suspicions." You both could hear shuffling on the other end on the line, and then you heard the buttered up voice speak. "Did Y/n tell you this? I didn't want you to find out this way, but Y/n has been skipping out on work and burning the company files. I didn't tell you because Y/n is such a dear friend to me and I didn't want her to get fired." Her obnoxiously fake sympathetic voice made you want to gag in disgust. The faux voice was way too sweet for her contrasting personality and the word 'friends' left a bitter taste in your mouth. "Oh? Well, if that's true then I have some interesting news. I'm at the office right now, looking at Y/n who has an 11-inch stack of papers that I certainly did not give to her. And by looking at one of the documents," Todoroki picks up one of the stapled worksheets and flips through it briefly before continuing. "These look like the oriented reference materials I asked you to finish before you left. Now, if you do not come to the office right now to complete your and Y/n's workload, I will fire you, and ruin all future opportunities for you to get a job. Am I clear?" The line goes silent, but then you hear a light sobbing sound accompanying a meek 'yes, boss'. He hung up and then gestured you into his workroom, silently closing the door behind him. "L/n, how long has this been going on for?" Todoroki asked calmly, sitting down in his exquisite black leather chair. "A week after she came here, sir." When you added the sir on the end, he seemed to flinch, shifting in his seat uncomfortably. "I see. Why didn't you inform me of this?" You take notice of how he had crossed his legs. It was almost as if he were trying to hide something from you, and that fact made you internally grin. "She said she was your lover, sir, and I didn't want to be fired for claiming against her." The CEO glares at you, warning you to not step further into this. "I can happily say that we are not in a relationship, nor are we participating in any...fun, activities." A playful glint flashes in your captivating orbs, seizing the boss's attention. "I am glad to hear that sir. Shall I take my leave then?" Todoroki's jaw stiffens, and his eyes darken. "Only if you want to. But I believe it to be bad to drive when tired, you could always sleep here, for convenience reasons." You wanted to agree. But you knew that Neca would arrive here shortly, and if you slept here, she would surely do something to get back at your tattling. "I'm not very tired, sir." You remark, standing to make an emphasis. Todoroki stands as well, showing off his delicious-looking bulge forming in his black slacks. "Oh really?" He walks around his desk, eyeing you like a predator would its prey. "Is there a problem, sir?" You ask, a smirk present in your expression. "No, but I think that I'll have to make you tired. You know, for convenience reasons." His face was a mere inch from yours, his breath gently fanning your face. He finally took initiative and grabbed the back of your neck to bring you into an electrifying kiss that made every nerve in your body tingle. You were swiftly flipped around and sat on his desk, your legs wrapped around his torso as he hungrily forced his tongue onto yours. They slid across each other in unison, sending hot flashes throughout both of your bodies at the amazing contact. "Mr.Todoroki, Neca will-" "What happened to sir?" Todoroki purred, sliding his warm hands up your blouse and playing with the hem of your bra. You start softly panting as they glide to your back, fiddling with the clasp. "S-Sir, Neca will be here any min-" "Stop being a brat, I'll deal with her when she gets here. But I think you should deal with the problem you made." Todoroki unbuttons his trousers, stripping himself of them before placing your hand on his clothed cock. "Why don't you get to work, and I might reward you with a bonus." You pushed down his black boxers, almost drooling when you see the length and girth of his dick. It was almost unreal, it couldn't be. He was huge and heavy. Even with him being fully erect his cock drooped and hung right above your mouth. You were starting to even wonder if he could fit inside of you. Todoroki was staring at you expectantly, so you carefully lifted your chin to take the head into your mouth and looked up at him with big, doe eyes. A subtle grunt is produced from your actions and you decide to take it a step further. You guide his dick down your throat, feeling his width stretch out the walls of your windpipe and block your source of oxygen. You pull back, watching as strings of your salvia extend from his cock to your mouth, a low groan emitting from your boss at the sight. You take him back in, this time moaning around him for added effect and enjoying how his hands thread their way into your hair a glide you along his impressive dick. It was then that you began to hear the familiar sound of the elevator opening, and the annoying pitter-patter of shoes you have learned to hate. It seemed that Todoroki heard it too, but he only pushed you down deeper and leered at the way you gagged and squirmed. The clicking of Neca's shoes came to a halt as she shoved the door open with such haste you were surprised it didn't break. "Mr. Todoroki, please forgive me, I promise it won't happen again-" Your watery eyes open to give her a petty glare, releasing another moan around your boss so she could watch the way his eyes roll back in pure and utter pleasure at the vibrations you gave off. Neca's face turned a bright red at your bold decision and let out a high-pitched huff of anger. The irony of this situation was so satisfying. You flipped her off, making her storm out of the room, still enraged. That was until your boss yelled something to her "Neca, you still have to finish the documents you passed onto Y/n." You got no response, but you honestly didn't care at this point. She could hear you guys going at it like animals if she wanted to, but as far as you're concerned, she doesn't exist. You were yanked up and you look down to see that his cock was completely covered in your spit. "I think you deserve a reward, baby."  You were forced onto the desk chest first, your skirt flipping up making your panties on display for him to see. "I bet you have the cutest little cunt under these thin panties." He pressed two fingers against the damp fabric, swiping against your clothed slit before getting fed up and tearing them off. Todoroki kneeled, blowing cool air onto your soaked pussy and watching as you try to push your hips back onto his face. Your hole was clenching around nothing and it was practically driving Shouto against the wall. He got back up, stroking himself a few times before poking at your hole with his tip. He leaned his head into your ear with his chest pressed against your back, his breath making your heart race faster. "I'm going to fucking ruin you." He pushed himself in halfway, rocking his hips in a steady motion and chuckling at your small pathetic moans. "I'm not even all the way in and you're whining. Do you even want my dick?" You nod vigorously, trying to move backward to sheath the rest into your weeping cunt. "You want it all in? Use your words, pretty girl." He prolongs his movements and observes that way you try to fuck yourself on his cock, your orbs starting to form more tears from the lack of stimulation. "Please sir, I want to be stuffed full by your big cock." You whimper, letting his hand grasp at your strands of hair once more. Growling, he shoves the rest of his awaiting member inside of you, basking in the way your walls fluttered and twitched from the intrusion. "Good girl. Now let me use you the way I want to, little thing." He starts rapidly pounding into you, with your poor cervix being mercilessly rammed against in the process. "How's it feel getting railed like this, huh? You know, I could really use an heir to the company." Your pants began to mix with your moans, and you could tell your orgasm was coming on strong. You couldn't even warn Todoroki because right as you were about to tell him, you felt him nudge that special spot that made you see stars. And after that, you had no choice but to release. You expected Shouto to pause and let you rest after that intense orgasm, but he fucked you through your release and yanked on your hair harder, overstimulating you easily. "S-S-Shouto." You stammered, feeling his dick pulsate inside of you. Todoroki started pistoning his hips into yours at a more brutal pace, seeing you come undone for the second time. "I'm gonna fuck you full of my cum, and you're gonna be my pretty little girlfriend. How's that sound?" A gurgled yes left your mouth, too far gone to even properly validate his question. A loud groan echoed through the room as spurts of your boss's hot semen shot into your unprotected womb with full intention of getting you pregnant. You lie there, panting for a while before he picks you up, and sets you on the small leather couch in the corner. "I promise that Neca will no longer bother you. And that you and our child will have the best luxuries in the world." He murmurs, lying down in front of you and petting your moist hair. "I'm glad this happened, Shouto." He chuckled. "Yeah. Me too." The dreaded sound of the elevator returned, and this time, you could hear many voices chatting. You look over at your newfound lover's desk to read the time. 5:00 am. Also known as, office hours.

[bvidzsoo]

Poison (Finale)

 Author: bvidzsoo

 Pairing: Kim Mingyu x female reader

 Warning: swearing, drinking, smut, violence, blood, death

 Word count: 21, 357

 Summary: Sana seems to be all up in your business lately, snooping around you. She’s not satisfied nor happy that you’re around Mingyu, so she makes sure to dig up more information about you. You aren’t aware of the danger you’re put in; you just want to enjoy your day with your boyfriend and his friends on their yacht. 

 Taglist: @chal-kagyu @taeyongandfree  @minkwans​ @itsdnguyenxoxo​ @rjsmochii​

 Unable to tag:  @cheolliehugs @3rachaonlyfans  @leahxxiong

 A/N: Don’t get scared by the tags, proceed on reading! :) There will be a final A/N at the end of the chapter, so I won’t say anything else. I’m writing one more standalone oneshot in the Posion universe, it will be Wonwoo’s story. Happy reading, hope you enjoy!

           Windows down and music blaring, Vernon and I rolled down the streets of Seoul. The cool breeze of the warm morning whipped at our hair and I bobbed my head along the rhythm of the music as Vernon and I screamed along to the lyrics. As promised, we went on our breakfast date and now he was driving me to work. One week had passed since Mingyu met my parents and I was mortified last night when I saw him texting with my mother. He said before he left, my mother approached him and asked him to exchange numbers in order to keep in touch. She asked Mingyu to text her anytime he needed something or wasn’t sure about something, or if he wanted to complain about me to her, and she’d gladly answer him. Turns out, they’ve been chatting daily about random things and Vernon was on the verge of dying when I very furiously and loudly told him this, totally disregarding the food that was unchewed in my mouth. The song came to an end and Vernon turned down the volume a bit, stopping at a red light. A sigh left his lips and I looked at him with raised eyebrows.

He glanced at me before he chuckled, “Nothing…I just haven’t done this in long.”

“What? Screamed the lyrics of a song while driving around?” He chuckled again and shook his head.

“No, felt carefree and happy? Something like that…”

“Ay,” I scoffed and gave Vernon a look, “Hoshi – no, Soonyoung has told me about all the trips you and Seungkwan always go on.”

“Yeah girl, but you are cooler than Seungkwan.” I started laughing as the light turned green and Vernon started driving again.

“Too bad I’m taken, and also, never tell Seungkwan that…he’ll skin me alive.” Vernon laughed and nodded, clearly agreeing with me. It wasn’t hard to guess that Seungkwan still hadn’t warmed up to me and he probably never would. Our personalities didn’t match well and both of us found the other one a pushover and annoying. There were rare occasions when we got along really well, like those Monopoly games where we randomly teamed up and surprisingly killed off everyone and won, yeah, these guys played a different version of Monopoly that made sense only to them.

“I don’t understand one thing…” I muttered quietly and Vernon hummed to show me he was listening closely, “You guys keep telling me how nice it is to spend time with me, how I make you forget about your worries blah blah blah…”

“How many of us have said that to you?” Vernon asked with a laugh and I pouted, counting the members of SVT who have told me that at one point.

“I mean…Chan approached me just three months after I met you guys, asking me if when I had free time I’d like to play videogames with him, because he liked my calming presence. Then, sometime when Soonyoung was drunk, he also confessed he really liked me and hoped Mingyu would keep me around forever, then Seokmin and even Jihoon proceeded to tell me that being around me made them feel normal. I’m pretty sure at some point Minghao and Jeonghan too might have said something…Now you and well…Mingyu said so too.”

Vernon nodded with his mouth in an ‘O’ shape and I chuckled as I watched him amused, his expression funny as he hummed deeply.

“Well…like I said, you’re cool and everyone from SVT likes you because you’re nice and very straightforward, which quite frankly, many people are afraid to do when it comes to us. Everyone who knows about our reputation is scared of us, bows down to us and pleases us before we could even voice what we need. I guess you not giving a fuck about who we are is a very liberating feeling, some of us do miss having a normal life, you know?” Vernon’s words settled in my mind and I nodded, offering him a small smile as he pulled up to the bookstore.

“Sometimes it would be just nice to shut up though.” I said with a chuckle and Vernon laughed, “Like that one time when I said Jeonghan couldn’t use a gun because he was a tech genius…and then we went on that duel to find out who was right…all I’m saying is, good thing Wonwoo found us before we could do much damage to each other. Jeonghan was really pissed off and I was ready to shoot him.”

Vernon shook his head as he surely remembered the incident, he said they’ve never heard Wonwoo screaming that loudly before, let alone scolding someone that was older than him. Safe to say, everyone who was present at their vacation house that day swore to never tell Mingyu about the incident, sure that Jeonghan would lose his precious fingers for even daring to challenge me.

“Mingyu shouldn’t fuck up things with you.”

I scoffed and undid my seatbelt, “Slowly I’ve been here for almost a year, Vernon, I think he’s doing fine.”

He offered me a smile as I leaned over the middle console to give him a quick hug, getting my purse from the backseat and then I got out of his car, waving at him as Vernon drove away. I turned and headed inside the bookstore, heading for the backroom. I left my jacket on the hanger and purse in my locker and pulled my hair in a low ponytail, putting on my name tag. I walked to the front of the store and took my place behind the cashier, turning on the computer that was next to it.

“Y/N?” I heard Irene calling from the storage room.

“Me; why was the door unlocked?!” I called back to her as I heard boxes being placed on each other.

“I thought I locked it, sorry!” She called back and I shook my head, sitting in the chair as Irene came up to the front desk with two boxes on top of each other.

“You always forget locking the door, it’s for your own safety.” I scolded my friend and she just rolled her eyes, placing the boxes next to each other.

“I know, I know…now help me unbox these.” She said as she pointed at the second box as she got to open the first one.

“What are these for?”

“Boss texted me saying he got some new books that we’ll have to wrap up in wrapping as he plans on organizing a blind-date Bookfest.” My eyes widened as I opened the box and I nodded at Irene.

“Nice idea, when are we doing it?”

“After he comes back from the conference he’ll be attending, so maybe like…in three weeks?” Irene thought as she took all the books out from the box and then placed a green and blue wrapper on the counter.

“I want the blue one.” I said as I quickly placed my hand on it, Irene going for the same one. She rolled her eyes at me and I stuck my tongue out at her, getting all the books from the box on the counter. She took the green wrapper and tapped the screen of the computer.

“We won’t be open for at least one more hour, put on some nice music.” I chuckled and proceeded to find a radio station that played good music to put on. Irene nodded contently as both of us started wrapping the books up and humming along to the songs. Irene’s round glasses were on the bridge of her nose and her hair was in a bun today. She wore a strapless black top and red dress pants, looking extra sexy.

“Something fancy happening today?” I spoke up after I was done checking her out and Irene gave me a brief glance as she cut up the wrapper for the next book.

“Why?”

“You’re looking a little too hot for someone who came in for work at a bookstore.” I teased her with a smirk, narrowing my eyes at her as she threw me a look. I chuckled and she shrugged, holding the wrapper down for me to tape.

“I spent last night with Jeonghan; he might come around later too…I don’t know yet.” She muttered absentmindedly and I hummed with a smile.

“So…you’re like a thing now?”

“Not really.” She shrugged, looking at me with a grimace, “Definitely could be if I wanted it to. He said he’d like to date me, but I’m really not into that right now.”

I wrapped up the next book, shrugging at her, “I mean, Jeonghan is a pretty nice dude. I don’t know if I’d miss a chance like that, but maybe it’s better if you don’t get too involved…”

I hoped the music drowned out my quiet words, but Irene still heard me well, “Why? Does he give you bad boy vibes too?”

I chuckled and realized Irene meant it seriously, so I cleared my throat and looked at her, “I mean, yeah, he does. I don’t want you to end up hurt, so just go with your intuition.”

“To be honest,” Irene’s voice raised a few octaves as she slammed her hands on the counter, “Mingyu doesn’t seem very trustworthy either, like—Jeonghan might give me bad boy vibes, but Mingyu—he’s just bad news, Y/N.”

“I thought you liked Mingyu?” I asked Irene with furrowed eyebrows and she chuckled, shaking her head.

“Sure, he’s handsome, but there’s something off about him. It’s not even his dominating aura, I might have been drunk in the club but I still saw how possessive he got over you. When you two started dancing, I accidentally made eye contact with him and I got scared he’d rip my head off with the look he was giving me. And other times too—I don’t know, I don’t like the way he thinks you’re ‘his’ when there’s nothing going on between you two.” I placed my hands on the counter as Irene finished her rant with furrowed eyebrows, looking at me questioningly. Since everyone already knew about Mingyu and I being in a relationship, it would’ve been rude to keep her in the dark for longer.

“Actually…Mingyu and I are dating, Irene.” I told my friend and her eyebrows furrowed and then she scoffed.

“Don’t tell me I’m the last one to find out.”

“You aren’t the last one to find out.” I played along with her and she rolled her eyes, leaning against the counter with her arms resting on top of it.

“That’s a lie, how rude of you, I thought you were my friend!”

“I am!”

“For how long have you been dating?” Irene raised her eyebrows and I pursed my lips, my fingers tapping against the counter.

“For little over a month now.” I answered her.

“Is he good to you?” Irene asked with concern lacing her voice and I offered her a small happy smile.

“Too good sometimes.”

“A man is never too good, Y/N.” Irene gave me a look and I started laughing as the front door opened, the bell chiming loudly.

“We are not open yet!” Irene called loudly, and a bit harshly, as she turned around to face the door. My glare was instant as it fell on the person who walked in, her blonde hair falling in waves down her back. She wore dress pants and a low-cut top as she carried her bag on her arm.

“I’m not here to buy a book—” Sana’s shrill voice echoed around the room and I sighed, crossing my arms in front of my chest. I know exactly why she’s here.

“What do you want then?” Irene’s voice was harsh and I didn’t understand why, as she glared at the woman.

“I have some questions to ask Y/N,” Sana’s eyes fell on me and I raised my eyebrows at her, “I never got to investigate her deeper.”

“Oh, so is it ethical to find me at my work place and question me? You aren’t even wearing your uniform.” I snapped at Sana as she walked up to the counter, placing her bag on top of the books wrapped in blue wrapping. Irene stood beside her and she gave me a look, before she looked back at Sana with a glare. I didn’t understand where her sudden rage came from, but I didn’t question it as I embraced myself mentally for whatever questions Sana had. We remained silent, the music playing only, as Sana opened her bag and felt around it before taking out her phone. She typed on it for a few seconds before she placed it on top of the counter, pressing the recording button; she planned to record our conversation.

“This is Officer Minatozaki Sana talking to an affiliate of our main suspect, Kim Mingyu. State your name and age.” Irene’s eyes widened and I sighed as I shook my head at her, cursing Sana in my head for turning up here.

“Oh Y/N, age 25.” I answered monotonously and when Sana gave Irene a glance, as if she was demanding her to leave us alone, Irene gave her a scowl.

“Fine,” Sana muttered to herself, “Where did you grow up and where do you live now?”

“I grew up in a town two hours from here and I live in Seoul now, officer.” I kept my voice leveled as Sana hummed, thankful that she wasn’t asking stupid questions.

“What do you do for a living now and any upper studies that you have?” Irene scoffed at the question but Sana and I ignored her.

“I work at a bookstore and I’m an engineering student.” I raised my eyebrows at Sana when she gave me a sour look, she probably knows Mingyu has an engineering degree too.

“How did you meet Kim Mingyu?” Finally, the questions she was dying to get to, no doubt.

“Through my best friend.”

“Names?” Sana raised her eyebrows and I rolled my eyes, crossing my arms in front of my chest.

“I don’t want to drag him into this.” Sana’s lips pulled in a thin line but she continued on like nothing happened.

“Do you know what Kim Mingyu does for a living, Miss Oh?” I smiled sweetly at Sana as I leaned closer to her phone.

“He has an engineering degree and is a business man now.” Sana hummed, lips pulling into a small smirk.

“What business, Miss Oh?”

“Do you not know, Officer Minatozaki? Do I have to tell you that myself too?” Sana threw me a glare as a chuckle left her lips.

“Of course not, I know it myself too. I just wanted to check if you knew.”

“Next question?” I raised my eyebrows at the blonde and she chuckled again. Mingyu never really told me about his fake business that covered up his illegal deeds, I didn’t actual know what he did, but I wasn’t about to get caught.

“What’s your relationship like with Kim Mingyu?” Her eyebrows twitched at her own question and a big smirked appeared on my lips as I looked her in the eyes smugly.

“I have to say it’s pretty good, officer, I’ve know him for over half a year, and we are dating.”

“Right, so, he’s your boyfriend?”

“He is.” I nodded with a smile, catching the amused look on Irene’s face as she watched our exchange.

“Did he by any chance…offer you some…really expensive goods?”

“None that I can think of, I don’t like gifts.” Sana gave me a glare as she licked her lips.

“Do you know a diamond ring was stolen from the auction we both attended?”

“I didn’t know,” I let fake surprise coat my face as I gave Irene a glance too, seeing her just as surprised even if she didn’t know what we were talking about, “I just went there to have a good time with my boyfriend. I reckon that’s what gave him a bad mood for a week…he bought the ring, but then it disappeared.”

“Exactly, it disappeared. A six-million-dollar worth ring…everyone would be pissed about, not Kim Mingyu, he didn’t have to give his money away in the end.” Sana’s jaw clenched and I offered her a small smile.

“Don’t you think he was pissed too? He wanted that ring after all.” Sana’s expression smoothened out and she sighed quietly, leaning against the counter.

“Did he ever bribe you to do anything for him? Threaten you maybe?”

“Never.” My voice was firm and Sana nodded slowly, lips pulling into a smirk.

“Have you slept with him yet, Y/N? You know…Mingyu can be very persuasive and if he got you into his bed already, I’m assuming he used you to your full capacity—” Sana and Irene both jumped as I slammed my hand down on Sana’s phone, stopping the recording.

“This questioning takes an end here, Sana.” My voice was low and threatening, eyes gazing into Sana’s.

“No, seriously, has he fucked you yet? I bet he hasn’t told you this, but before he even met Momo, I was his favorite thing in the world, Y/N—”

“You heard her, bitch, get out.” Irene snapped loudly, gripping Sana’s arm harshly. Sana just laughed loudly as I tried to remain calm and not lunge at her. If I get angrier than I already am, I’m giving her the satisfaction she wanted. And so, who cares if Sana and him were a thing? It happened a long time ago and Mingyu seems to be over her, I’m not threatened by her anymore. I won’t let her get under my skin anymore, not after I talked to Mingyu about her and the situation they were in. It’s her personality that makes me want to choke her.

Sana got the message that she had nothing to do here anymore as Irene still didn’t let go of her arm, her glare so scary I would’ve run off a long time ago. Sana took her bag and phone and gave me one satisfied smirk as she looked at Irene with superiority.

“Take your hands off, Miss Bae, you wouldn’t want a complaint for aggressing an officer, would you?” Irene opened her mouth to snap back at Sana, her chest raising and falling quickly because of her angered state, but I spoke up.

“I’m also sure you wouldn’t want me complaining to Mingyu about your little visit, right, Sana?” She looked at me and stepped back, ready to leave.

“Of course not, let’s keep it between us, girls.” Sana winked at me and Irene stepped towards her, but I leaned over the counter and gripped her shoulder to stop her. Sana looked satisfied with our reactions and turned her back to us, headed for the front door. As her hand touched the handle, I cleared my throat and she looked back.

“Oh, and…I’m sorry to hear Mingyu used you to your full capacity, Sana, he must have gained a lot quickly in the time you were together if he dumped you. I’ve heard he doesn’t like boring and easy women…” Sana’s expression changed just in a second and she was filled with rage as she took a step towards us, but Irene laughed and pointed at the door.

“Have a lovely day, Sana.” She spoke mockingly as Sana gave us a glare before storming out of the bookstore. The air remained stiff as Irene turned to look at me. I continued to stare at the place Sana stood at, taking a deep breath.

“What the fuck was that?” Irene snapped, eyebrows raised and hands on her waist like a scolding mother.

“Too long of a story…” I muttered as I picked up the blue wrapping, “Let’s get this done, Sana held us up for almost twenty minutes.”

“What a bitch.” Irene muttered under her breath and I snorted, sharing a look of amusement with her.

           The rest of our day continued without Sana bothering us anymore, or anyone from SVT for that matter. Irene told me that Sana kept coming in almost daily, asking to speak to me when I wasn’t even there and would get pissed if Irene refused to give away my contacts. She said she couldn’t stand Sana, that something was definitely off, especially her reaction when Irene refused to tell her where I lived wasn’t very normal. She asked why the police was investigating Mingyu and I lied to her about him being under surveillance for money washing, which probably wasn’t a very big lie, Mingyu might be doing that. The bookstore was busy today and by five o’clock in the afternoon both Irene and I were ready to close up. We had ditched our name tags and Irene applied red lipstick to her lips while I washed my hands in the sink, grumbling about Jeonghan not visiting her today. I chuckled as I pulled on my coat, holding my purse as Irene got her stuff too and we headed to the front of the bookstore. We turned off all the lights and made sure all windows were shut before we left the bookstore to lock up. My eyes fell on the lean body of the man that was leaning against the brick wall around the curb, eyes on us. Jeonghan winked at me and I rolled my eyes, nudging Irene’s side when she was done locking the door.

“Someone’s here for you.” Her head whipped around and a smirk pulled onto her lips when she spotted Jeonghan.

“My efforts to look good today didn’t go to waste.” She exclaimed with a smile and quickly hugged me, taking off towards Jeonghan. I watched them with a shake of my head and Jeonghan smiled at Irene when she stopped in front of him. He hugged her tightly and then made eye contact with me, pointing towards the road which was to my right. I turned my head to look and Wonwoo’s familiar car greeted me, Wonwoo was leaning against his car.

“Good evening, Miss Oh, took you long to notice this fine man waiting for you.” I scoffed and shook my head, looking back at Jeonghan and Irene to wave at them. They called out their goodbyes to us before taking off, Jeonghan’s arm around Irene’s shoulder as she snuggled up into his side.

“Good evening, Mr. Jeon, I was busy watching my friend, my apologies.” I bowed my head deeply, making Wonwoo chuckle as he pushed off his car.

“Haven’t seen Jeonghan with someone in a long time.” He muttered as I approached him, smiling when he opened his arms.

“I haven’t seen you with anyone, Wonwoo…and I’ve known you for a while now.” I raised my eyebrows at him as I hugged the taller man, giggling when his fingers tickled my sides.

“I don’t have time for a serious relationship,” Wonwoo’s deep voice was loud in my ear and he sighed, pulling away, “And I don’t want to put anyone in danger. I’m better off on my own.”

“Are you though?” I raised my eyebrows at him and Wonwoo suddenly looked tired. He just shrugged and opened the backseat door for me.

“Let’s get going before Mingyu could complain to us.” I chuckled and got inside the car, shutting the door for myself as Wonwoo jogged to the driver’s seat. He got in and we both buckled up as he started the car, putting it into motion. I got comfortable against the leather seat of his car and played with the strap of my purse; lips pursed as I thought. Wonwoo wasn’t very talkative, only when he had something exciting to tell you and most of the time I enjoyed the silence when I was with him, but today I was feeling a bit uneasy and wanted a distraction. Sana’s words didn’t bother me, it was what Irene told me that left a sour aftertaste. Why was Sana so set to find out where I live and how she should contact me. I’m sure investigating Mingyu wouldn’t have involved me this much, after all, I answered her questions both times she asked me to.

“Why didn’t Mingyu pick me up?” I spoke up, seeing Wonwoo glance back in the rear-view mirror.

“He told me he’d be home before us, but he had to go to the Bank.” Wonwoo answered, changing lanes as he sped up the car.

“Why?” I asked with my eyebrows furrowed.

“I don’t know, he didn’t tell me…” His voice got quiet and he gulped, “I’m not his second-in-hand, remember? I’m not supposed to know more than I’m supposed to know.”

I bit my lower lip and looked out the window awkwardly, remembering my words when they brought an injured Mingyu into my apartment a week ago, “I didn’t mean to hurt you, but I meant what I said. I trust Seungcheol, there’s a reason why Mingyu chose him for that role.”

“You’re right,” Wonwoo muttered with a nod of his head, “I overstepped some boundaries, I’m only Mingyu’s friend.”

“Thank you for taking care of him, I know he needs it.” I muttered with a sigh and Wonwoo chuckled, nodding his head in agreement. We grew silent as I continued playing with the strap of my purse, trying to decide if talking about Sana to Wonwoo was a good idea or not. Deciding asking him wouldn’t hurt, I spoke up again.

“Wonwoo, please don’t tell Mingyu this, but…Sana came in to question me with the pretext that it’s for the investigation…” Wonwoo’s eyebrows furrowed and I continued talking, “But then Irene told me she’s been coming to the bookstore almost daily and was asking for my contacts and where I lived.”

“We have to tell Mingyu.” Wonwoo’s voice grew hard and I shook my head, catching his eyes through the rear-view mirror.

“No, not yet…I don’t think it’s very important, it just freaked me out a little bit.” He sighed and his lips pulled in a thin line, nodding wordlessly.

“Did they seriously date? Sana said something like that…” Wonwoo scoffed as disgust coated his expression, the car pulled into the neighborhood these two lived in.

“Sana is a sick woman; I have no idea how she’s so high up in the police. She’s been pinning on Mingyu ever since Momo introduced them to each other—”

“Wait, what?” My eyes widened and I leaned forward, eager to hear more, “She said her and Mingyu met before he even knew Momo.”

Wonwoo laughed deeply, shaking his head, “She obviously lied, her and Momo were very close. Once Sana started making advances towards Mingyu and he told Momo about it, Momo flipped and cut ties with Sana. Years later she showed casually in her police uniform at Mingyu’s house and dumped a big folder in front of him, telling him that she knew everything about him and his illegal business.”

Wonwoo stopped in front of Mingyu’s mansion and clicked away on his phone before the gate opened, “Then she proceeded to disappear, Joshua and Jeonghan dug up some information about her and we found out she was lead investigator and started building a case against Mingyu with the pretext that he abused Momo—”

“Which she wasn’t very wrong about.” I interrupted as Wonwoo pulled into the driveway slowly.

“Yeah, she wasn’t, but—she would always come and go. Sometimes disappear for a long period of time and show up suddenly, sometimes for months or weeks or just days. We could never get rid of her, at first I thought she was doing this because Mingyu ruined her best friend. But then I figured it was because she was just obsessed with Mingyu, because he never gave her the attention she craved. She’s harmless if you ask me, but don’t provoke her. You never know what a person is capable of.”

I took a deep breath and let out a long sigh as Wonwoo parked the car inside the garage, undoing his seatbelt. I did so too and he turned the engine off, turning around to look at me, “As long as you’re with us nothing bad can happen to you. Sana is harmless, she’s just trying to scare you off. She’s curious and obsessed about finding out more about you because Joshua and Jeonghan made you look like a ghost, no one can find information about you now…just like the rest of SVT, understood?”

“Understood.” I muttered with a grimace and he chuckled.

“Go ahead, Mingyu’s in his office waiting for you.” I thanked Wonwoo quietly and got out of the car, heading for the door that led inside the house. I passed through the living room and stopped in the hallway, taking off my shoes and jacket, leaving my purse there too. I went up the marble stairs and once upstairs I headed for the door of his study. I pushed the door open but no one was inside, I glanced back at Mingyu’s bedroom door, but if Wonwoo said Mingyu was waiting here for me I should probably stay here, I stepped inside. Two windows were open and the fresh breeze of the evening left a homey feeling in the room, the smell of Mingyu’s cigarettes strong the further I walked inside. My eyes were drawn towards his big study desk and they fell on a simple velvet box. It was small and my heart started beating quickly without a reason. I approached the desk with slow steps, eyes not leaving the velvet box. This can’t be what I think it is…Mingyu wouldn’t—no, I’m probably just overreacting, why don’t I just wait until—

“Sugar,” The sudden voice behind me made me jump. Before I could face Mingyu, he was already behind me, his arms circled around my torso and his chin resting on my shoulder, “How are you?”

I cleared my throat and placed my hands on top of his, gripping them softly, “Glad that work is over, you?”

“Happy to be with you finally.” I chuckled, but my eyes fell on the box once again. Mingyu remained quiet and I gulped, waiting for him to say something. He’s not going to…propose…right? My heart started beating even faster and Mingyu chuckled, making me flinch.

“Why are your ears so red?” He asked amused and pressed a kiss behind my right ear, his hot breath fanning my skin. I cleared my throat and shrugged, moving my head back to be able to look at him.

“It’s probably the lightning.” Mingyu snorted before leaning down to press his soft lips against mine. There was a hint of coffee on his lips as I pressed mine against his, closing my eyes. Mingyu hummed before he pulled back, his lips pulling into a wide smile. My heart felt like it was about to explode as I looked at him, his cute canines showed.

“Why are you so flustered?” He asked with a laugh, leaning down to peck my lips again, “Your whole face is red, sugar.”

“Whatever.” I scoffed and shimmied myself out of his hold, crossing my arms in front of my chest as Mingyu narrowed his eyes at me.

“Well…” He said with a shrug and stepped closer to the desk, placing his hand on the velvet box. I bit my lower lip and looked at him nervously, hugging myself as if I was standing on eggshells, “This is for you, Y/N.”

My eyes fell on the velvet box and I gulped, “For me? Why…”

“Why?” Mingyu rolled his eyes and gripped my arm, detaching it from around my torso, “Because this was for you from the very beginning, I just needed things to cool off a little before I gave it to you.”

“What are you talking about?” My eyebrows furrowed as Mingyu pressed the velvet box into my palm and I detached my other arm from around myself too, gripping the box with both hands. It wasn’t heavy at all. Mingyu wasn’t on one knee, it meant he wasn’t proposing, so that’s good. My heart calmed down a bit and I took a deep breath, Mingyu watched me excited. I looked back at the velvet box and quickly opened it, jaw falling open. It was the diamond ring from the auction. The stone was in rose gold, the ring very simple, as the diamond had a teardrop shape and had a sparkle I haven’t seen before, even in the dim light of the room.

“This is the ring you stole…” I muttered as I continued watching it, unable to look away. I wasn’t into expensive things, but I would lie if I said I didn’t like this ring. It was so beautiful and simple, exactly my taste.

“Well…it was ours since we bought it…” Mingyu corrected me with a small smile, crossing his arms in front of his chest as he leaned against the sofa behind him.

“You never paid for it…” I shot back at him and he chuckled as he nodded down at the ring.

“Put it on, sugar, it’s yours.” I was at a loss of words, not having expected a gift like this one, so I finally gripped the ring and pulled it out of the box. It had a decent weight for something so small and I carefully slipped it onto my left middle finger. I moved my hand slowly, watching the diamond glint as I felt Mingyu’s eyes on me.

“You like it.” His voice was confident and I chuckled as my eyes fell on him.

“I do like it, but I don’t think I should wear it—”

“I don’t want to hear it,” Mingyu rolled his eyes, extending his arms to rest them on my waist, “It’s yours and you will wear it every day, okay?”

“What if I lose it—” Mingyu scoffed and pulled me into him.

“I’ll get you another you.” I huffed and placed my hands against his chest, his eyes fell on my left hand where the diamond ring was.

“I’ll just be careful not to lose this one, okay?” I raised my eyebrows at him and he smirked, looking back at me. He nodded his head and leaned in to kiss my forehead, making me sigh loudly. Sana slipped from my mind as I was in Mingyu’s comforting presence, what Wonwoo told me about her forgotten as I couldn’t stop looking at the ring. It looked good on my finger; I couldn’t lie.

           Seungcheol kept on rambling about his failed exam as we walked down the stairs of our University. It was our last day before the spring break would begin and I couldn’t have been happier. We were getting closer and closer to our graduation; I couldn’t wait to be done with this horrible place. The weather was nice so I ditched my jacket and stuffed it inside my backpack before we left class. Seungcheol’s loud sigh made me look at him with raised eyebrows. He was giving me his usual scowl when he thought I wasn’t listening to him and I rolled my eyes, throwing my arm around his shoulders.

“Stop sulking, you’ll fix your grade in our last semester.” I told him with a smile and he rolled his eyes.

“I don’t have much choice…” He grumbled and I chuckled, shaking his shoulders to cheer him up, “If Mingyu would leave me alone when exams come around, it would be really helpful.”

I knew he was right so I nodded, patting his shoulder, “I’ll talk to him and ask him to leave you alone, okay?”

“Thank you, but there’s certain things he can’t do without me—”

“Why? Did he start listening to you again?” I raised my eyebrows and Seungcheol chuckled, grabbing my arm and taking it off his shoulder.

“Yeah, I heard you lashed out at him when he got injured.”

“Soonyoung told you, didn’t he?” I muttered with a sigh as Seungcheol hooked his arm with mine, “He just can’t shut up.”

“It was actually Wonwoo,” I looked at Seungcheol surprised and he started laughing, patting my hand with his free hand, “Wonwoo always tells me everything, did you not know?”

“How was I supposed to know?!” I exclaimed, eyes wide, as Seungcheol laughed again loudly, “Did he tell you stuff that…maybe you wouldn’t want to know?”

Seungcheol huffed and looked at me amused, his silver lip piercing was glinting, “Did you do anything I wouldn’t want to know about?”

“Uh—” I smiled at him sweetly and snuggled up into my friend’s side, “Definitely not!”

Seungcheol playfully rolled his eyes before they fell on the hand that I placed against his chest. I raised my eyebrows at him as we continued walking around the University, watching his eyebrows furrow.

“Mingyu gave you the diamond ring?” Seungcheol sounded confused and I tilted my head at him, glancing down at the ring on my middle finger.

“Was he not supposed to?” I asked quietly and Seungcheol cleared his throat as if he realized what he had said. He looked up at me and patted my cheek affectionately and shook his head cutely, trying to act as if he said nothing. I gave him a look but he refused to speak as he pulled me after him to cross the road. Students were coming and going and I looked around to make sure I wouldn’t walk into anyone as Seungcheol walked eagerly. Suddenly, my attention got caught by a blonde head in the crowd that was headed our way. A mask was covering their mouth and nose, but the person looked very familiar. Especially the bag they were carrying. My eyebrows furrowed as I kept staring at the woman who reminded me of Sana an awful lot and when Seungcheol stopped walking, I ran into him.

“What are you looking at?” He asked confused and I quickly pulled on his hair, not wanting him to see her. I knew if I told Seungcheol about Sana coming to the bookstore multiple times and even questioning me yesterday and now showing up here, he’d flip and cause a scene. I knew if I felt like something was wrong Seungcheol would sense it and take matters into his hands, but I didn’t want our good moods ruined.

“I thought I saw Joshua.” Was what I came up with instead and Seungcheol groaned, giving me a glare, “What? Am I not allowed to confuse people?”

“Why Joshua—”

“How are things going?” I raised my eyebrows and Seungcheol looked away with a frown, putting distance between us. I looked at him curiously and he shrugged as if he was embarrassed.

“I don’t have much to say, Joshua and Jeonghan are busier sometimes than the rest of the gang. He doesn’t have time to meet up with me very frequently.” I hummed and watched as Seungcheol buried his hands in his pants pockets.

“Why not be a good boyfriend and surprise him?”

“Boyfriend?!” Seungcheol’s eyes turned round and I started laughing as I watched his expression morph into shock, “Please, don’t say that! We aren’t even dating…it’s nothing serious between us, don’t say things like that!”

“Wow, calm down, Cheol…I was just asking, I’m your best friend.” I rolled my eyes and he gave me a grimace about to speak up but I cut him off before he could, “Back to my ring. Who was supposed to get it?”

Seungcheol just sighed and crossed his arms in front of his chest, “Initially no one, but then Mingyu thought manipulating Sana with it would be a good idea.”

Of course, here comes Sana again. Why is this woman suddenly all up in everyone’s business? I swear I can’t stand her.

“Why did she not get it then?”

“She’s not worthy of such ring, Mingyu said so. And he’s been really pissed off lately since she started another investigation against him.”

“What?” I raised my eyebrows, stepping closer to Seungcheol, “Why?”

“Y/N…Mingyu should tell you these things, not me…”

“Well, Mingyu never talks to me, so spill. Now.” I gave Seungcheol a glare and he bit his lower lip, taking his piercing between his teeth for a second before he sighed loudly and stepped even closer.

“One of Seungkwan’s warehouse full of weapons got raided not long ago, because basically Sana planted some false evidence inside and got a warrant to go inside and look. She’s hellbent on taking down Mingyu and that’s why he’s been spending so much time with her. He’s trying to play her, Y/N, manipulate her so that she drops the whole case—”

“Wait,” I raised a hand and took in a deep breath, “Is Mingyu sleeping with Sana to keep her quiet?”

Seungcheol’s eyebrows furrowed and he gave me a look, “Of course not, Y/N. He’s with you.”

“When did that ever stop someone from cheating on their significant other?” I snapped and Seungcheol snorted, fueling my anger. I kept telling myself I was over this after my conversation with Mingyu and that I didn’t give a shit about what Sana and Mingyu did together, but every time I learned a little more about their relationship, the more it angered me. I wanted Sana out of the picture, especially since she was creating problems for Mingyu.

“Mingyu isn’t like that and I’m not taking his side. You know I’m not his biggest fan, but when Mingyu commits to someone, he won’t fuck around with others…figures why getting Sana to give up is taking so long—ow!” Seungcheol exclaimed in pain as I punched his chest hard, giving him a hard glare.

“Why don’t you sleep with Sana?” I scoffed and Seungcheol gave me a very unamused chuckle.

“I’m currently trying to build a relationship with Joshua, that would complicate things.” I sighed quietly and Seungcheol rubbed his chest where I punched him.

“And Sana isn’t obsessed with you…” I muttered and Seungcheol looked at me with an apologetic smile, about to pull me into a hug when the horn of a car made us both jump. I looked behind Seungcheol as he turned around and we both glared at Mingyu as he gave us a very amused smirk.

“Ops, didn’t mean to scare you two.” He touched his lips with his hand in a childish way as he spoke to us through the rolled down window. Seungcheol and I scoffed at the same time and he turned to look at me.

“I guess you have a ride back home now.” He muttered and I chuckled as I quickly gave him a hug.

“Call me when your classes are over, we can have dinner together tonight, but I need to cook something.” Seungcheol hummed as he pulled back from the hug and went to open the door of the Mercedes for me.

“I might be busy tonight, but I’ll give you a call.”

“With Joshua?” I whispered as I got inside the car and Seungcheol sighed, shaking his head at me. I giggled and thanked him when he closed the door, waving at him as Seungcheol walked away waving back at me.

“My kiss?” Mingyu spoke up as Seungcheol and I continued waving at each other aggressively even though he was already on the other side of the road. I laughed and finally looked at Mingyu, tsking at him when he stopped me from waving anymore.

“What good did you do today to deserve this kiss?” I raised my eyebrows at Mingyu and he scoffed, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

“Didn’t know I needed to do anything to get a kiss from my girlfriend.”

“Nothing’s for free, Mingyu.” I shrugged and turned up the volume of the radio, shrugging my backpack off. Mingyu scoffed again, lips jutting out as he was giving me a small glare. I flashed him a smile and dumped my backpack in the backseat, groaning when Mingyu gripped the back of my head and leaned down. He licked his lips and gave me a cheeky smile before pressing his lips against mine. I kissed him back and rolled my eyes, pulling back when he tried moving his lips. His honey scent was strong, as if he put on his cologne right before I got in. Mingyu raised his eyebrows at me and went to kiss me again, but I pocked his left side, making him groan.

“Why did you do that, sugar?” He groaned and pushed away my hand from his wound.

“Wanted to see how your wound is healing.” I said with a shrug and he scoffed, looking back at me.

“So, you poke it to the point it might open up?” I laughed and leaned up to press a kiss against his lips.

“It’s been a week; it can’t open up…hopefully…” I giggled and Mingyu sighed, pressing a kiss against my forehead before he released me. He got comfortable in his seat and I rolled up the window on my side. He put on the signal that he was getting out of the parking spot and absentmindedly my hand went to grip his. I hummed along to the song playing on the radio and I could see Mingyu have a small smile on his lips from my peripheral vision.

“What did you do today?” I asked as Mingyu drove out into traffic. He glanced at me and the smile didn’t disappear from his lips, he rarely smiled, it brought butterflies to my stomach, he was almost always smirking.

“I slept in, because you said I should rest more. Then I had breakfast with Wonwoo and then I headed to the headquarters.” I chuckled and looked at him, raising my eyebrows at him.

“Will you tell me what happened that you’re so happy?” I squeezed his hand when he sped up instead of slowing down at the traffic light turning yellow.

“Consider our deal with the police almost done, I’m really close to getting all investigations stopped.” I hummed and watched Mingyu’s expression turn into a prideful smirk as he got proud of himself. I snickered and raised our hands to press a kiss against his knuckles, it brought a wide smile onto his lips again.

“Isn’t your boyfriend a genius?” He asked and glanced at me, swerving between the three lanes fast.

“Mhm, he is.” I muttered and Mingyu chuckled, his canines poking his lower lips.

“And he’s also really handsome, sexy, irresistible, fuckable—”

“Okay, that’s enough.” I scoffed and Mingyu hit the brakes, sending us a bit forward as the traffic light turned red before he could cross it, “How about from now on I drive, hm?”

“No.” He shook his head and pursed his lips, leaning his head against the headrest, “Admit it though…that I’m all the things I said a second ago.”

I snickered and leaned over the console, letting go of his hand to place it on his thigh. The muscle tensed up underneath my palm and Mingyu turned his head to look me in the eyes. I smirked at him and leaned close enough to brush my nose against his.

“You are…” I pursed my lips and Mingyu moved his head a little to press a very short kiss against my lips, barely touching, “Cute.”

He groaned and rolled his eyes, pushing me away by my head and it made me laugh loudly.

“I’m not cute.” He grumbled to himself as he started driving again, a few cars were already honking behind us.

“You are though…” I muttered with a giggle and he slapped my hand away from his thigh, his tongue poking the inside of his cheek; I knew he was frustrated. I reached my hand out for the button and turned the volume of the radio down, resting my arm on the middle console and my chin in my palm. I watched Mingyu quietly, smiling at him softly. He wore a white form fitting T-shirt and a red, long cardigan with a cream-colored pattern over it. You only ever saw Kim Mingyu wearing sweats inside his house, but today he ditched his dress pants and wore silky and comfortable looking cream-colored pants. His hair was down, fanning his forehead, his undercut was slowly growing out.

“You’re staring.” He muttered, his eyebrows slightly furrowed, as he turned the steering wheel, turning onto a different street.

“Am I not allowed to?” I muttered back and he nodded, lips jutting out again.

“Of course, yes, especially if you’re staring at me. But something’s bothering you now, so shoot.” I sighed and looked down at the middle console, tracing my fingers against the hard fabric.

“I’m pretty sure I saw Sana today at the University…” I spoke up with a hint of anger in my voice and Mingyu’s eyebrows furrowed, “And she came to the bookstore yesterday to question me. Irene said she kept coming around and wanting to speak to me even before.”

Mingyu hummed and drove slowly as there was a slight traffic jam, “She told me she had to question you because you’re my girlfriend, don’t worry about her, sugar. Sana is harmless, she wouldn’t dare touch you.”

I shrugged and sat back in my seat, looking out the window, “I don’t know…I don’t like her much. Irene doesn’t either, that says a lot, she usually likes most people. And Wonwoo and Vernon…the list goes on, even Seokmin hates her.”

“She’s got a difficult personality, but, like I said—I’m almost done with the police, so that demands a celebration!” Mingyu exclaimed, looking at me as he came to a stop in front of my apartment building. I raised my eyebrows in curiosity, deciding to ignore how quickly he brushed off the topic with Sana.

“What do you have in mind?”

“I’m sailing out tomorrow with the boys for a day—”

“Sailing out?” I interrupted Mingyu quietly, eyebrows furrowing.

“Yeah, I have a yacht.” Mingyu said with a shrug and I scoffed, undoing my seatbelt.

“Of course, you have a yacht.” I grumbled to myself and Mingyu chuckled, leaning closer to me.

“I had in mind that you join us.” I smiled at him and almost closed the gap between us.

“That sounds awesome.” His eyes widened and I chuckled, pressing a kiss against his cheek before I grabbed my backpack from the backseat.

“Wait—you’re not going to argue with me about it? You’re just—coming? Without me having to pester you until you have no choice but to say yes?”

I started laughing as I opened my door, looking at Mingyu amused, “My boss is going away for some conference, University is over for two weeks since I have spring break, I don’t see why I wouldn’t want to join you guys.”

“Huh,” Mingyu huffed and rubbed his chin with a teasing glint in his eyes, “I feel like someone is getting soft.”

“You’ve got the wrong feel then!” I flipped him off before closing the door of the Mercedes and Mingyu started laughing. I raised my eyebrows at him and wiggled my fingers at him before I turned around and started walking towards the entrance of the building.

“You should wear those jeans more! It brings out the roundness of your ass!” A few people glanced my way who were passing by when Mingyu yelled out of his car. I rolled my eyes and continued walking, ignoring his words. He drove away as I went to type in the passcode and I sighed, running through the outfit ideas I had in mind for tomorrow.

           In the end, after looking at the weather forecast, I settled on wearing a white crop top and a muddy green dungaree over it. I packed a thicker jacket in my backpack and braided my hair in two, wanting it out of my face for the day. By the time I was ready, Seungcheol was knocking on my front door, looking tired. We didn’t end up having dinner together, I don’t even know at what hour he returned, but the bags underneath his eyes were a good indication that he didn’t get much sleep. He passed me some of his breakfast he had cooked and then we were off together, headed for the docks, where Mingyu’s yacht apparently was. Seungcheol wasn’t very talkative as he drove down the streets and I remained silent, humming quietly to the songs played on the radio. Once we got the docks, I spotted Mingyu and Wonwoo’s familiar cars as Seungcheol had to park around the corner as there was no space on that street anymore. When we got out, the salty air and smell of freshly caught fish hit my nostrils hard and Seungcheol had a grimace on his face as we got our backpacks and walked towards the docked smaller ships and yachts. There was music coming from the last one and I knew it was Mingyu’s, the yacht was huge. And Seokmin and Seungkwan were shouting at each other, so that gave it away too. Seungcheol quietly greeted the few fisherman that were by their boats and I followed suit, bowing at them politely, as they seemed happy to see Seungcheol there. Maybe he comes here often, he never said anything about it to me. When we got to the yacht, the little board was still lowered and Vernon’s eyes lit up when he spotted us. The yacht had three levels and it was long and spacious. I thanked Vernon when he helped me onto the yacht and took Seungcheol’s backpack as he followed suit, raising the board that created a little gate between the concrete and the yacht, apparently everyone was here. Seungcheol closed the small door and placed the board by it, taking his and my backpacks as well.

“I’ll put these in my room, if you need something, you can get it from there later—”

“Mingyu asked me to take Y/N’s stuff to his room.” Vernon interrupted Seungcheol and rubbed the back of his nape awkwardly as he looked between me and Cheol. I chuckled and took my backpack back from Seungcheol.

“Go on then, Vernon will take me there?” I asked, raising my eyebrows at Vernon.

“Sure.” He said with a grin and took off, I followed closely behind. We went to the back of the yacht, Seungcheol was hot on our tails, and I was surprised that there were stairs leading even downstairs. We entered the inside of the yacht and it was an open space, resembled a living room. I was confused when Seungcheol walked downstairs but Vernon took us upstairs.

He noticed my expression and chuckled, “There’s more space underneath the deck, so we usually take up those rooms.”

“How many of you sleep down there?” I asked curiously as we got up to the second floor and Vernon stopped to think for a second.

“There’s five rooms so…nine people can sleep there.” My mouth fell a bit open and Vernon chuckled at me as he led me towards a room that stood separately. The hallway on this floor was smaller and to your left there were three doors, leading to three different rooms. And then there was the room Vernon was leading me to, which seemed to be the biggest since there were no more doors on its side.

“Is this like the master bedroom or something?” I asked quietly as Vernon knocked on the door, but no one answered.

“Yeah, but we have another one downstairs too. Not as big as this one, but it’s fairly larger than the other regular bedrooms.” Vernon slid the door open and I was taken aback by the space in the room. I didn’t think there’d be this much space on a yacht. I’ve never even been on a yacht before.

“Wow, this is huge.” I muttered and Vernon shrugged, looking around.

“No one really sleeps in here unless they are very drunk and need to be left alone.” Vernon explained and I scoffed, turning to look at him.

“I hope I won’t have to share the bed with a third person, Mingyu already takes up all the space.” I said with a grimace and Vernon laughed, walking back to the sliding door.

“So, you’ve slept together already?” He had a teasing glint in his eyes and I threw him a glare and crossed my arms in front of my chest, “Yeah, yeah…not my business. Mingyu is upstairs in the captains room, you can head up if you want to.”

I nodded wordlessly and Vernon left, leaving the door open. I looked around the room again and walked up to the big windows, admiring the view from here. This room even had a mini balcony with two chairs and a little round table between them, I figured I could drink coffee tomorrow morning there while watching the sunrise. The bed was placed in the middle of the room, pressed up against the big windows so that wherever you turned your head, you’d be able to see the sea. There were four six drawer chests, two to the left and two to the right as you entered the room. A small bookcase which was more for decoration and a human sized mirror sat leaning against the wall. There were a few plants inside the room and I took my backpack and placed it on top of one of the chests, not finding it necessary to unpack. We’d be headed home tomorrow in the morning, I never really liked packing so I saved myself from having to do it again tomorrow. The sudden hum of the engine caught my attention and I walked to the windows again, peeking outside. Small ruffles of water came from underneath the yacht and slowly but surely, we took off. A sudden excitement I wasn’t feeling until now enveloped me and I smiled to myself, finding the butterflies in my stomach amusing.

“Someone’s excited.” I jumped and turned towards the door, clearing my throat, “Mingyu didn’t tell us you were coming.”

The excitement I felt subsided due to Seungkwan’s hostile tone and the scowl he had on his lips, “Last time I checked, Mingyu didn’t have to tell you anything about what he was doing or not.”

“Abusing the power your boyfriend has, aren’t you?” I scoffed and crossed my arms in front of my chest, Seungkwan smirked at my reaction.

“How is this abusing of his power? It’s his yacht, he brings whoever he wants on it.” Seungkwan rolled his eyes and stepped away from the doorway.

“It’s our yacht, actually, but whatever. The walls aren’t as thick as they seem, so don’t do anything funky. I’m across from you and I would like to sleep tonight.” He said sassily, pointing his forefinger at me accusingly. I rolled my eyes and took off, coming to the door.

“Go to bed before we do then.” I snapped back at Seungkwan and he scoffed, making room for me as I exited the master bedroom. I slid the door closed behind me and pushed past Seungkwan, he scoffed again. I went to the short staircase that led upstairs, onto the third level, and Seungkwan headed to the one that led downstairs. We shared a look of disgust before both of us stormed our ways, my footsteps loud as I stomped up the stairs. This was just a little cabin for the one who operated the yacht and I found Mingyu sitting on a white chair, his hands on a round wheel. There were different lights turned on on the control panel in front of him and I neared him, looking at the big table curiously.

“Sugar,” Mingyu called out and I looked down at him as he smirked at me, “What do you think?”

“It’s bigger than I expected it to be…” I muttered as I looked ahead, we were getting further away from the docks.

“Have you ever been on a yacht before?” Mingyu asked wonderingly and I scoffed as his arm sneaked around my waist.

“Of course not, you know my parents now, you saw we aren’t rich.” Mingyu hummed and pressed some buttons that I had no idea what were supposed to do and suddenly he pulled a lever and the yacht took a slower speed.

“Money isn’t everything if you aren’t happy and fulfilled.” Mingyu whispered under his breath and I looked at him, biting my lower lip. I really wanted him to share his childhood with me, I wanted to know more about him. I wanted to understand him and learn how to treat him right. I was afraid he wasn’t opening up because he didn’t trust me or worse…was only playing with me. He suddenly grabbed a walkie-talkie and pressed a button, static coming over.

“Grab the anchor, we are stopping here.” He talked into it and I glanced around, being able to make out the outlines of the city still. We didn’t go very far, as he said we wouldn’t, maybe a good thirteen minutes away? I wasn’t looking at the time.

“Copy!” Came an enthusiastic voice over the walkie-talkie, I realized it was Chan, and Mingyu chuckled as he shut it off. He looked up at me and turned his chair around, making me stand between his legs. I let my arms rest around his shoulders as he pulled me into himself by my waist, hugging onto my torso tightly. I ran my fingers through his silky hair softly, letting him burry his head in my stomach. Suddenly, he sighed and my eyebrows furrowed. I assumed he was just tired, maybe Seungcheol was with him and they both stayed up until late, but something rather was on his mind that was bothering him.

“What’s the matter?” I asked quietly, massaging his scalp in the process of playing with his hair. I knew it relaxed him, he really liked it.

“A new gang joined us, but I’m unsure if it was a good decision.” Mingyu mumbled and I hummed, “There’s a lot of members and they are all young, I don’t want them to cause problems for us. But one of them is Sana’s right hand man…I really needed them on my side, you know, sugar?”

“You do what you have to do; don’t worry about things that haven’t happened yet and might not even happen.” I said quietly and he chuckled, nuzzling his face against my stomach.

“I’m a Mafia leader now, I have to think of everything, Y/N, even of things that won’t happen.”

“Well then just be yourself with them. People who don’t know you are scared of you…even your own members have a certain restraint when it comes to you. Show them they can’t mess with you, don’t allow them to make mistakes.” Mingyu chuckled and pulled back, my fingers stilled in his hair.

“You sound like you have experience in this field.”

“No, I’m just observant and smart, Mingyu.” I said with a chuckle and he smirked, standing up. I looked up in his eyes and he just grinned before walking us backwards until my back was pressed against the window. I raised my eyebrows at him and he turned my head to the right with his fingers, leaning in.

“Sometimes you can see dolphins, if you’re lucky you might see some too.” He muttered quietly in my ear and my eyebrows furrowed.

“That’s not true, I haven’t heard of dolphins habituating this sea.” Mingyu chuckled and kissed my cheek.

“You don’t believe someone who’s been sailing out here for years? Seungkwan took photos one time, ask him to show you.” I rolled my eyes and turned my head to look at Mingyu.

“Seungkwan and I aren’t on good terms, I’d rather not talk to him at all if I could.” Mingyu chuckled and caressed my cheeks.

“Not everyone can like you.” I rolled my eyes and leaned in to kiss him, pulling back before he could deepen the kiss. Mingyu smirked but his eyebrows were slightly furrowed and I raised mine at him, silently asking what was wrong.

“Last week, you found out I was an engineering student and that I’m an orphan.” I gulped and nodded, searching for Mingyu’s gaze, “Well, I actually know who my mother is. She couldn’t raise me or my sister so she gave us up to an orphanage. She left right after she gave birth to my sister, I don’t have many memories of her at that time because I was too little.”

I knew Mingyu hated being pitied so I tried to remain with a neutral expression as we maintained eye contact, my heartbeat quickened just a little, “You hear all sorts of bad stuff about orphanages and meanwhile some are wrong, most are true. I remember taking a lot of care of my sister, never letting anyone besides the nurses close to her. I made sure she was fed and cared about, I even played with her when they’d allow me. But when she was around one year old, a family came and took her away. I was devastated for a long time, until I realized she was better off at that family. Boys and even some girls started picking on me as I started growing older and I realized my little sister was in a loving family, protected from the evils I had to go through, but I wasn’t too mad about it. I always envied her for being chosen, but I still loved her very much. I still do, she’s grown into a powerful woman, sometimes you remind me of her.”

“You remained in touch with her?” I found my voice, it was quiet, but I was curious how he maintained keeping tabs on her sister.

“The family felt bad for separating us, so they let me visit her weekly. I hoped they’d grow fond of me and adopt me as well, but they only wanted a daughter. And then maybe I was around eight years old, when my mother showed up and took me back home. She suddenly had money and a stable job, it looked like she fixed her life. I don’t know how she got me back, but maybe I would’ve been better off at the orphanage. She wasn’t a very nice person and the men she had around her were definitely not good people. I got involved into street gangs when I was just nine, Y/N. Out of curiosity, boredom and dumbness, I guess. My mother didn’t care about me and my sister belonged somewhere, so I wanted to feel what she felt. I thought joining that gang was the right choice, but it obviously wasn’t…that’s why I am here today.” A small smile, a sad and tired one, appeared on his lips and I sighed quietly, rubbing his cheek lovingly with my thumb.

“I shortly after that met Wonwoo, then Vernon and Seungkwan. The others came along slowly, it wasn’t until I got into a fist fight and killed someone that people started getting interested in me. Other gangs wanted to recruit me and when I turned fifteen I realized that if I was so important that everyone wanted me, then why wouldn’t I create something that was only mine? If I alone were a weapon, why not use it to my advantage? Wonwoo and I started recruiting people and that’s when Junhui and Minghao joined us; I’m still sure they didn’t one-hundred percent understand what we were proposing to them but they went along, because everyone thought of them as bad boys. Vernon and Seungkwan followed us without questions, Seungkwan owed it to me, he had sworn to stay by my side no matter what after the generous money I started to give him to fix his own mistakes, and Vernon never does anything without Seungkwan. Seungcheol and Chan joined us at the same time and I realized I needed someone to help me out, so after a year of testing Seungcheol, I finally decided it would be him. The others came along quickly after, willingly or recruited by one of us. I didn’t have an easy childhood, I worked hard and did bad things to get to where I am right now, I refuse to let someone as stupid as Sana ruin everything I have. We’ve expanded so much that other gangs belong to us now, I’m their boss. People fear me and respect me. I have you now too…my life is finally coming together, so I’m holding on tightly to everything I can.” Mingyu’s jaw clenched as he studied my face, but all I could do was smile at him. He wasn’t the best person, but he did everything he had to do with a reason. I didn’t always do the right things either, I wasn’t about to judge him for them. Not when he finally opened up and told me so much about himself. I was happy that he trusted me with the information and I just kept smiling, confusing Mingyu a bit.

“So, like…you’re cool with the things I just told you?” I chuckled and pressed a kiss against his lips, grinning at him. He looked lost and it was so cute.

“Everyone has their own story and I’ve been waiting patiently to hear yours. I’m fine with what you told me, if you’re scared I’ll run away now, I won’t…besides, I think you’d find me even if I did.” Mingyu chuckled and nodded.

“I’d find you under five seconds, so don’t try doing that.” I chuckled and nodded in acknowledgment.

“What about your sister though? You still keep in touch?” I asked curiously, wanting to know more about her. Maybe even meet her.

“Of course, but she moved away two years ago and only visits during Christmas and New Year.”

“Can I meet her this year?” I raised my eyebrows and Mingyu smirked, leaning closer.

“Of course, she’ll be your sister-in-law, I think it’s only right you get to know each other.” I rolled my eyes as he pressed a kiss against my lips.

“Wait until I graduate at least.”

“Your mother told me weddings are best during the summer, maybe we should—”

“Stop!” I gave Mingyu a glare, pushing him back a bit, “We aren’t even engaged and stop talking about stuff like that with my mother, it’s embarrassing! Just delete her number! Block it!”

Mingyu laughed and stepped away fully, our arms detached from each other, “And miss all the baby pictures she sends me? Can’t do that sugar…”

“Oh my God!” I exclaimed embarrassed and Mingyu chuckled, headed for the stairs.

“Let’s go downstairs, see what we can do.” I huffed to myself and tried to hide the blush on my cheeks but the wide smirk on Mingyu’s lips was a tale tell sign he saw it.

           We spent the day preparing food and sharing stories. Some of the guys started drinking right away as the yacht stopped and by lunch they had to be taken care of, so we cut them off the alcohol until they recovered a little bit. I didn’t find drinking on a yacht very smart or safe, and when Seokmin really happily told me they’ve been doing it for ages and only three times did someone fall into the water and almost drown, I made sure to take away the beer he was holding onto so tightly. Minghao, Mingyu, Seungcheol and Joshua were the chefs of the day and I was hanging out with Chan and Jun as we played music. Wonwoo had disappeared as everyone started doing something and Chan said that he was either reading or sleeping in his room, so I decided not to bother him. Vernon and Seungkwan were laying on some towels on the deck’s front balcony, wearing swimming trunks and conversing quietly. I didn’t find the weather warm enough to be tanning, but if they weren’t cold I wasn’t about to interrupt their fun time. Soonyoung, Jihoon and Seokmin were the ones that needed to be taken away from the alcohol as they had a head start early in the day. Jihoon ended up sleeping on the couch in the open living room, meanwhile Soonyoung and Seokmin kept coming and going from the kitchen, saying they’d help anyone who wanted their help. Jeonghan wasn’t very talkative this time and he said he’d be in the captain’s room if anyone was looking for him, he said he’d take a nap up there after he made sure everything was fine with the yacht. The day was entertaining and relaxing, I found myself laughing almost all the time as someone was always doing or saying something funny. I have hung out with the boys as a whole before, but at the headquarters they seemed to be on high alert and tense all the time. The first time I saw them being this carefree and happy was when Seungcheol introduced me to everyone officially. I was grateful for Mingyu’s invitation, I really needed to relax a little bit. Lately too many things were on my mind and as if university wasn’t stressful enough, Sana lurking around us constantly was really off putting. I tried to act mature after the talk Mingyu and I had about her, and after even Seungcheol reassured me, but it was a bit weird how uncaring Mingyu acted when I brought her up. Maybe it was because he didn’t want me to flip on him again, or maybe he wasn’t telling me about something. As long as he didn’t do anything that would directly hurt me, it was fine with me.

The day went by quickly, since when someone is feeling really good time seems to be flying, and we found ourselves gathered at the table inside. The sun was gone and the weather turned cool as we shut all doors of the yacht to stop the cold from coming inside. Someone turned on the heating and as we put all the food the boys cooked for lunch and some for dinner, I appreciated the warm breeze inside as it warmed my cold arms up. I was too lazy to get my jacket and not tipsy enough to feel hot like Jeonghan, Seokmin and Soonyoung were feeling. I sat in a random chair at the table as Vernon placed some wine in front of me with a wink. I grinned up at him and took a sip from the glass, humming appreciatively.

“See? A friend never forgets.” He said with a wink and I patted the chair next to me, asking him to sit there. He gladly took the seat and slowly everyone gathered at the table. It was loud as I placed some food on my plate, my chopsticks getting stopped by someone else’s. When I looked up I came face to face with Wonwoo’s mischievous grin as he stole the piece of meat I wanted and I scoffed, taking another one.

“So childish…” I said with a grimace and he raised his eyebrows at me mockingly, even though I’m sure he couldn’t hear me as he was sitting across from me. Chan was sitting to my right and my eyes widened in horror when I saw him trying to pour beer in my wine glass.

“Yah, Chan!” I exclaimed and gripped his wrist before he could tilt the beer bottle and his eyes widened.

“Yes?” He asked confused and I sighed, lowering his wrist carefully to place the beer bottle back on the table.

“I have wine in that glass dude…” I told him with an exasperated huff and Chan chuckle, his ears turning red.

“Oh, sorry…I thought it was my glass.” I shook my head at him and he abandoned trying to find his glass as he drank out of the bottle. I started eating and groaned at the explosion of different ingredients once I bit into the meat. I wasn’t a big fan of it, but the condiments on this one were amazing. It tasted perfect.

“Tasty, right?” Minghao asked with a grin, he was sitting between Chan and Seokmin, as he looked at me proudly.

“Very tasty!” I exclaimed and he chuckled, biting into his own meat. Someone made a mix of rice with different vegetables, like: corn, pepper, peas, carrots; and that one was amazing too. As I reached for the salad that was in front of me, a plate from Wonwoo was passed to me. Food from each dish was on it and I looked at him surprised, taking it reluctantly.

“From Mingyu.” He said and nodded his head towards his left where Mingyu was sandwiched between Jun and Jihoon. I gave Mingyu a smile and he raised his glass in salute before downing his drink. Seungkwan, of course, had to scoff when he saw Wonwoo passing me the plate and Vernon elbowed him, dumping the noodles he didn’t like on Seungkwan’s plate.

“Can’t you let her live for a second?” I heard Vernon scold Seungkwan as he continued glaring at me. I chuckled and tapped Vernon’s thigh to let him know that it was fine and he really didn’t bother me, to be honest, I was used to Seungkwan already. Most of the time I ignored him, I would even forget sometimes that he was with us. I took another big bite of the food and happily munched on it, everything tasted so good, I’d have to learn some tricks from the guys who cooked today. Realizing I couldn’t eat all the food that was given to me by Mingyu, I looked around the table, trying to find Seungcheol. He was sitting close to the end of the table, to my left and across from me, and I almost started laughing when I saw his arm hooked with Joshua’s. The two were eating quietly with their free hands, sometimes muttering to each other, but other then that they weren’t paying attention to the people around them.

“Cheol!” I called out loudly to get his attention and his head whipped up, looking at me questioningly. I almost started laughing when I saw the red tint of his cheeks and how his eyes darted between me and the few other guys looking at them. Jeonghan started giggling and pointed a finger at Joshua and Seungcheol, but he said nothing as he looked at me and winked before going back to eating. I chuckled to myself as I grabbed the plate Mingyu gave me, I had already placed what I wanted from it on my own plate.

“What?!” Seungcheol snapped and Joshua gave him a look before smiling at me warmly. I giggled as I stretched my arm out, asking Vernon to pass it on to them.

“No need to be so hostile, Cheol, just wanted to feed you some more food.” I said with a shrug and he shook his head, taking the plate from Seungkwan, who stole two broccolis off the plate.

“Thank you.” Seungcheol flashed me a smile and I huffed, taking my glass to sip from my wine. Chan took it as his cue to grab his own bottle of beer and clink it against my own glass with too much force. He giggled when I gave him a warning look to stop, and he just leaned his head on my shoulder. I sighed and drank my wine, eyes falling on Mingyu. He was eating rapidly, as if he hasn’t eaten yet today, nodding to everything Jun was saying to him. Wonwoo was listening to their conversation too as he said a few words here and there, and as if Mingyu sensed my gaze, he looked up. I offered him a small smile and he winked at me, turning his head back towards Jun as the later started getting louder and louder while telling his story.

            After everyone had eaten enough we gathered the little leftovers and placed them inside the fridge as the guys decided to play some drinking games. The music playing was louder than earlier in the day and Chan and Wonwoo were happily singing into a microphone. I played two drinking games with the eight guys who decided to have some more fun, but decided that I was too tired to stay with them anymore. I had brought a book with me and I didn’t get to read yet today, so I decided to wish everyone a good night and retreat to the master bedroom. It wasn’t early in the evening at all, yet Jeonghan and Soonyoung called me a party popper and a grandma. I just laughed before heading up the stairs, bumping into Seungkwan as he just left the bathroom.

“I hope you didn’t puke in there.” I muttered and Seungkwan scoffed, crossing his arms in front of his chest. His eyes didn’t sit right, and his lips were pushed in a pout.

“I’m drunk, not stupid.” Seungkwan slurred and I chuckled, walking around him.

“You’re actually both.”

“Oh Y/N!” He exclaimed, eyebrows furrowing as he pointed a finger at me, “Don’t disrespect me!”

“Treat me like a decent human being then.” I snapped back at Seungkwan and he scoffed, roughly rubbing his face with his hands.

“Do you like Vernon?” Seungkwan’s eyes were narrowed into slits and I started laughing, leaning against the sliding doors of the bedroom.

“Sure, and I’m also dating Mingyu. And behind their backs I’m actually having an affair with Wonwoo and actually! Seungcheol and I got married two years ago; bet Joshua and Jeonghan couldn’t find that information about us!” I knew the alcohol in my system was making me meaner and I wasn’t even tipsy, I could hold my liquor well.

Seungkwan scoffed and rolled his eyes, “Whatever, I just don’t want my friend to suffer because of a stupid girl—”

“Alright, if you’re here to insult me, suit yourself, Seungkwan. I have nothing against you, but maybe you should stop being a stuck-up whiney bitch—”

“A bitch?!” Seungkwan’s voice raised volumes and I smirked, “You’re one to talk! When you’re a gold digger, you just want Mingyu’s money—”

“I’m a what?!” I exclaimed, feeling my anger suddenly burst through me.

“You heard me! I told him you were nasty. I bet you’re the one who ratted us out to the police—” Before Seungkwan could sputter more gibberish, I lunged at him, totally disregarding my actions. Whenever I drunk even a little bit, I was ready to fight anyone. Seungkwan just so happened to pull the wrong strings tonight and as I gripped onto his blonde hair, which actually had a nice texture, a loud cry left his lips. I didn’t care who I was attacking, I was seeing red as I felt offended by his words.

“I’m the gold digger when I’ve been doing everything to ignore and avoid Mingyu?!” I screamed as I tugged on his hair and Seungkwan cried out again, gripping my wrists with his hands. I was sure no one would hear the commotion upstairs as the music was playing really loudly due to the boys wanting to have a party.

“You figured out Mingyu’s weakness!” Seungkwan exclaimed and suddenly I felt fingers around one of my braids, “He always loved a little push and play game, it was part of your plan all along!”

I exclaimed when he tugged on the braid, my scalp itched from the force, but it only fueled my anger. I fisted his hair and went to tug on it, but Seungkwan did something with his legs and I was on my back on the floor, pain shooting up through my spine.

“What the fuck?!” I exclaimed, eyes wide, as I looked up at Seungkwan who was straddling me. Our hands were finally not tugging on each other’s hair anymore, but Seungkwan looked angry that I attacked him.

“We are mafias now! Let me show you what we do to people who play with us.” That sinister smirk I always hated suddenly slipped onto his lips and I started kicking the floor with my legs, blocking his arms from reaching for my neck.

“Are you bowling up there—holy shit! Mingyu, Vernon, Jihoon! Come here!” I heard someone shouting from the stairs as I punched Seungkwan’s chest hard, knocking the air out from his lungs. His eyes widened and I took it as the opportunity to latch onto his hair again and try to push him off. I heard loud thuds over the music and suddenly I saw two people leaning over Seungkwan. I didn’t focus on them, I tugged harder on Seungkwan’s hair, making him scream out in pain.

“Let go of me! I’m going to kill this bitch!” Seungkwan screamed as his arms were being held back, so that he couldn’t reach me. I felt hands on top of mine, trying to pry them out of Seungkwan’s hair. He cried out again and trashed a bit around in pain.

“Sugar, let go of his hair.” I heard Mingyu’s voice shout over the loud music coming from downstairs, but my eyebrows furrowed and I refused to do what he told me. Someone nudged my legs and I hissed, thinking it was Seungkwan, and tugged harder.

“Yah!” By this time, I knew even more of the guys were watching us, I could hear laughter coming from the stairs, “Let go of me Oh Y/N!”

“You want me to let go now, huh?!” I screamed and Seungkwan whined, his lips turning down as he looked me in the eyes.

“I’m sorry, okay?! Just stop!”

“Sorry about what?!” I raised my eyebrows at a despaired Seungkwan, enjoying the pain on his face.

“That I called you a bitch and gold digger and—”

“What is—Boo Seungkwan!” Seungcheol’s voice topped everyone’s as someone gripped my elbows, the hands from my own disappearing.

“Get off her right now!” Seungcheol hollered and I felt the grip on my elbows tighten.

“Let go, sugar, right now.” Mingyu’s stern voice sent shivers down my spine and I finally looked up, making eye contact with my boyfriend. He was glaring hard and I very reluctantly released the hold I had on Seungkwan’s locks. In a second, Seungkwan was hauled off me and I was tugged up like I was a rag doll. Mingyu looked pissed as he looked at Seungkwan with a glare, before directing it at me.

“What the fuck are you doing?!” It was Seungcheol who exclaimed, pointing his finger at me and then at Seungkwan, “Don’t you know better?!”

He slapped Seungkwan’s cheek, not hard at all, just in warning as he looked at Vernon and Jihoon, “Take him downstairs, Joshua and I are switching rooms with him and Soonyoung.”

“You better go to sleep Seungkwan and stay away from Y/N, or I swear to God—” Mingyu’s jaw was clenched as he held onto me, pulling me slightly behind him. Seungkwan looked embarrassed and angry as he looked at his two bosses, lowering his head.

“Whatever.” He muttered before shrugging Jihoon and Vernon’s hands off him, turning to go to the stairs. The other guys were standing on the stairs, watching us with amused faces. Soonyoung and Seokmin even had their phones in their hands, which they quickly put away when Seungkwan saw them.

“Wait,” I called out with a huff, rubbing my forehead as I forced the next words out of myself, “I’m sorry too. For calling you stupid and a bitch.”

Very loud giggling followed my words and Jun gave Seungkwan a pat as he threw me a look, “Whatever.”

I scoffed and tried stepping towards him, but Mingyu held me back, “We’re going to sleep, now.”

“I’m not—” Mingyu didn’t let me talk as he opened the sliding doors and pushed me inside. I huffed and turned to glare at him, trying to head outside, but he slid the door shut.

“Go back to your business!” Mingyu called through the door, as he locked it, and I could hear the loud footsteps of the others as they descended the stairs quickly. I continued to glare at Mingyu as I crossed my arms in front of my chest.

“Seriously?” He raised his eyebrows at me and I looked away, “I thought you were smarter than that, sugar.”

“He called me a gold digger!” I exclaimed, angry again, “And said I’m playing with you! That I went to the police and ratted you out!”

“But you know those aren’t true, why did you bother engaging in something with Seungkwan? You know he’s childish—”

“He hurt my pride.” I snapped, giving Mingyu another glare as he shook his head with a tired sigh, “I wouldn’t even be here if it wasn’t for you, Mingyu. I can take a few hurtful words once in a while but not when they are constantly aimed at me. I told you months ago that I wanted nothing to do with you—”

“Shut up!” Mingyu snapped, marching up to me, “I’m not doing this. I don’t want you to remind me again that everything happens because of me. You could have said no—”

“Oh my God!” I threw my hands up, giving Mingyu an incredulous look, “Do you even hear yourself right now? Said no? How many times did I say no, you asshole?!”

“Don’t call me an asshole.” He muttered lowly as he gripped the back of my head, pulling me in close. I glared at him and tried to take deep breaths to calm my erratic heart and stupid mind. Why was I even fighting with Mingyu? He didn’t do anything.

“I’m fed up with people constantly judging me for being with you.” I muttered and sighed, looking away from Mingyu.

“And I’m fed up with you constantly blaming everything on me, okay? You knew what you were getting into, stop whining about it all the time.” I gave Mingyu a look and he just glared back. He wasn’t wrong, but it was always easier to blame someone else. And in this case, I had a right to blame him, he really did cause many of the things I accuse him of. I took in his features as Mingyu held me in place, his eyebrows were furrowed and his lips in a tight line. I raised my hand and softly pressed my fingers on the skin between his eyebrows. His features instantly softened and Mingyu sighed, his firm grip turning tender on the back of my head.

“I’m sorry.” I muttered and offered him a small smile, closing the gap between our bodies as I leaned into Mingyu.

“I’m sorry too.” Mingyu sighed and sneaked his arms around my torso as I let my hands rest around his shoulders. The music was thumping loudly from downstairs and we could hear the cheers of the boys as they were probably playing some game. Someone was badly singing into the microphone and I would have smiled if Mingyu wouldn’t have leaned in to kiss me. His soft lips pressed against mine and I closed my eyes, melting into his touch. I felt warm in his arms and Mingyu’s lips moved slowly against mine, taking his time. I let my hands run through his hair, softly tugging on it, like I knew he liked it, and Mingyu moaned quietly, opening his mouth a little. I slipped my tongue into his mouth and Mingyu’s kiss turned hungry, our lips clashing together furiously. His lips tasted like smoke and the alcohol he’s been drinking all night long; he was probably smoking a cigarette before someone alerted him of the fight Seungkwan and I were having. I felt Mingyu’s hands roaming down my back and I tried getting even closer to him than I already was. The room felt hot, and I knew it wasn’t from the heating that was still on nor from the alcohol that was in my system. Mingyu being this close to me right now was making me lost in the feel of him and I craved to get even closer, to feel his skin on mine. My hands traveled to the hem of his long-sleeved shirt and I gripped it firmly, tugging on it. Mingyu’s lips pulled back just a little as I lifted the long-sleeved shirt over his body, throwing it on the floor somewhere besides us. Mingyu’s lips pulled into a smirk as his hands travelled to my ass and I was lifted up, legs coming around his hips as he started walking us backwards. I chuckled at him and started kissing all over his face, feeling him sit us down as I cradled his lap. His hands went to my braids and he pulled the hair ties off, running his hands through my hair to undo the braids. I tilted his head back and kissed him on the lips again and Mingyu’s hands went underneath my t-shirt, feeling up on my skin as he slowly dragged them all over my back. I sighed into the kiss and my hands went to the buckles of the dungaree to push them off, to be able to take my t-shirt off as well. Mingyu’s hands helped and in no time, my t-shirt was disregarded as well. He let his hands travel all over my torso and I moaned when he groped my breasts through my bra, pressing my lips forcefully against his. Our lips moved hungrily and I dragged my nails down Mingyu’s torso, eliciting a breathy moan from him, pushing him onto his back. His body bounced as he fell back on the mattress and I didn’t waste time as I lowered my head and left kisses all over his tanned skin, soft underneath my lips. Mingyu’s eyes were screwed shut and mouth slightly opened as his chest fell and rose at a steady rhythm, his hands gripping onto my waist as he impatiently pulled me up to kiss me on the lips. His hands pushed my hips, bringing it down on his and we both moaned at the contact. My body was on fire and everywhere Mingyu touched he left goosebumps; his own heat was suffocating. His honey like scent was intoxicating as I started circling my hips against his, feeling him get harder through his jeans. One hand squeezed my ass and the other fisted my hair as he pulled my head back, pressing kisses down my neck and collarbones. With fumbling hands, I tried undoing the buttons of his jeans as Mingyu was distracted kissing me and as I pulled the zipper, my hands pressed against his hardness, and it made Mingyu moan. He looked me in the eyes and sat up abruptly, almost knocking his forehead against mine.

“Are you sure?” His voice was husky and pupils blown wide as he looked me in the eyes. I nodded and he gently pushed me off, so that we both could get rid of our pants. I quickly pushed the dungaree off and Mingyu was already by my side, pushing me down on my back as he hovered between my legs.

“Mingyu, I want this.” My voice was just as raspy as his as I reassured him that I indeed wanted this. After he opened up about his childhood I felt like he finally put his full trust in me, I finally felt like I could truly trust him. I knew he wouldn’t hurt me; I knew I meant a lot to him and I knew the feelings I felt for him he felt too just as intensely. I could see it in his eyes as his hands dragged over my legs, featherlike. I bit my lower lip as I anticipated his next move, he leaned down to press a kiss against my thigh and it made my heart jump from its place. His fingers curled around my panties and he slowly pulled them off, not breaking eye contact even for a second. Mingyu got rid of his own briefs and his hands came to rest on either side of my head. He lowered his body, so close yet not touching, and I couldn’t take it anymore. I wanted to be close to him, to feel all of him like I haven’t before.

“Mingyu.” I whispered, gripping the back of his neck, trying to get him to do something. He didn’t budge and I was getting frustrated, until he opened his mouth and spoke.

“I love you, Y/N.” My eyes widened and my heart jumped for the second time, I didn’t expect him to ever say those words to me. I figured our egos were too big to say those words to each other. I could feel the affection he had for me even if he didn’t say it. I knew I loved him, it started a while back, before there was something going on between us.

I opened my mouth to say the words back, but suddenly his skin was on mine and his lips were on mine, so filled with emotion that I was breathless. And just as I kissed him back, I felt him slowly entering me, stretching me out. My lips opened and I couldn’t help but let a moan fall from them as Mingyu pushed fully in, raising one of my knees to rest around his hips. I felt hot and full, and as I looked up at him, I could see he was just as satisfied as I was.

“I love you, Mingyu.” The words felt foreign on my lips as I breathlessly whispered them, but they were right. A smile pulled onto his lips and I tried to chuckle but his thrust knocked the wind out of me, I forgot what this felt like. But in that second I knew he was everything I’ve ever wanted.

           After everything that went down last night, I still found the energy to wake up before sunrise, brew some coffee and head to the master bedroom’s balcony to watch the sun rise in silence and peace. The other guys went to sleep not long after Mingyu and I had fallen asleep, and I wasn’t surprised that it was only me up at that hour. I walked around carefully, trying to make as little sound in the kitchen as I could as Seokmin and Soonyoung were hugging each other in their sleep on the couch in the open living room. It was a rather small couch; they should have gone to their beds. When my coffee was done, I picked up a thicker blanket that was in the kitchen and brought it over to lay it on the two sleeping men. Seokmin grumbled something as I let the blanket cover their bodies, muttering a quiet ‘thank you’. With a smile, I went back upstairs and after using the bathroom, I went onto the little balcony. The fresh sea air was refreshing and the subtle sway of the boat was calming. Seagulls flew over head and I looked up with a smile, resting comfortably in the chair. The morning breeze was cold but pleasant and I left the door to the bedroom open, it needed a little fresh air. As I looked back I could see Mingyu laying sprawled out on his stomach in the big bed, his arm laying on my pillow as he slept soundly. I smiled as it was a sight I could get used to and made a mental note to ask Mingyu to use his yacht more often. The orange hues on the sky slipped inside the room too and reflect off of Mingyu’s tan skin, giving him a soft and beautiful glow. I looked out towards the sunrise, basking in the calmness that surrounded me. I wished to be in a state like this more often. Something crashing downstairs alerted me and I stood up and walked to the railing to peek downstairs. Minghao stood frozen, with a cup of coffee in his hands, as he had just knocked over some chairs the boys probably placed next to the door of the first floors balcony. I couldn’t help but chuckle at his expression and he looked up surprised.

“Good morning!” He called quietly and I offered him a smile.

“Good morning, I didn’t think anyone else would be up.” I spoke softly, knowing he’d hear me still.

“I never miss the sunrise when we sail out, it’s too beautiful and tranquil.” Minghao’s morning voice was cute and his ruffled hair too as he spoke, I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“You can come up here, I don’t mind sharing the sunrise with you.” Minghao chuckled and pulled his robe around his torso tightly.

“Are you sure?” He asked, looking a little reluctant.

“Of course, hurry up now, it’s almost over.” I beckoned him up and Minghao nodded with an excited grin, quickly disappearing inside to come and join me.

           After everyone woke up and washed up, we ate the little leftovers there were and sailed back to the docks. It took us thirteen minutes before I set foot on the concrete, helped by Jeonghan, as Mingyu came up behind me, both of our backpacks on his broad back. I looked back at him and smiled, kissing his cheek as Seungcheol was somewhere still on the yacht. I made them clean up their mess, so that they wouldn’t need a maid to come and do it for them, and Jun was very against it but one look from Mingyu shut him up quickly. Seungkwan was surprisingly talkative this morning, even proceeded to ask me how my semester at university was and everyone laughed. Seokmin and Soonyoung pulled out their phones and thanked God they weren’t drunk enough to forget to record our fight, from two different angles. We both were embarrassed and swore never to bring it up again. As I was washing the dishes from our breakfast, Seungcheol walked up to me with a glare and I looked at him confused. Unfortunately, he heard Mingyu and I last night and he wasn’t happy that he was robbed of his sleep. I couldn’t help but laugh loudly when he very childishly complained to me about it, and Joshua walked up to us with a knowing smile before he offered to wash the rest of the dishes.

Now everyone was going towards their cars, some came together, others with their own cars. Mingyu stopped me before I could head over to Seungcheol’s car and kissed me deeply, surprising me, as Chan and Jeonghan started making gagging noises. I pulled away giggling and got my backpack from him, promising that I’d go over tomorrow for the day. Seungcheol was in a better mood than yesterday morning and looked well rested despite him complaining about Mingyu and I keeping him up. He pulled into the underground parking lot of our building and we got out quickly, headed for the elevator.

“I need a shower desperately.” He sighed as he leaned against the wall of the elevator, “I don’t like feeling the salt on my skin.”

“You should’ve showered on the yacht.” I said with a shrug as I swayed a little in the elevator.

“By the time I got to it the hot water was gone.” I chuckled and looked back at him.

“See…if you would’ve gotten up with me and Minghao to watch the sunrise, you would’ve been able to shower there.” Seungcheol shook his head with a pout and I chuckled, poking his cheek. The elevator doors opened and we both got out, going to our own apartments.

“Are you free today?” I asked as I pushed the key into the keyhole.

“If you’re in the mood to help me study, kinda.” Seungcheol said with a grimace and I nodded, remembering he failed one of his classes.

“Sure, after lunch?”

“Yeah, I want to sleep a bit more.” He muttered and we both opened our doors, I turned to wave at Seungcheol as he slammed his door shut. I chuckled and walked inside my apartment, sighing loudly as I dropped my backpack by the door. I took off my jacket and looked up, about to walk further inside when the sight in front of me made me freeze. I could see inside the living room from the hallway and what I saw left me horrified. The pillows I had on my couch were ripped up, the feathers from it laying everywhere. I dropped my jacket on the table I had by the wall and slowly took steps further inside my apartment, eyes growing wide at the sight of my kitchen. Everything was trashed, plates and cups lay on the ground shattered. There were scratches on the wall that weren’t there before. My heart was beating like crazy and I cautiously proceeded further inside, pushing the door of my bedroom open. My bedroom was a bigger mess than the kitchen. My clothes were pulled out from their places, they lay scattered around everywhere. The pillows were ripped open and the blanket was pulled off my bed, mattress cut up too. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Who would do this? Why would someone do this? Did they break into my apartment? It can’t be, this isn’t a bad neighborhood, my neighbors would’ve heard something and told me, especially Mrs. Lim. My heart was beating fast as I walked finally into the living room, eyes falling on all the shattered picture frames that once were hung on the walls. All of my notebooks and books were ripped apart and lay on the floor. I gasped when my eyes fell on a photo of myself and Seungcheol. My face was crossed out with a big red X and my eyes were missing. My hand flew to my mouth reflexively as I felt sick. I needed to get out, Seungcheol had to see this. I can’t be in here, what if the culprit is hiding in here somewhere? I turned abruptly and was about to hurry for the front door, when a blonde woman seemed to have shown up out of nowhere. She smirked at me, looking around the apartment with a worried gaze.

“What happened here?” Sana’s high-pitched voice sounded amused. It suddenly clicked in my head, why was she here? How would she know?

“Why did you do it?” I finally found my voice, I hated how it trembled. I didn’t even know what I was supposed to think right now. I can’t even escape; she’s blocking my path. My body was tense and ready to react, it was like all of my senses heightened as my heart pumped faster.

“This?” Sana looked around, motioning with her hands, “It was supposed to be a warning.”

“For what?” I asked and she huffed, looking at me like I was a little child getting disciplined.

“For bewitching Mingyu. I don’t know how you did it, but I’m truly impressed!” She started clapping slowly and I gulped, taking a few steps back when she advanced inside the living room, “I’ve been trying so hard to get his attention, nothing worked! And then you…a broke university student who happens to be the most boring person I’ve came across, catches his attention. Don’t you think it’s unfair?!”

“You can’t force someone into liking you, Sana.” I snapped, finding the confidence I always seemed to have in situations like this one. The more she spoke, the more my blood started boiling. I forgot about the initial fear I felt, all I wanted was to choke her, she deserved it.

“You know, everything was going just fine, until you came along.” Her voice was venomous as she tried getting closer to me, but I kept my distance. I didn’t glance towards the exit, trying not to remind her that if we switched places, I’d very easily be able to make a run for it. So instead, I played it smart. I walked to the right so that she’d try and come by my left side, switching our places.  

“Maybe to you everything was going just fine,” I mocked her with a disgusted face, Sana didn’t appreciate it, “But I’ve only heard shit about you. Get out of your head, Sana, Mingyu never liked you. And he’ll never like you.”

Sana’s jaw clenched and she started laughing crazily, her eyes narrowed as she watched me, “And you still think he’ll keep you around forever? That you’ll be his?”

“I’m no one’s,” I snapped, palms turning into fists, “and how my relationship goes with Mingyu is none of your business. Now that you’re here, with your special little warning, you’ve got me wondering…did Momo go crazy because of Mingyu? Or you…”

Sana’s eyes widened and I chuckled, backing towards the hallway slowly, “Yeah, I know everything Sana. If you trashing my apartment was supposed to be a warning, why are you still here? It’s a bit now embarrassing that I’ll have to tell your colleagues what a psycho their boss is.”

Sana chuckled in a very hysterical way and looked back at me with her eyes blazing from fury, maybe I shouldn’t have mocked her and instead should have taken off a long time ago, “I had a change of mind in the middle of trashing your apartment. And I’m really glad I decided to stay for a little extra surprise…because…today is the day you take your last breath, Y/N.”

My heart jumped into my throat and as I turned and took off towards the front door, Sana jumped over my coffee table and caught up with me, grabbing onto my hair. I exclaimed in pain as she hauled me back roughly and pushed me into the wall. She was holding onto my hair tightly, a lot tighter than Seungkwan was, I could feel her ripping the strands out. My eyes filled with tears from the pain and I placed my hands quickly against the wall when I felt Sana pulling my head back to smash it against the wall. My hands took the hit and Sana hissed; lips pressed against my ear.

“Maybe you shouldn’t have mocked me.” Her voice was low and I yelped when she yanked me backwards. Taking the chance, I pushed my body into hers and with all the force I had, I ran us backwards, knocking Sana into the wall this time. She didn’t let go of my hair still and I stomped on her foot, putting all of my weight into my right leg, and she cried out in pain.

“Let go, you bitch!” I exclaimed as I elbowed her hard in the stomach and she finally released my hair, doubling over. She was quick to recover and before I could run to the front door, which wasn’t far at all, she had me turned around by my arm and next thing I knew a punch was landed on my jaw. It threw me off balance and I fell against the wall, groaning loudly as an excruciating pain traveled all over my jaw. I’ve never felt anything like it before, I could’ve cried right there and then. I haven’t recovered from the blow yet when Sana had my hair in her fist again, keeping me standing upright. She was so much shorter, but her power was immense. She punched me in the stomach and it knocked all the air out of my lungs, pain traveling all over my torso. I looked at her through teary eyes and mustered up all the power I had in me and pushed her back by the shoulders, her fist yanked on my hair but it let go as she was taken by surprise. She stumbled back and I finally turned and started running, when the click of a gun made me freeze. My body ran cold, it felt like my heart stopped beating and my blood froze over. My lower lips trembled as I raised my arms to let her know that I wouldn’t do anything. I slowly turned around, my jaw and stomach throbbing in pain, as I came face to face with a smirking Sana.

“You know how to fight,” She said with a chuckle, holding the gun tightly, “And you’re pretty good too.”

I just gulped, unable to take my eyes off the gun. So, after all, I wouldn’t die at the hands of Kim Mingyu. An obsessed woman was the one to end my life. I wondered what his reaction would’ve been after the night we shared. After I told him I loved him. Would he avenge my death? Would he destroy everything and everyone who came onto his path? Would Seungcheol miss me very much? Would he be able to recover? Find a true friend in someone else? What about Vernon? He’d lose someone once again he cared about; he’d be destroyed. My parents…my poor parents who didn’t deserve to bury their only daughter. They’d be forever tainted; I know they would never recover from losing me.

“Look at you…” Sana scoffed and I looked at her, biting my lower lip, “You’re seriously crying.”

I didn’t realize I started crying. She pushed the safety off her gun and a voice, so loud I jumped, shouted at me to just “MOVE”. I didn’t think twice, I ducked and ran towards Sana like you see the rugby players do, and I heard the gun going off, but I didn’t care. I didn’t know if it hit me or not, my body, which felt sore a second ago, felt like it just got a refreshing massage. I wasn’t in pain anymore; all I could hear was my loud heart going crazy. There were two screams and my arms latched onto Sana’s torso tightly as I ran into her body, knocking us down onto the floor. She was breathing hard and her eyes rolled to the back of her head for a second from the impact her body went through, and I looked at her with so much anger that her body started trembling.

“Maybe you shouldn’t have touched me.” I mocked, using her own words against her, as I raised my fist and crashed into the side of her face, her resisting body going limp under me. I was breathing hard as I shook her body, seeing if she was still conscious. When I was sure she wasn’t, I scrambled away from her and gripped onto my hair, realizing I was shaking very hard. I covered my ears when I heard a door being kicked open and curled up into a ball, trying to hide from whoever came to get me. Sana almost killed me. I screamed when someone touched me and before I could fight the person, my cheeks were gripped tightly and moved away from my knees. The touch was warm and the hand was big against my cheeks, and I wouldn’t stop trembling.

“Please,” The panicked whisper hit me like bricks and my eyes flew open, “Y/N, oh my God.”

My arms flew around Seungcheol as I clung onto him like a koala, clutching his shirt into my hands so tightly I almost ripped the fabric. His arms were tight around me and he rocked us back and forth, caressing the back of my head as he shooshed me like I was a baby. It was strangely calming, but I couldn’t get myself to let go of him. Something wet dropped onto my cheek and I thought I was crying again, but it was Seungcheol’s wet hair. I realized his shirt was a little wet too, he must have ran here straight when the gun went off.

“Y/N,” He whispered into my ear and I nodded, unable to speak, “You have to call Mingyu.”

I nodded again and let Seungcheol helped me off the ground, I still didn’t pull out of his embrace, “I need to bring over something, you have to let me go—”

“Don’t leave me alone with her!” I said panicking and Seungcheol patted my head again.

“It’ll take five second, I promise.” Seungcheol’s tone was reassuring but I was reluctant still, “When did I not keep my promise?”

I sucked in a shaky breath and finally detached myself from my best friend, hands shaking once again. His expression was the exact opposite of his tone, when I looked at him, my throat closed in on me. His expression was so dark it almost made me cry again, but before we could say anything else, he was out of the door. I glanced at Sana and ran to my jacket, keeping my eyes on her as I fumbled around for my phone. When I finally had it in my hands, I unlocked it and dialed Mingyu’s number. I pressed myself against the wall and scooted to the front door, ready to flee if Sana happened to wake up. I didn’t know how strong my punch was.

“Sugar—”

“Sana tried to kill me.” It came out as a whimper and there was dead silence on the other line, “She just—she was in my apartment—Seungcheol told me to call you.”

My heart was beating fast and the front door knocked into my shoulder as Seungcheol came rushing in, I moved away to let him in. There was still silence on the other end and suddenly the call ended. I looked at my phone confused and remained where I was, watching Seungcheol press duct tape onto Sana’s lips and then he hauled her up and dragged a chair into the middle of my living room before sitting her on it. He took the ropes he brought and tied her tightly against the chair, pulling on it to make sure she wouldn’t be able to undo it. He looked around and when his eyes fell on the gun he went and took it, taking the ammunition out before smashing it against the floor angrily.

“Seungcheol,” I whispered, lips trembling.

“I can’t believe this bitch tried to—to kill you.” A vein was popping in his neck and I gazed at him sadly, “I should’ve killed her the second I found her swooping around our things years ago. I just—did she hurt you?”

I shook my head and took two steps towards him, still keeping my distance from Sana, “No, the bullet didn’t hit me—I think. I’d feel that—right?”

“You would,” Seungcheol sighed, running his hands through his wet black hair, “What did Mingyu say?”

“Nothing.” I whispered, biting my lower lip anxiously.

“Oh, fuck.” Seungcheol muttered to himself and before I could ask what that meant, Mingyu and Vernon came storming inside my apartment. I jumped and pressed myself up against the wall, my heart thumping from the sudden actions of the two new comers. Vernon’s eyes were fixed on Sana and he started looking around my apartment, Mingyu, however was only looking at me. We looked at each other and in a split second I was in his arms, breathing in his honey and smoke like scent, telling myself that I was safe now. He was here, Sana wouldn’t hurt me anymore. Mingyu didn’t react to my touch, he pushed me back a little, looking down at my face.

“What did she do to you?” The Mingyu from yesterday was gone; the man in front of me, was the man who held a gun to my head. His voice ice and expression cold as he waited patiently for my answer.

“Punched me twice and—tried to shoot me.” I shuddered at the words and Mingyu looked at Vernon, giving him a nod. I looked at Vernon alarmed when he went inside my kitchen and returned with a glass of water, apparently Sana didn’t break everything.

“What are you going to do?” I whispered to Mingyu as Vernon walked to Sana. Mingyu looked down at me and carefully pushed me away.

“Don’t move from here.” Is all he said and I heard water splashing, so I turned and saw Sana’s eyes wide open. She looked around franticly and panicked, but when her eyes fell on Mingyu she seemed to relax a little bit. I glared at her as I remained as far away as I could from her, Vernon abandoning the glass on the coffee table as he came to stand next to me. Seungcheol was leaning against the entrance of the living room as he watched Sana with a glare. Mingyu walked slowly, looking around my apartment, taking everything in. His eyes fell on Sana and he nodded at Seungcheol, who ripped the duct tape from her mouth. Vernon placed his arm around my shoulders and pulled me into his side, offering me a little comfort. I sighed and I thanked him quietly, needing the little support he could offer me. He looked just as emotionless as Mingyu and Seungcheol, but his eyes were full of worry as we shared a glance, and his thumb kept rubbing my shoulder in a calming motion, we both needed it.

“Mingyu.” Sana’s voice was whiney and tears gathered in her eyes. Mingyu interlaced his fingers in front of himself and sighed loudly, pursing his lips.

“Explain yourself.” His voice was emotionless as he looked everywhere but at Sana.

“I—I—I—” Sana seemed to be at a loss of words as she looked panicked around, her eyes falling on me and she frowned. Her body was slightly trembling and I couldn’t help but scowl at her.

“Relax, my dear,” My body tensed upon hearing Mingyu’s words and the warmness in his tone, and I twitched when he rubbed Sana’s cheek, “I asked you something simple. All you have to do is be honest with me.”

Vernon was aware of my reaction and he squeezed me, looking at me, “He knows what he’s doing, don’t get mad.”

“Touching her and being nice to her when she tried to kill me?” I snapped at Vernon quietly, but Seungcheol glanced at us, and I realized I wasn’t very quiet. Sana’s lips pulled into a smirk for a split second before she nodded at Mingyu.

“Okay, I—I will, but…will you hurt me?” She asked, faking the fear in her voice.

“Depends on if you tell me the truth or not.” Mingyu said casually as he shrugged and then took a seat on my sofa. Vernon continued rubbing my shoulder with his thumb and I decided to remain calm and silent, if whatever Mingyu was doing will make Sana talk, I won’t fuck it up.

“Well, I just—couldn’t stand seeing you with Y/N, Mingyu. Not when I worked so hard to be with you and well—you did so much for Momo, I wanted to show you my gratitude, I really did! And things were going amazing between us but—that bitch showed up and she came between us. I didn’t want to do this, Mingyu, I swear. I just wanted to scare her a bit, make her run away on her own, but then I just—I found your clothes in her wardrobe and her bathroom smelled like your cologne, I just—I lost control! I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to do what I did, I just wanted to scare her—”

“Did you scare her?” Mingyu raised his eyebrows nonchalantly and my pulse was raising by every minute.

“I did!” Sana chuckled like a mad woman and looked me in the eyes, “She even cried!”

My jaw clenched and if it wasn’t for Vernon, I would’ve lunged at her and choked her.

“How did you make her cry?” Mingyu pressed on and I tried to steady my breathing.

“I pointed my gun at her. I pulled the trigger but the bitch dodged it last minute. What a pity, I would’ve hit her straight in her heart—” Mingyu’s sudden movement made Sana flinch and I looked at him as he placed his left hand in the pocket of his coat, coming to stand next to Seungcheol.

“And this is the truth, yes?” Mingyu raised his eyebrows at Sana and she nodded at him proudly. Mingyu sighed deeply and looked at Seungcheol, shaking his head at him. Seungcheol didn’t react, he just reached for his phone and started typing on it. Sana looked between the two with a smile and Vernon sighed beside me, I looked at him confused.

“What’s happening—”

“You see, my dear,” Mingyu interrupted Sana’s frantic question, “thing is…you touched something that’s mine. You hurt her, Sana, you hurt Y/N. And I appreciate your honesty, but your actions can’t be forgiven. No one touches Y/N, not even me, do you hear me?”

“I—I’m so sorry—”

“Shut up!” Mingyu snapped, his expression falling as his anger came ripping through him, “You tried to kill Y/N, Sana, are you out of your fucking mind?! I guess you are, Seungcheol was right…Momo was right. You know little Kim Doyoung?”

“He’s my subordinate—”

“Exactly!” Mingyu laughed, leaning down to be eye level with Sana, “And if you’re gone…he takes your place. Sana, I’m sorry to tell you, but you failed to be of our help…unlike little Doyoung, he’s been a very important asset to your investigation but also an amazing help for me.”

“What—I don’t understand—” But I did, everything Mingyu was saying made sense. I tensed up and looked at both Vernon and Seungcheol, but they looked unphased, they knew what was coming.

“Mingyu, please, you don’t have to—” I tried to reason with him.

“She almost killed you.” He snapped, drawing his gun out of his pocket. My heart was thumping quickly in my chest and Vernon’s hold tightened on me as Seungcheol turned to look our way.

“Look away, Y/N.” My eyes widened and as a scream left Sana’s mouth, the gun went off. I couldn’t see it because Mingyu’s body blocked the view and Seungcheol walked up in front of me, holding my head to be only able to look at him. A shaky breath left my lips as Vernon’s warm embrace left me and I found myself shaking again. Seungcheol kissed my forehead and I closed my eyes, trying to ignore the shuffling coming from my living room. There was a hard thud and I flinched, holding onto Seungcheol’s wrist.

“It’s over.” Mingyu’s sudden voice in my ear made me tense up and Seungcheol’s hands went away as Mingyu pulled me into him this time, burying my head in his chest. I heard the two men pass by us and then it was suddenly silent in my apartment. My arms went around Mingyu’s torso as I held onto him tightly, feeling tears in my eyes once again. He held me tightly and kissed my head, making me sigh.

“You’re moving in with me.” He muttered and I pulled back to look at him, “Something like this will never happen again.”

I nodded wordlessly and Mingyu looked behind him, “My neighbors…”

“Will be taken care of—”

“Don’t kill them!” I quickly exclaimed and Mingyu chuckled, cupping my cheek.

“Of course not, sugar, I don’t kill innocent people.” I gulped and looked him in the eyes, still trying to wrap my mind around the fact that he killed Sana just a few minutes ago.

“I’ll move in with you.” I whispered and leaned up to press a kiss against his lips, trying to calm my erratic heartbeat. The man I was in love with was a criminal, he just killed a woman before my eyes…a woman that tried to kill me first. Was this the life I’d live if I remained by his side? As I looked up at Mingyu, I felt all emotions mix together. Love, happiness, anxiety, fear. Yet, I felt safe in his arms, I knew he’d do anything for me. He might not be the best person, but I couldn’t help love him more. The other half of me I always craved and wanted was finally in front of me. A smile pulled onto Mingyu’s lips and he pressed a kiss against my forehead, and I knew.

I knew I’d spend the rest of my life with him.

I was in love with Kim Mingyu, and nothing could scare me away anymore.

        A/N: Thank you so much everyone who’s shown support for this mini series! It’s probably the first time I’ve been shown this much love every time I posted a new part, and you made it so enjoyable for me to write. I was legit every single time excited to post it, because I wanted to see your reactions. Thank you very much again for being interested in this mini series and sending me your thoughts, I appreciate them all! I’m a little sad that this is over, but I’m so excited about Streets, that I can’t be very sad haha. Besides, that Wonwoo oneshot in this universe is still happening, give me two weeks! :) I wish you all a pleasant evening/day and I hope I’ll see you showing up for my other stories as well <3

[bibbawrites]

Take Me Home For Christmas - Charlie Gillespie x Reader

Request: “So I had this idea...you and char are newly dating and he invites you to spend Christmas with him and his family, but he introduces you as a friend, because you don’t feel very comfortable with his family yet...so it’s past midnight and it’s basically Christmas and you are in the living room, everyone else is asleep, and you’re sitting on the floor in front of the fireplace, soft Christmas music is playing in the background and you start making out and one thing leads to another and you fuck there with the only light coming from the fire and the Christmas tree! You can turn it into a fic if you want!”

Word Count: 1371 words

Summary: Christmas is here and this year you’re spending it with your relatively new boyfriend Charlie and his family

Warnings: none that i know of 

A/N: okay so this is heavily inspired by the song Take Me Home For Christmas by Dan + Shay (both myself and the anon who sent the request were inspired by the song haha) i received this in my asks and knew i had to elaborate into a full fic, it didnt end up getting smutty though, sorry about that also i tried something new with not using any pronouns or gender specific words, so you could easily imagine the reader to be male or female :) hopefully you all enjoy this and have a merry christmas or whatever you celebrate at this time of year <3

“I want you to come home with me for Christmas.” 

Your head shot up from where it was laying in your boyfriend Charlie’s lap, as he braided and unbraided your hair. 

“You what?” You questioned. 

“I want you to come home with me for Christmas. Spend it with me and my family. I know your parents told you not to travel to them and I just don’t want you spending Christmas alone. Plus I’d love to wake up beside you on Christmas morning.” Charlie looked at you, his eyes full of anticipation. 

You were silent, taking in his offer. He was right, your family had told you not to worry about flying back to spend Christmas with them. It had hurt you at first, since this was the first time you’d ever spend Christmas away from them, but after you thought about it you realised they were only trying to keep you safe. 

Plus, you and Charlie had only been dating for a few months, it seemed like it was a bit too soon to be doing something as big as spending Christmas with his family. 

As if he could read your mind, Charlie spoke up. 

“We can always tell them that we’re just friends if that makes you more comfortable.” He suggested. You hesitated. 

“Okay.” You agreed. “Let’s do it.” Charlie grinned. 

“Really? You’ll come home with me?” He checked, and you nodded. 

“When do we leave?” 

You were leaving the next day, as it turned out. You woke up bright and early to finish packing, before heading to the airport to fly to Canada. 

It felt like time passed so slowly. From the car ride to the airport, to checking in, to the actual flight that was going to take around 11 hours. But finally you touched down in Canada, and before you knew it you were hopping into a rental car and on your way to meet your boyfriend’s family, nervously staring out the window. 

Charlie glanced over at you as he drove, reaching out to place his hand on your knee, giving it a comforting squeeze. 

“Don’t stress yourself out, they’re gonna love you. Besides, it’s only my mum, dad and Meghan, remember?” He told you. You bit your lip. 

“You’re still gonna tell them we’re just friends, right?” You checked. Charlie nodded.

“If that’s what you want darling.” He smiled softly. 

“Just for now.” You said and Charlie squeezed your knee again. 

“Then just friends we are.” 

Meeting Charlie’s family was less awkward than you had anticipated. They were all extremely welcoming, greeting you with warm hugs and excited chatter as they asked you about you life. 

After placing your bags in Charlie’s room, you found yourself in the living room with Charlie and his mother, as she questioned the two of you on how you had met and other questions that made you believe that she secretly knew that you were lying about just being friends. 

After a while she stood up, smiling at you. 

“Let me get the guest room ready for you Y/N.” She said sweetly. 

“Oh it’s okay, we can share my bed.” Charlie said. His mother raised an eyebrow. 

“Okay then.” She gave him a knowing look. “I guess I’ll just grab you a towel then dear.” 

She left the room and you glared at Charlie. 

“What?” He asked. You shook your head. 

“Way to be subtle.” You muttered. He rolled his eyes. 

“C’mon Y/N, no one is gonna figure anything out.” He told you. 

“Fine. But only cause I like cuddles.” You sighed, 

“I’ll be sure to get extra cuddly then.” Charlie grinned. You opened your mouth to reply but stopped as Charlie’s mother re-entered the room, handing you a towel. 

“Thank you.” You smiled, standing up. “I might have a shower now if that’s okay?” 

His mother nodded. 

“Of course dear. I’ll order us some takeout for dinner. Do you eat Chinese?” She questioned and you nodded. 

“Go have your shower, I know what you eat.” Charlie grinned. You smiled in thanks, heading out of the room and into Charlie’s bedroom where you collected some clothes before heading off to have a nice, hot shower. 

The next few days passed quickly with you and Charlie staying busy constantly. He showed you around his home town, taking you to all of his favourite places. You got to meet his childhood friends and spend some time hearing stories about your boyfriend growing up. He even took you ice skating, something you swore you would never do with him again after the disaster that was the first time he took you skating. 

Before you knew it it was Christmas Eve, and you found yourself curled up near Charlie on the lounge, the rest of his family scattered around the room as you watched Love Actually, a tradition you were happy to be included in, while the fireplace burned in the corner, filling the room with a comfortable warmth. 

The movie eventually ended and Charlie’s family all headed off to bed, wishing you both goodnight and merry Christmas. Once you were alone you snuggled closer to Charlie, resting your head on his chest. 

“I never want this moment to end.” You whispered, afraid if you spoke too loud you would ruin the magical moment you were having. Charlie ran his hands down your back, squeezing you tight to him. 

“Me neither.” He replied, voice just as low. “But I might have to ruin it.”

You sat up slightly, frowning. 

“Why?” You asked. Charlie shook his head, peeling himself out of your grasp. 

“Stay here.” He instructed. You nodded, laying back onto the couch and waiting. 

A few minutes later Charlie reappeared, two mugs in his hands. 

“Hot chocolate.” He explained, handing one of the mugs to you. You smiled gratefully. He placed his mug down, before heading over to the small speaker in the corner and connecting his phone up to it to play carols softly. 

“Merry Christmas, by the way. It’s officially Christmas Day.” He said, heading back over to the couch and pressing a soft kiss to your lips. 

You smiled against his lips, so happy that you were here with him. 

“Merry Christmas Char.” You replied. “I-” 

You hesitated. You’d never said the L-word to each other before, but in the last few weeks you had come to realise that you were definitely in love with the Canadian boy. Charlie frowned. 

“You what?” He questioned. You took a deep breath. 

“I love you.” You finished softly. Charlie’s face lit up, a massive smile appearing on his face as he threw himself at you, and you silently thanked your past self for placing your hot chocolate down on the table. 

“I love you too.” Charlie replied, his head buried in your neck. Your heart sped up. 

He loved you. 

And you loved him. 

You were in love. 

You grabbed onto the front of Charlie’s hoodie, pulling him up and kissing him quickly. He smiled against your lips, wrapping his arms around you and pulling you onto his lap, your lips never disconnecting. 

“I love you.” He mumbled against your lips. You smiled, breaking the kiss to press your foreheads together. 

“I love you too.” You whispered.

“I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of hearing that.” Charlie smiled, pulling you back into a passionate kiss. Your fingers tangled through his hair and you tugged slightly, swallowing the moan that he let out. After a minute you separated, gasping for air. You smiled sweetly.  

“Do you want part of your Christmas present now?” You questioned. Charlie’s eyes widened and he nodded quickly. You grinned. 

“Bed. Now.” You muttered, climbing off his lap. Charlie stood up quickly, collecting his phone and hot chocolate and putting out the fire in the fireplace, while you stood waiting, your own hot chocolate in hand. 

He made his way over to you and you allowed him to lead you to his bedroom. 

And as you stripped off your clothes and fell to the bed together in a mess of kisses and giggles there was only one thing on your mind and that was how thankful you were that you decided to spend Christmas with Charlie. 

[badboysdoitbetter]

Hisoka with a reader who hangs out with Gon and co. She’s older than them and act’s as a mother/older sister for the group. She runs into hisoka one day alone and chaos ensues. She doesn’t like him (because obviously) and he flirts shamelessly? Sorry if this is too specific, but I’m a sucker for tension

— dollar store ronald mcdonald | sc

pairing: hisoka morow x reader

fandom: hunter x hunter

genre: fluff(ish); obsessive!hisoka, uninterested!reader

tags/warnings: hisoka’s a creep and you’re a bad bitch who isn’t having it

word count: 1.3k

synopsis: all you wanted was a quick trip to Sephora. in and out, nothing to distract you from getting to gon’s fight on time. too bad hisoka’s sinister attraction towards you has to get in the way of that...

⤷ MASTERLIST

“I’m heading in now, do you need anything while I’m—I know, I’ll be home soon, and I promise I won’t miss your match—I have to go, I’m going into a store—Love you too, Gon.”

You tucked your phone into your purse as you rushed through the inordinate entryway, and immediately, the fluorescent lighting, combined with the forceful scent of cheap perfume, almost overwhelmed your senses. 

Your eyes scanned the shelves for the makeup you needed as you made your way down the aisles, and you didn’t take notice of the people bustling around you, or the overambitious salespeople making their rounds through the store. You came to Sephora for one thing, and you promised yourself that you weren’t going to get distracted, not with Gon’s match starting in—you checked your phone—less than 20 minutes.

Perfume, no. Blush, no. Foundation, no. Eyeliner, no–wait yes.

Stopping at the right aisle, you bent over to get a better view of the brands, and while you were preoccupied in searching for the correct color of eyeliner, the presence coming towards you went unnoticed (even with your En) until you could practically feel someone lingering directly behind you.

“You know, (Y/N),” You recognized the voice instantly. He was beside you now, and before you could even turn to look at him, sharp, claw-like nails ghosted along your clavicle, “If you need some recommendations, I’m sure I can be of service~” 

A chill went down your spine as you craned your neck to face the speaker, and there, clad in his signature loose white pants and a black crop top, stood,

“Hisoka, what a surprise.” Your voice surprisingly held steady, although you were unnerved by his amber eyes glazing over your form as he moved to get closer to you, “Do you need something or—”

“Hm? Can’t I simply browse around? Looking effortlessly good might come easily to you,” He licked his lips, “but my look requires a little bit more effort, wouldn’t you say?” 

You had to refrain yourself from rolling your eyes, but you felt your face getting warm after hearing his words. Sure, ignoring him was an option, albeit you knew that the more you resisted his attempts at conversation, the less likely he was to leave you alone. Straightening back to your full height, it irked you that the man standing before you was still looking down at you.

“What are you doing here, Hisoka?” You said, and a sigh slipped past your lips. The said man placed a hand on his chin, seemingly deep in thought, but from the insincerity in his eyes, you knew better.

You thought back to when you first noticed him hovering around you. During the hunter exam, he’d been there when a fellow applicant thought that killing you would give him a better shot at getting your badge (in his defense, he wasn’t wrong), and after killing the man himself, Hisoka had even given you one of the cards he was carrying in an attempt to help you out. From then on, whenever you seemed to be in danger during the exam, he’d pop up and save the day. Honestly, you were still afraid to ask him why, but you assumed that his answer would be somewhere along the lines of, “You entertain me, (Y/N),” and that was not a sentence you particularly wanted to hear from the Jester’s mouth.

His large hand slipped past your arms and tugged at your waist, and you stumbled into him out of shock. He didn’t stop there, however, and your body went rigid as the other arm had somehow found its way to your jawline, softly tugging until the two of you were breathing the same air.

“Would you believe me if I said I was here to enjoy your company?” His lips lingered next to your own, and yet again, your cheeks flushed a bright scarlet as you turned away. 

“If that’s all,” You tried pulling away from him, but his grip around your waist was firm, and his nails had even begun to dig into the flesh, “I really should be off...”

“(Y/N)? I’ve been looking all over for you. Gon’s match is about to start!” The shift in your demeanor was almost palpable. “What the heck is Hisoka–”

This time, you pried his hands off you and ripped away from his hold, but you knew it was only because he could sense that the aggravation you felt embedded in your aura, which somehow annoyed you even more.

“Oh Killua, were you worried about me?” Already striding away from the clown, you happily walked over to Killua, bending to his height and holding your arm out in an attempt to pat his head, and while of course, he avoided it, he did let your hand sit lightly on his shoulder. “We should get going then, I couldn’t find what I was looking for anyway, and I don’t want to miss even a second…”

Hisoka watched the two of you talk from a distance, and a pout slowly took over his handsome features. You were his toy, he swore that to himself ever since he first saw you during the Hunter Exam, and this little boy acting like you were his...his sister? his lover, even? Well, it annoyed him to the point of wanting to murder Illumi’s brother right then and there. 

His malicious intent was present as he sauntered over to the two of you, and this time he made sure to stand right up against you.

“Why is it that he commands all your attention, (Y/N)?” His bisque orbs locked with Killua’s icy blue ones as he again tried to place his hand on your form, although this time, you stepped away before he had the chance. “Does someone need to remind you that it’s rude to interrupt a rather lovely conversation, Zoldyck?” The younger boy scoffed, but before he could retort, you stood in front of him, successfully obstructing his vision of the much stronger man.

“Goodbye, Hisoka.” With that, you grabbed Killua’s hand and walked towards the exit of the outlet, and while you noticed Hisoka’s eyes following you as you went, you paid him no mind as you amalgamated with the people occupying the street.

Killua immediately ran in front of you, eager to get back to his friend’s first fight on the 200th floor of Heaven’s Arena, and as you watched him weave through the crowd, a sense of foreboding stole over you. Assuming you were being paranoid, you pushed the corrosive thoughts to the back of your mind, but after a minute of mental rumination, you couldn’t help looking over your shoulder, and you were monumentally glad you did.

“Hisoka, if you don’t stop following me right now, I swear to god I’ll never let you near Gon again!” The tuft of dyed-cerise hair in your peripheral stood still, and you turned around satisfied. Although, when you felt the clown’s eldritch aura utterly disappear, you almost let out a scream in frustration at his indirect refusal to leave you alone.

“ZETSU DOESN’T COUNT, YOU–YOU DOLLAR STORE RONALD MCDONALD!”

[darkacademicfrom2021]

The Dark Team (part 12)

<<Previous part Masterlist   Next part>>

(Taglist: @lucywrites02, @louieboo87, @the-departed-potato, @jesuswasnotawhiteman, @idontknow296, @beksib, @spythoschei, @geekwritersworld, @whatafuckingdumbass, @mysticunicorn7 @shadowolf993 @toe-vind-ek-jou @joscelyn02, @t00-pi, @irwxnhugsx)

Warnings: alcohol.

Disclaimer: pic not mine.

After the sun came completely down and the night bathed the city, making the flashing lights of the buildings and cars look like the sky had spat all of its stars, you gathered all your work and called it a day. Thor, Steve and Bucky were able to go through everything you told them to, and everything was in control. You had managed to solve a chaotic situation from the distance, and the pleasant feeling of doing things right gave you the last push to close your laptop and join Peter and Loki.

Opening one of the windows, you let the fresh wind hit your face and unfurrow your brows, releasing all the tensions you had been accumulating all week long. Peter sneaked up from outside the building and hung upside down from the frame. You gasped, forgetting for a brief moment he was sticky and not completely out of his mind.

“Are you joining us, older?”.

“Yes, little. I’m going”, you laughed at the comeback of the nicknames. Standing for older sibling and little sibling Tony had baptized you with, years ago. Loki chuckled.

“You two are the epitome of adorability, sometimes”.

“Oh, we can get worse”, you laughed.

You had ordered some food in, without wanting to ever touch the mess of that kitchen again, and a bottle of wine. Nobody was there, else than you three; might as well have fun. As you waited for dinner to arrive, you decided on a slide presentation night. You gave each other no more than twenty minutes to arrange it all, so the chaos would be absolute and uncontrollable.

Peter presented first, with a long powerpoint ranking things the Avengers did in “vine-vibes” ascending order. You two tried (and failed miserably) to explain to Loki what a vine was and why something would have its vibes without being actually a video.

Loki’s presentation was titled “Seven hundred reasons why you shouldn’t worship the God of Sparkly hands”. There were actually only six reasons; two of them were about mass murders he was about to commit, and most of them talked about annoying things he did as a child. There was an extra one where it was just a white background and tiny letters in the middle saying “he dyes his hair blonde, he’s actually a redhead”.

Your presentation was titled “Seven hundred and one reasons why you should worship me instead”. No need to elaborate. They all differed except for Friday; she clapped with her electronic hands.

Two board games and some chess later, the food had already arrived. Peter was famished and ate more than you could’ve imagined a boy was capable of. He got so full, so quickly, that he instantly got sleepy. Loki could not bite his tongue and had to say “just like a baby”. It did not help that you snorted, and Peter shot his webs at you two; Loki avoided them and you couldn’t, so you ended up stuck to the roof. Peter started to walk to his room, leaving you up there.

“Hey, hey! Don’t leave, I’m still here!”, you called him. But he was gone. What an avenger. Loki chuckled, and raised his hand to free you with magic, and you instantly realized you were six meters away from the floor. “Wait! I’ll fall!!”.

He didn’t stop, and dissolved the net with a simple spell. As you fell down, you closed your eyes and tried to cover your head, knowing you’d have at least a broken bone. Peter has done this before, you knew there was no way to actually leave unharmed. Loki’s arms tightened around your body, avoiding you to fall flat against the floor.

As you looked up, you met his face, closer than ever. Closer than it ever has been. Your heart skipped a beat, and you knew you had to think about something else than the feeling of his chest against yours, his hands in your back, how he was holding you so gently, how he was looking at you so dearly. You knew you had to think about something else; for he could be reading your mind. He surely was. But you couldn’t. You couldn’t stop focusing on his peach lips and how soft his cheeks looked from up close. You couldn’t see anything else than the movement of his Adam’s apple when he swallowed hard, and how his hand trembled a little in your back.

He let you down slowly, still holding eye contact, still with his arms around you. Not the threatening gaze he would hold against everyone else on the compound. Not the lustful gaze he would sometimes draw while stealing some glances at you changing on your suit (he thought you didn’t notice, you certainly did). Not the concentrated gaze he would hold still on his face while reading one of those books he always carried around.

It wasn’t any of those. You had studied them thoroughly, meticulously, every inch of his facial expressions, every inch of his being while he wasn’t aware of your eyes on him. God, how you hated to look at him this way, but how much you couldn’t avoid it. Your brain knew you shouldn’t get attached. You had no chance at all to be with him; he was a God, a criminal, and he’d go back to Asgard. And, foremost, he didn’t feel the same. He had a lover, and his mind was still there, stuck in that person, undeletable.

And, as much as you could have read him like a children’s book the entirety of the past week, right now, you had no clue what those green eyes on you meant. You had no idea why the blush on his cheeks was in there, and why he let out a tiny (the tiniest, ever so subtle) gasp. Parted lips that shone, looked so…

You shook your head, closing your eyes. He didn’t let go of his grip around you, but your feet were already on the floor. You could’ve walked away if you wanted to. And you wanted to, you definitely did not want to stay there, and sink your nose in his neck. You certainly did not want to play with his hair while staring at those pair of emeralds he couldn’t keep away from you. You couldn’t read him. He looked at you in a way you’ve never seen him before. Yet it felt so… right.

No, it wasn’t right. God, what were you thinking?

He pulled away, and the cold breeze from the window surrounded your body. You didn’t realize how much body heat he was warming you with until he left. Or maybe it was your own. Your face was still burning. You visibly cringed at your reaction, and could not play it cool at all. He chuckled, again, and walked to the kitchen.

You didn’t say anything. Your face still burned, and your chest was tight. You haven’t felt like this in a long time, why now? Why in the middle of an important mission? Why just now, that he specifically told you he would not stay, and that once he left he would not come back? Why now, that he was opening a bottle of wine in the kitchen, and pouring it in two glasses?

Opening the balcony’s doors, there were two metal chairs (those with delicate designs, that would usually belong to a grandma’s garden) and a round and tiny glass table, just waiting for you two to sit there. You needed fresh air, so you did, sinking in all the city, the active flashlights of the cars, the minute people running around, or walking.

Two glasses of wine clicked against the glass table, and Loki sat in front of you with his eyes fixed on the city, too. You observed him from the corner of your eye, and he did the same. A subtle smile drew across his tightened lips.

After a glass of wine, a refill and about an hour of small talk, he uncrossed his legs and stretched his arms and back with a yawn. The blush still remained intact on his cheeks, and it couldn’t be because of the wine. If you weren’t drunk, much less him. He looked back at you, and chuckled uncomfortably.

“What?”, he asked.

“What what?”.

“You’re staring”.

“Oh, sorry”.

“No, it’s fine”, he said, and you furrowed your brows. He specified, “I don’t mind. I wonder what you’re thinking while you stare, nothing more”.

“So you’re not reading my mind?”.

“No. You said you didn’t like that”.

“Ah”, you gave your glass of wine one last sip and emptied it. It was such a simple gesture, yet you didn’t expect him to actually have listened. Of course he would, he wasn’t actually as bad as he was portrayed by Stark, or so you have seen so far of him. “I just… I wonder about you”.

“About what?”.

“You’re difficult to read. My job here is mainly knowing how to read people”, you explained, and he nodded. “It’s almost like you’re purposely hiding. Like you’re shifting your microexpressions into whatever they are now, so nobody can see what you actually think or feel”. He let out a short chest laugh. Probably sarcastic, but how would you know.

“Who would actually want to know what goes through my mind?”.

“I do, just told you”.

He looked down and played with the empty glass in between his fingers. It looked small in comparison.

“You don’t want to, believe me”.

“Are you afraid of letting people in?”.

“No, it’s not that”, he said, trying to let you know he didn’t want to talk about it anymore. You ignored it and opened your mouth, but the words died in your tongue as he added, “please, don’t”.

“I wish I knew you better”, you said after a few more minutes of silence. You swore you heard a creaking foot on the stairs, peeping in the conversation. You ignored it; if Loki was to talk to you, he would also say it in front of Peter. Not like you had some sort of special bond, or even friendship. You kind of wished for it, though.

“Why?”. His knitted eyebrows showed how actually curious he was about that. He believed you. He was certain you were telling the truth, but he simply couldn’t put his head around it. Why would anyone want to know me better? What is it about me that you care? And you wished to know the reason, too. If you knew why you were so drawn to him, maybe you could’ve stopped yourself.

“I feel like I’m missing out on something”.

“Something like what?”.

“Something great”.

“There is no greatness in me, it’s all an act”.

“I know it’s all an act”, you said, referring to his whole I’m a God and you’ll kneel before me and I’m superior. “I don't mean that kind of greatness. You’re hiding the wrong things”.

“You’re not missing out on anything”, he insisted, and not for humility, but because he wanted to brush you off. Keep you away from him.

“Don’t you think we could ever get along? Friends, even?”, you pressured. You knew you shouldn’t have, but Loki didn’t take it badly. Instead, he finally looked at you, drawing a sad smile.

“I’m going back to Asgard after the mission. I don’t intend to make new friends”, he said, but a softness in his voice hinted he wasn’t being mean; simply stating the facts. Exactly as it should be.

“Why did you come only for this mission?”, you asked. You actually wanted to ask do you even have friends back there?, but you knew better.

“I owe Stark. I messed up and wanted to fix at least something with him. He’s not taking it too kindly, but I think he understands the intentions”, he explained, sitting back up on his chair and getting his eyes back on the city.

“A peace offering?”.

“More like an apology. Redemption, even”.

“Redemption? Do you see yourself as a villain to him?”.

He didn’t answer right away. Took his time to find the words.

“I wronged. I did things I shouldn’t have”, and then you realized, he wasn’t apologizing for the New York incident. It was personal. You even wondered, maybe… was he…? Was Tony actually the...? No, imposible. “I know helping out on a mission won’t cut it, but if I can at least be a little bit of help to his planet…”.

“May I ask what did you wrong him in?”.

“I tried to take over Midgard once”, he said, and you didn’t believe him.

“If you ask me, it’s not Stark’s place to accept that apology. He doesn’t own the planet, even though he thinks that”.

“Does he?”.

“He acts like such, at least. He has a big ego, but also a big heart. He’s the closest thing I have to a father”.

“I know”, and you weren’t sure what he had said I know to.

The night was kept awake with more small talk you wouldn’t remember the next day. You saw the sun rising from behind the buildings in silence, with a bad aftertaste of wine, takeout food and unspoken words that would stay just like that.

[wouldpollyapprove]

Tortured, Broken, Brave

Request: imagine tommy accidentally blinding the reader- like she scared him and he just whips around and slices her- idk i’ve been thinking about it and i kinda want a request?

Requested by Anonymous

Thomas Shelby x Reader

Word Count: 1.9k

Warnings: Violence, mention of war. mention of ptsd

A/N: I was so torn with this. I love the idea because Tommy is such a complex character when it comes to emotions. You may think he’ll react one way but it’ll be the total opposite. I just had such a hard time deciding on if I wanted it to be a blurb or a headcanon. In the end, I think it’s more of a oneshot an pretty pleased with it.

Masterlist

It had been a year since the war that tore apart the world ended. A year since the men who were left standing returned home. And it had been a year since Y/n had greeted the love of her life, the shell of the man who had left four years earlier.

Like everyone who protected the home-front, Y/n knew that Tommy wouldn’t be the same once he returned home. As it was expected, she wasn’t surprised by the sleepless nights. In the dark hours of the evening, she’d sit beside her husband, give him the comfort he needed, whether he wanted to be held or just sit in silence next to her. Whatever he needed, Y/n gave him. Over time, Tommy began to heal, or so he led everyone to believe. 

  Stepping back into the family business, Thomas Shelby pretended to be a bronze statue: strong and mighty. With no scratches or dents to ruin his polished exterior, many thought the man was untouchable. And, for the most part, he was. His whole family could see that the war tortured the happy boy that lived inside him, leaving him battered and broken. The once happy personality that was evident in his smile and bright eyes, ran for the hills, hiding in a place where it couldn’t be found. The man Tommy used to be was never to return, a fact that Y/n would have to get used to.

Y/n shut the door behind her quickly in a daft attempt to keep the cold air out. It would still seep in under the door and through the thin window panes, but she didn’t like to think about that. Unwrapping her scarf, she hung it on the coat rack, silently wondering if her husband was home. Tommy was at the betting shop when she’d left for the market, that had been hours ago but the place had become his second home since his return and wouldn’t have surprised her if he was going over the books in his office. Y/n took the basket of produce she’d collected to the kitchen before setting off to find Tommy.

Silently, she crept through the house, searching for a sign of life. Usually, it wasn’t hard to tell if he was home. Tommy liked to perch himself in the drawing-room with a cigarette and paperwork, but as she stood in the archway, her husband couldn’t be seen. Moving along, Y/n walked pasted the guest bedroom. It had been turned into a makeshift office and, down the road, it would hopeful become a nursery. Taking a few steps back, Y/n caught sight of light seeping under the office door. As it was ajar, she didn’t bother knocking, though she knew it would have been best, a lightly pushed against the wood with her knuckles. Her footsteps were absorbed by the wood flooring, not a sound echoing through the room as she approached the man hunched over the small desked. 

“You wor-” Y/n started, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder before she was violently cut off, the feeling of flesh being torn as cool metal sliced threw her tender skin. Adrenaline pumping threw her viens, she stumbled back, clutching her cheek. In front of her, Tommy stood, wide-eyed and horrified, with a blade, crimson red in color as her blood dripped onto the floor.

The blade clattered against the hardwood, Tommy’s face turning an alarming shade white. His hands shook as he held them up, “What have I done?” he muttered to himself, but his wife caught it.

In any other circumstance, Y/n would have fled the room, searching for safety, but she saw no danger from where she stood. Slowly she lowered her blood-stained hands and stepped towards the broken man in front of her like he was a wounded animal. “Tommy, hey, it’s alright. Just a cut,” she smiled at him, hoping it would bring back some color in him. It did not. “It’ll mend in a day or two.”

He shook his head, raking a hand threw his already disheveled hair. “No, no it’s not. It not.” He shook his head once more and walked past her and into the hall. The expression, that of a man that believed he deserved the noose, brought tears to Y/n’s eyes. She knew that Tommy often wished the war had taken him, but to see it written clearly on his face made her want to drown him in love and never let the nasty world touch him.

Alone in her thoughts, Y/n was left to tend to her own wound as Tommy left the house, drowning in misery. Tommy had never raised a hand to her, something he swore he would never do, he was likely walking along the canal, kicking himself for his actions. Knowing him like the back of her hand, Y/n knew he thought she’d only disregarded what he’d done because she was trying to make him feel better, feel less like a monster. But that wasn’t the case. As Y/n whipped a damp cloth across her face, she forgave him.

The war had left him empty and Y/n knew it would take time for him to become whole again. It was foolish of her to scare him like that, his reaction was on her whether he saw it that way or not. All she wanted was for him to get better, to allow himself to heal, that couldn’t be done if he feared what he was capable of.

That night, Tommy didn’t come home, leaving a cold spot next to Y/n where he was supposed to be. Y/n didn’t lay eyes on him until the next morning at work where he had suddenly become an expert at avoiding her. She didn’t try to seek him out, knowing he needed space, so she kept to her desk and tried to do her work.

“What’s going on?” Polly asked, leaning against Y/n’s desk as the young woman typed up a letter. 

Y/n raised a brow, not lifting her eyes from the work in front of her. “What do you mean?” she asked even though she knew.

Polly folded her arms across her chest and glanced at her nephew, who was pacing in his office. “You have a cut on your cheek, Tommy has practically locked himself in his office, and you’ve been at your desk all day. You can’t tell me something didn’t happen.”

A sigh escaped her lips as she leaned back in her chair. It was silly of her to believe people wouldn’t notice. On a normal day, Y/n would usually do her work in her husband’s office as he did his own. Tommy liked to have her near, it calmed him, bringing the restless man peace. Her desk was often abandoned except for the few times a meeting was taking place that she wasn’t a part of. To have her sit at her desk all day was virtually unheard of. As the office was practically empty, almost everyone was out for lunch, Y/n took a deep breath and looked at the ground, ashamed with herself. “I snuck up on Tommy last night. I didn’t mean to, didn’t think anything of it, and it scared him and he cut me.”

A gasp split the older woman’s lips, “He cut you?” her words were laced with disgust causing Y/n to cringe. 

“It’s not his fault, Pol. He’s been jumpy and he has night terrors. I should have expected this,” Y/n admitted, resting her head in her hands. “He was horrified with what he’d done and… he felt, practically ran out the door and didn’t come home. Now, he won’t look me in eye and I’m afraid of what he’s doing to himself because of this.”

Polly sighed, taking a moment to think. She’d dealt with plenty of men in her life, drunks, gamblers, players, cheaters, but she’d never dealt with men as broken as the Great War had created. She wanted to be angry at her nephew, Thomas knew better, but she knew with the state of his mind, it was often hard for him to enemy from ally. “Talk to him,” she shrugged. “Force him to listen to you, God knows you’re the only one who gets threw to him.”

“What do I say?”

Pushing herself off the desk, Polly smiled at her. “If you love him, you’ll know exactly what to say.”

Y/n rolled her eyes. Her husband’s aunt was a wise woman but she wasn’t one to give a straight answer. But she did as suggested and stood from her desk, pushed the wrinkles out of her skirt, and tapped her fingers against Tommy’s office door. Before an answer could be given, she let herself in, the owner shocked to see her enter. 

“I’m busy, Y/n,” Tommy informed her, peering at her threw his lashes before moving his eyes back to his work. Stepping closer, his wife stood in front of his desk and waited for him to glance up at her once more. He huffed in frustration and gave in, dropping his pen and sitting up to look at her. “What?”

“You didn’t come home last night, where’d you go?”

He shook his head, a sad smile present on his lips. “Does it matter? Why would you care where I’ve been when I did that to you?” He gestured to the cut on her cheek. 

It was Y/n’s turn to shake her head. Coming around the desk, she moved his chair so he was facing her and cupped his face in her hands, leaning over him. “It matter’s because you, Thomas Shelby, you stubborn arse, are my husband and I love you. I worry about you every fucking day!” she exclaimed, locking her y/e/c with his blue ones. 

“But I…” he trailed off, tears pooling in his eyes. 

Standing between his legs, Y/n pulled him against her, letting his head rest against her stomach. “But nothing. What happened last night was unavoidable, it was bound to happen. You aren’t as tough as you’d like the world to believe and you need to stop acting like it. I’m here,” she petted his hair as his tears soaked her blouse. “I’m here for you and I’ll help with whatever you need.”

Tommy pulled away, eyes red and puffy. “What if it happens again, Y/n? I can barely live with what I did to you. What if we have children and that happens? What if they think I’m a monster?”

Heart aching, Y/n wished she could absorb all his pain, take it away before any more damage could be done to him. “Hey, don’t think like that,” she frowned, caressing his cheek. “Our children will love you just as I do. They will think you’re a brave man, who fought for them when they were just a twinkle in his eyes.”

Letting his wife hold him once more, Tommy wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer. “I’m sorry. I’m so fucking sorry,” he said, voice muffled against the material of her shirt.

Y/n smiled, “I thought Thomas Shelby didn’t apologize?” she teased. Her husband pulled away a little, flashing her that smile that she fell in love with all those years ago, and pulled her into his lap, a chorus of giggles escaping her lips.

“You’re going to be the death of me,” he shook his head before peppering her neck with kisses.

“That’s the idea.”

*~~*~~*

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[we-dragons]

I'm from a different dimension actually Chapter 9 Damian x reader

"What is this place, why is it shaped like a T?" We stand on an island with this enormous building smack in the center of it the sunset shade casting a large shadow over us, I can't get over how ridiculous it looks. Or contemplate my confusion, Nightmare makes an unimpressed huff and nuzzles back into my shoulder.

"Titan's tower."

"why would this be a good place to hide? It's the most obvious building here, I ran with you for several days I'm beginning to think I would be safer under my floorboards." He walks up to the doors and pulls out a card holding it in front of the circular panel. It beeps and a clicking noise comes from the door.

"Believe me this would be a better place for you." I sigh a form of any and all anxiety pools in my body, but I still meet him at the now unlocked door.

"Alright fine but you need to explain to me why here of all places."

"When we get inside." The doors swing open, the area behind it lights up leading to what I assume is an elevator. I'm pulled inside not giving me a chance to look around. "Hey!" He doesn't answer but pulls us into the elevator, I don't see him push a button but we almost immediately move up. It's fast but not as fast as the one I had to go down for training at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. Though the feeling is familiar and I start missing my classmates all over again. I rub the wrist that Damian was holding to dragging me here. Nightmare growls at the space moving him and interrupting his nap. The space stops and the door opens to an open space that looks like a large living room. a white angled couch a large kitchenette and an impossibly large TV by open glass windows. The room has several people all staring at us, my anxiety hits me tenfold and I take a step back. A hand is at my shoulder the moment I do and pushes slowly while moving itself. The doors close signaling that I'm truly stuck here, a woman with Neon pink hair and bronze skin zooms up to us.

"It's so good to see you, and I see you brought a friend. Richard has been looking all over for you."

"I know that's why you can't tell him we're here." I'm pushed forward. "She's a mutant possessing the X-Gene, my father wants to interrogate her for the information, she needs to stay here till a better solution becomes present. Can she stay here?"

"Well of course she can stay-"

"What?!" Nightmare jumps from my arms and hisses. I walk backward, taking in this new information. "How did, you find out when-when." Fear creeps how long had he known how much trouble was or might be in. But he didn't mention this. but then again why would he. How does he know about the X-Gene though, from the research I did there were none here with it. The closest there was were Metahumans but even they didn't have anything close. My back hits the wall and I return to the world Nightmare growls standing guard in front of me. Everyone who was in the room now stood in front of me, a boy that was green from head to toe, another girl in a purple cloak and unitard, and another boy with something attached to his back. The pink-haired woman steps forward, but Nightmare swats at her yowling as a warning to keep away. She raises her hands in surrender but looks at me.

"There is no need to be afraid, I knew people like you, Jean Grey, Cyclops. they came here by accident once a few friends and I helped them get back. It would have been 7 years ago now." Damian steps forward Ignoring Nightmare, guilt is painted slightly on his face he tries to coax me from the wall. "I'm sorry I knew since the time you showed me, I checked my recorder after that visit and played it back home in front of everyone. I was to find out more from you and report back after we scanned those samples that healed me. When we were ready I was supposed to bring you back with me for interrogation with confirmation of your mother's research." Something snaps inside me and I glare at him.

"So all that was for those stupid journals. Wow, for how long were you faking nice. No, don't tell me it'll just feel worse. " I put a hand on my face willing the emotions of confusion to stop. A crackling noise makes its self known in front of me followed by screams.

"Holy Crap that thing has tentacles coming from its face!"

"Ahh!"

I gasp at the sight Nightmare had gone full flerken and is attempting to drag Damian in. I lunge at Nightmare dragging him across the floor. He lets go of Damian but he hasn't changed back to cat form. "Nightmare No! Calm down I'm fine I swear it! Stop!" The black fuzzball retracts his tentacles and hisses at the crowd.

"I'm sorry, he gets like that when he sees me upset sometimes. Not sure if you have them here but he's half flerken, they look like cats but they're quite deadly." I set Nightmare down and he crawls behind my legs once again hissing particularly at the green boy how has gotten closer, he turns into a green cat making Nightmare run in the process. Damian limps forward his leg is bleeding through his suit. I would let that heal naturally if only wounds inflicted by Nightmares in the flerken form never heal normally on their own.

"Y/N these are the Titans, the one mimicking your," he waves his hand in the air as if to find the world. "flerken is Garfield." He points to Nightmare being chased my the green cat attempting to lose him. The bronze woman glides forward stomping a foot from me the others followed behind.

"Hello my name is Starfire you can call me Kori, this here is Raven," She points to the purple girl then moves her other hands to the boy. "and this is Jaime. We are pleased to have you here Y/N." She grabs my hand pulling me away from the middle of the room where I had landed. "Now let's get you settled in I'll talk to Damian for a bit after." Nightmare notices my leaving and jumps onto my right sholder hissing at the green-skinned boy.

_____________________________________________________________

I honestly don't know how to feel, to be honest, I should have guessed it so it's my fault. I could have left him and then this wouldn't have happened, but then he would have died in my apartment. Could have been more hostile, but then he definitely would have gone with the kidnapping strategy and I would be already in the hand of batman. Now I'm in the known world of their superheroes, the superheroes know about the Crows and they know about the X-gene. That information can go from good to bad in minutes. Though Kori did know about Jean and Scott, though it was years ago they have traveled through many universes with a small team. I would have been about 10 when this happened and my mother didn't take me there for classes till I was 12. In their lectures, they didn't mention anything like this they did bring in Doctor Strange to teach those of us who could understand how to perform magic. I Now I'm sitting on an insanely comfortable bed knees curled up to my chest just reminiscing. I have been told to use my abilities only when necessary as not to attract any unwanted attention. But what did I do, I screw up my chances of living normally till Doc Strange can pull me back only to find I'm not in my home where I should be. Everything was going so smoothly till now.

The door opens behind me and by the almost silent footfalls, I can tell it's Damian. Nightmare has jumped into my arms forcing me to let go off my legs and watch as the boy drags a chair to face me.

"I suppose you want the whole story now," I said barely looking at him.

"I wasn't going to talk about that yet."

"What did you think you would find in the journals that my mother wrote?"

"An answer on how to stop the Crows."

"You most likely will."

"Than what's in them."

I sigh looking him dead in the eye, pulling myself together for this.

"My mother didn't only study history, in my dimension, she studied all sorts of fields one day she was asked to study something and was gone for almost six months. We hardly heard from her but just enough to know she was alive so naturally when she came back she swore me into secrecy. She explained that she had gone to another world entirely, she studies with them and when she came back more time had passed than when she was there. One journal explaining how she got the and how to get in and another explaining what she found, and the rules for everything she experienced there. She learned things no human should know and kept it from the people she worked for and everyone else. She-she found Avalon, lived among the fey in return for her curiosity and genuine interest they helped her make a guide and history of all fairy and Fae both the pure and the equally disturbed." I reach in my bag and pull out the books from missing from the very research my mother so loved. One being ordinary leather-bound and the other two bear a glowing purple gem on both sides of a very purple dark Tome thick and pooling with some sort of energy as the gem. I give him a serious look gripping both books. "She left it to me but I haven't read them yet, I...I couldn't bring myself to. It might be better used in your hands anyway. Though I shouldn't I still trust you for some reason, so under the conditions that you only use what you find for the better of those in need you may find your information. The journals, however, will stay within my sight understood." He nods, I start to give the leather books to him he stops me.

"I don't want to see them before you," He takes the books from my hands and places them back in the bag. "If you are convinced that I should still read them, then I will convince where ever you wish to study them." He sits on the bed next to me staring out the window. "What I want to talk about is how we get Father not to view you as a threat and as a friend. I went over it with Starfire and we both agree this is the best option." He pauses before he continues. "We're you a hero in your world?"

"You want me to do hero's work and gain a positive reputation so that he's more willing to work with me than slowly forcing out of me."

"Yes."

"How do you know about the X-gene?"

"It was in our database from when Jean Grey and Cyclops had visited. They helped take down an invasion of the skrul and took them back with them to their own dimension. Father took some DNA samples to work with and ask about their abilities. There are entire folders on the subject alone." He pauses again running a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault."

"Not for that, for everything else."

"Yes that is very much on you but it's also on me. But if I had left you with Crow poison in your blood you would either turn into an undead flesh puppet in my room or die. That would not have gone down well for either of us. I was also mostly upset you broke my window and wanted compensation," I see him visibly tense and clench his teeth. "and didn't even bother to say thank you."

"I Fixed your awful goddammed window isn't that thanks enough." He glares at me.

"Was it? After all, you did spy on me and report it to the Dark Knight." I fall back onto the bed. "There's no getting out of this now might as well get used to it."

"You shouldn't be this comfortable with what's happening, I wouldn't"

"Then why are you smiling ya weirdo, It's almost creepy."

"Tsk, just hand me your computer so I can pull up Star Trek, I would like to finish and begin the movies." I hand him my laptop and he walks over to the wall in front of the bed.

"Um, you know we watch on that computer you making a get away with."

"Yes but the enormous 4k TV is here." He pushes a button I didn't even see before and as promised a TV appears. He smirks at what I assume is my expression. He opens my computer and within minutes Star Trek is cast on the TV. "Please hold your applause till after the show."

"Did you just make a joke? Are you joking now?"

"Aren't I allowed to have a sense of humor?" I Look at Nightmare who has the same thought in his head and I look back at Damian.

"Nope, Nada, No way."

"You know, you're the only one who has talked to me that way and lived."

"I should consider myself lucky then huh."My gaze falls to his leg, It's poorly bandaged so I pull my scales and Med-kit from my bag. " But before I forget I need to treat your leg before your tissue becomes necrotic. You can watch while I work, but you need to swallow one more of the "glittered plastic"."

_____________________________________________________________

"How do you make them?"

"The scales?" I pause stoping the wrap on the angry-looking tentacle mark on his skin.

"What do you think I was talking about?" I smile evilly.

"I thought you were talking about my jokes and wonderful sense of humor." I tie off the bandage and put away my first aid kit. "But If you must know it has to rain first, and I have to be in it. The acidity in the rain is was caused the scales to form but there has to be enough of it. In Gotham, the rain has plenty of it, It soaks into my skin and drains my health which is why I was sick for so long. In return for taking my health, the scales form with healing agents that even baffle me. Normally I would take one and feel fine after but someone decided to take them."

"Do you pull them off?"

"Takes too long and much too painful, I just pour scalding hot water on myself and they pull away from the skin. I clean them and there you have it. Health restoring scales." He stares at me, like I said I pour milk before cereal and then pop it in the microwave for 30 seconds in that order.

"Aren't there better ways to remove them?"

"Yes, but those are back at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters I couldn't pack it with me so I had to find other methods."

He silent again so I put my stuff in the closet, take my Suit out from the bag, and place it on the hanger, the vibranium fibers shimmer in the soft lights then I stuff the rest of my things in there. I have to tell Professor Xavier what's happened on the check update next week with any luck the multi-functional com-piece found the data by now and I can see what they already know. I inwardly sigh, closing the closet and making my way back to the bed. I see Damian drawn into the scene playing on the screen, Data has made his sacrifice saving the Enterprise. I wasn't expecting to last the cleaning to last that long, but then again the poisons from the suction cups dug deeper than I thought. I put some more things away in drawers even though I didn't have much to bring. "We probably should head to bed, I imagine I have to do a proper introduction and demonstrate some form of my power."

"Yes, probably." He gets up grabbing the two scales I gave him for when he starts feeling pain again. Moving swiftly to the door, he takes one more look back then leaves. My eyes fall on Nightmare who sleeps soundly on the end of the bed. I Climb into the warm comforter letting the warmth surround me. I don't even notice myself drifting till all I can hear is static signaling that tonight was going to be a dreamless one.

_____________________________________________________________

"What exactly can you do?" Starfire walks me down to the center of a metallic room filled with weapons and tools, no doubt the training room. I look around more absorbing the room but still answer the question.

"If I see something I can almost instantly learn it or adapt to it, powers, fighting styles, languages I just have to see or hear it. I've had to control it in order not to learn everything and overload happened one time was not pretty."

"What do you mean by almost instantly?"

"Things like shape-shifting are hard to master, but if I concentrate enough I can alter my physical appearance though it takes five minutes to get there and can't hold the form very well after an hour. The first time I saw someone change form my body tried to copy it but I broke my hand instead. But oddly enough I can learn most other powers and knowledge just fine."

"Really? Well just to check could you copy this?" Starfire lifts her hand and green energy forms around it. I lift my hand to match hers and form the same energy in my body, though not green It's a lilac purple. "Sorry still have trouble getting the colors right." The woman stares in awe at my hand, the knowledge of how to use the ability is stored in my memory. I turn my hand light off and look around. She had given me the tour of the building and probably saved this for last to test what I can do. They did the same at XSFGY and had us fight in the ever-changing challenge/training room. I hear the door open and two cheery voices call out.

"Hey Y/N, about to train?" Garfield, the boy in green calls out from the railing where the door is accompanied by Jamie how still looks half asleep.

"I was just about to test her now, could you all stay there, I'm going to pull the full immersion-based training." She floats to a podium on the far side of the room. the area around me pixelated before stilling into a jungle heat and all. Monsters appear from the undergrowth enough level but not easy looking. I raise two fingers to the sky and strike lightning on them Increasing the voltage when one didn't go down, I even open a few portals in the body to warp holes from the flesh. It took about a few minutes to finish and for the simulation to fall. The dark misty cloud vanishes when I flick my wrist. I hear cheering from the side, I turn to face them everyone was now there.

"No way! Did you just see that!!" Jamie is now wide awake sharing an amazing look with Garfield, Raven is a little shocked, while Damian holds a stoic face. I feel a hand on my shoulder and follow it up to the orange-haired woman. I don't catch that she isn't stopping and is dragging me out of the room. With the way her hand had angled, I dragged out facing the other people in the room. She moves so fast that they get so small to quickly "You did excellently today, I'm so happy to welcome you to the team! We shall celebrate with a feast fit for kings and I shall cook it."

"Wait!"

"Kori!"

"Aw hell no!"

"YOU COOKED THE OTHER DAY!"

They all start running after us, shouting and trying to stop the woman. I feel refreshed after getting the OK for using my powers finally releasing some of the tension I've felt. I feel exhausted though, probably anticipating all the social interactions yet to come.

[chronicallylatetotheparty]

(Written for Adrien August... I'm not sorry)

Bad Luck: Frozer

Summary: Adrien struggles to move on from his first crush so he confides in one of his friends. Or is she more than a friend?

-------------------------------

Chat Noir smiled sadly down at the red rose in his hands. Passion, romance, true love, he recalled in his head.

"Chat?"

Hiding the rose behind his back as he turned around, Chat Noir grinned at the question in Ladybug's eyes. "I have to say that rescuing civilians without a supervillain around is a nice change of pace. Don't you think, My Lady?"

"Not every day you see a hang glider delivery service," she agreed, smiling at the nickname.

Chest suddenly constricting Chat Noir's smile became a touch strained. "Love to stay and chat but this cat's gotta run!" Taking out his baton he extended it, launching himself away.

"Oh! See you la... ter..." Ladybug called to his retreating form.

---------------

Landing in the empty locker room Adrien detransformed in a flash of green light. Plagg stretching as he came out of the ring.

Eyeing Adrien's downcast features, Plagg pried at his holder. "It's not like you to leave Ladybug so abruptly."

"Yeah..." Adrien absently offered a wedge of Camembert to his floating friend who promptly swallowed it whole. "Guess I just need some time to myself."

"So she turned you down. There's plenty of other kinds of cheese!"

Despite himself Adrien smiled. "You need better metaphors."

Plagg shrugged. "You could always take it literally. You can never have enough cheese!"

Adrien rolled his eyes as he changed into his fencing gear. Plagg wasn't as articulate as he thought but... he wasn't wrong...

These thoughts swirled in Adrien's head as he joined Kagami at practice.

A mistake he paid for when Kagami knocked him off his feet. Standing, Adrien parried as Kagami lunged. She always gave her all in beating her opponent. Scoring a point he smiled and they retook their positions.

But his heart still wasn't into the sparing session and her next lunge drove him off balance. Her foil poking into his chest.

"Predictable," Kagami chastised.

Eyes narrowing, Adrien's more competitive nature surged forward at her words. Heart beating faster, grip tightening on his foil and-

It was gone as soon as it came.

Leaving Adrien vulnerable to Kagami's strike...

---------------

Adrien stared pensively at his fencing helmet. He knew Ladybug didn't like him the same way he liked her. That wasn't anything new. So why was he-

"What's wrong, Adrien? Usually I like beating you but it's no fun when you make it this easy." Kagami stood in front of him with an unreadable expression.

Adrien gave her a bittersweet smile. "You ever feel like you're stuck, Kagami? Like, no matter how much you try to move forward, nothing will ever, ever change?"

Kagami blinked in surprise as Adrien opened up to her. This wasn't what she was expecting... Sitting next to him Kagami took a moment to collect her thoughts. "Adrien. The biggest mistake a fencer can make isn't choosing the wrong technique. It's choosing the wrong target."

Oh. She liked metaphors too. Well, with his luck to was bound to-

Her hand gently cupped his cheek and turned his head to face her. "So, switch targets."

...Oh. A rose tint colored Adrien's cheeks. Kagami was always beautiful but for some reason... it was especially true just then.

Smiling in encouragement Kagami grabbed her things and walked out of the locker room. Leaving Adrien to his thoughts.

He stared after her for a moment... Launching to his feet Adrien raced after her in a moment of sheer panic and recklessness.

"Kagami!" Adrien practically shouted.

Not having gone far Kagami turned around, puzzled.

Taking a deep breath, heart pounding against his ribs, Adrien let out the thought that propelled him to his feet. "Would you like to go out some time!?"

Kagami's eyes went wide. "Out? As in a date?"

The color on Adrien's cheeks bloomed into scarlet. Suddenly even more self-conscious he rubbed the back of his neck- "Um," -and nodded. His mouth refusing to form words.

Half turning, Kagami gave him a small smile. "I'd like that."

Adrien felt his lips pull into a grin. Heart somersaulting in his chest for some reason.

---------------

"What should I do, Plagg?" Adrien bemoaned. Head thunking onto his computer desk. "I've never been on a date before!"

"Wasn't this your idea?" Plagg flipped through his favorite cheese magazine. He swore this romance nonsense was the silliest invention humans had ever come up with. "If you ask me it's about time you expanded your palate."

"You're no help," Adrien grumbled. Lifting his head up Adrien swiveled around to look at Plagg. "What if I asked Father or Nathalie for advice?"

"Sure." Plagg stretched lazily. "If ya want them to know about you and sword girl."

Sighing, Adrien discounted that idea. "Oh! We can ask the Gorilla!"

"I don't know," Plagg mused, "doesn't seem like a good idea."

"You just don't like it 'cause he found your Camembert stash that time," Adrien teased, poking Plagg lightly.

"It was perfectly edible! How could he!?"

Chuckling at his antics, Adrien thought about who he could go to for advice...

---------------

Adrien tried not to hurry ahead of Kagami into the ice rink proper. The chill making his arm hairs stand on end. His breath sharp in his throat. Heart beating with a mix of excitement and nervousness. Asking Marinette had been a great idea!

He turned back to see Alya and Nino slowly catch up. If only she could have made it. But that essay on periwinkle migration sounded important to her... Oh, Chloe's dad was here.

As they put on their skates Adrien glanced at Kagami out of the corner of his eye. Scooting closer to Nino he whispered: "Thanks for coming last minute, Nino."

"Hey, no problem dude! Anything for my bro." Nino's grin was a tad forced and his eyes drifted to something behind Adrien before snapping back.

"I don't know what to do with Kagami."Adrien admitted, leaning in. "Should I... offer to hold her hand?"

"Yes!" Nino snapped his fingers and held up finger guns at Adrien. His eyes flickered away again. "I mean, no! I mean- Why don't you take it slow?"

Adrien turned around to see what Nino was looking at but it was just Alya smiling politely, hands behind her back. Probably waiting patiently for him to finish with her boyfriend.

Straightening, Adrien smiled at her. "Thanks for coming, Alya."

"No big deal! Just a double date, right!" Alya smiled wide in an attempt to draw attention away from her accidental inflection.

"...Right." Adrien politely declined to comment on it.

"Anyway!" Alya grabbed Nino's hand and dragged him off. "We'll let you two get to it!"

Adrien turned back to Kagami, who was tying her skates. Hesitantly, he made his way over and stood beside her.

"Don't be scared," Kagami promised conspiratorially as she looked up, "I won't tell anyone."

"About what?" Adrien asked slowly.

"That you don't know how to tie your laces," she teased, kneeling down to do just that. Once done Kagami smiled at him, grabbed his hand and led him onto the ice.

---------------

"I can't believe you agreed to this!" Alya stage whispered. Arm locked tightly around Nino's elbow as they skated on the opposite side of the rink.

"Aw, c'mon Als. Y'know I couldn't leave my bro hanging like that!" Nino widened his eyes and tried to sparkle them like Adrien had. "He gave me the look. How could I say no to that?"

"I know..." Alya sighed. The crease between her eyes softening from accusation to guilt. "I just..." Adrien and Kagami caught her eye as they skated hand in hand. "Feel like I'm betraying my girl just by being here."

Nino patted her hand and gave her a soft smile. "I'm sure the dudette will understand." His gaze drifted towards Adrien and Kagami. "Besides... I don't think she'd want to see this."

"Hey, young man! Have you ever thought about signing up for ice skating lessons!?"

--------------

Kagami turned her head as Alya and Nino skated past them on their lap. "Did you invite them because you were scared of being alone with me?"

"Of course not!" Adrien lied, waving his hand to ward off her words. "It's just... that I asked Nino to help... me."

Her brow creased. "Help you with what?"

"Uh, to perfect my figure skating skills!" Adrien decided.

"But you don't need him for that." Suddenly, Kagami let go of his hand and launched into a short routine of spins and twirls.

Adrien blinked at her presentation before an appreciative smile graced his lips. Kagami has so many talents, Adrien thought as she talked with that man who had been discussing something with Mayor Bourgeois.

Seamlessly, Kagami interlaced their fingers as she took his hand again and pulled him forward with her momentum. Glancing at his smile through the corner of her eye.

"Adrien Agreste, I can see it now!" The skating instructor (that's what he was) was suddenly beside Adrien. "Grace and style model! And professional ice skating champion! If you take lessons with me I'll have you shining like the candles on a birthday cake!"

Skating? Adrien had never thought about it before. "Uh, may-beeee!"

Kagami switched their positions so she was closest to the instructor. "He already does fencing with me," she informed him. And sped up with Adrien in tow.

Adrien stared at the back of Kagami's head. She was very assertive in her desires, bold even. Kagami knew what she wanted and wasn't afraid to go for it. He admired that about her, was drawn to it. Kagami would meet any challenge without backing down.

Just like Ladybug.

His fingers slipped from Kagami's grasp as he slowed to a stop. Staring at the floor as his cheeks burned not with embarrassment but shame.

"Adrien? What is it?" Kagami asked as she circled back.

Adrien smiled. "Nothing. I just have to use the restroom real quick." Turning, he let his smile fall as he left the rink.

Plagg poked his head out of his pocket once they were alone. "What's gotten into you, kid?"

Adrien stared at him. "I don't know."

Worry started to prick at Plagg's fur. "Adrien-"

"I don't know what I want, Plagg!" His heart hammered against his chest, pulse rising to his throat. "Kagami knows. Ladybug knows. Chat Noir thought he knew but... but I don't." Adrien wrapped his arms around himself, making himself smaller.

"... Listen, you're young right? Even by human standards? Like a freshly made wheel of Camembert."

Adrien frowned, turning away. "Plagg-"

"Hear me out!" Plagg zipped closer to Adrien's face, keeping in his line of sight. "But freshly made Camembert is terrible! It's got no flavor! No delicious scent! You need to let it age to bring out all the good stuff."

Adrien glanced at Plagg. Seeing his tail twitching in concern even if he wouldn't voice it. Strangely, Adrien understood what he was trying to say.

"All cheeses age differently. There's nothing wrong with taking your time." Plagg finished, not quite satisfied with how it came out.

Adrien smiled at him, reaching out to pet his head. "Thanks, Plagg."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Plagg let himself be petted. Not because he enjoyed it, of course. It just happened to make Adrien feel better.

Suddenly, ice started crawling up the walls. Magic coming from the ice rink. "Oh, no. Guess we have to go save the day," Plagg said, very disappointedly, yes.

Adrien grinned as he brought out the transformation cheese. "Uh-huh."

---------------

Chat Noir's good humor lasted until he spotted Ladybug on a rooftop. Oh. He didn't... want to see her right now. Reluctantly, he landed beside her. Doing his best to keep the conflicting emotions wrestling in his chest off his face.

"Chat Noir! We need to set up a trap for whoever turned the city into a giant ice rink." Ladybug anchored her yo-yo onto a nearby building, ready to take off.

Say something. Say something! "My feline instincts prefer to track and observe before I attack." Ha! Nailed it! Chat Noir scooted closer to the roof's edge as he scanned the frozen city.

Ladybug gave him a puzzled look. "What? Since when?"

Chat Noir pouted. "Rude."

Shaking her head as she fought back a fond smile Ladybug inched towards him. "We have to work together on this."

His hand rubbed the back of his neck, catching her eye. "I don't know. We don't have to do everything together. If we split up we'll have a better chance of finding him." Chat Noir jumped. "Race you!"

"Chat Noir, be careful!" Ladybug called out as he sped away. "... Okay, so he's acting weird. Not the first time he's acted weird. It'll be fine!" She cast her yo-yo and swung off. I hope.

---------------

Being by himself helped Adrien order his thoughts. His feelings were all over the place so he focused on doing what he told Ladybug he was gonna do. It was child's play to follow the only imperfection on otherwise smooth ice. Leading him to the Eiffel Tower where the akuma victim was hiding.

Okay. Now I just need to-

Frozer launched himself at Ladybug!

Acting quickly Chat Noir tackled Ladybug out of the way. Grabbing her hand and leading her onto the frozen Seine. Skating away at top speed to put some distance between them and Frozer.

"Thanks, kitty!" Ladybug smiled.

And Adrien smiled back. Confusing questions forgotten for the moment. Then Frozer launched shards of ice; Chat Noir letting go of Ladybug's hand so they could dodge it. Only then realizing that he'd been holding it at all.

"He's too fast!"

She was right. Frozer easily kept pace with them. Leaping into the air to launch more ice shards. Rounding a bend in the river they were out of sight for a second. Taking advantage of it to hide.

"I'm positive the akuma's in his skates," Ladybug stated once Frozer passed them.

"My Cataclysm could destroy them but he'd have to be up in the air... You were right My Lady. We're going to have to set a trap."

"You were right, too. We observed and now we know enough."

Chat Noir smiled. "Seems we're just missing a little push of luck to get the edge on him."

Ladybug nodded. "Lucky Charm!"

---------------

Adrien raced back to the ice rink. In the end the plan had been pretty straightforward. Ladybug baited Frozer into following her while Chat Noir laid in wait.

Business as usual. Except...

'Are you sure you're okay? You've been off since yesterday.'

'...I'm just figuring some things out. Might take me a while but that's okay... Thanks for worrying about me.'

Being around Ladybug didn't make him feel quite so sad anymore. Chat Noir meant it when he said her friendship was important to him, after all. And... Adrien was happy. That he could be normal around her.

He spotted Alya and Nino discussing something, waving at them as he looked for... There. Kagami was returning her skates. Adrien walked up to her, fidgeting with his ring. "Uh, hey, Kagami. Sorry I ran off like that."

"It is fine. We were interrupted anyway."

Adrien couldn't tell how she meant that but he took a deep breath and forged ahead. "So, I know I'm the one who asked you out and all. But..."

Kagami frowned. "Are you saying you do not wish to date me?"

"No!" Adrien waved both hands emphatically in the negative. "No, no, no! I just... wanted to say that I think we should take it slow."

She raised an eyebrow. "We go any slower and our pace will be glacial."

Adrien was 90 percent sure that was a joke... 80 percent. "W-well if you think it's too much of a challenge..."

Kagami's eyes widened at Adrien's audacity. She poked him in the chest. "Don't flatter yourself, Agreste."

Without thinking, Adrien grabbed her hand and kissed the back of her palm. Kagami's answering blush nowhere near as radiant as Adrien's. Why did I do that!? Who froze for a moment before turning around. "W-wouldn't dream of it... Ryuko."

"Ryuko?" Kagami raised a brow at the nickname.

Adrien's hand went back to rubbing his neck. "I can call you something else if you don't like it."

"No," Kagami decided, a small smile on her lips as she passed Adrien on her way to the exit. "Ryuko will do just fine."

"... So, that's a yes?" Adrien sprinted to catch up.

"Mm, perhaps if you define what you think 'taking it slow' is."

Adrien leapt in front of her and held out his hand. "Let us drive you home?"

Kagami blinked at the offered hand. Slowly reaching out for it. His palm was warm in hers. "Going slow is not too bad. I suppose," she relented.

Adrien beamed. "Oh! Just one last thing!"

--------------

Kagami entered the Agreste car as Adrien held the door open, sliding in behind her. "You're still doing what other people want."

"No, I just want him to be happy," Adrien countered. Giving the skating instructor free advertising didn't cost him anything. "Besides, how're we supposed to come back if it's a Chloe catered gym?"

"Back?" That sounded promising.

Adrien rubbed the back of his neck and couldn't quite look at her but he smiled. "Since our first date was cut short I was hoping we could try again."

Kagami gazed at Adrien as he fidgeted. "Just the two of us?"

"Y-yup!" Adrien's face burned.

"Good. You're crush on Nino was distracting."

"Wh-what!?" Adrien spluttered.

"... You're crush on Nino? I thought everyone knew. Personally, I prefer Alya but-"

"I don't- That is- I..." Adrien's shoulders slumped. "His eyes are so beautiful, it's like he stares into your soul."

Kagami's hands hovered awkwardly. "I am sorry. I thought you knew."

Adrien buried his face in his hands to muffle his yelling. "I thought I only had the one thing! This is... I don't even know how many things this is!"

Reaching for his hand again, Kagami squeezed it reassuringly. Back straightening as his grip turned out stronger than she expected.

He peeked at her through the splayed fingers covering his red face. Breath speeding up. "I... I don't..."

"You don't have to say anything. I know it is not easy to come to terms with."

Nodding gratefully, Adrien slowly took his hand away from his face. Taking deep breaths.

Kagami relaxed as Adrien did the same. This wasn't what she was expecting. But that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Turns out, Kagami had been aiming at the wrong target too.

Adrien's grip eased as he looked up at Kagami. That was... certainly a lot. But Kagami hadn't turned away from him. Only a handful of people had ever seen him so vulnerable. And two of them preferred to pretend otherwise. But Kagami didn't pretend. And Adrien admired her for it. He smiled, wobbly and honest.

"Thanks... Ryuko."

------------------------------

In case it's unclear the two people Adrien's talking about are Gabriel and Nathalie.

*Rewatches Frozer (again) for this fic* ... If my friend fell and they said they didn't feel well I'd check up on them too. IDK why the the fandom- I mean, Plagg, is so hung up on that part.

I have taken liberties with the production of Camembert for this fic. Please, forgive my transgressions cheese enthusiasts.

@adrienaugust