#and it gave me a repulsion for front-end coding ever since

[iamthekarmapolice]

that brief one-second flash i get of what the tumblr dashboard looks like now before all the extensions kick in...........there but for the grace of people who know front-end programming languages go i

[btsslowburnfic]

-The Arrangement- Chapter 1

Summary: Desperately in need of money, you answered the questionable add. AKA-Arranged marriage AU featuring Y/N and Yoongi.

Chapter summary: Let’s meet our lovely [Y/N]. Every good story starts somewhere. Buckle up for the next few months babes <3 

Chapter 1

“Nope, sorry, I have to get to my other job.” You politely declined getting after-work drinks with your colleagues like usual. It was nice of them to still invite you even though you never said yes. 

You excused yourself to the company restroom. Out with the office worker, in with the bartender. You switched shirts, put your hair up in a ponytail, and applied heavier make-up. You'd switch out your skirt when you got to the club. As dumb and gross as it was, you always made more money when you wore your questionably short shorts. Oh well, money is money. 

You sent a quick text to your brother to make sure he and your sister got to your aunt's apartment and then headed for the station. Ok. How much money do I need to make tonight? You asked yourself as you opened the banking app. You mentally calculate the amount needed to feed your siblings, pay for the bus, and utilities. Ugh Maybe Park Minho will let me stay for him tonight. He usually wanted to get out of work early to go hang out with his friends. You would be ok this week if you stopped taking the bus and ate more ramen and less real food. You sighed. You were so tired.

You walked through the black glass doors of Club Tokki. There were only a few customers right now and you immediately went to see if anyone had made coffee. Work coffee=free coffee. Luckily for you, Lisa, the woman who worked the day shift almost always needed an extra dose of afternoon caffeine and there was still enough for a cup.

“Hey doll!” Lisa greeted you. “Here, I brought some milk in as well,” she said as she poured the coffee for you.

“You are a lifesaver. Thank you so much.” You gratefully took the mug, warming your hands. 

“No problem, do you need me to do anything before I leave? I’m going to close out with those two groups first.” She asked as she rinsed off some pint glasses.

You assessed the bar looking to see what you might need over the next few hours. “Yeah, ask the bar-back to get two more bottles of Goose and a bottle of Crown. We usually go through those on Wednesdays. And maybe cut a few limes and lemons. Thanks.” You took the coffee with you to the small office and finished changing clothes. Lisa was a student so she shared your need for thrifty living, coffee, and work. You didn’t have many friends, but you knew you could count on Lisa for caffeine and getting the bar prepped. 

You walked back out to the bar, mentally preparing yourself for the night ahead. In a few minutes people like your office coworkers would stream in, treating each other to after work drinks, socializing, and networking. You used to wonder if your circumstances were different if you would be the type of person who went out after work and socialized with their colleagues. You had come to the realization that “no” you wouldn’t. You would probably go home and sleep. Maybe read. You sighed and shimmied behind the bar as Lisa started to count down the drawer. "Alright, I asked the barback for the alcohol and there's 2 cups of lines and lemons." 

"Thanks a lot babe. See you tomorrow." you waved at her and started to move stuff around to where you liked it. 

"Happy money making." she smiled and headed out. 

As predicted about half an hour later, office workers start to show up and the bar is slowly starting to fill up. Club Tokki is known for its laid back vibe so it's mostly beers and "and" drinks. Whisky and coke. Vodka and soda. Occasionally there were some younger girls here that ordered the more complicated drinks. But you got those out as well; this wasn't the first bar you'd ever worked at, just the latest incarnation. And just like that, the night starts to speed up. Minho arrives two hours into your shift for the after-dinner rush.

“Just in time dude,” you greeted him as he walked behind the bar.

“What do you need?” He asked as he clocks in for the night. 

“The bar is caught up if you want to go check section one. Shinhye has the rest of the floor.” You instructed him and used this opportunity to catch up on cleaning dishes. You caught one of the guys at the end of the bar staring at you. He was definitely good looking, and stood out with his expensive suit, silver hair, and strong facial features. Whatever. As long as he tips. You were not looking for a boyfriend. Or a hookup. You cringed at the thought of even trying to navigate dating between your work schedule and also living with your Aunt as a grown ass woman. You shook your head like it would get rid of the thought. Satisfied with the current state of the bar you took a minute to drink some water and scan the club. There were worse places you could work for sure. 

Minho came back to the bar and asked you to make some shots while he grabs some beers. Grape bombs? Is this 2012? You resisted the urge to gag, having gotten sick on them when you were younger. You placed the drinks on his tray and checked the bartop once again.

Mr. Expensive Suit dimple-face was nursing a Goose and soda. “You doing ok?” you asked him as you made your way down the bar. 

“I’m great. Thanks. What’s your name?”

“[Y/N]” you responded and started to move on to your next guest. 

“This is the part where you ask my name.” he said arrogantly. Suddenly you did not care for him as much.

“Is it? I’ve never talked to someone in a bar before. I didn't realize there was a script.” you responded sarcastically. You hated it when guys thought they could manipulate you. 

“Wow. Ok. Ok. Hard to get. I respect that. I’m Kim Namjoon.” 

“Ok Mr. Kim, is there anything else I can get for you right now?” you asked, oh so sweetly.

“No. I’m good for now.” he said, laughing to himself. He shook his head incredulously and sipped his drink.

Well maybe you weren’t going to get tipped after all. Oh well. 

The rest of the night was mostly a blur. The vodka special brought in quite a few people and you ended up going through four bottles of Goose. Mr. Kim Dimples remained, nursing only his second drink now and still staring at you even though he was trying hard to not look like he was staring. It was awkward. He was hot but sooo not your type. Which you thought you had made clear.

“Mr. Kim, are you sure you even like Goose and soda?” you teased him as you made another round checking on people. 

“You know, I am more of a beer drinker myself, but I can’t pass up a good vodka special.” he leaned to the side, getting out his wallet, and pulled out a business card.

“[Y/N], I’d like for you to take this.” he stuck it between his index and middle finger, holding it out for you to take.

“I am flattered, Mr. Kim, but I’m not interested in anything like that.” you smiled politely. 

He rolled his eyes at you.  “Believe me, I’m not asking you on a date. You are so not my type,” he said with an air of disgust. As though he was repulsed that you would have even thought he would consider asking you out. “This is a job opportunity. I work for a talent agency of sorts.”

Wow. What a dick. “Oh yeah? What talent do you see?” you gesture to yourself. “I do pour some stiff drinks and can usually tell rude guys to fuck off with a smile on my face.”

To your surprise he just laughed. “You are very funny. And I suppose some people would find you attractive. Just take the card. I think you’re the best candidate I’ve found yet.” he stood up and put on his suit jacket, sitting the business card down on the bartop.

“Rude.” you casually said, crossing your arms in front of your chest.

"Well, it makes no difference to me if you accept or not. Regardless, there it is." He gestured to the card, and sat down way too much money on top of it. "Keep the change." He turned and left.  

You didn’t end up closing for Minho; the two of you both stayed since it remained steady through closing time. You were weirded out by the conversation with Mr. Kim, but having worked in a bar for the past 7 years, it wasn't the weirdest thing that had ever happened to you. You threw  the business card into your purse and forgot about it for the rest of your shift.

The remainder of the night passed without incident. As much as you disliked it, that weirdo's money helped make sure you could take the bus again the next few days. You stuffed your tips into your purse and walked home. Well. To your aunt's house. It didn't really feel like home. Just a temporary landing spot until you and your siblings could get your own place again. 

You entered quietly and washed your hands. You dutifully went through your siblings school bags, making sure their supplies and homework were where they should be. You packaged their lunches as much as you could and started a fresh batch of rice for tomorrow. All mostly in the dark so you didn't wake anyone up. Your brother was sleeping on the couch, which you hated, but he insisted on it. You were sharing the guest bedroom with your sister and your niece.

You grabbed your laptop and curled up in the corner of the kitchen to not bother anybody. I’m a 27 year old loser hiding on the floor of my Aunt’s apartment in the middle of the night. I have to wake up in 5 hours for my other job and instead I’m going to look up a website that some weird ass rude hot guy at a bar gave me. Why is this my life? You thought, and yet you pulled out the business card and entered the link. It took you to a black website with a white box asking for a code. You flipped the card over, and there it was, handwritten. You type it in and wait for the website to load, convinced it’s going to be some weird porn site with fisting or crush videos. You almost cover your eyes but to your pleasant surprise it’s a normal website. 

Seeking: a suitable adult woman for long-term companionship. Will be well compensated. Serious inquiries only. 

The text continued: If you are on this website, congratulations. You have already presented the basic level qualifications for this position. 

Ok. So maybe this was an escort service. Which I mean...if it paid better than both of your jobs and you didn’t have to have sex with people maybe you could. No. No. You talked yourself out of it and scrolled down to read more of the description,

Requirements:

Female between the ages of 20 and 40.

Flexibility in schedule

Desire to travel and attend events

Strong personality and interpersonal skills

Proficiency with Microsoft Excel and Word 

Punctuality, attention to detail, and strong organizational skills

Desired but not necessary

Non-smoker/drinks alcohol socially

Like animals 

Enjoy listening to music 

Compensation:

Position requires relocation to on-site premises and therefore covers room and board. 

Monthly stipend (click here for more information pertaining to taxes)

3 meals a day, beverages, and snacks included

Most escort services didn’t require proficiency in Microsoft Word or Excel...you were guessing. Maybe it was a legit job. Like an on-site event planner? You clicked the link contained in compensation and HOLY SHIT THAT WAS A LOT OF MONEY. 

You bit your lip and pulled up your resume. It couldn’t hurt to submit it, right? You didn’t have much to update since you had just started your office job 3 months ago. You updated the resume to include that job and listed your address as Club Tokki’s in case this was actually a sex trafficking set up. You thought about it for a another minute and then uploaded the document, took a deep breath, and hit “send.” NEXT CHAPTER

TAGS: @lidda​

[maergheritas-moved]

S L A Y E R S, a novel by margarita p. g.

CHAPTER 00 - OLIVER

For being under Marco’s wing for a few weeks now, Oliver still hasn’t managed to master “the art of repair” even a little bit. He’s realized, instead, that he really isn’t good at this, that his nimble hands that once, in his younger years, served him for pickpocketing, for dumbkres with his mates, don’t work for handing tiny bot parts. It sucks, really… Marco thought Oliver would be of some use. And Oliver did, too. A part of him, a small part, maybe hoped that this stay would be permanent. 

But, like all things in his life, it soon proved to be nothing but momentary. He realized this on a burning hot summer morning, when the sun was high and the sulfur in the air even higher. He was only getting used to the life in Bajo then, trying to find a place amongst the renegades and runaways, and the many generations and cultural legacies found within the ancient walls of his new tiny town. The locals knew him as escurridizo, a nod to his late night appearances literally anywhere in town… he had the ability to slip out of where he was and be somewhere else in what looked like seconds. Lightning speed. Faster than a teleporter. Some people even thought he was one. He very much was not. That much he knew. 

Oliver woke up late that June morning, to the high-pitched whirring of centuries-old engines. He had hoped to get some rest after his rendezvous with Rory last night. But, as the heroes in video games would say, duty called. So, he got himself out of bed, put his sandals on, helped himself to burnt toast and already cold coffee, and headed to the taller. 

There lay Marco, working on his new project: the restoration of a humanoid bot found by some archeologists a couple of miles from here. It was clearly a very, very old model, and Marco had been promised a very large sum of money if he restored it back to working condition. Maybe the archeologists were planning to take it to a museum or a college or something like that, Oliver thought. 

It was very large, probably over three meters tall, and had a masculine shape. To Oliver, it looked like the military droids he saw on films. 

The military humanoid death machine thing lay with its stomach part open on the table, and by the smell of coltan in the air, Oliver knew Marco was dealing with the motherboard. It was definitely from the 22nd century, maybe early, when they still put moderboards on the torso and not the head. Marco had his microglasses on, and was very intently working on opening something really really small. There was soft jazz music playing somewhere, which, mixed with the birds chirping and the sound of schoolboys close, painted a picture in Oliver’s head that resembled a time when everyone was still together and life was easy. He let the memory wrap him under. 

An order from Marco pulls him back to reality. “Hey, nene,” he says, not even a hello beforehand, “can you check this wiring for me please?”

Without a word, Oliver walked over to the table, where the chemical smell is almost uncomfortable, and looked at the tangle of loose wires on the open motherboard. They were color coded, thank god. To Oliver, non-colored coded wires were the reason God left the Earth. Marcus and him always took hours to set them right. Almost instantly, he got a vague idea of how the circuits should go. They were like magnets, and he could feel where one ended and the other began, the many channels of energy running through the bot’s body, like blood rushing down veins. He had an instinct for this sort of things, a sixth sense, and it was hardly ever wrong. Oliver knew this wasn’t exactly normal, he knew it since he was a kid and could feel the many forces coming onto him way more than other people could, but he was not a might. Or at least, not a bolter (he’d already tried; sparks never came out of his palms). Whatever he was, he never gave it much thought. It would not do him good, especially not in this country.

Trusting his weird instinct, Oliver got to work, ordering Marco what went where, offering clear directions and vague explanations. Marco didn’t mind. To him, this boy was some sort of wizard, and not the “evil” kind. He did the work because he knew how to. If Oliver did it himself, he might as well cause a short circuit so strong it left the whole town with no power for a few hours. Oliver never understood why things like this seemed to happen, he guessed the wires just hated him. 

Thus, they fell into a steady rhythm of work, sorting circuits out, monotone actions, with problems coming up as they went along, which they solved together. Oliver and Marco were a good team in that sense, Marco’s vast knowledge mixing with Oliver’s knack for improvisation to come up with increasingly creative solutions. These came naturally to Oliver. No one had ever given him a book on how to life, so everything he’d learned, he learned it by doing. By figuring things out, just like they were at that moment. Maybe he could be of use there, he thought. The idea of having a place to stay, even if he didn’t realize it then, gave him comfort. 

Time passed quickly when you were at work, and soon it was time for lunch. Marco called a break, and Oliver lifted his head from the wiring of the bot’s eyes that he was attempting to figure out. 

“Hungry?” Marco asked. Oliver nodded. He was, indeed, starving, and had been for a while, but with the task in front of him, it had been a second thought in his mind. 

“Alright, then, uhhhh” Marco thought out loud. “Mara won’t be home until tonight, and there’s nothing from last night”. 

Bummer, Oliver thought. Would they have something to it until Mara came back? There were days like this, when Aymara, Marco’s wife, was out working twelve hours at the rest stop outside of town. They had to do with whatever leftover there was from breakfast. 

“So, we’re eating crackers, then?” Oliver asked, defeated. 

Marco’s eye brightened up, his torso straightening up a little. “Actually, I think there’s some money in my bedroom. Go get yourself a mixto or whatnot, kid.”

Oliver practically springed to his feet and rushed to Marco’s bedroom. Indeed, there was money in his dresser, enough to buy two mixtos and maybe a sugary. With that, Oliver rushed out of the house and into the secluded Clovel Street. 

The sun burned his skin, and he definitely should not have been out in this weather, but he was hungry and Lala’s tiny shop in the corner was open. There were a few neighbors having tartitas, who said hi to him. He went up to Arpy, the AI assistant, and ordered two mixtos, one for Marco and one for him. They would be ready in ten. 

Oliver sat on the counter, watching Arpy put the mixtos in the toaster, and looked out the door, where there was a small stray dog trying to catch a fly. That was when he saw him. 

His stare froze Oliver’s blood, made him paralyze all over. There was something about it…. something stomach-turning, revolting, repulsive, wrong. Like the man had crossed all of Oliver’s boundaries. It felt like a violation, but Oliver didn’t know of what. Or even how. 

He wanted to run away. As far as his legs allowed him. That’s what his mind told him to do, that the man was a predator just like the MIMIC or the police. But his body told him otherwise. His body told him to stay; he felt a pull to the man like those of his wires, he did not care what fate met him there, what the man might bring him, he just had to go. It was impertinent, urgent. Now. 

Yet, he stayed seated, watching his mixtos slowly get browner and cheesier, focusing on repelling that driving instinct within him, that… whatever he was doing to him. Sweat rolled down his brow and the people of the shop were completely unfazed or perhaps even unaware of whatever was going on between him and the man down the street, what strange energetic transaction was taking place Because it felt like that. It felt like electrons pushing down orbitals and moving, shifting, mixing, reacting, exploding. He felt like that: like a nuclear bomb that would go off if the man didn’t do anything about it first. He tried breathing. He tried focusing on anything else, on the smell of the food or the sound of cheese burning or the conversations taking place behind him. Nothing worked. 

When his mixtos were ready, he grabbed them and rushed outside, without even saying goodbye. Without thinking, he crossed the street, to the man. It felt eternal. And the man’s eyes…. they followed him. Wide and large and dark, open, focused… they felt, to Oliver, that they were feeding on his energy. 

Oliver let out a shaky breath when he got to him. He was at least a head taller than Oliver, could crash him in a split second, and very, very dark. His demeanor was unexpectedly calm. His eyes loosened for a bit, and Oliver was terrified for a half second. Then, his large hand wrapped over Oliver’s frail arm, and he hitched a breath in fear. He could not form words. The energy-sucking man started walking him down the street in double time. How is no one seeing this? Oliver thought. 

He wanted to ask so many things, who are you, where are you taking me, leave me alone, I have to get back home, but he couldn’t. If he did, what would this guy do to him? He was scary, villain-level scary. So, Oliver just went along. He got thrown into the back of a white transport. There was a brunette woman on the shotgun seat. Her eyes looked even more threatening than the man’s. 

They were kidnapping him. God, they were going to throw im on the sea or on a deep pit and let him die there. Immediately, Oliver started thinking up escape plans. He could still run. The didn’t bind his hands with anything. Dumbasses. 

The man got in the car. The woman was clutching her head, as if she had a migraine. They were discussing something, Oliver realized. But they were not talking. They were doing it through looks. Can she communicate with him in some sort of eye language? Or is it telepathy?

After a while, they both settled down and looked at him. Oliver was going to run. But he also couldn’t. Something kept him from running and this time it wasn’t any of their looks. 

“Sorry about that” the man said, “it’s pretty terrifying, i know, trust me” 

What the hell? Oliver thought. He was apologizing to him?

“I’m Drake, by the way” he said, with a smirk and friendly eyes. Oliver wanted to vomit. 

“And I’m Alyx” the woman said. Her eyes were warm and heavy-lidded, and Oliver had a feeling he should stay as far from her as she could. 

There was a beat of silence. “Who… Who are you and what… why…?” Oliver tried to speak, tried to form questions, but he didn’t know where to start. 

“Um, in short, kid,” Drake said, shifting in his seat. He opened his mouth, closed it again. “Okay, so: We are from the Cali Might Army. I’m Lieutenant Colonel Drake Emerson and she’s Officer Alyx Warren. That’s the important thing”.

Oliver gaped in awe at them. They were the Might Army. He had never met them, no one has, but he has certainly heard of them; in late night horror stories and headlines detailing tragedies. People spoke of them as violent, relentless insurgents who would abuse of their monstrous abilities to overtake the country. They almost seemed too powerful to be real. They couldn’t be real. This couldn’t be real. Is it a prank? 

Alyx looked at Drake. “He’s very confused, he’s saying… it’s a prank or something, um…”

Oliver panicked. Immediately he tried to open the door, tried to break the window, anything to get away from this… woman. She was reading his thoughts! Has she always been doing that? He didn’t even feel it, she just walked into his mind without even asking for permission. 

Drake reacted immediately, moving to pin him down, stop him. Oliver was on fire, his legs kicking to get away, powerless against Drake’s weight, screaming and panting and crying, he only now realized he was crying. 

“Oliver!” Alyx yelled. “Oliver. Please. Please calm down, I don’t want to calm you down, please don’t make me calm you down.” She was as panicked as he was. Oliver just failed to form curses at her and kept kicking. He was not going to calm down. He was going to get away, these people couldn’t mean well. He had to get back to Marco, to the work, have lunch. 

But he would never get there. 

With Drake Emerson pinning him down and Alyx  Warren in his mind, plus the thousand questions that grew by the second, he would never get there. Ever. 

After a while, Oliver sat in the car seat, unmoving and breathing heavily, powerless. Alyx and Drake were in their seats, panting. Alyx let out a curse. 

“Listen,” Drake said, softly, calm, “we won’t hurt you. Really.”

You already have, Oliver thought. “Then… why are you doing this? Why are you taking me?” he asked over shaky breaths.

“Because,” Alyx  started, voice trembling, “You have a very strange ability that no one has ever had before, and you might really, really, be of help for us.”

Oliver wasn’t sure he was breathing anymore. 

Alyx continued. “So, you’re coming with us, because, if you don’t, then someone else will take you, and you won’t be safe and neither will the world.”

TAGLIST (ask to be added/removed!): @andromdae @rapunzelles @herondalelucies @posideon @mayaeri @vicisse @pnstaudt @themillionthdraft @ditzysworld @vandorens @partheneos   

[frstbiitten]

cw: violence, death, mention of gore

The truth is that little of what happened in that mansion had remained in her memory, details that were overlooked after a few hours, needed a shower to leave that odd sensation behind. Being observed was almost as repulsive as being touched improperly, this time for no carnal purpose but with an even more harmful goal. The flash in the bushes didn't leave her mind, it must have got stuck in the front of her skull like a stain of mold on the wall. The water didn't help to remove this memory, as her hands seemed to tremble more than usual, and at the same time, the urge to vomit and fall to the ground increased every time she breathed. Someone was stalking her.

And it wasn't just that Lewis... was alive, she could swear to the gods that she heard his voice on the phone, no one else speaks like him and no one else has the tone of his voice. Something wasn't adding up, because if he was alive, Clarissa had been killed by whom? I doubted that he was the perpetrator of the murder and that the person who mutilated her body had to be someone else with knowledge.  It was obvious that he wasn't working alone, he had mentioned something about some dragons, something else he was hiding. The best she could do now was to sleep and talk about this with the girls, maybe they had more information.

As the days went by it only seemed to get more and more stuck in this fog of doubts, nobody knew anything about the Dragons, they couldn't be real since those things don't exist, maybe it was a code name. Neither Jasper nor Violet or Kit knew anything about it, they knew about problems between groups and mafias, that was all if they didn't know with the years of experience of being among them, then, the path was truncated. Perhaps Lewis knew she was looking for them, although two weeks after the absolute silence and no clues, she was forgetting the real tone of that call, in her mind some things had been erased.

If she couldn't find clues, then she would have to draw the attention to herself.

Weeks have gone by without fights in which she participated, the money wasn't much in her pocket at this point, and needed some sustenance, food, anything to continue existing. Frost had already made a name for herself among the spectators and other fighters, despite her somewhat small stature, her presence was to be feared. Was fear and respect the same thing? The latter required seeing others as equals, but none of the rats watching were strong enough to be potential rivals. It was fear that put her over them, which gave her an idea.

Now she had another plan, something riskier.

This time she gave a fight a little longer than the previous ones, her rival was almost as good and fast, but her death was as swift as her previous reflexes, the ice had begun to slow her down, sooner or later she was going to succumb. Frost, for this time, decided to give her a death that wasn't painful, she broke her neck without causing any wound in the skin, rarely was she so merciful with her rivals, this time, only this time, the blood that was spilled was minimal. With defiant eyes, she observed the crowd, this time was fully aware of her surroundings, of those who were watching her, of the screams, of everything.

"I bet no one has ever done it before, but... I think I'm ready for one more round." That surprised the audience there, it was amateur's night for a reason, thought that some organizer would say something but nobody said anything against her idea. "I know that some of y'all put money in my name tonight and that several lucky people just won something to eat tonight or shit like that, still... I want to double the luck of some brave stranger in the audience, if they manage to defeat me, my earnings tonight will go to that person." No one seemed to be brave enough to raise their hand. "It seems that I am surrounded by cowards today." And that didn't sit well with the audience who started booing her, until she saw a hand raised in the crowd, someone wanting to put themselves at risk or make a fool of themselves.

"I want to. I think you have enough potential to be my rival." The voice came from a tall man with tanned skin, dark short hair, as he had nothing peculiar, except for the black cloth that looked like leather, he took it off and handed it to someone by his side. The crowd made a path for him to the hexagon, a tattoo of a dragon with its wings spread out on his back, it seemed that the others knew him, except for her. Neither his defined physique nor his marked accent had any effect on Frost, she had no intention of killing someone who seemed to have a name known to the crowd, even more so than hers. "Let's say you have the honor of facing me."

"Yeah, sure, I don't even know you."

"No, you haven't reached the Red Dragon yet, but you're brazen enough to face its leader."

Her eyebrow arched in doubt and something in her head caught on at that moment. Maybe Lewis was referring to this guy, he seemed intimidating enough and others were afraid of him. She turned to her position, hands steady and ice on her fingertips, was going to do her best to not let her anger lead her to unwanted places. Frost was the first to attack, she was good at using her fists and had become faster with her left arm, but he knew how to block her and with a kick to the stomach she ended with her back on the floor. It was a sharp punch that made the crowd react, her back and the skull only making the pain more intense with every second. This was the beginning and she couldn't give up that easily.

"How fast are you going to fall? I thought you had a little more stamina." Ah, the bastard was mocking her, Frost was trying her best to not lose her temper now. This guy might have some valuable information.

She got up quickly, breathing in air and getting into position, attacking him from the front was not the best option, maybe she was dealing with a madman or a professional. Or both. The last option seemed more appropriate, his punches were almost invisible to her inexperienced eyes, and blocking each blow was turning into a nightmare, the man's fists were directed at her chest to push more and more air out of her. She tried to hit him in the face but her arm ended up twisted and instead of giving a punch, she received one with the same hand with which he had blocked her, with a direct kick to the stomach he had knocked her out.

With her stomach against the ground, some blood in her mouth, and maybe a loose tooth, Frost seemed to have given up this time, at last, part of her was determined to keep fighting until she could win, this guy could not take the victory and the applause, this isn't his territory and yet the audience was cheering for him. Frost tried not to let her anger outweigh her patience as she attempted to stand up, one arm looking bluer than the other, knew this wasn't a good sign. That man had noticed the change in her, one of Frost's eyes had turned completely white while the other was still endeavoring to look normal. Was breathing deeply and slowly, sharp pain in her head was more torturous than receiving a punch, felt the stranger's hand on her shoulder, and then under her chin. This was humiliating, not only because of the paralysis but because a stranger was making fun of her, in a way he was taking control.

"I know what you're looking for." She felt his voice almost like a whisper amidst so much screaming, or maybe it was her imagination, her surprised face didn't go unnoticed, much less when she felt his hand go down to her neck. "Listen to me and play dead."

It was a risk to do this but her desperation seemed to be greater, she could simply leave her doubts behind, let her anger take over completely, and kill him in front of everyone, needed to experience that sense of liberation. But no, why should she care? It was for Clarissa, she was gone and they still had a plan in place that in her head was still latent, and even more so, her heart cried out to get back to her. A painful necessity. Had to think about the possibilities before she slowed down, her hands seemed to move in the direction of her neck but they fell to her sides, eyes were lost in the direction of the incandescent lights and then the darkness once she closed them, letting the blood slide down her lip like a straight line to the floor. Her legs weakened and the strength of her body was interrupted by gravity, pushing her down more, and more. Her body never touched the ground again, and the man grabbed her in his arms as if she was a lady in distress. Having to keep her eyes closed was going to be the hard part.

Heard that this guy was talking and walking, talking, and walking without stopping, she could hear him coming down the stairs of the hexagon and then walking through the crowd towards the exit without anyone stopping him. She heard a car door open suddenly and felt the leather under her body that was from a soft seat, and the smell, was more like pine, it could be pine and something else.

"Okay, you can open your eyes now, sit down, don't relax too much or you might regret it."

When she opened her eyes she noticed that this wasn't an ordinary car, this one had another pair of seats in a somewhat peculiar way, it allowed the other person to make eye contact easily. He was sitting in front of her, in this environment he seemed more threatening than before, but the privacy made her instincts calm down and her skin went back to normal. Although the headaches had not diminished much, at least she was conscious.

"All right, how do we start this: I know what happened to the Sables guy, all of us in this know about it." He began to say as he rested his back against the seat, his knees keeping some distance, seemed like the type of man who had some taste but didn't mind getting his hands dirty. "We can't talk much now, but believe me, you're in trouble."

"Oh yeah? Why can't we talk here?"

"This car isn't mine, it's rented."

That gave some good explanations to her doubts. They spent most of the trip in silence, lately, it seemed like she had to walk into the lion's den with strangers to learn about important things, just hoped this wasn't a trap or that it would end up in the worst possible way. Noticed that he was changing his shoes at some point, sports shoes for some strange boots with metallic details, they had very beautiful arabesques, but with a simple hit in a strategic point of the boots and spikes came out of them like needles from the sole, maybe it was a silent demonstration of power and intimidation. Frost didn't want to admit that he had achieved his goal. The needles returned to their respective place with another hit, it was a dismal sound to hear, also noticed that he had put on some metal bracelets under the sleeves of the long black leather jacket, both bracelets were wrapped by red strings and a kind of harpoon at the tip.

They arrived at an abandoned warehouse, which seemed to be not only immersed in hundreds of trees but also the infinite silence; it appeared that this was the right place. First, he got out of the car and then Frost, she didn't seem uncomfortable with her shorts and black shirt, her shoes were stained with blood, unfortunately. Without warning, he opened the door of the driver who was the same one he gave his belongings to before fighting with her.

"Come on... get out of the car..." His tone when giving orders was always threatening yet calm at the same time, his penetrating gaze resembled an effective physical offense, enough to convince the driver of the limousine to get out. "I need you to bring me something from the back while I talk to the girl." And the driver, without saying anything, took the keys and went to the back of the large car. "And coming back to you, I have to be honest, Snow is a lousy name for a fighter like you."

"I know, I'm trying to convince myself of another name, I like Frost but I don't know it yet." She admitted with a confident tone as if she wasn't talking to a total stranger who just beat her up not so long ago.

"Well, there are always better names out there, but since I haven't formally introduced myself, you have to know that I am Mavado, and although I'm not the one you're looking for, others are." While saying that, he hadn't noticed the strange glow that appeared just above his head, almost like lightning right on the fatal second that would strike him, Mavado took a turn to avoid the blast and without realizing it Frost had paralyzed the driver, not completely but the scare had boosted the adrenaline and the ice came off naturally, reaching the feet of the driver. "Good girl, now be good for me and don't look." Frost listened to him as she returned to normal, turned around but the reflection from the side mirror of the vehicle showed enough of how Mavado was fighting with the driver, he had the great idea of trying to kill him with some peculiar weapons that she had never seen before. Heard something fall and tear, some heavy hits that had broken some bones, and the screams were screeches of pure agony and pain. More heavy strikes against whatever he was destroying, the flesh was being crushed and the bones too, until she heard nothing else but Mavado panting and spitting. "Keep looking forward Frost, don't you dare turn around." Listened to the unmistakable sound of the blades of his shoes coming back into place, once he appeared at her side, his whole chest and face were covered with blood.

"Don't worry, I'm used to this, but come inside with me, now we can talk quietly."

Although still confused by whatever happened behind her back, Frost listened to him once again, accompanying her into the warehouse which inside didn't seem so abandoned. It was somewhat spacious but he took her to a room that didn't look like his office or anything, but rather a place more reserved for leisure.

"Red Dragon... you're part of a gang or a mafia or whatever the fuck this is all about."

"First of all, niña, have a little respect for how you use our name, and secondly: no, the Red Dragon is not a mafia like the Sables and many others in Los Angeles, it is a criminal organization, we have been working under the nose of powerful people and politicians for centuries, my father was a leader too, and my grandfather, and his father's father and so on from the very beginning". As Mavado gave a short explanation, he cleaned himself with what looked like a new rag, wiped the sweat and blood from his body and face. Frost had this gut feeling that every move from his body was nothing but used to intimidate her.

As she sat on a couch and listened to him, she came to a single conclusion. "I mean... a mafia."

And Mavado didn't take this lightly but he had no choice but to threaten her, one look was more than enough. He took another unused cloth to clean his weapons, only the gods knew what those strange things were.

"So? Are you going to be silent?" He challenged her again but to speak, this guy was kind of aggressive.

"Okay okay, but in a way, if you already know what happened to Enrico then you know that before he was shot in the head out of nowhere, he had received a call from someone I'm looking for, and in that call, he mentioned some dragons, I didn't know what it meant but I think it might have something to do with you."

"And do you know who called Enrico?"

"Yes, his name is Lewis, he's the brother of a friend of mine who was killed, her name was Clarissa."

There was a rather long silence between them, until out of nowhere Mavado began to laugh and put his weapons on the floor, sitting next to Frost without hesitation, placing his arm on the back of the sofa but keeping some distance from her.

"Ah, that asshole Lewis, I see he's doing this shit again, ese tío cabrón."

"Do you know him?" So Lewis had dangerous connections as well, and somehow, it surprised her.

"Yeah, I know him, I can tell you he talked to me and made a deal, but believe me, he's not someone worthwhile, well, it's not that I'm a man of high morals, I only do what benefits me, but Lewis is... someone who doesn't know how to plan things, he's done this before and would do it again."

"I know something similar happened with his sister until she was disqualified from because of a struggle with this girl." She remembered everything, remembering what Lewis had told her about Clarissa and the whole story of her confrontation with a minor whose age they didn't know in advance.

"I imagined that he was going to tell that story but no, her sister knows some things about martial arts, but they were the ones who initiated that girl to the fights, they had taught her well, but Lewis went a little further and used drugs with the girl, they knew her age and all that, but it was them who started it. One night everything went wrong, the girl ended severely hurt from a fight, they couldn't kill her because the other rival knew who it was but at that point, it was too late, but I am not surprised that Lewis has lied to you and found an opportunity to use you, is what he likes most. "

Part of Frost's world was unstable, he met a stranger who might well be lying to her right on her face, but Lewis surprised her even more. Who was that girl? There were little chances she could find her alive if she wanted to, but couldn't afford to go through that route. Had no choice but to believe Mavado, even though it might be another lie to protect Lewis. One of her legs wouldn't stop shaking, this need of leaving, run out of this place at any second, and get lost in the woods, didn't know the difference between reality and the lie or even which one was better and worse.

"... And you're helping him cover it up." Remembered that he had mentioned their last communication between the two of them, he could be on Lewis' side, what was he doing with a criminal leader? He had already shown her how easily he had taken her out of the game and forced her to humiliate herself in front of a crowd of strangers. Couldn't be trusted, or maybe her gut feeling is completely wrong from the start.

"Just because we talked and we were close doesn't mean that the money in his pocket is with me, he wanted to make a deal with me so that my men would protect him, from you specifically, but I denied it, I don't trust him, I choose strategically, he does it out of desperation". And now she felt trapped back in a dead-end, Mavado got up from the sofa as he heard his cell phone ringing in his jacket, it sounded like a private call. "Hsu, you're calling at a bad time, I don't care that you didn't get what you wanted... it's not my fault that the generator on your chest is still defective, you did it!" While Mavado seemed to be talking to a partner or something, Frost noticed something very particular on the wall, skulls were hanging like hunting trophies, there was one of a deer, one of an ox and one that looked human but the teeth were something comparable to a monster, they were long and sharp, she was so tempted to touch it, it didn't look real and maybe it wasn't real but at this point, what could she believe in? "I'm sorry, I had an idiot on the other end of the line, it's hard to talk on the phone when you're robbing a bunch of jerks, but anyway, what you need to know is that Lewis is not being protected by me."

"But he mentioned some dragons... Red Dragon... it has to be you."

"No, believe me, if that's the case, then he's got a deal with the Black Dragon." Black Dragon, Red Dragon, there was a blue one missing and it could be complete, but Frost didn't have time to think about nonsense, now Lewis was in her sights, an enemy to add to the board. "They will know that I killed one of theirs who was undercover, very unstrategic on their part, they will know that you have come with me because it's more than certain that more than one has been there with us, you have to be extremely careful of them, but of me too, you have to keep our meeting a secret."

She only shook her head in a gesture of affirmation, could feel herself walking deep into a lake, was in the most dangerous area among eels and piranhas. Swallowed saliva as she thought about how she would have to keep a low profile, was getting difficult to keep up with every day.

"Go back to your house, I can't take you back there, I have a limousine to get rid of and a body to burn. You, keep your mouth shut and watch your back."

"I'm tired..." she confessed with a breath and her eyes already showed signs of forming gray rings around them.

"I don't care, run away from here, and beware of strangers."

Would have a long way to walk and needed enough energy to get there. But as she returned to her place, Frost kept thinking about Lewis and Clarissa. From what Mavado had told her, Clarissa seemed to be almost as guilty as Lewis of the manipulation, but it wasn't convincing. Frost found one of her arms at the bottom of a tub full of ice. She had perished, so, as Frost walked near the road accompanied by the shadows of the trees, she reasoned: Lewis killed Clarissa and kept a large amount of money for himself, she only needs to do is find him, and Elder Gods know what might happen next.

[detective-redstar]

JOURNAL ENTRY N.03 || CHAPTER 4

|| This journal will act as a recap for everything that has happened during Chapter 4. This means there will be information that Airi would not realistically know. This is only for the sake of the recap. If you’re confused on who’s who, here’s a link to the roster page. ||

@despot-despair​

It’s been a while. I’m still struggling to pick up this pencil to write about what’s happened in this hell hole. I have to persevere though. If I die, this will be what I leave behind, after all.

I went to the library for the first time since it opened not long ago. I’ve been looking for something ever since Kotori died, and I thought that the library would be the perfect place to find what I was searching for. Even if it took me hours of reading, skimming through every book in that goddamn place, I would do it. Because I needed to know Kotori’s last words. I needed to know what they meant. 

Before she died - before she knocked me out, she whispered something to me. She gave me a code word. Myosotis. This one word has plagued me ever since I woke up to find the woman I loved dead. I was determined to figure out the meaning behind it. And I did.

Myosotis. A Forget-Me-Not.

I couldn’t stop crying when I found out. Sadness, frustration, and happiness all pooled together inside me. Kotori, I will never forget you for the rest of my life, however long that may be.

Shortly after the execution, Raiouji decided to cook up another scheme. This time, however, it wasn’t a motive for murder. Perhaps it was just more torment for his own pleasure. In any case, half of were deprived of our sight and the other half their hearing. No matter what we tried, the devices wouldn’t come off and we were forced to clumsily try to communicate with one another. It was hell. I still have bruises from all the shit I bumped into and tripped over. Any communication with those deprived of their hearing was done through blindly writing on paper, hoping it was legible. God... I don’t even want to imagine how terrible my writing must’ve looked. I already have horrid handwriting as is.

Soon, temporary respite came. Though it wasn’t any more pleasant than the sensory deprivation. Raiouji decided he wanted to play a little trivia game. So many secrets came out... some of my own, too. 

Caballero’s family seems to be trafficking drugs behind the scenes. Perhaps that’s why they’re so rich. And Caballero didn’t even know how deeply his dying mommy betrayed him.

Not only that, but his new pet was apparently bullied by his siblings and nearly drowned. They should’ve killed him and spared the world the agony of bearing his useless existence. After that, Yuu ran out of the room in a panic. Caballero went after him once the game ended and comforted him like a good owner should. They left to the infirmary.

Something happened between Caballero and Cai, it seems. I don’t know how or why, but Cai seems to have feelings for the rat. That came to light when Cai caught Caballero and Yuu kissing in there. A fight broke out and Cai started beating on Caballero. Good on him! It’s too bad he was stopped. It was also around this time that Ivy revealed she had feelings for Cai.

What is this soap opera!?

Anyway... back to the trivia game. There’s also a serial killer amongst us. How original! They weren’t named, but the knowledge alone was enough to shake everyone. I have my suspicions but that’ll be saved for another time.

And my own... on how Ritsuko, my mother, killed Kouta. I froze. I didn’t know what to think or what to do. As soon as the game ended, I left and stumbled around until I found the winery. I hate wine. I hate alcohol of any kind. It was during my flurry of horrible memories of abuse and trauma that I had an epiphany. Everyone around me believed me a monster. Who was I to deny them? I decided. I would become the vicious monster they wished me to be.

I threw away the Akahoshi name. I can’t ruin Akahoshi-san’s reputation more than I already have. I became a Seta once again; Kouta’s horrible last name that made me gag with disgust. It’s fine, though. I am a monster.

Another event happened, this time a ball, prepared by Caballero I think. People danced and socialized until Raiouji showed his face once again. He and Yunime decided there would be a talent show. 

The show progressed normally. Momo-chan seemed to crumble a little after her performance. I don’t know what that’s about. I decided to show off my amazing talent of insulting people! I must be a pro, ‘cause I pissed a lot of them off. Sorry, not sorry.

That Caballero though... That vile, disgusting, wench poured wine on me. I was repulsed. And furious. Seta was released as I threw away my own moral code of never inflicting physical pain on someone else. I choked Caballero, in front of everyone. It didn’t take long for them to spring into action to stop me. 

Unfortunately for me, they stopped me from killing the bastard. But seeing the pure terror in his eyes was enough for me to be satisfied.

A motive was finally given. This one ended up being the cruelest (besides the execution of loved ones). Sleep deprivation until someone committed murder. These motives. They’re getting out of control. 

I thought I was losing my mind after a few days. 

The next meeting would be during a new game, where we were all forced to present Yunime with the best bouquet of flowers. I gave her a bouquet of wilting flowers to show just how much I don’t care for her. I didn’t win, obviously. 

Then something... happened. Mukuro was back. She outed Yunime as a traitor. Raiouji freaked out and executed Yunime for her crimes. I didn’t know what to think of it. I was almost tempted to pretend to be a traitor just to rile everyone up, if I’m being honest. It seems that Cai and Caballero were the ones behind Mukuro’s repair. Do they know something? Did she know something?

With Yunime dead, there was no winner for our flower game. The reward was given to everyone. It was an envelope, with photos inside of four people.

I still don’t understand. None of this makes sense.

One thing was for sure: these people are behind something, watching us.

There wasn’t much time for rest, however, as someone was found dead. Kliment was dead in the ballroom. He was bleeding from his chest. Thankfully, everyone was given time to sleep before starting the investigation.

But the nightmare was only just starting.

Liya, who was alive during the investigation, was found dead in the winery. They died right as we found them. I couldn’t feel sympathy for those who were upset for their deaths. This time I took it too far and said too much, I guess. Even Hanae-chan got mad at me! The rest of the investigation was pretty awkward after that.

I didn’t have time to deal with it. Not when there was a mystery to solve. And so, everyone went to work as usual. It’s almost disturbing how normal it’s become for everyone. If I wasn’t already used to this, would I find it normal by now too?

The trial started as always. Although, this time everyone started saying all kinds of nonsense. I guess the sleep deprivation seriously messed with our heads, as people testified to seeing things that never happened. I had my own plan, though. I tried to frame Caballero by stealing one of the knives from the kitchen and claiming I saw Caballero stab Klim. I was found out pretty fast though. I’m kinda mad about that >3> All my hard work went to waste.

After some time, the truth finally came to light. Kliment and Liya killed each other. Liya stabbed Klim and Klim poisoned some tea for Liya. But... now what? There was no killer, at least not one that was alive.

Raiouji wouldn’t let it go. There had to be an execution, he said. Even if it were an innocent person.

Ivy sacrificed herself for us. Before her death, she was revealed to be the SHSL Lucky Charm. She was one of the few people I could possibly call a friend. And she’s gone. Just like Kotori. 

This is growing so tiring. I don’t know how much longer I can do this, honestly.

Signed, Airi Seta

[byunskjm-blog]

Dream

Pairing: Baekhyun x Reader

Genre: Fluff, Smut, Angst, High School! AU

Length: 7.5k

Masterlist

If you could go your senior without being noticed you’d love that. But that is not how it works out. Like any other teenager struggling to figure out the craziness that is life, you had very few hobbies that piqued your interest. Those being track and choir. When you’re taking 4 AP classes you are very prone to stress and running helps you relieve it. A couple of laps around the field and you feel refreshed and energized. Singing was something that brought you joy and genuine happiness. You’ve been singing since you were a tot running around in your diaper. As your mom likes to say, “If you weren’t crying you were singing.” Your friends Jieun and Chungha say you radiate, “Big Bitch Energy” but you couldn’t help if that’s how you came off to others. You were a type A kind of person. Everything had to be done properly and neatly, it’s how you have always been. You met your best friends in 6th grade by chance. You were walking around the track because you weren’t in dress code and it just so happened that Jieun and Chungha weren’t either. You all started to walk together and share your common interests. You found out that they also liked to sing but Chungha loved to dance more than anything. Jieun was a theater kid. From then on it has been the three of you against the world.

School was over at this point and it was just you and a couple of clubs who were meeting after school. You were walking back to the choir room from the bathroom when a voice hit your ears. It was so smooth and honey-like, you really question if it was real or just a delusion. You walked closer to the source to find out if this voice you were hearing was actually coming from a mouth. When you saw a 5’9 boy merrily strolling down the hall without a care in the world you confirmed it was in fact not a dream. But even if it was you didn’t want to wake up from it. He was about to walk through the double doors but you needed to know who it was or else you’d end up pulling your hair out over it.

“Excuse me!” You shouted from across the hallway.

It managed to reach him in time because he turned around with a confused look on his face. You knew immediately who those droopy eyes and round cheeks belonged to. Byun Baekhyun.

Not to be too stereotypical but Byun Baekhyun was the IT boy at your school. He did it all. He was a football god, great in academics, and apparently possesses the voice of an angel. Every girl wanted him and only the prettiest could have him. But have would be too exaggerated because these girls had him for one night and never again. That was another thing about Byun Baekhyun, his commitment was his best attribute. You have heard a lot of things from a lot of girls about him. Most of them were praising him and his flexibility which repulsed you to the point where you wanted to vomit in class. But his reputation was different from the way he presented himself to others. He was usually kind to others who spoke to him, he stood up for people who were too afraid to stand up for themselves, he never let things with girls get too far. He let them know ahead of time what they were signing up for.

He just stood there looking at you with confusion, “Can I help you?”

Now it was your turn to stand there and look absolutely dumbfounded. “Uh. I- I just. You know what I’m sorry. Forget this happened.” You were embarrassed. What the fuck was that? You were never one to feel shame but his gaze just did something to you. It made you feel like a fish out of water.

“No, what did you want to say?” His tone made him seem like he was genuinely interested in what you had to say to him. He walked closer so he could get a better look at you and hear what you had to say from a closer proximity.

The closer he got the more nervous he got. God, you were turning into those girls you made fun of. The girls who became putty in his hand after one glance. “I wanted to say you have a nice voice and you should consider trying out for choir.” It was a miracle that you managed to get all of that out without a hitch in your voice.

He seemed a little shock that you actually heard him. Being labeled a jock left him little room to try out in activities like choir. It didn’t fit his brand. That’s why he kept it a secret from everyone. It worried him that you knew because he didn’t you but it was apparent that you knew him. He replied with a small chuckle and the shake of his head.

“What’s so funny?” You were finding your voice again and you weren’t scared to show it.

“It’s just cute.”

Your eyes widened at his statement. “Cute?”

“You know, you thinking I’d try out for choir.” There it was, the asshole that he tried to keep covered with a curtain of niceness.

You folded your arms over your chest and raised an eyebrow, “Is someone a little scared of his jock friends finding out he can sing?” Your voice was belittling him and making him feel a little dumb.

He scoffed, “Look I don’t know who you are but just keep your mouth shut about this ok.”

You rolled your eyes and gave him a bow, “Yes my king.”

The pair of you separated after that and he had definitely left a bad impression on you. You thought that he could possibly be different from the stereotype but that was obviously untrue. Byun Baekhyun was just like every other jock at this school, an ass. As you were walking away your peripheral vision caught some junior looking at you then the spot where you and Baekhyun were talking. You just ignored her and continued on your way. But that would come back to bite you in the ass.

The next day at school you were exhausted and looked terrible. You didn’t bother with makeup or a decent outfit. To say the least you bummed it.

“You look gross,” Chungha commented.

“Gee thanks.” You sarcastically said.

Before you could even make it to your locker you were stopped by Baekhyun who just stood in front of you with a very stoic face. You could figure he was pissed off.

“I need to talk to you,” his voice harsh which was totally different from yesterday.

“Okay aft-”

“No. Now.” He grabbed your arm and practically dragged you into an empty room.

You kept telling him to let you go but he didn’t until you were both in the room and the door was locked. Yeah, you were a little scared but who wouldn’t be.

“What the hell Byun?!” The anger was bubbling under your skin. Who was he to think he could just grab you as he pleased like you were some object of his.

“I could say the exact same thing.” The confusion that painted your face said enough. “I told you not to tell anyone!” He said slamming his hand on a desk which made you flinch.

You felt wronged more than anything. “I didn-”

“Don’t fucking lie. It is everywhere, “Baekhyun is gonna join choir and become some geek” who else knew besides you?” He was intent on blaming you even when you had nothing to do with it.

But you stood your ground, “You really think I care enough to start some dumb ass rumor about you? Newsflash, not everything revolves around you. I don’t care what the fuck you do but don’t you ever accuse me of something I didn’t do.” You walked past him with daggers in your eyes directly aimed for him and him only.

When you got out the room Chungha and Jieun swarmed you with questions about what happened. Of course, you told them everything and they both shared the same feeling of disgust as you.

To say your whole day was shit was an understatement. You were being extra bitchy to people and you felt bad but it was just your way of taking out your anger. You then realized that lashing out on other people wasn’t right so when school ended you laced up your shoes and started your run around the track. The football team was on the field practicing but you didn’t pay any attention instead blasting your music and running several laps. Soon you felt the pent up anger and stress leave your system with every step you took. You were so caught up in what you were doing that you didn’t notice some bulk object running beside you. You glanced over at it and saw Baekhyun. Almost like it had a mind of its own, your feet stopped completely. You pulled out your earphones and looked at him with irritation.

“What did I do this time? Kill your dog?” You were obviously still pissed at him.

“I don’t have a dog,” He was trying to be funny but you were annoyed and a joke wasn’t gonna erase that.

“You really are a piece of work,” You scoffed before putting your earphones back in and continuing your run. But you could still see him following you from behind. You tried to ignore him and continue your run but he wasn’t letting up anytime soon. So you stopped again. “What do you want?” The annoyance oozing from your lips.

He was a little winded from the running, he hunched over trying his best to catch his breath.

You grew impatient and started to walk away but his hand clutched your wrist as an attempt to stop you. As if his touch was lava you remove yourself from his hold.

“I just wanted to apologize. I know you didn’t do it.”

You laughed at his apology, “Oh really? What made you come to that revelation? Was it the part where I told you I didn’t do it or when you realized I didn’t fucking do it?”

He looked at the floor feeling guilt for making you feel so mad. But in his defense, you were the only logical suspect. When he found out it was one of the girls he slept with that started the rumor he could only think about how bad he felt for doing what he did to you. “What would you have thought if you were me?”

“I would have thought logically and come to the conclusion that not everything is about me and not everyone cares enough to stoop so low. That’s what I would have thought Baekhyun.” You were done talking to him and you showed it by plugging your buds back in your ear and jogging away.

You thought that would be the end of it but from the distant, you could hear him yell, “I’m sorry!” He stopped following you so you just ignored it and finished your lap.

After running you head over to the choir room to try and get in some practice before going home. It was just you alone in the room because not many people willingly choose to say at school. You sat down on the piano bench and began to play an all too familiar melody. Naturally, you started to sing the song. As the lyrics flowed of your lips you got lost in the music which was normal for you. Then it came to an end and you heard clapping and whipped your head to the left where it was coming from. Baekhyun.

“Can you not take a hint or are you just that dense?” You said whilst collecting your music sheets.

It was like he didn’t hear a single word you said because he walked closer to you. “I just want to genuinely apologize and I want to know that you accept it.”

“Why is it so important to you that I accept your apology Baekhyun? I’m not your friend so it doesn’t matter if I hate you or not.” You were using logic at this point.

“But it matters to me. I don’t want you to hate me.” His voice got immensely quieter.

“Too late for that,” the bitch was jumping out.

“What can I do to make it up to you? I’ll do anything.”

You were so fucking confused on why it mattered to him so much. He was Byun Baekhyun and you were… well, you. He shouldn’t care if he hurts my feelings, he shouldn’t apologize. So why is he? But you thought about how you can use this to your benefit and you had an epiphany. This would be a great way to try out the duet you wrote. “Sing with me.”

His eyes grew, “Huh?”

“Sing with me. I’ve been working on this song, it’s a duet and you would be the perfect test monkey.” You pulled out your music sheets for the said song and set it up on the piano. You sat back down on the bench and patted the empty space beside you to signal Baekhyun to sit.

He let out an exasperated sigh and took his spot next to you. “I don’t even know the lyrics.”

“Just follow along,” you pointed at the sheets above the piano. Your fingers started playing the music that was on the sheet. Then Baekhyun began singing and you could physically feel your heart race like it was running a marathon. It was now your part. He seemed to have caught on quickly and even started playing on the other side of the piano making sure to keep the same rhythm.

Well, I don’t care even if you’re a sweet liar.

Well, I don’t care because I will make you believe.

And as if it was prohibited you both stopped singing and turn to face one another. Your hands managed to touch when it was on the keys. Staring into his brown orbs sent a wave of shock through your body. It felt as if you were in a maze and couldn’t find your way out.

“You made that?” He asked dumbfounded on how amazing it sounded.

You nodded, “I still need to finish it but I think it is getting somewhere.”

“You are really good you know that?” He complimented.

Why on earth were you blushing? His words shouldn’t have that effect on you. But here you were. “Thank you.” You checked the clock and saw it read at 2:30 pm. You had work at 3. You cursed under your breath and began packing up.

“So does that mean I am forgiven?” He looked up at you with hope in his eyes.

“You are forgiven but it doesn’t change how I feel about you.” You threw your bag over your shoulder and left him in the room alone.

That night you went home and fell on your bed face first. All you wanted to do was sleep but your mind was too preoccupied with Baekhyun and what happened in the choir room. It gave you the motivation to finish the song. It was like you wanted to prove something, not to yourself, but him.

School came again the next day and you were just as tired as before. You were running on a 2-hour nap because you stayed up till 3 AM working on the song. You were regretting it now. Jieun approached you with a cup of coffee in hand. Unsure if it was for you or not, you still snatched it and drank it.

“Hey that was mine,” she pouted.

You gave a small smile, “Sorry Ji I needed it more than you.”

“What time did you go to sleep?” She asked with a motherly tone.

“3” you softly spoke under your breath.

“What?”

“She said 3!” Chungha yelled out of nowhere.

You got startled and placed your hand over your now racing heart.

“Maybe if you went to sleep at an appropriate time you wouldn’t have to steal other peoples coffee.” Jieun scolded and Chungha nodded along with her.

“I’ll buy you one tomorrow,” you stuck out your pinky for her to grab onto. “I promise.”

She rolled her eyes and connected her pinky with yours and touched thumbs to seal the deal that was made.

“What were you doing that made you stay up till 3 in the morning?” Chungha asked as you guys began walking towards your lockers.

“Finishing a song.”

Jieun and Chungha shared a look, “Of course.” They said in unison.

The three of you had lockers next to each other. You were on the left, Chungha in the middle, and Jieun on the right.

You took your books out of your locker and put your book bag in. You closed your locker and was greeted with a smiling Baekhyun leaning on the locker beside you. You screeched in shock and dropped your book. “Jesus fucking christ Baekhyun!!!” You punched his arm in retaliation. His laugh hit your ears and you couldn’t believe he found this funny. You sent him a death glare and he shut up and bent down to grab your books.

“Sorry I didn’t mean to scare you like that,” he said trying his best to repress the smile growing on his face.

You turned around to find your friends but they were nowhere to be found. “What is this time Byun?”

“Nothing just wanted to ask if you were gonna be in the choir room after school.”

It was confusing why he wanted to know that but you still answered him. “Yeah, I am. Why do you ask?”

“No reason,” He hummed before walking away to his class to leave you in a confused state.

“You really are something Byun Baekhyun,” you whispered to yourself. You shook your head and smiled while heading to your first class.

You found your lost friends at lunch and approached them with a playfully angry face. “Thanks for leaving me this morning.”

“You seemed busy,” Chungha teased.

“Since when are you and Baekhyun buddies? Last time I checked you hated him, and that was yesterday.” Jieun said peeling a tangerine.

“We aren’t.”

“That’s not what it seemed like this morning,” Chungha said.

“He was just being dumb which is normal for him.” You didn’t really wanna talk about this topic anymore so you changed it to Chungha’s upcoming dance competition. They had no problem talking about it for the whole lunch period. You had one more class till school was over and you were nervous as the clock ticked closer to the end. It was nerve-wracking because you had no idea what Baekhyun was up to. The curiosity was eating you alive. But the time came when the bell rang.

You walked towards the choir room with a knot in your stomach. Of course, he wasn’t going to be there right after school, he had practice. So you made the executive decision to preoccupy your mind with music. Time flew by once again and you didn’t notice Baekhyun’s presence. His hair was wet like he just got out of the showers.

“You’re here,” he said with a small smiling growing on his lips.

“I said I’d be.” You said trying to remain cool, calm and collected.

Without permission, he sat beside you like he did yesterday. “Did you finish the song?”

You shook your head no and looked down at the keys. The feeling of disappointment flooded, but why? Why were you scared of letting him down when it came to this song?

“You mind if I help?” He asked hoping you would let him.

You shook your head and let him take your music sheets which was something you didn’t even let Jieun do.

“How about finishing it with harmonization with us both,” he suggested and you took it into consideration. “Something like… Dream when you look at me just like that I feel like you’re so mine. Dream that makes me want to fall asleep again - such a sweet dream. That’s you.”

You couldn’t avoid eye contact while looking at him. Something about him kept you drawn to him like a magnet. “I like it.”

“Really?” He asked feeling proud of himself and happy you seemed to approve of it.

You nodded and without notice started playing the notes for the song. Naturally, you both fell into your own world that only consisted of you, him, and music. By the end of the song, you found yourselves closer than you started. His face was in front of yours and you felt this urge to connect your lips just to see what it would be like. Just as you were about to your alarm went off letting you know you had to go. You quickly broke away from him and got up. “I have to go but thanks for helping with the song. I appreciate it.”

“Wait before you go I need your number.”

You raised a brow, “Why?”

“Because I like doing this with you and I want to do it more. And instead of me popping up on you all the time it would be easier to just text you.”

You contemplated it and you liked how useful he was in a music sense so you gave in and gave it to him. The smugness never left his face even after you left. He made you regret giving him your number because he practically spammed your phone with dumb useless texts. To the point where you had to mute him. When you got home you replied to him.

You (9:50): Why are you blowing up my phone?

Byun Baekhyun (9:51): Where were you? :(

You (9:51): Work.

Byun Baekhyun (9:52): Do you think you can help me write my own song tomorrow?

It was surprising that he actually showed an interest in songwriting. You thought he was just being nice at first but it seems as though he really found a passion for it.

You (9:55): Meet me in the choir room after school.

Byun Baekhyun (9:55): I’ll be there.

Days passed and soon you and Baekhyun had been meeting up for nearly a month. The texts between you were constant. Most of the time they were just Baekhyun being a flirt. It was back and forth sometimes. Your times after school were either working on Baekhyun’s song or fixing your duet. Today he decided to walk you to your car, it was windy out and your hair kept getting in your face. He helped you in your car and you rolled down your window to talk to him before you left. His arms were perched on the sill as he looked at you with sparkling brown eyes. The wind once again managed to push hair in your face but Baekhyun pushed it behind your ear gently. Even after he was done he didn’t move his hand. “Go out with me.”

The question threw you for a loop. You didn’t know if you were daydreaming. Did he really just ask you out? “What?”

“Go out with me. On a date. We can do the whole thing where I pick you up and tell your parents I’ll have you home by 10 and we go out, eat, talk about everything. Doesn’t it sound fun?” His hand still on your cheek.

You let out a chuckle, “You don’t date.”

“That's true but that was also before you.” His words came out as sweet as honey as he removed his hand.

“And what makes me different from other girls Byun?” You knew what made you different but you wanted to see if he knew.

“Come on a date with me and I'll tell you.” He quipped.

You were hesitant but his intentions seemed pure and genuine. “Fine. We will do the whole cheesy romantic thing.”

His smile brought out the softness in him. “I'll pick you up at 6.” He winked before walking back into the school.

The whole drive home was just you thinking of what you would wear. You wanted to look nice but not nice to the point where Baekhyun thinks you were trying to impress him. It was currently 3 and you didn't have work today so you had 3 hours to get your shit together. You took a shower and shaved your legs first and foremost. Then you moved onto your makeup. Lately, you've been watching makeup tutorials and you thought you developed a talent but you were wrong. you had to restart your eyes like 5 times. But eventually, you got it to a decent and cute point. You had another hour before Baekhyun would pick you up, enough time for hair and clothes. You decided to go for a half up half down moment and curl the ends. Deciding what to wear was the hardest task for you. You opted for a cute plain white tee and a cute pleated skirt because of the impending summer weather. After all, you shaved your legs so might as well flaunt them. Your timing was perfect because by the time you did your touch up you heard the doorbell rang. You went with some simple black heeled boots that went up to your ankle. You threw them on and opened the door to see Baekhyun decked out in a white hoodie with a jean jacket for an overcoat and washed out jeans. His soft brown hair was simple and managed to keep a wavy texture. It's amazing how he could dress in something so ordinary and still look like he walked off the runway. He beat you to the punch of complimenting.

“You look pretty,” He said with a cute blush.

“I could say the same for you.” You smiled. “I guess we unintentionally matched.”

“If this isn't a sign then I don't know what is.” He chuckled.

You playfully rolled your eyes. “So where are we going?”

“Well, I was thinking we could eat dinner at this new restaurant that opened up. Then see where that leads us.” He opened the door for you like a gentleman.

You both buckled up and Baekhyun started the car. He was driving towards a pretty nice part of town. He pulled into a restaurant that was pretty bare. Not many people were there which was nice for you because it would suck having to talk over others the whole night. But even if no one was there it was fancy enough to need reservations which Baekhyun made ahead of time.

“Table for two?” The hostess asked, to which Baekhyun nodded. “Ok right this way.” She led you to your table and Baekhyun walked ahead to pull a chair out for you. You thanked him for his kind gesture. “Here is the menu. Your waiter should be with you shortly,” both of you thanked her before she left to take care of more customers.

“I heard the chef is world class.” You commented after seeing the name Do Kyungsoo on the menu under the chef’s special. You remembered reading some article about how much he has accomplished for himself at such a young age.

“Well, then I guess we have to get the chef’s special.”

“It’s only right,” you played along.

But when the waiter came to get your order Baekhyun had ordered the specials. You weren’t bitter because you were looking forward to practically anything on the menu.

Baekhyun took this time to try and get to know you better. Although you guys hung out every day after school for a month he still felt there was more to you then what meets the eye. So you guys talked and talked. Talked about how you broke your wrist when you were 7 because you tried to backflip off the monkey bars. Talked about how he stole his class pet on accident. You told him things that you have only ever told two other people in your life and it was scary. Why were you telling him everything so quickly? It was like it was second nature to you. Then you guys hit the topic of music while you were sharing a chocolate cake for dessert.

“I think I’ve always had an interest for singing but I didn’t have people around me to encourage it.” He paused to look at you. “Until I met you.”

You shook your head modestly with a piece of cake in your mouth, “I merely let you know that you were talented and had potential.”

“Yeah, no one has ever said that to me besides football scouts. My parents are very busy people and never really had time for me. The only time my dad acknowledged me was when I had a football in my hand.”

It’s like you could physically feel your heartache. You were fortunate enough to grow up with parents who supported you in everything you did. Even though Baekhyun had an envied lifestyle to most what went on behind closed doors was heartbreaking. You reached across to hold his hand in yours. His eyes found yours and your gaze held. “You have more value than you think.”

With his eyes still fixated on you, he gave a cheeky smile. “When it's coming from you I believe it.”

Dinner came to a close and you offered to split the check with him but he refused and paid for it in full. You were the kind of person who didn’t like when people paid for you. It made you feel dirty, maybe it was just the way you were raised. So to set things equal you offered to pay for games at the arcade. Baekhyun didn’t seem to mind it. The arcade wasn’t a far walk from where you had dinner so you decided to just walk. It was a bit chilly outside due to the fact that it was early March and you were in a skirt. A shiver ran over you which was picked up on by Baekhyun. He took off his overcoat and put it on you. You gave him a small thank you and held the jacket close. It smelled like strawberries a familiar scent of Baekhyun’s. His hand had grazed yours more often than not and eventually, he took your hand in his and laced his fingers through your own. The gesture was a little surprising but it gave you some added comfort and warmth you didn’t know you needed. The walk was quiet and when you arrived at the arcade you got $20 worth of coins to use between the both of you. Baekhyun was instantly drawn towards the shooting games and you weren’t the least bit shocked since you were aware of his love for PUBG. You agreed to play against him even if you lacked the skills but why not try and give him a run for his money. As expected he beat you and even though you knew he would you still gave a small pout.

“How about basketball?” Baekhyun suggested.

“I suck but I guess we could try it.” You said being a good sport.

You lied, you were amazing at arcade basketball. After losing to your dad for 17 years you got tired and decided to dedicate yourself to get good and you did. You just wanted to play around with Baekhyun and see how big his ego could get. When you won him 78-56 it was his turn to pout.

“You hustled me,” he said upset from his loss.

“I wouldn’t call it hustling. I just told a white lie,” You gave a smug grin with your reply feeling amazing from your win.

Both of you played more games and went back and forth beating each other. You always found a way to redeem yourself after a loss. Eventually, you guys ran out of coins and had to go. You left the arcade the way you came in, hand in hand.

“How the hell are you so good at air hockey?” Baekhyun asked feeling the defeat.

“My dad never let me win so I had to get good.” You shrugged. “What about you? There is no way you can be THAT good at Mario Kart.”

“Me, Chanyeol, and Sehun play it almost every time they come over.”

In the period of time that you guys were walking to the car, you got closer to him. Close to the point where you could rest your head on his broad shoulder. The ride home was peaceful and the music in the back was white noise. But he sang along to a song that came on the radio and his voice was enough to make the smile stayed glued to your face. Your hands still stayed attached even while he was driving. He would turn to you to sing at certain parts which made you blush like a dork. But he only found it cute. You were disappointed when you saw your house in sight. It meant the night was over. Being the gentleman he was, he walked you to your door.

“I really enjoyed tonight.” You hummed in honesty.

“I did too. I hope we can do it again.”

“I’d like that,” you nodded. A big part of you hoped he would kiss you before he left. It felt like a perfect ending to a perfect night. As if he was reading your thoughts he leaned in to connect his lips to yours. It was like you thought, his lips soft and pillowy with enough power to send a shock through your body. The kiss deepened before you both instinctually pulled away when the door opened. You separated from each other when you saw your dad standing in the doorway. Feeling ashamed the two of you looked down, avoiding eye contact with your dad at all costs.

“You must be Baekhyun,” his low voice rumbled making Baekhyun even more nervous.

Your date looked up with an awkward smile on his face, “Yes I am sir.” He was being so formal. He stuck his hand out for a handshake from your father to which he accepted.

“I hope you treated my daughter well. I’m happy you had her home when you promised.” His grip on Baekhyun not letting up. “In the future, I hope you keep it up.”

Baekhyun nodded rapidly in response and tried to pull his hand away. You noticed his hand being squeezed and put a stop to it. “Dad Baekhyun was just leaving.”

Your dad let go and Baekhyun immediately took his sore hand and tried to shake the pain off. “I’ll see you at school tomorrow.”

You waved goodbye and stepped into the house before your dad closed the door. As soon as it closed you looked at him with a serious glare.

“I think he likes me,” your dad joked.

You groaned and stomped upstairs. You were too preoccupied with the whole debacle downstairs that you forgot to give Baekhyun his jacket. You shrugged and decided to give it back on Monday. After removing all your makeup and settling down in comfortable closed you laid in bed just thinking about everything that happened tonight. If someone had told you that you would be going on date with Byun Baekhyun you would have laughed in their face. The Baekhyun you met was different from the Baekhyun you saw tonight. You noticed a light change over the time you have been with him. He was more open and optimistic about things. At one point in your after-school rendezvous, you considered him a friend. Then you thought about everything he told you tonight and how vulnerable he made himself, just for you. You didn’t want to get your hopes up but you could see this going somewhere and you did not mind it one bit.

The dates became more frequent and less extravagant. Baekhyun knew you weren’t the kind of girl who was about the glitz and glam. It was a change of pace from the girls he was with before you. You were the kind of girl who took pleasure in the simple things in life. You liked going to the park and just relaxing on a blanket while you guys talked. You liked going on those duck boats where you could just laugh and enjoy. You liked car rides where you both could sing along to the radio. To put it in simple terms, you liked being with Baekhyun. Wherever he was you were smiling and having a good time. There was one date that stuck out from the others. It was your 10th date, you guys had just got back from a very fun time at the roller rink. Up until this point Baekhyun had never tried to make a move on you. He wanted you to know that he wasn’t into you for those reasons. You appreciated that he always prioritized your comfort. The night was still young and he invited you into his house. It wasn’t the first time you’ve been there. Both of you sat and talked about the events of the night and how you kept falling down. He seemed to get a kick out of it. His parents weren’t there and it wasn’t surprising. Baekhyun practically lived alone and it saddened you a bit. Baekhyun was still mocking you about your hard time at the rink and you pouted. He apologized and gave you a peck to make it better. You still pouted wanting to get more kisses from him. He fell for it and somehow you ended up on his lap with your tongue battling his for dominance. His hands had a firm grip on your waist while your hands were tangled in his hair. Unexpectedly you grind your hips down on his which emitted a moan from his lips. You pulled away with bruised lips.

“You’re playing a dangerous game here baby,” his voice low and rough which only worked in sending a tingle through you.

You smirked knowing exactly what you were doing. You moved your lips to the shell of his ear. “And what do I get if I win the game?”

“What do you want?” Baekhyun asked with a raised brow.

You gave him a look of seduction, “You.”

“Then let the games begin.”

It was unclear what the game was exactly but that didn’t stop you. You got off his lap to instead get on your knees between his legs. His bulge was apparent to you and you bit your lip in excitement. Your fingers worked on undoing his button and zipper but before your hands could pull down his pants to free his member his hand stopped you.

You looked up in confusion.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” This was a first, Baekhyun normally didn’t care about how things unfolded between him and his other partners but with you, he needed to know that you wanted this as much as he did.

“I’m sure,” you said with a brief nod before going back to what you were doing beforehand.

This wasn’t your first rodeo. You had experience but Baekhyun had more. It intimidated you. What if you weren’t as good as others? What if you couldn’t please him? But you put your worries aside and decided to give it your best. Both his pants and underwear were off and it left his erect cock out in the open. You now knew why girls kept coming back. Your hand gripped his length and began pumping it his precum spreading around the tip. Baekhyun let out a string of moans as you worked your hand up and down. You decided to take it up a notch and wrap your lips around it. That was the key you needed to unlock the Baekhyun you wanted to see tonight. He moved your hair from your face as you took him in deeper and deeper to the point where you could feel him in the back of your throat.

“You look so beautiful with my cock in your mouth.” He provoked you to continue. Your hand and mouth worked together to bring him to the edge. “Fuck baby I’m gonna cum if you keep doing that.” That’s when you pulled away.

You wiped the sides of your mouth, “If you are cumming anywhere it’s inside me.”

That flipped a switch, he pulled you up and quickly brought his lips to meet yours. “I need you now.” Desperation oozing.

“Then take me.”

That was all he needed to lift you up and bring you up to his room. You squealed at the sudden action but you were ready for what was to come. Literally. You were still fully clothed but Baekhyun changed that real quick. He discarded every piece of clothing you had on leaving you bare in front of him. Normally you’d feel embarrassed but Baekhyun made you feel beautiful in your own skin. He followed after and removed his clothes as well. It was dark and the only source of light you got came from the beaming moon. Baekhyun was working on making a hickey museum on your neck. His lips trailed down your body further and further till it got to your dripping core. Normally you would have loved for him to ravish you with his lips but the only thing you wanted right now was his dick. Before he could swipe his tongue over your folds you pulled him up.

“I just want you tonight,” you said looking into the eyes you began to adore as time went on.

He reached over to his nightstand and pulled out a condom. You were on the pill but it was nice to know that he was safe. A little extra precaution wouldn’t hurt. His lips found yours again and he passionately kissed you before he slowly pushed himself into your entrance. The stretch was sensational, he fits you perfectly. His thrusts were slow which Baekhyun wasn’t used to. He was more of a fast paced, hard, and dirty kind of man. But this time he wanted to savor every moment with you. He wanted to make it pleasurable for both of you. His name never sounded as beautiful than it did now when you were saying it. He picked up the pace a little which drove you crazier. You didn’t need to say it for him to know you were close. His hand reached between your bodies and began to rub your clit to give you what you needed to bring you to that state of euphoria. After a couple more thrusts you were coming done around him, your breathing ragged as you whispered his name. Baekhyun wasn’t finished yet but you knew what he needed. His erection kept going as your pussy clenched around it. He didn’t last long after that. He unloaded himself in the condom and finished with kisses between your breasts and face. The room was filled with heavy breathing and the smell of sex. He pulled out and rolled over to lay beside you. He took off the condom and threw it in the trash by his bed.

You and your body were exhausted. You turned over on your side to face Baekhyun. He still managed to look breathtaking. He was tired as well. You didn’t want to make him drive you home and quite frankly you didn’t want to leave either. It was a good thing your parents were out of town for their anniversary. The timing was amazing. Baekhyun was struggling with staying up. His eyes kept drifting in and out of consciousness. Meanwhile, you just laid there admiring him and how adorable he looked. His shaggy hair blocked his eyes slightly so you gently moved it. Being this close you could see all his moles that marked his beautiful face. You traced them like it was some game of connecting the dots. He must have been asleep because he made no complaint. This sight was something you treasure. You felt like you could fall asleep like this every day. This is what falling felt like. It felt like the world was just the two of you. You had fallen and you didn’t want to get up.

“I love you.” You whispered to yourself even though it was meant for him.

Just as you were about to follow after him and sleep you heard his soft voice. “I love you too.”

[fallenidol-453]

31 Days of Unedited Writing, Days 1-6

Fuck it, I’m doing it. Six samples of both original and fanfiction work under the cut. 

I’m not sure how i’m going to complete this challenge this year, but if I have to write something every day then so be it.

Day 1: Original Fiction, code name Grisaverse

“You are not wearing that to the masque!”

“It’s the only fancy outfit I have, Luc!”

Rowena cocked her head at the shouting coming down the hallway. Well, this was odd. Davaros and Lukasz never fought in her general vicinity, much less at the screeching tones she heard now. She marched up to the heavy wooden door that led to the room Davaros converted into a lover’s nest and pushed it open.

Both men were standing in front of an opened wardrobe. Davaros was wearing a black robe, but Rowena didn’t pay attention to it because that was all he wore. Lukasz stood in front of him, his face flushed with embarrassment. He was pulling his hair in exasperation when the door opened, hinges squealing loudly.

“That’s enough, you two!” she shouted. Both men stopped stared at her. “What’s this fuss about?”

“Luc doesn’t like my outfit—" Davaros whined.

“It’s not appropriate for a masque!” Lukasz exclaimed over him.

He sounded afraid. Why would he be afraid of an outfit?

Day 2: Original Fiction, code name After the End

“I… I was hoping you would help me identify the owner of a pendant in my possession.”

He reached into his robes, pulled out Gera’s pendant, and closed his fingers over it. The grooves in the metal and the sharp inlaid gems dug into his palm.

“My oldest sister would have been the person to ask about this; old jewelry and determining their age was her passion,” Heloise replied. She held her hand out. “Give it to me. Maybe I can put what little she taught me to good use.”

Slowly, Hri extended his hand toward Heloise and opened his fist. The pendant was gem side down, exposing the plain gold back side. His hand shook as Heloise gingerly picked it up; he didn’t want to part with it.

“Your Majesty, I think you misinterpreted my question. I seek help identifying the owner of the pendant,” Hri explained. Heloise looked at him sharply, but she gave a nod for him to continue. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “A soldier died under my care during our kingdoms’… petty dispute. Shortly before he died, he asked me to give that to his sister Helle. I’ve held onto it ever since.”

Heloise examined the pendant by the light of the fire. It was missing three gems from the outer circle, and the ribbon that it was threaded on had long lost its silky feel and shiny white color. She absently traced the grooves and ridges with a thumb and held up the white ribbon with her free hand.

“My family called me Helle, but…” Heloise replied, her voice trailing off. She traced the grooves and ridges of the pendant and eventually found her voice. “Do you remember what this soldier looked like?”

“Young. Twenty or younger at least. I mistook them for a child soldier at first,” Hri admitted. “He had light brown hair and brown eyes. There was a mole on his left cheek. If he had been able to stand at all, he would’ve been as tall as me, maybe an inch taller.”

Day 3: Fanfiction, 1789: Les amants de la Bastile

The idea of being his mistress is repulsive, his offer of a luxurious life in England even more so, but she’ll stay alive. That’s what matters the most.

But she refuses to let this be a one-sided deal, and she aims the pistol Ronan gave her at his face.

“My father and sister. I want them to come with us.”

“There won’t be enough room—”

Her hand jerks and she steadies her grip by holding the gun with both hands. It’s not loaded, but it’s the threat that counts.

“They come with me or I won’t come to your bed.”

“Y-Yes.” Artois replies. Olympe hears him take a step back and relishes the squeak in his voice. “They will come with us.”

Day 4: Fanfiction, Last Knights

Lilly doesn’t miss the healing split lip on Hannah’s mouth or the long-sleeved fashions she wears despite the warm spring weather. She herself still has night terrors of her kidnapping by Gezza Mott’s men and her time in the brothel. She may not have had to lie with any man, with the price to take her virginity being astronomically high enough that only the Emperor could have afforded it, but she wasn’t blind to the activities going on behind closed doors.

Day 5: Fanfiction, Elisabeth

The tug of the noose is a sweet relief until he hears the Judge’s demanding voice asking the question that has haunted him for eternity: But why, Lucheni? Why did you kill the Empress Elisabeth?

Lucheni is both alive and dead, cutting down his “dead” body while shooting out mocking answers. They are different every time; sometimes he tells the Judge to kiss his ass and others he tells them to go fuck themselves.

But when answers and his pathetic excuses aren’t enough, all he can do is tell the story. The ghosts are his to manipulate like puppets. They sing in sweet, discordant voices like buzzing insects in a hellish choir; courtier and family members alike screech into nothingness about their beloved or hated empress.

Elisabeth herself may have watched once upon a time, outlined in a light too great for Lucheni’s eyes, but it has been too long since he tempted her spirit to come before the crowd.

Day 6: Original Fiction, code name Unremembered

The basement is warm, and good beer is being served. All around the table, we sit and laugh. There are papers scattered on the table in front of us, but nothing is on them.

Maryse and Johanna laugh and kiss while sharing an apple, and Rurik sits across from me. His face is unblemished; the knife attack that took his eye was nothing but a distant memory of an event that will never happen here.

Catrin is face down on the table next to Rurik, already drunk. Sev is trying get her to dance, but they're unsteady on their feet. They laugh as they collapse in a chair next to her, and says something to her that's heavily slurred. Clara and Roran are joking and arguing about the beer at the next table, their voices loud and drunk and jovial.

Even Ilya and Henryk are relaxed. They sit on the other side of the room, counting the flowers that came from Henryk's mother's shop. They are not plotting how to carry out the assassination of Allegra's father. They might leave later and go dancing at one of the clubs that still allows entries for foreigners.

There is no threat outside.

No one will discover us.

There is no assassination to plan.

The door opens quietly, and I look to see Allegra step inside.

So, she has died as well. They finally caught the woman whose act of patricide ended the war.

There’s no need to ask how she died. She is wearing her finest coat over her plump frame and a beautiful hat over her blonde curls, but the shadows of bullet holes cover her body.

She sits apart from us, beer in hand, and quietly waits for someone.

[ksmutty]

Back-up Plans(Young K/Reader)

Author: Admin Sunflower

Genre: Angst, Smut

Warnings: Drinking, Arguing, idk?

Word Count: 4.8k

A/N : This is a super cliche concept. Best Friend sexual tension mostly angsty type of thing. 

Summary: “Young K smut please >.< angsty too >.< and a tiny bit of fluff!” –Anon

You could feel the subtle burn of cinnamon as his tongue slipped into your mouth. You noticed as he stuck his gum to the rim of his drink preparing for the kiss, but you loved that as his lips pressed gently against yours the flavor licked against your senses.

There was an underlying tone hidden within the intoxicating mask of cinnamon that you couldn’t shake; the unmistakable taste of every brokenhearted one night stand the two of you shared. This indulgence always began when another man came to swoop you from underneath your feet, only to drop you off the nearest balcony and straight into Brian’s bed once again. He was your best friend, after all, and you thought maybe it wasn’t so weird that he knew just how to fuck you out of another heartache. Though he always seemed to make it known to anyone–except you–how uncomfortable it was on his end to wake up to an empty bed littered with the scent of the girl he loved so desperately. His best friend. His “just friends” best friend.

“Alright, alright!” Sungjin’s voice finally cut through the heat of your kiss. “Time’s up. Young K, it’s your turn.”

Hearing Brian’s nickname caught you slightly off guard. You all hadn’t been together as a whole group in a while, so you had to stop yourself from correcting Sungjin. You were the only one who called him by his real name. He laughed awkwardly and ran his hand through his hair. Maybe truth or dare was a little childish for a group of college students, but there were worse things you could be doing. You weren’t surprised that Sungjin had dared the two of you to kiss, but it was a shock to Brian the way you so confidently agreed and tossed your hair over your shoulder.

“Jae, truth or dare?”

Jae tilted his head in an attempt to be cocky. “Hit me with a dare, big boy.”

“Alright.” Brian sighed and glanced around the room. “I dare you to do a strip tease to one of those cover songs you’re always putting on YouTube.”

Jae chuckled and pressed his tongue to his cheek,. “’Les get it!”

It was a total cop out on Jae’s part. He chose a 57 second video he had made of him covering Strip by Chris Brown. He ran his hands up and down his thighs, twerked slightly, and as soon as he unbuttoned his pants the song had ended and everyone was booing. Dowoon’s shy girlfriend even joined in, and you were glad she seemed to finally be relaxing around your little group of friends. It seemed like almost no time had passed before someone called on Brian again. Wonpil’s boyfriend smiled coyly as he chose Truth.

“So what’s the deal with you two?” He glanced from you back to Brian. “Are you in love or wh-”

“No!” He cut him off with a drunken laugh. “No. Not at all. That’s weird as hell. We’re just friends. That’s it. That’s all it ever will be.”

The blush that traced your cheeks at the question had quickly turned to knots in your stomach. He wasn’t wrong. You were just friends, but the way he seemed so repulsed by the question really threw you off. He nudged your shoulder with his and you smiled before giving a quick nod.

“I need to pee.”

Sungjin caught your eye as you stood up to make your way towards the bathroom and gave you the most pathetic sympathetic smile to which you just nodded again. Nobody else really seemed to notice how your demeanor changed before you snuck off. You took your time washing your hands and checking yourself in the mirror before stepping back into the hallway. You noticed Sungjin from the corner of your eye and followed him into his bedroom only to throw yourself dramatically onto his bed with a sigh.

“How’s the game going?”

He chuckled and plopped down beside you. “It’s pretty much just a makeout fest. I told everyone goodnight.”

“Awww!” You pouted dramatically. “Does little Sungjinnie have nobody to make out with?”

He rolled his eyes and rolled over to face you. “Well there is someone-”

“Jae?! Oh my god!” You squealed, “I always knew it! I could feel the spark and you know I totally saw the way you watched him during his little strip tease. Sungjin, just take what’s yours!”

He laughed and tried to cover your mouth, but you kept going. “Just scream that you love him and smash your mouths together and kiss the fu-”

Suddenly Sungjin’s firm hand over your mouth became his lips. He didn’t even give you time to react before he pulled away and began apologizing, but in all honesty it felt right. You pulled him back to you by the collar of his shirt and kissed him back. His tongue slipped effortlessly into your mouth and momentarily the thoughts of Brian were pushed out of your mind. For a moment you almost thought you could see this working, if it weren’t for Sungjin’s door slamming shut and startling both if you out of your heated daze.You jumped out of Sungjin’s bed, startled, and flung the door back open only to see Young K still on the other side of the door. His back was to you and his arms were holding his weight against the adjacent wall. You swallowed the lump in your throat and with a quiet, shaky breath you finally spoke.

“We’re just friends, Brian. Right?”

The drive to your apartment was awkward–and if it wasn’t for your roommate Jae’s inability to shut the hell up–it might have been quiet. You stared out the window, occasionally shrugging in response until he whipped the cat out of the bag.

“So you and Brian, huh?”

“There’s no ‘me and Brian’, Jae,” you spat. “Just drop it.”

“I know you two are in love, dude. Why not just get together and stop making this more of a mess than it needs to be?”

You finally turned your gaze from the window to face him. “It would complicate everything and ruin our friendship. How can you not see that? You heard what he said. ‘Just friends and that’s all it’ll ever be.’ Also, what about Sungjin? He’s been in love with me since grade school and tonight I kissed him… I just- How do you go back from that? He’s Bri’s roommate.” You inhaled slowly and paused. “It’s just that no matter who I choose, somebody is going to be hurt and it’s probably going to be me”

“So you like Sungjin?”

“N-no! No.” You struggled. “Yes? Fuck, Jae, I don’t know!”

He put the car in park and you realized you were already home. Jae nodded before patting you on the head like a child. “But you definitely like Brian.”

You stared at him and bit anxiously at your lip before finally nodding. “I do…”

“Then is there really a choice to be made?”

You hated how honest Jae was sometimes, and even more so, you hated that he was actually right. There wasn’t really a choice here. You wanted Brian, but he made things pretty clear when he announced in front of everyone that you were just friends only minutes after making out with you. You tossed and turned all night. You couldn’t stop thinking about him. The stupid dare, the dumb confession, kissing Sungjin, and the way Brian reacted. If you two were really just friends, then why was he so upset? You groaned and grabbed your phone to check the time. 6:48 AM and 1 new message?

You sat up, quickly tapped in your knock code, and tightened your grip on your phone as you saw his name: Brian Kang. One new message from the asshole who kept you up all night. You hesitated before opening it, and were full of regret the moment you did.

>> Don’t hurt him okay? He really likes you.

You didn’t respond. In fact, eight days had passed since you had replied to a single message, voicemail, or phone call from Young K. You went as far as ignoring Dowoon when he text and asked you why you were avoiding everyone, and you felt guilty about that one. Unfortunately, it all caught up to you–no thanks to your asshole of a roommate.

“The guys are coming over.”

“The guys?” You questioned intently. “What guys exactly?”

“You know. The usual.” He forced a smile. “Dowoon, Wonpil, Whatever his boyfriend’s name is, and–” Jae mumbled and turned to walk away, but you caught his arm and glared at him. 

“Brian?”

“Oh.” Jae coughed. “I don’t know. Yeah. Maybe?”

“Great!” You smiled. “Because Jaebum is having this killer party tonight so I won’t even be home. Have fun without me.”

Jae frowned and shook his head. “Why won’t you just talk to–”

“I said have fun!” You cut him off with a lot more spite in your tone than intended, but just rolled your eyes and walked away.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

You slapped your palms against your head before resting your face in your hands. You were currently holed up in a filthy bathroom (obviously the apartment belonging to college-aged men) hating the fact that you didn’t put two and two together. You and Brian were avoiding one another. Of course he wouldn’t go to Jae’s party because there was possibility you’d be there. Now the two of you were mingling at the same party in the same tiny apartment, and you couldn’t seem to find an excuse in the world to escape this situation.

Someone tapped lightly on the door, and as you startled, you flushed the toilet to avoid any awkwardness in the way you had taken shelter in the bathroom. “Just a second!”

You turned the water on and began washing your hands in a quick manner. Trying to do your best in acting like you’d actually been going to the restroom and not wallowing in self pity for your current situation. Everything changed the moment you opened the door. Before you could even think, a strong hand was wrapped tightly around your wrist, pulling you back into the small room and clicking the door shut behind you. You noticed the familiar smell immediately and before your eyes even met, you knew Brian had blocked you in.

With no escape, you sat on the lid of the toilet once again. “What is it?”

You were avoiding eye contact at all costs, but he was practically hovering over you and you could feel his eyes burning into your skin. Suddenly, you felt naked and wrapped your arms tightly around yourself.

“Why are you avoiding me?” There was a tinge of pain in his voice.

“What do you mean? I’m not av–”

“Cut the shit.” The interruption caught you off guard and before you spoke again, he was kneeling in front of you and lifting your chin, forcing you to finally look at him. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. Saying we were just friends or whatever. I’m sorry. But you hurt me too.”

“I hurt you?! How?!” You snapped back.

“Oh I don’t know! How about sucking my roommates face off after kissing me?”

“It was a dare, Brian.” You sighed through your words. “A stupid dare.”

“So you felt nothing?”

You felt a knot growing in your chest, but you weren’t going to cry. Not sitting in some smelly bathroom and definitely not in front of him. Instead you shrugged and shook your head.

“Nothing.”

“Bullshit!” He shot back. “Every time you have your heart broken, you crawl into MY bed. Bullshit if you say it’s because I mean nothing.”

Your stomach churned with anxiety at his honesty. “Stop it.”

He grabbed your chin, urging you to look at him again. Instead, you squeezed your eyes shut as tight as you could manage. “I love you. You know that I do. You’ve always known, and I know you feel the same.”

Your breathing was growing rampant and you could suddenly feel your heart beating in your ears. “Please stop.”

“I need you to say it– Please say you love me. I need to hear you say it.“

“God damn it, Young K!” Even you were taken aback by the name. You never called him by his stupid nickname. You hated it, but it fell from your mouth full of pure venom as you shoved him away from you and stood up. “I said stop. This conversation is over.”

You made your way towards the door and once again his hand found its way around your wrist. “If you walk out that door…” He took a deep breath almost full of instant regret, but both of you were shocked by the words that slipped past his lips. “This friendship is over. Anything we were or ever could be is over. I’m serious.”

You didn’t glance back at him or even stall for a moment. Instead you ripped your arm from his grip, stormed out of the bathroom and straight towards the kitchen. You grabbed the first bottle of alcohol you could find, and without so much as a second thought, you popped the lid off and began chugging it.

“Easy there, Slugger.” Youngjae’s voice was soft and sweet as he tilted the bottle down from your lips.

You stared back at him with tear-filled eyes threatening to fall at any moment, and the sympathetic smile he gave you only made them sting worse. You smiled and brought the bottle back to your lips once more. He only shook his head and walked away.

You were surprised in the lack of burn from the liquor. It was extremely sweet and tasted purely of peach. It was all too easy to chug nearly half the bottle before Youngjae returned and pried it from your hands.

“Seriously Y/N, you need to put it down.” You rolled your eyes, but Youngjae only softened his tone. “This stuff is 99 proof and you’re a helluva lightweight. You’re not going to know what’s what within the next 20 minutes.”

“I’m sorry…” You squeaked, this time unable to fight back the tears rolling silently down your cheeks. “Thank you, Youngjae.”

“Hey, it’s okay. Let’s go get some air.”

You smiled as sweetly as you could manage and wiped your cheeks. “I kind of want to be alone, if that’s okay.”

He only nodded and watched as you made your way toward the small patio deck just outside the living room. You pulled the glass sliding door shut behind you and leaned against the metal railing, finally letting yourself cry.

You weren’t even sure what exactly the problem was. It’s not like you loved Brian. At least, you didn’t think so. He was your best friend though and a great piece of ass. Beyond that he was always there for you to use and abuse at your disposal.

“Oh… My god,” you choked out through a sob. You were terrible to him. How could he fall in love with you when you had been so selfish with him all these years? Always taking and never giving back, even if he didn’t expect anything of you. You felt your heart pounding in your head the more you thought about him, and as you wiped your face and reached for the sliding door you became aware of just how drunk you really were. You swayed and nearly tripped, but luckily you caught yourself on the handle of the door. You giggled as someone pulled it open unexpectedly.

“Bri- an,” you hicupped. “Gosh. I was jus’ drinkin’ ‘bout you.”

You chuckled to yourself at the cleverness and the small thought that flashed through your brain about how you went from sobbing to giggling so drastically. Brian only shook his head and sighed in frustration.

“How much did you drink? Youngjae said you chugged nearly half of a bottle.”

You smacked his chest. “How much did you drink?”

“I’m serious,” he said sternly. “How are you getting home?”

“I’m not!” You attempted to push past him, suddenly angered by all his questions. “Jae is havin’ a party which is where YOU are ‘p-posed to be. So can ya move now?”

He only shook his head again. “Come on. Let’s go. I’m taking you home.”

You’d like to say you put up a good fight, but at some point Brian put his hands on either side of your face and looked straight into your eyes just inches from your face. You held your breath as you studied the darkness of his eyes. You never noticed before, but they seemed to hold the slightest hint of maroon and somewhere between agreeing to go with him and the walk to the car you asked him if you could stay with him. 

Just for tonight.

Of course he agreed–and ever the gentleman he was–he gave you a large shirt, grabbed his favorite pillow from his bed, and made himself comfortable on the couch. You were confused at first. The two of you had slept together multiple times, but given the circumstances you were surprised he even let you stay at his place and decided not to complain as you crawled into his bed alone. 

You woke with a dull throbbing in your skull, but it was nothing like the hangover you had anticipated. You woke slowly, stretched, and suddenly remembered where you were. You sighed, defeated, and climbed out of Brian’s bed and made your way for the kitchen. You couldn’t help but smile to yourself when you saw your favorite coffee mug of his and a few pain relievers waiting for you next to a fresh pot of coffee. Mornings with Brian were always like this. He would sneak quietly out of bed, get your coffee ready, and on occasion, he would even cook you breakfast.

Usually he waited for you in the kitchen, his smile always making your heart jump slightly in your chest, but this was different. You hadn’t spent the night with tangled limbs and soft kisses in a pathetic attempt to drown out the heartache. You weren’t here on a mission to forget or to be comforted by your best friend. You didn’t actually know why you were at his place at all.

Actually, you did. You hated yourself for not realizing it so much sooner, but you loved him. The best possible choice for you was always right in front of you. You made your way back down the hallway, quietly searching for him when you heard the water running in the bathroom, and the door–to your surprise– was cracked open, almost in a silent invitation. You heard water crashing against the porcelain floor and imagined Young K running his hands through his hair, pushing the shampoo through his locks, only for the droplets to roll down his body and crash into the tub. You took a deep breath, swallowing any hesitation, and stepped into the bathroom, quietly closing the door behind you. You took your time to undress and stared at the shower curtain before you. This could be a terrible idea, or this could literally be the best choice you ever make. At that thought, you swallowed hard, pushed back the curtain, and stepped inside.

You knew he had to know you were in there by now, you were literally right behind him. Yet he never turned around or so much as acknowledged you. You admired the muscles of his back, his perfect shoulder blades, the dimples at the base of his spine, and smiled. With one last leap of courage you ran your hands across his skin. You traced his shoulder blades and let your thumbs trace soft circles into his neck. You felt him sigh into your touch before finally turning around in defeat. He eyes moved across every inch of skin, avoiding your eyes for far too long before he finally meeting your gaze. 

“What are you doing?” His voice was low and full of what you could only imagine as heartache. You shrugged.

“You don’t know?” He chuckled, emotionless. “Figures. You never know.”

Your hands were still laced around him, playing in the hair at the base of his neck and drinking in the way he was staring at you. You couldn’t find your voice, but suddenly his hands were on your waist and he was so unbelievably close that it made your breath hitch.

“Brian…”

You stumbled his name through a broken breath and he pressed his lips to yours, pushing the air back into your lungs. Your heart was pounding incredibly loud in your ears, but all you could think of or taste was the kiss. Your hands tangled into his hair and your bodies were finally touching as you fought each other for dominance over the kiss. His arms engulfed you and the two of you couldn’t possibly get any closer as his tongue slipped into your mouth.

The water ran over your bodies, and for a second you thought you would be perfectly fine drowning in this moment. Until Brian pulled away, tugging your lip between his teeth and resting his forehead against yours.

“What are we doing” He breathed again, eyes still shut.

You kissed him softly, slowly brushing your lips against his just in case your confession was going to send him running. You studied his face. He almost seemed upset, hard, chiseled in stone. Until he opened his eyes, finally taking you in. This time he kissed you and you swallowed the urge to cry.

“Brian, I’m so–” You paused and he kissed you again, this time cupping your cheeks in his hands and sucking the breath from your lungs all over again.

“Let me do this right.” He whispered against your lips. 

“Don’t let me fuck this up.” You choked out. “Not again.”

At that his hands slipped from your body. He reached behind him to shut off the shower and tossed open the shower curtain before his fingertips danced against your skin again. He smiled as he stepped out of the shower, taking both of your hands. You couldn’t help the weakening of your knees failing to keep you standing any longer. You fell against him with tear filled eyes as your cheek pressed firmly against his wet chest.

“I’m sorry,” you glanced up and his eyes met yours directly. You tried to look away sheepishly, but the tips of his fingers found your jaw and as he tilted his head you craned your neck to kiss him again.

He hummed, “I could kiss you all day.”

Knees still weak and wobbling, Brian lead you the short distance to his bedroom and his knees buckled against the back of the bed. He pulled you into his lap, tongue tracing patterns against your damp skin before nipping at your collarbone.

“I’m in love with you, Brian.” You held your breath in disbelief that you had finally blurted it out. His lips stilled against your neck and you pulled your lip between your teeth anxiously. “I- I’m sorry. I don’t know when it hap-”

He chuckled and you froze in utter disbelief that you had just confessed and he was laughing. Suddenly you remembered just how naked you were, not just physically. You were 100% vulnerable and you shut your eyes, wishing to yourself that this was just some fucked up dream until finally Brian’s lips were pecking a small pathway across your jaw and to your lips. You finally opened your eyes, leaning back to get a better look at his expression.

“You just apologized for being in love with me. How are you so goddamn cute?”

You tried not to smile and shoved his chest, pushing both of you over on his bed as he wrapped his arms around you. Your lips crashed together messily and his hands slipped slowly down your body until he was grabbing your ass cheeks and pulling you into him. You rolled your hips slowly with the guidance of his large hands and whimpered as your sensitive clit brushed against his hardened cock. You were still lost in his kiss, but his body was touching you in all the right places and suddenly you were getting dizzy and overwhelmed with need.

“Bri-” You panted, struggling to pull away from the kiss. “Fuck.”

He hissed, and rolled over to hover on top of you. “Such a pretty girl should not say such ugly words,” he teased.

“Fuck me.” You trembled as his cock twitched against your thigh. “Please?”

He left you with one last firm kiss before grabbing a condom from his bedside drawer. He ripped the package open and tossed it carelessly onto the floor of his bedroom before rolling it on himself and positioning himself at your entrance. He paused just as his tip was pressing into you.

“Say it one more time.” His eyes stayed focused on the way the corners of your mouth pulled into a playful smile. “Say you love me.”

You leaned up just far enough to grab him at the base of his neck and press your lips to his. “I love you, Brian Kang.”

He smiled against your lips and eased himself into you. You ran your nails across the expanse of his shoulders down his arms as you fell against the mattress with a soft moan. You clung to his wrists and his hands found purchase on your waist as he rocked back and forth. You watched, awestruck, as his eyes fluttered shut and his teeth burrowed into his bottom lip, and with each thrust he let out a small grunt.

Your body was shivering in the most provocative way as he filled you over and over again. He leaned over you and peppered kisses across the soft lines of your collarbones. His hips never stilled as he sucked harshly at your neck, no doubt leaving behind a small branding of himself for the world to know he had been there. Brian wanted you to know he finally had you where he always wanted you, and you whimpered his name as his teeth pressed harsher against your skin.

You slid your hands between your bodies and dragged your nails roughly down his chest in retaliation. Reveling in the hiss you forced from his lungs, you wrapped your legs around him. The two of you were melting into one body and you couldn’t contain the sweet sounds threatening to escape you any longer.

“Bri-” you moaned. “Oh God, Brian.”

His movements were growing stronger and sloppier and you squeaked partial moans each time his thighs slapped against the back of yours. His breathing was erratic and you were so close to coming undone each time he groaned above you. You clenched around his cock and the way he trembled was positively sinful.

“You like that, babe?” You teased through a loud moan and he slammed into you as you did it again. “Cum for me.”

“Ah, fuck,” he breathed, resting his forehead against yours.

His thrusts were relentless and you knew neither of you were going to last much longer. You held your breath as you felt the coil building fiercely in the pit of your stomach, and you let your fingernails dig into the soft flesh of his biceps. Your thighs tightened painfully around him and you clung to him as your orgasm rippled through your entire body.

His thrust slowed but were still pumping enough force to make your thighs slap together each time he entered you. You curled your toes as the sensitivity built with each thrust until finally he spilled into the condom with a sultry moan. He stilled inside you as he caught his breath before finally rolling over and tossing the soiled condom in the waste bin beside his dresser.

He laughed slightly and you watched him, waiting for him to open his eyes. When you finally looked at him he gave you a quick peck, first on your lips and then on your nose.

“Please don’t leave before I wake up.”

“It’s 10 am,” you chuckled. “Are you really going back to bed?”

He cocked an eyebrow at you. “Do you have other plans, baby?”

You glanced at him and then between your legs suggestively. “I was thinking another shower because I’m a sticky disgusting mess.”

“How dare you!” He shot back before pulling you on top of him. “That’d be such a waste. Climb up here…”

He wiggled his eyebrows at you as he pulled you further up his body towards his face.

“I’ll get you all cleaned up.”

[sinnobuns]

The Back Up Plan (Young K/Reader)

Author: Admin Guki

Genre: Angst/Smut

Words: 4.7k

Warnings: Drinking?

Prompt: “Young K smut please >.< angsty too >.< and a tiny bit of fluff!” --Anon

You could feel the subtle burn of cinnamon as his tongue slipped into your mouth. You noticed as he stuck his gum to the rim of his drink preparing for the kiss, but you loved that as his lips pressed gently against yours the flavor licked against your senses.

There was an underlying tone hidden within the intoxicating mask of cinnamon that you couldn't shake; the unmistakable taste of every brokenhearted one night stand the two of you shared. This indulgence always began when another man came to swoop you from underneath your feet, only to drop you off the nearest balcony and straight into Brian's bed once again. He was your best friend, after all, and you thought maybe it wasn't so weird that he knew just how to fuck you out of another heartache. Though he always seemed to make it known to anyone--except you--how uncomfortable it was on his end to wake up to an empty bed littered with the scent of the girl he loved so desperately. His best friend. His “just friends” best friend.

“Alright, alright!” Sungjin’s voice finally cut through the heat of your kiss. “Time’s up. Young K, it's your turn.”

Hearing Brian’s other name caught you slightly off guard. You all hadn’t been together as a whole group in a while, so you had to stop yourself from correcting Sungjin. You were the only one who called him by his real name. He laughed awkwardly and ran his hand through his hair. Maybe truth or dare was a little childish for a group of college students, but there were worse things you could be doing. You weren’t surprised that Sungjin had dared the two of you to kiss, but it was a shock to Brian the way you so confidently agreed and tossed your hair over your shoulder.

“Jae, truth or dare?”

Jae tilted his head in an attempt to be cocky. “Hit me with a dare, big boy.”

“Alright.” Brian sighed and glanced around the room. “I dare you to do a strip tease to one of those cover songs you're always putting on YouTube.”

Jae chuckled and pressed his tongue to his cheek,. “’Les get it!”

It was a total cop out on Jae’s part. He chose a 57 second video he had made of him covering Strip by Chris Brown. He ran his hands up and down his thighs, twerked slightly, and as soon as he unbuttoned his pants the song had ended and everyone was booing. Dowoon’s shy girlfriend even joined in, and you were glad she seemed to finally be relaxing around your little group of friends.

It seemed like almost no time had passed before someone called on Brian again. Wonpil’s boyfriend smiled coyly as he chose Truth.

“So what's the deal with you two?” He glanced from you back to Brian. “Are you in love or wh-”

“No!” He cut him off. “No. Not at all. That's weird as hell. We’re just friends. That’s it. That's all it ever will be.”

The blush that traced your cheeks at the question had quickly turned to knots in your stomach. He wasn't wrong. You were just friends, but the way he seemed so repulsed by the question really threw you off. He nudged your shoulder with his and you smiled before giving a quick nod.

“I need to pee.”

Sungjin caught your eye as you stood up to make your way towards the bathroom and gave you the most pathetic sympathetic smile to which you just nodded again. Nobody else really seemed to notice how your demeanor changed before you snuck off.

You took your time washing your hands and checking yourself in the mirror before stepping back into the hallway. You noticed Sungjin from the corner of your eye and snuck into his bedroom only to throw yourself dramatically onto his bed with a sigh.

“How's the game going?”

He chuckled and plopped down beside you. “It's pretty much just a makeout fest. I told everyone goodnight.”

“Awww!” You pouted dramatically. “Does little Sungjinnie have nobody to make out with?”

He rolled his eyes and rolled over to face you. “Well there is someone-”

“Jae?! Oh my god!” You squealed, “I always knew it! I could feel the spark and you know I totally saw the way you watched him during his little strip tease. Sungjin, just take what's yours!”

He laughed and tried to cover your mouth, but you kept going. “Just scream that you love him and smash your mouths together and kiss the fu-”

Suddenly Sungjin’s firm hand over your mouth became his lips. He didn't even give you time to react before he pulled away and began apologizing, but in all honesty it felt right. You pulled him back to you by the collar of his shirt and kissed him back. His tongue slipped effortlessly into your mouth and the thoughts of Brian were pushed out of your mind. For a moment you almost thought you could see this working, if it weren't for Sungjin’s door slamming shut and startling both if you out of your heated daze.

You jumped out of Sungjin’s bed and flung the door back open only to see Young K still on the other side of the door. His back was to you and his arms were holding his weight against the adjacent wall. You swallowed the lump in your throat and with a quiet, shaky breath you finally spoke.

“We’re just friends, Brian. Right?”

The drive to your apartment was awkward--and if it wasn't for your roommate Jae’s inability to shut the hell up--it might have been quiet. You stared out the window, occasionally shrugging in response until he whipped the cat out of the bag.

“So you and Young K, huh?”

“There's no 'me and Young K’, Jae,” you spat. “Just drop it.”

“I know you two are in love, dude. Why not just get together and stop making this more of a mess than it needs to be?”

You finally turned your gaze from the window to face him. “It would complicate everything and ruin our friendship. How can you not see that? You heard what he said. ‘Just friends and that's all it’ll ever be.’ Also, what about Sungjin? He’s been in love with me since grade school and tonight I kissed him… I just- How do you go back from that? He's Bri’s roommate.” You inhaled slowly and paused. “It's just that no matter who I choose, somebody is going to be hurt and it's probably going to be me”

“So you like Sungjin?”

“N-no! No.” You struggled. “Yes? Fuck, Jae, I don’t know!”

He put the car in park and you realized you were already home. Jae nodded before patting you on the head like a child. “But you definitely like Young K.”

You stared at him and bit anxiously at your lip before finally nodding. “I do…”

“Then is there really a choice to be made?”

You hated how honest Jae was sometimes, and even more so, you hated that he was actually right. There wasn't really a choice here. You wanted Brian, but he made things pretty clear when he announced in front of everyone that you were just friends only minutes after making out with you.

You tossed and turned all night. You couldn't stop thinking about him. The stupid dare, the dumb confession, kissing Sungjin, and the way Brian reacted. If you two were really just friends, then why was he so upset? You groaned and grabbed your phone to check the time. 6:48 AM and 1 new message?

You sat up, quickly tapped in your knock code, and tightened your grip on your phone as you saw his name: Brian Kang. One new message from the asshole who kept you up all night. You hesitated before opening it, and were full of regret the moment you did.

>> Don't hurt him okay? He really likes you.

You didn't respond. In fact, eight days had passed since you had replied to a single message, voicemail, or phone call from Young K. You went as far as ignoring Dowoon when he asked you if you were avoiding everyone, but you felt guilty about that one. Unfortunately, it all caught up to you--no thanks to your asshole of a roommate.

“The guys are coming over.”

“The guys?” You questioned intently. “What guys exactly?”

“You know. The usual.” He forced a smile. “Dowoon, Wonpil, Whatever his boyfriend’s name is, and--” Jae mumbled and turned to walk away, but you caught his arm and glared at him. “Brian?”

“Oh.” Jae coughed. “I don't know. Yeah. Maybe?”

“Great!” You smiled. “Because Jaebum is having this killer party tonight so I won't even be home. Have fun without me.”

Jae frowned and shook his head. “Why won't you just talk to--”

“I said have fun!” You cut him off with a lot more spite in your tone than intended, but just rolled your eyes and walked away.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

You slapped your palms against your head before resting your face in your hands. You were currently holed up in a filthy bathroom (obviously the apartment belong to college-aged men) hating the fact that you didn't put two and two together. You and Brian were avoiding one another. Of course he wouldn't go to Jae’s party because there was possibility you’d be there. Now the two of you were mingling at the same party, at the same tiny apartment, and you couldn't seem to find an excuse in the world to escape this situation.

Someone tapped lightly on the door, and as you startled, you flushed the toilet to avoid any awkwardness in the way you had taken shelter in the bathroom.

“Just a second!”

You turned the water on and began washing your hands in a quick manner. Trying to do your best in acting like you'd actually been going to the restroom and not wallowing in self pity for your current situation. Everything changed the moment you opened the door. Before you could even think, a strong hand was wrapped tightly around your wrist, pulling you back into the small room and clicking the door shut behind you. You noticed the familiar smell immediately and before your eyes even met, you knew Brian had blocked you in.

With no escape, you sat on the lid of the toilet once again. “What is it?”

You were avoiding eye contact at all costs but he was practically hovering over you and you could feel his eyes burning into your skin. Suddenly, you felt naked and wrapped your arms tightly around yourself.

“Why are you avoiding me?” There was a tinge of pain in his voice.

“What do you mean? I’m not av--”

“Cut the shit.” The interruption caught you off guard and before you spoke again, he was kneeling in front of you and lifting your chin, forcing you to finally look at him. “I didn't mean to hurt you. Saying we were just friends or whatever. I’m sorry. But you hurt me too.”

“I hurt you?! How?!” You snapped back.

“Oh I don't know! How about sucking my roommates face off after kissing me?”

“It was a dare, Brian.” You sighed through your words. “A stupid dare.”

“So you felt nothing?”

You felt a knot growing in your chest, but you weren't going to cry. Not sitting in some smelly bathroom and definitely not in front of him. Instead you shrugged and shook your head.

“Nothing.”

“Bullshit!” He shot back. “Every time you have your heart broken, you crawl into MY bed. Bullshit if you say it's because I mean nothing.”

“Stop it.”

He grabbed your chin, urging you to look at him again. Instead, you squeezed your eyes shut as tight as you could manage. “I love you. You know that I do. You've always known, and I know you feel the same.”

Your breathing was growing rampant and you could suddenly feel your heart beating in your ears. “Please stop.”

“I need you to say it-- Please say you love me. I need to hear you say it."

“God damn it, Young K!” Even you were taken aback by the name. You never called him by his stupid nickname. You hated it, but it fell from your mouth full of pure venom as you shoved him away from you and stood up. “I said stop. This conversation is over.”

You made your way towards the door and once again his hand found its way around your wrist. “If you walk out that door…” He took a deep breath almost full of instant regret, but both of you were shocked by the words that slipped past his lips. “This friendship is over. Anything we were or ever could be is over. I'm serious.”

You didn't glance back at him or even stall for a moment. Instead you ripped your arm from his grip and stormed out of the bathroom and straight towards the kitchen. You grabbed the first bottle of alcohol you could find, and without so much as a second thought, you popped the lid off and began chugging it.

“Easy there, Slugger.” Youngjae’s voice was soft and sweet as he tilted the bottle down from your lips.

You stared back at him with tear-filled eyes threatening to fall at any moment, and the sympathetic smile he gave you only made them sting worse. You smiled and brought the bottle back to your lips once more. He only shook his head and walked away.

You were surprised in the lack of burn from the liquor. It was extremely sweet and tasted purely of peach. It was all too easy to chug nearly half the bottle before Youngjae returned and pried it from your hands.

“Seriously Y/N, you need to put it down.” You rolled your eyes, but Youngjae only softened his tone. “This stuff is 99 proof and you're a helluva lightweight. You're not going to know what's what within the next 20 minutes.”

“I’m sorry…” You squeaked, this time unable to fight back the tears rolling silently down your cheeks. “Thank you, Youngjae.”

“Hey, it's okay. Let's go get some air.”

You smiled as sweetly as you could manage and wiped your cheeks. “I kind of want to be alone, if that's okay.”

He only nodded and watched as you made your way toward the small patio deck just outside the living room. You pulled the glass sliding door shut behind you and leaned against the metal railing, finally letting yourself cry.

You weren't even sure what exactly the problem was. It's not like you loved Brian. At least, you didn't think so. He was your best friend though and a great piece of ass. Beyond that he was always there for you to use and abuse at your disposal. 

“Oh... My god,” you choked out through a sob. You were terrible to him. How could he fall in love with you when you had been so selfish with him all these years? Always taking and never giving back, even if he didn't expect anything of you.

You felt your heart pounding in your head the more you thought about him, and as you wiped your face and reached for the sliding door you became aware of just how drunk you really were. You swayed and nearly tripped, but luckily you caught yourself on the handle of the door. You giggled as someone pulled it open unexpectedly.

“Bri- an,” you hicupped. “Gosh. I was jus’ drinkin’ ‘bout you.”

You chuckled to yourself at the cleverness and the small thought that flashed through your brain about how you went from sobbing to giggling so drastically. Brian only shook his head and sighed in frustration.

“How much did you drink? Youngjae said you chugged nearly half of a bottle.”

You smacked his chest. “How much did you drink?”

“I'm serious,” he said sternly. “How are you getting home?”

“I'm not!” You attempted to push past him, suddenly angered by all his questions. “Jae is havin’ a party which is where YOU are ‘'pposed to be. So can ya move now?”

He only shook his head again. “Come on. Let's go. I’m taking you home.”

You’d like to say you put up a good fight, but at some point Brian put his hands on either side of your face and looked straight into your eyes just inches from your face. You held your breath as you studied the darkness of his eyes. You never noticed before, but they seemed to hold the slightest hint of maroon and somewhere between agreeing to go with him and the walk to the car you asked him if you could stay with him. Just for tonight.

Of course he agreed--and ever the gentleman he was--he gave you a large shirt, grabbed his favorite pillow from his bed, and made himself comfortable on the couch. You were confused at first. The two of you had slept together multiple times, but given the circumstances you were surprised he even let you stay at his place and decided not to complain as you crawled into his bed alone.

You woke with a dull throbbing in your skull, but it was nothing like the hangover you had anticipated. You woke slowly, stretched, and suddenly remembered where you were. You sighed, defeated, and climbed out of Brian’s bed and made your way for the kitchen.

You couldn't help but smile to yourself when you saw your favorite coffee mug of his and a few pain relievers waiting for you next to a fresh pot of coffee. Mornings with Brian were always like this. He would sneak quietly out of bed, get your coffee ready, and on occasion, he would even cook you breakfast.

Usually he waited for you in the kitchen, his smile always making your heart jump slightly in your chest, but this was different. You hadn't spent the night with tangled limbs and soft kisses in a pathetic attempt to drown out the heartache. You weren't here on a mission to forget or to be comforted by your best friend. You didn't actually know why you were at his place at all.

Actually, you did. You hated yourself for not realizing it so much sooner, but you loved him. The best possible choice for you was always right in front of you. You made your way back down the hallway, quietly searching for him.

You heard the water running in the bathroom, and the door--to your surprise-- was cracked open, almost in a silent invitation. You heard water crashing against the porcelain floor and imagined Young K running his hands through his hair, pushing the shampoo through his locks, only for the droplets to roll down his body and crash into the tub. You took a deep breath, swallowing any hesitation, and stepped into the bathroom, quietly closing the door behind you.

You took your time to undress and stared at the shower curtain before you. This could be a terrible idea, or this could literally be the best choice you ever made. At that you swallowed hard, pushed back the curtain, and stepped inside.

You knew he had to know you were in there by now, you were literally right behind him. Yet he never turned around or so much as acknowledged you. You admired the muscles of his back, his perfect shoulder blades, the dimples at the base of his spine, and smiled. With one last leap of courage you ran your hands across his skin. You traced his shoulder blades and let your thumbs trace soft circles into his neck. You felt him sigh into your touch before finally turning around in defeat.

He eyes moved across every inch of skin, avoiding your eyes for far too long before he finally meeting your gaze. “What are you doing?”

His voice was low and full of what you could only imagine as heartache. You shrugged.

“You don't know?” He chuckled, emotionless. “Figures. You never know.”

Your hands were still laced around him, playing in the hair at the base of his neck and drinking in the way he was staring at you. You couldn't find your voice, but suddenly his hands were on your waist and he was so unbelievably close that it made your breath hitch.

“Brian…”

You stumbled his name through a broken breath and he pressed his lips to yours, pushing the air back into your lungs. Your heart was pounding incredibly loudly in your ears, but all you could think of or taste was the kiss. Your hands tangled into his hair and your bodies were finally touching as you fought each other for dominance over the kiss. His arms engulfed you and the two of you couldn't possibly get any closer as his tongue slipped into your mouth.

The water ran over your bodies, and for a second you thought you would be perfectly fine drowning in this moment. Until Brian pulled away, tugging your lip between his teeth and resting his forehead against yours.

“What are we doing” He breathed again, eyes still shut.

You kissed him softly, slowly brushing your lips against his just in case your confession was going to send him running. You studied his face. He almost seemed upset, hard, chiseled in stone. Until he opened his eyes, finally taking you in. This time he kissed you and you swallowed the urge to cry.

“Brian, I’m so--” You paused and he kissed you again, this time cupping your cheeks in his hands and sucking the breath from your lungs all over again.

“Let me do this right.” He whispered against your lips. “Don't let me fuck this up. Not again.”

At that his hands slipped from your body. He reached behind him to shut off the shower and tossed open the shower curtain before his fingertips danced against your skin again. He smiled as he stepped out of the shower, taking both of your hands. You couldn't help the weakening of your knees failing to keep you standing any longer. You fell against him, giggling, as your cheek pressed firmly against his wet chest.

“Sorry,” you glanced up and his eyes met yours directly. You tried to look away sheepishly, but the tips of his fingers found your jaw and as he tilted his head you craned your neck to kiss him again.

He hummed, “I could kiss you all day.”

Knees still weak and wobbling, Brian lead you the short distance to his bedroom and his knees buckled against the back of the bed. He pulled you into his lap, tongue tracing patterns against your damp skin before nipping at your collarbone.

“I’m in love with you, Brian.” You held your breath in disbelief that you had finally blurted it out. His lips stilled against your neck and you pulled your lip between your teeth anxiously. “I- I’m sorry. I don't know when it hap-”

He chuckled and you froze in utter disbelief that you had just confessed and he was laughing. Suddenly you realize just how naked you were, not just physically. You were 100% vulnerable and you shut your eyes, wishing to yourself that this was just some fucked up dream until finally Brian’s lips were pecking a small pathway across your jaw and to your lips. You finally opened your eyes, leaning back to get a better look at his expression.

“You just apologized for being in love with me. How are you so goddamn cute?”

You giggled and shoved his chest, pushing both of you over on his bed as he wrapped his arms around you. Your lips crashed together messily and his hands slipped slowly down your body until he was grabbing your ass cheeks and pulling you into him. You rolled your hips slowly with the guidance of his large hands and whimpered as your sensitive clit brushed against his hardened cock. You were still love in his kiss, but his body was touching you in all the right places and suddenly you were getting dizzy and overwhelmed with need.

“Bri-” You panted, struggling to pull away from the kiss. “Fuck.”

He hissed, and rolled over to hover on top of you. “Such a pretty girl should not say such ugly words,” he teased.

“Fuck me.” You trembled as his cock twitched against your thigh. “Please?”

He left you with one last firm kiss before grabbing a condom from his bedside drawer. He ripped the package open and tossed it carelessly onto the floor of his bedroom before rolling it on himself and positioning himself at your entrance. He paused just as his tip was pressing into you.

“Say it one more time.” His eyes stayed focused on the way the corners of your mouth pulled into a playful smile. “Say you love me.”

You leaned up just far enough to grab him at the base of his neck and press your lips to his. “I love you, Brian Kang.”

He smiled against your lips and eased himself into you. You ran your nails across the expanse of his shoulders down his arms as you fell against the mattress with a soft moan. You clung to his wrists and his hands found purchase on your waist as he rocked back and forth. You watched, awestruck, as his eyes fluttered shut and his teeth burrowed into his bottom lip, and with each thrust he let out a small grunt.

Your body was shivering in the most provocative way as he filled you over and over again. He leaned over you and peppered kisses across the soft lines of your collarbones. His hips never stilled as he sucked harshly at your neck, no doubt leaving being a small branding of himself for the world to know he had been here. Brian wanted you to know he finally had you where he always wanted you, and you whimpered his name as his teeth pressed harsher against your skin.

You slid your hands between your bodies and dragged your nails roughly down his chest in retaliation. Reveling in the hiss you forced from his lungs, you wrapped your legs around him. The two of you were melting into one body and you couldn't contain the sweet sounds threatening to escape you any longer.

“Bri-” you moaned. “Oh God, Brian.”

His movements were growing stronger and sloppier and you squeaked partial moans each time his thighs slapped against the back of yours. His breathing was erratic and you were so close to coming undone each time he groaned above you. You clenched around his cock and the way he trembled was positively sinful.

“You like that, babe?” You teased through a loud moan and he slammed into you as you did it again. “Cum for me.”

“Ah, fuck,” he breathed, resting his forehead against yours.

His thrusts were relentless and you knew neither of you were going to last much longer. You held your breath as you felt the coil building fiercely in the pit of your stomach, and you let your fingernails dig into the soft flesh of his biceps. Your thighs tightened painfully around him and you clung to him as your orgasm rippled through your entire body.

His thrust slowed but were still pumping enough force to make your thighs slap together each time he entered you. Your curled your toes as the sensitivity built with each thrust until finally he spilled into the condom with a sultry moan. He stilled inside you as he caught his breath before finally rolling over and tossing the soiled condom in the waste bin beside his dresser.

He laughed slightly and you watched him, waiting for him to open his eyes. When you finally looked at him he gave you a quick peck, first on your lips and then on your nose.

“Please don’t leave before I wake up.”

“It's 10 am,” you chuckled. “Are you really going back to bed?”

He cocked an eyebrow at you. “Do you have other plans, baby?”

You glanced at him and then between your legs suggestively. “I was thinking another shower because I’m a sticky disgusting mess.”

“How dare you!” He shot back before pulling you on top of him. “That’d be such a waste. Climb up here...”

He wiggled his eyebrows at you as he pulled you further up his body towards his face.

“I’ll get you all cleaned up.”

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

Insecurities|Bingsepticeye x Reader

Welp, no better way to ring in the new year than with some lovely angst~! :3

@narutofoxlover was wondering if I was going to write anything with the forgotten Lemon Chip after I made this moodboard for him. And now I have ^^

Here’s a basic summary..BSE is envious of Bingiplier for obvious reasons, and it makes him feel inferior, insecure, and afraid that he’ll just be forgotten. When the Reader catches on they try to reassure him that is not the case and that he is still loved LIKE HE SHOULD BE

So with that being said, hope ya’ll enjoy the story~

For some time now, you were happily chatting with the two Bing androids whose creators were none other than Mark’s and Jack’s. Of course you knew that Bingsepticeye was simply a fan-made creation, one that was barely even acknowledged by the Irishman, and yet there was enough belief in him that made him capable of existing. Even though he had some flaws and had a few missing pieces, such as his eye being black as opposed to blue, and his leg being partially incomplete, with his internal wiring being exposed and giving him a slight limp in his step….he was still polite, friendly, and reliable. And then there was Bingiplier, who was a pretty cool dude although he could be immature at times. He’d often show off his Safe Search Mode by flipping the bird at everything that annoyed him and cursing just because he thinks “it’s what all the cool kids do”. You will give him credit though for being an amazing skateboarder for a robot. He also had a miniature version of himself that wore a white tank, which he called “M.B”. When the two first met, you were surprised at how well they actually got along with each other, although calling them both “Bing” would cause some confusion. So you ended up nicknaming them “Bingo” and “Bro”.  The only time you would say BSE’s full name was whenever you were giving him a command. And when you did, he would carry out the order because his coding couldn’t refuse it. But you tried not to use that too often, granting him the freedom to choose and think for himself. But oddly enough, the Irish android was being unusually quiet ever since the two came over for a hangout. You didn’t want to bother him, though, as he seemed more interested on whatever was on T.V. However, you’d soon come to realize that was not the case. As you chuckled at a joke Bingiplier made, BSE was just sitting there and staring, feeling somewhat left out of the conversation. But it gave his scanners time to take in the other search engine’s systems, core, and coding…everything that, in his eyes, was “perfect”. Jealousy wasn’t something he’d normally feel, but…he couldn’t help himself. It hurt to be sitting right beside a better and more improved Bing android, who was loved and acknowledged by thousands of people whereas he was left in the dust, being nothing but a product from the minds of a few fans that would eventually forget about him. It hurt to think about…it hurts so much that it made him wonder why he was still even-  “Bingo? You alright?” BSE blinked slowly, his scanners shutting off as he looked back at you. “I-I am perfectly f-fine, [y/n],” he reassured you with a fake smile. He even despised the way his own voice sounded. Although Bingiplier can’t go for five minutes without cursing, at least his voicebox was perfect..no glitches or stutters whatsoever. He could go outside and look and talk like a normal person….but if hedid, he’d be considered a freak. “Then what were ya doin’ scanning me, bro?” The Irish android glanced at him in surprise, before frowning slightly. “Th-That’s none of-f your concern, Bingiplier,” he grumbled. “I-I was simply checking t-to see if you had any-y new-” “Nah, I think you’re just salty that you aren’t as cool as moi~!” Bingiplier chuckled, grinning and flexing his arm to show off as he always did. However, it was at that moment something inside of BSE snapped. While the other search engine’s comment was just a simple, harmless joke, it angered him to think that he had enough free-will to think such highly of himself. Meanwhile, he could only call himself a broken machine, filled with nothing but flaws. And he hated it. You and Bingiplier jumped as he slammed a fist on the table before he stood up and glowered at the two of you. Both of you were expecting him to say something, but instead, he simply turned and began to walk out. “Hey. Where are you going?” You called out, only to get no answer. “Bingsepticeye. Stop.” For a moment or two, BSE froze in his tracks. But he then glanced over his shoulder to stare at you intensely, his eyes glowing golden, burning with suppressed rage and turmoil. “Command: Overwritten.” He stated in a cold, monotone voice before he faced forward and continued to walk away. You gawked, surprised that he was able to disobey your command, but before you could call out to him again, Bingiplier spoke up. “Dude..what’s up with you?” “Wh-What’s up?” BSE repeated, turning around fully to face him, clenching his fists. “I thought you of all p-people would kn-know “what’s up” with m-m-me..Bing.“ He said that name with such anger and spite you’ve never seen in the usually calm android. "I…” Bingiplier’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “I really don’t-” “I-I know I can n-never compare to y-you..I know that I-I won’t ever be the "perfect” Bing….y-y-you’re clearly the b-better option…y-you’ve always been!“ His voice cracked near the end as he pointed an accusing finger at him. Your eyes widened in shock at his words. Bingiplier’s eyes flickered behind his glasses with realization, and he frowned slightly. "Look..I..I never said I was perfect. So I dunno where you got that wacky assumption fro-” “Take a-a-a look at yourself!!” BSE shouted. “A-At least you can th-think, act, a-and function like a normal h-human being! And m-me?” He placed a hand on his chest, above his core. “I-I’m just s-something that belongs in the g-goddamn scrap y-yard! No one would care! N-No one would care if I-I were to…!” For a few moments, it was completely silent, until you stood up. Both shock and sadness reflected in your eyes as you gazed at your friend. “Bingo..is…that what you’ve been feeling this whole time?” “…….” “Why haven’t you said any-” “F-Forgive me, [y/n]..” He mumbled shakily, his eyes faded back to blue and black. “..I…I-I-I was just…rambling nonsense….e-excuse me.” Then he turned on his heel and quickly ran away, retreating into his room. Once you heard the door slam, you shared a confused glance with Bingiplier. The ego in sunglasses looked a bit guilty for saying something that seemed to strike a nerve in the other search engine, but you reassured him that it wasn’t his fault and decided that you ought to talk to BSE before he did something to himself. He nodded in agreement and went outside to go practice skateboarding With that, you turned and made your way out of the living room to go confront him. ……… “Bingo? You in there?” You gently knocked on the door, only to get no response on the other side. “I just wanna talk.” “…….” “Look, we both know that what you said back there wasn’t just "nonsense.” You’re upset about something and I wanna help you.“

"........" "Bingsepticeye. Open the door.” A few moments later, he surprisingly obeyed his order and opened the door, although you didn’t see him at all. You stepped inside anyway and froze dead in your tracks at what you saw on the carpet floor: A shattered mirror on the ground, shards of glass scattered everywhere. “H-Holy shit-” “B-Broken…u-useless….r-ruined…just like me.” Turning around, you noticed BSE standing there, shirtless with his core exposed.

 A slight blush appeared on your face, although you shook your head and grabbed the shirt that was on his bed, holding it in front of him. “Bingo..put this back on-” “Wh-Why?” He stepped away, as though the sight of the clothing was repulsive to him. “There is n-no need for that anymore.” “…what?” “There is o-only one Bing that e-exists..r-right?” You could see tears welling up in his eyes. “This Bing m-model is too b-b-broken, easily r-replacable..” He then pushed your hand away and placed his own on his core, fingertips pressing on the rim of it. “I-It would be best if I-I terminate myself..but I can’t do that w-without the permission of a user….[y/n]….you know what to say. J-Just give me th-the order.” For a few moments, you were silent from sheer and utter shock, but you shook your head once more. “No. I’m not gonna do that to you.” “I-It will be fine..I-I won’t feel a thing….I won’t-” “No.” “Just s-say it.” “No.” “S-Say it..” “No.” “Say it.” “No.” “Say it!” “No I will not.” “Why won’t you just s-s-say it?!!” He growled with frustration. “Because you’re my friend,” you told him firmly, stepping forward and moving his hand away from his chest. Your gaze softened as you looked into his eyes. “I don’t want you to deactivate….I’d miss you.” Stunned by your words, he stared at you for what seemed like forever. Then he tried to speak, but instead all he could choke out was a sob as he sank to his knees. “S-S-So you w-want me to s-suffer?” Tears began to slide down his cheeks, although he didn’t bother to wipe any of them away as he stared down at the ground. “No, Bingo…I don’t.” You sat in front of him and cupped his face with your hands, wiping away his tears. “I want you to live.” He stared back up at you with wide, watery eyes, but before he could respond, you cut him off. “I want you to see the day where you’re an amazing search engine that people will love.” “But-” “You’ve convinced yourself that Bingiplier is better than you…but that’s not true despite what your readings say. He’s stuck in Safe Mode, he has a lax and careless attitude, and he would prefer to skateboard over answering people’s questions. Even he is still heavily flawed.” “…maybe but-” “But nothing. You are none of those things.” You continued, giving him a small smile. “You’re respectful, kind, and considerate to your users. If I had to choose I’d personally trust the information you provide more than him.” “[Y/n]…I-” “So what if Jack put you on the back burner? It’s his loss. But I’m sure even he wouldn’t want you to go. Not him, not me, and certainly not the many fans that still remember you.” “I-I…” “And even if they forget..I won’t. I know it’s hard..I know deactivating seems like the easy way out…but there’s a better solution to this.” Letting go of his face, you went to retrieve his shirt and handed it to him. “Now put this back on so that I can remind you that you still have a chance to improve and serve your purpose…please.” For a while, BSE gazed at you, taking in every word you had just spoken to him, before he looked at the clothing. With a sigh of defeat, he took back the shirt and slipped it on. Then he looked up at you, a shaky smile on his face and tears falling down once again. Smiling back, you grabbed his hand and helped him up, before sitting down on the bed. Almost immediately, the Irish android hugged you, being careful not to crush you with his robotic strength. You simply returned it, rubbing his back comfortingly. “Th-Thank you, [y/n]. You’ve…Y-You’ve reinvigorated my purpose as a search e-engine. I-I just don’t know how I can ever repay you for all of y-your kindness and sincerity…” He sniffled, resting his cheek on your shoulder. “You’re th-the only one who’s shown m-me that…and meant it.” “Allowing me to help you is repayment enough, Bingo,” you chuckled. “And there are more kind and sincere people out there. You just haven’t met them yet..but you will soon enough.”

He simply hummed in response, his eyes trailing to the shattered mirror after a minute or two of silence. A slight frown appeared on his face. "I-I’m really sorry y-you had to see that…I…I will..d-dispose of it at once.“ However, as he let go of you and went to stand up, he wobbled a bit and nearly fell over. "Woah, easy there.” Putting your arms around his waist, you carefully sat him back down on the bed. BSE looked at you, appearing drowsy as he was struggling to keep his eyes open. That was when you noticed a yellow low battery icon blinking in the black one. “You need to recharge,” you told him. “Don’t worry about the mirror. We’ll clean it up later.” He nodded in understanding, and you helped him over to where his charging station was. Conveniently, it was right next to his bed on the nightstand so you didn’t have to go very far. Once you plugged the USB cable into the back of his neck, he immediately went into charging mode and closed his eyes. As you were about to get up to leave him, though, the android fell asleep with his head on your shoulder and his arms lazily wrapped around you, mumbling something along the lines of “don’t leave me”. “I’m not going anywhere, Bingo,” you reassured him, hugging him back and calmly stroking his hair. “I’ll be right here when you wake up. I won’t abandon you…never again.”

[dulcetimbre]

On Wednesday evening, you waited until I was done with my class, and we were in the same class - funny how we don’t ever talk in that class. I went over to a room, so comfortable to you, yet so unfamiliar with me. I sang a song sheepishly, in front of an audience of two, while you played the guitar. They said “I ship.” And I just awkwardly rejected it. But I saw from their pictures, the way you looked at me, and maybe it was just coincidence, but I ever told myself I would fine a guy who looks at me the way Eugene looked at Rapunzel... When it was about time to go, we took the bus and I sat next to you. And it was the first time you talked to me about your breakup of five years. I gave you a loving smile, because, I knew, even though you didnt tell me. But you were fine and I thought it weird. We went for the event. We were called out for a video recording. And spontaneously we created a thank you song and danced to it. Then we hit the stage. I was scared, but you handled it so well. Too well, and I thank you for it. And I finally left. I was sad to leave earlier. But that was Wednesday.

On Thursday, the day was its usual: class and friends. Our friends said again, they shipped us, and sent a picture of you - your sly, smile that curved at the ends, and your funny little pose. I laughed it and called you a name of derogation, for the sake of fun of course. But they laughed and said “why call him ___ when you can call him bae?” At night, we went for another event. You put dish on my plates. And we didnt talk much. I guess I still am not part of your go-to friends. But you walked over (I saw you walking over) and mischievously messed my hair, and I laughed, and you laughed too. You sang. My friend and I ran to the front and sat on the floor, so intently listening to you. You sang This Town, and you always did, ever since December, and I finally got why, as I sat on the ground. The pains of an old love probably give you such inclinations to sing that song. But i guess you are fine.

On Friday, I said I’d meet you where another event was, and asked you if you were free to hang out after the party ended. We had dinner but there were too few seats, but the sofa chairs were big enough for me and you, and you chose to share a seat with me. After dinner, we were really just playing with each other, and you pulled a chair for me to sit, beside you.. Then we went out to see the skyline. It was dark, but lit with fluorescent lights that lined the bridge we were on, and you said “this would be a great place for a date”. And I thought, maybe you were one of those guys who had too many girls. Or, were you missing her?But I teased you to make that thought go away. Slowly, everyone left.. One by one, all our friends were gone. And we found a seat - I was on the sofa, and you were on a bar stool, I was leaning on the back of the sofa, close to you, and we watched the amazing jazz band, sing Kodaline. I loved your company, it didn’t feel awkward, and I didn’t want the songs to end. Then our senior came to us and we went over to the other seniors on the sofas that encircled a coffee table. Funny, because I didn’t know one of the seniors asked if I was yours, and you - perhaps repulsively - rejected that idea. We sat, and again, beside each other, and spoke, and tried to socialise with the seniors. They got a beer tower, and thankfully for your gentlemen’s code, didnt force me to drink. I saw you down two oddly filled cups of beer, and I was in wonder, at how you downed it all so quickly, and you spoke of how your tolerance was sky limit. We requested a song and your face lit like a baby boy receiving a cookie. And time beckoned us to go, our friends were meeting us for supper. So we left, together, and the band waved and said their goodbyes to us, mid song, and smiled at us. Somehow we spoke of your brother, and you said he has not dated for many years since breaking up with his first love, and I said I understood why. And that was how it all began. Me, telling you everything in sadness, in a condensed summary, and saying how pathetic I am, but you tried telling me I wasnt. Then you, telling me so honestly, and not feeling the sadness. You amaze me. I wanted to give you a hug to tell you how much more you deserved and how amazing you are. Then we sat together, again. I’m thankful for you, for the security you gave me. And funny enough, our friends asked for our stories again - the same ones we talked about. You tried asking me what I look for in guys, but your friend came along, so you missed it. But in any case, the answer would have been you. While you were deep in your conversation with your friend, my friends asked what I thought about their shipping of me and you, and I awkwardly tried to dismiss it. I couldn’t deny it. Maybe they were right, and I think they are. Then when you came back to the conversation, you tried prying, and you only asked me to repeat - does that mean anything to you? Our night at supper ended. We hailed a cab and you were beside me, again. When we got off, we ran across the road together, and it felt good, running for my life with you. And I made a casual bet - in retrospect I shouldn’t have hahahaha. That night I thanked you for trusting and sharing with me your sob story.

On Saturday morning, you turned up for breakfast well ahead of time, and I had to buy you breakfast. And because we couldn’t finish one set by ourselves, we shared a set. Then we went for the course. We both registered our names together and got the same practical classes, and we screeched in joy. Then it turned out, everyone else in our course had the same class as us. But I was happy nonetheless. During lesson, we didn’t sit with each other. But when I finally decided to leave class early with my friends, I looked at you, and you were looking at me leave, so you said “Bye, ___!” and that made me happy - did you say bye to my friends too? That night we met, again, for supper. You sat beside me again. This once you tried  moving away from my friend as a joke, and you got so close to me I was nearly hoping you’d stay, but you didn’t. There was apparently something on my hair, and you took it out for me, the way I wanted my ex to... We talked so  much, the night finally ended, and we walked home together. Your house was nearer, so we stood at the street, and I was about to walk home myself, but you tried insisting that you wanted to give me a lift. But I so ever independently rejected, and walked home alone. I waited till 245am to ask you if you were safe home.. and you were. I’m thankful. 

[mysteriouslydarktale-blog]

Downgrade

Downgrade

 On February 14th, 2017, my boyfriend posted a picture of me on social media after 6 months of consistently dating him. It was a striking picture with a bold magenta backsplash and heart emoticons embellished along the border. I was front and center, head tilted slightly to the side, hair long wearing my signature awkward half smile.

 We were out celebrating Valentine's day earlier that evening and I didn't notice that he posted it until after our date. Instead of immediately removing my dress when I reached home, I went online to surf through my social media accounts.

  I was ecstatic at the 149 likes that the post had already garnered. Our relationship, although extremely private, was officially made public for the first time. It gave me a little anxiety to think about and I had to throw my phone on the other side of my bed to keep from having a mini panic attack. After composing myself and giggling a little bit, I clenched the phone and started to read the comments. They were overwhelmingly positive…

 -"Wow, Bron…she's bad."

-"Ooooo…cuzzy got a new girlfriend. She's cute."

-"Congrats bro!

-"Aww, she's pretty!

-"My man!"

-"Yay, I love Victoria!"

 I was super excited to say the very least - I was having such an amazing day. The weather in South Philadelphia was relatively warm for February at a cool 59 degrees. My neighborhood, which was usually bustling with movement and loud noises, was very still and everyone seemed to be moving leisurely.

  It was as if their steps were slowed down a little bit and they actually took the time to smell all the corner store bought red roses. It was Valentine's day and I didn't feel miserable or bitter. It was Valentine's day and I felt absolutely loved, admired, cherished and relieved that I found someone great to share this day with.  

 I started to remove my dress. It was a little difficult to get out of because of the thin latex material but it was worth it. The dress was dress was black, short and pretty revealing. I don't usually show myself off but tonight I was feeling very bold. We ended the night politely and by politely I mean we made out. I never truly liked or appreciated kissing until I met Labron.

 His kisses are simultaneously tender and passionate. He was aggressive and gentle, he was dominant and submissive and his hands were always on the small of my back or the roots of my hair. He was ravenous and attentive and highly sensual but – we never had sex.

 Tonight, I wanted to have sex. I was definitely ready to get fully intimate with my boyfriend – this was the longest I've ever held out in every relationship that I've had. I was looking great and feeling even better. It was Valentine's day and roughly six months since we've been together. Oh yes, tonight was definitely the night!

 I wanted to change first and slip  into  something more appropriate for the occasion. Earlier that week, I had purchased a very racy, un-Victoria like lingerie set. It was a bright coral color with a patch of lacy material on the front part of the thong.  The store attendant raved about how much it would complement my caramel complexion. I was hesitant at first but was very fond of the color – so I went ahead with this chancy purchase!

 After getting everything on, I observed myself in the mirror. My makeup was already done from today's events and still looked impeccable. I grimaced a little as a I further scrutinized my frame -  I was on the smaller side. I always hated my figure. I had very subtle curves but I desired obvious, voluptuous curves. I didn't care for being so petite. My hands and forehead were particularly big and there was some discoloration across my body. I was far from perfect but I was also kind of cute. I smiled at myself and instead of the usual awkward half-smile, I grinned wholeheartedly – with anticipation, excitement and sensuality.

 "I'm about to get laid!" I said to myself and it felt better than ever before because I waited until I was ready.

I grabbed my phone and sent a text to my boyfriend. 'Come over baby, I'm ready for you."

 "Omw," He replied back in less than a minute. Goosebumps erupted all over my forearms, I was so excited.

 I sent him a red heart emoticon and opened up the social media app, "Showyaface," where the Valentine's day selfie was uploaded. I was really happy to see that the post gained 232 likes. I rolled my eyes momentarily because I knew that Labron was insanely popular on social media but still 232 likes in less than 2 hours! I started reviewing the comments.

 -"J <3 Happy Valentine's day!"

-"Yassss Vicki!"

-"#Goals"

- C'mon Bron, she's a downgrade, you know this– Ashley was way badder –"

-"Aww Labron…who's that---"

There were about 5 or 6 more comments but I couldn't continue on reading. Someone actually had the audacity to post something so utterly…uncalled for…. on my boyfriend's post! The post of me! I couldn't believe it. I've never come across something so bold. I drew the post closer to my face to make certain that I was reading it correctly. "…downgrade…Ashley was way badder."  I felt clenching in my throat. I wasn't understanding why I was reacting so poorly. Downgrade? Harsh. But maybe….

 At first I was shocked, then I was angry and then I felt consumed with sadness and…vulnerability and a little bit of inadequacy.

 I tapped twice on her avatar to view her profile. Her username was pretty_dimples_90 but I recognized her as Sandra from my 7th grade literacy class. I was a little taken aback to see her considering that she transferred to a new school in a different town after middle school. I was even more shocked to see that she was a friend of my boyfriend's. I scrolled down her profile and briskly came across a picture of her posing with another girl. The girl was tagged as AshesnAshley_. It became immediately apparent that this was the Ashley that Sandra was talking about. It was even clearer that the two were extremely close friends.

 I clicked to view Ashley's page.

 Wow.

 She was stunning.

 She appeared to be some kind of Asian. She was tall and curvaceous and had an unimpeachable sense of fashion. According to her bio, she worked as an Assistant Manager at Barney's downtown.  This girl was perfect and I suddenly felt overexposed and…just hideous. Apparently, she was his ex-girlfriend. I didn’t ever remember him mentioning her and I was confused as to why it took me this long to find her. I couldn't look away. She was a sight.

 Sandra was right…I am a downgrade.

 I walked over to my closet and pulled out my favorite plush robe. I needed to cover myself. I needed to succumb into a ball and roll up under my comforters. I needed to loosen the knot in my throat and let a few tears fall. Just a few. I suddenly felt unbelievable unattractive and embarrassed. I couldn't help but to focus on that one comment. She was Beyoncé and I was feeling like Michelle x3 with a bad weave. How could he have let her go for me? Obviously, Labron felt seriously sorry for me when he decided to give this relationship a chance.

 I went from feeling incredible to feeling repulsive in matter of seconds. I retreated back to my bed and began to lay down, hoping that some sleep would lessen the complete humiliation that I felt. I barely closed my eyes before Labron came strolling in. I sat up in bed and he immediately went over for a kiss.  I conspicuously turned away.

 "Hey babe," He said frowning slightly. He gently grasped my hands and pulled me up on my feet.  Pushing the material of the robe away with one hand, he kissed my collarbone instead. That little sneak. "Why you look so bothered?"

 I decided not to beat around the bush. "How come you didn't delete that comment from Sandra? She said I was a downgrade Bron…from Ashley or whoever the fuck. How do you even know Sandra?"

 He looked genuinely confused. "What are you talking about?" His hands were still on my shoulders and he was looking down at me carefully. I clumsily tried to reopen the post and shoved the phone into his hands. '

"There! She's bold for writing that...like seriously?"

 His brows furrowed and he didn't seem angry or surprised…but very curious. "I didn't see any of these notifications – I'm sorry---"

 "Who's Ashley?" I asked accusingly. The front of my robe untied and revealed the lingerie underneath. I barely realized it but didn't care because I was heartbroken. Labron didn't seem to notice either because his eyes were focused on mine. He was truly handsome and It took a significant amount of strength for me not to succumb into his embrace. I had to remain firm but I was slowly forgetting why I was angry in the first place.

 "Ashley?" He replied. I grew enraged when he said her name. "I don't know, she's someone I used to talk to a couple of years back. Nothing serious."

 "Are you sure she's not creeping back into your life?"

 "I'm sur—"

 "Why are you even with me anyways? She's fucking beautiful." I felt extremely weak for saying it. But the words were like vomit, they were impulsive and difficult to resist. "I mean…no…but did you feel sorry for me or something? Am I the sorry rebound?"

 "Vic, calm down. That's not at all what this is. That's wild – please stop." He paused for a second. "I dated her for a few months but it didn't work out – and her friends were crazy."

 "Well, why didn't it work out?" I said, a tiny bit softer this time.

 "That doesn't matter."

 "It does matter!" I pushed back in frustration. "Bron…wow, compared to her I'm like a fucking clown. I feel like a clown.  She's beautiful – she's fucking bad Bron! And this other girl really had the audacity to comment under your post like that? I can't believe that shit."

 "It doesn't matter. I love your personality."

 Now, when someone says they love your personality, it's usually code for 'I think you're ugly but your personality kind of makes up for it."

 "Wow, thank you Labron. Thank you," my voice was oozing with sarcasm. "You love my personality. I am definitely the class clown." I tried to swallow the lump in my throat, it was becoming exceedingly difficult to keep from crying.

 "No, seriously…I really love your personality." He started and pinched my arms softly when I tried open my mouth in interjection. "You're the coolest female I've ever dated and I mean that sincerely. You're intelligent, you're caring, you're awkward but in a cute way – you’re attentive, you ask questions, you're an amazing listener. You're so dope. I love everything about your personality."

 I still wasn't convinced. "Okay."

 "Okay," he started again. "Ashley was a cute girl. I'm not going to lie about that but she had the worst personality ever. She was hateful and she complained constantly – and she was just a little too vain and materialistic for me. She was cool in the looks department but her personality was trash," he looked down at my lips. "She wasn't you."

 Labron began to close the space between us. "We don't even have to have sex tonight. I can see you're a little dressed up and a little upset – that just doesn't mix."

 In intense situations like this, I would sweat profusely. I could feel little beads of sweat forming on my forehead. He smiled – wow. "And also, you're absolutely gorgeous. You don't ever have to be insecure in the looks department. You got it. You're bad. You – your lips, your cheeks, your frame, your ears, your eyes. You are everything. Don't get all flustered. I like you and no one else." He combed his fingers through my barely-tamed curls and lifted my chin.

 I couldn't look at him directly in his face. I was utterly humiliated and felt silly for overreacting. Labron was a very attractive man. He was tall, toned, haircut low, teeth white with a gorgeous smile and a chic way of dressing. I often wonder if people think about why he chose me – but I guess he was right. Nothing really mattered. All that mattered was us. Here. I had to compose myself. I didn't want to ruin this night. I quickly realized that it didn't matter why he chose me. I was just eternally grateful that he did.  Tonight, in this moment. I pushed back any insecurities and doubts. Usually, it feels terrifying to feel so vulnerable but tonight, it felt more natural.

 I looked back at him. "Thank you," I stood up on my toes and kissed him on the lips. I pulled off my robe, revealing the sexy, lacy material. "Let's go."

 And he began to kiss me - in the contradictory way that he always does. Fast and slow. Hard and soft... Vigorous and affectionate. It was a metaphor for how this night was going to end.

 And slowly, I began to feel like the opposite of a downgrade. I felt like a queen…and I was finally with my king.